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May 30, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 30 May 2026

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General Debate

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Cassandra

There’s a really interesting development in geopolitics going on in NZ’s area of interest, namely a deal between Japan and the Philippines on defence. Part of it is the acquisition of six destroyers the Japanese navy will be retiring soon.

It’s not so much the capacity – the ships are 30 years old – but the change in Japan from its long term pacifism to doubling its defence budget and exporting arms.

Both countries are worried by China, with good reason. An atoll today is followed by hegemony tomorrow.

Both countries will be encouraged by the sA, as part of the current administration’s recognition that it cannot Stan a three cent war amd its highest priority is the Pacific. Getting Germany to pull its weight in Europe plus Pacific countries to do the same (including NZ) is part of Trump’s realpolitik.

I expect Willis’ budget next year will include another increase for Defence, although probably not the replacement frigates. 2028? And what if it’s Labour?
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May 30, 2026 8:02am
- Simon
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  When will the internment camps be built to imprison all the Chinese living in NZ. Just in case.
  
  The China war nuts have not answered this one.
  
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  May 30, 2026 8:28am
  - Cassandra
    
    Why? NZ’s aim will be to keep any conflict as far away as possible. You’ve had that answer many times. Time to give your internment policy a well deserved rest.
    
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    May 30, 2026 9:32am
  - rouppe
    
    That’s just dumb. Your head is still stuck 100 years ago because that’s what happened in WW2, an open, declared conflict in which we were engaged.
    
    A better example would be to look at the USA right now. They are pursuing an open policy of deporting Latin American illegal immigrants and overstayers. Yet the US military and police have large numbers of Latin American men and women in their ranks.
    
    Why? Because the legal Latin American, err, Americans are fully on board with removing illegals, and fully on board with legal immigration.
    
    An open declared conflict between NZ and China is so unlikely as to be deemed impossible. Similarly between China and the USA. Slightly more likely might be a conflict between China and Australia, into which we would be drawn.
    
    The most likely would be a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws in the USA, and because of proximity, might draw in Australia and then us. Would we detain Chinese living in NZ in that scenario? I doubt it, but there would be little sympathy for a Chinese “uprising” on our shores in support of such an invasion.
    
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    May 30, 2026 10:01am
  - Jethrod
    
    It’s a wonder this got past the moderator, it is so racist and nasty.
    Probably gone up 1 place on the Labour List though.
    
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    May 30, 2026 10:19am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      It is just stupid. If Chinese folk were put in camps, how would they e chosen? People who “look” Chinese? Or only Chinese citizens?
      
      “Chinese” people in New Zealand are, as a group, highly productive members of society. Their children will be even more productive. None of that will change in any military conflict with China. Not in any medium term realistic scenario.
      
      So no. We should not give credence to any opinions about putting “Chinese” folk in camps.
      
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      May 30, 2026 10:58am
      - Boy Geoff
        
        BY, how would they be chosen?
        
        Ask Phil Twyford – apparently he’s an expert in such matters…
        
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        May 30, 2026 1:30pm
- Jack5
  
  Australia is buying 11 Japanese Mogami-class frigates, with three to be built in Japan, and the other eight in West Australia.
  
  They would be ideal for New Zealand, too.
  
  Britain will likely try to have NZ buy British for our frigate replacements, but look at the problems Britain’s had with its two new aircraft-carriers. Flaw after flaw.
  
  Let your commercial shipbuilding wither and your warship building potential fades away, too. That’s why President Trump is pushing for revival of commercial shipbuilding in America.
  
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  May 30, 2026 8:57am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Not to mention the problems the Brits had recently with getting HMS Dragon from the UK to Cyprus.
    
    Incidentally, HMS Dragon is one of just five frigates in the Royal Navy. Five!
    
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    May 30, 2026 9:19am
    - mogg
      
      Be fair they did manage to get it there two weeks late, it broke down on the way back again.
      
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      May 30, 2026 10:57am
  - Michael Sommerville
    
    The last thing I would support is buying British. They dumped us for the EU. That was a good move for us because it made us stand on our own two feet but it proved that loyalty means nothing. Japanese frigates would be good quality and it ties us more to our Pacific geopolitics.
    
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    May 30, 2026 9:24am
    - MCōs
      
      Historical Japan hasn’t been too flash either
      
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      May 30, 2026 2:09pm
  - Cassandra
    
    The Minister is reported this morning saying that he’s looking at both Britain and Australia for the ships. My bet is Australia.
    
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    May 30, 2026 9:29am
    - Jethrod
      
      If he had any sense drones would be at the top of his List.
      Refer to the contribution from Nothing Left at 1.56 pm on Thursday 28th.
      A masterpiece on the need for drones!
      
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      May 30, 2026 10:25am
      - Paulus
        
        Do we not have any Drones already ?
        
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        May 30, 2026 3:13pm
  - G152
    
    Be great having a navy again
    
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    May 30, 2026 9:56am
    - pdm
      
      Aren’t we more than a bit short on Sailors these days?
      
      How are we going to crew them if we increase numbers of Frigates or whatever?
      
      Conscription?
      
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      May 30, 2026 10:05am
      - Gary Benner
        
        Look at what happened to sign ups in the USA when they dumped the DEI crap, and made it look like a real army / navy / airforce.
        
        I think the same would happen here. Get some real Ships, Aircraft, Tanks, and a policy to make it tough, and the people will come.
        
        And do it all in conjunction with Australia to share training, spares, and service, and bulk buying deals.
        
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        May 30, 2026 10:15am
      - CJames
        
        I agree with Gary.
        Currently the services are an embarrassment. Get pride back into the organisation and recruits will follow.
        The military can offer great careers for all the young men currently disadvantaged by the current education system. They can also learn very good & marketable work and trade skills. However, they first need to get rid of all the wokeness. Maori went into the army in big numbers long before Maorification.
        
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        May 30, 2026 1:11pm
      - grumpy
        
        We could round up all the lesbians on camper van tours of Australia…..oh, wait……
        
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        May 30, 2026 1:50pm
      - R
        
        This coalition, well most of it , recognizes the importance of a credible defence force; within our economic means and are taking steps to improve the conditions for servicemen/woman. NZ has not appreciated the value of a disciplined force for years, going back into to 80’s. Military training has laid the foundation for successful careers for an awful lot of young people, over the past decades. Good value for money spent. I.e our TAXES.
        
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        May 30, 2026 4:59pm
- kowtow
  
  We should now budget to buy the clapped out frigates in 2056 from the Philipines . We could even bring the crews …….we do for our cows!
  
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  May 30, 2026 9:59am
  - pdm
    
    kowtow – I am very sure the Phillipinos’ working on Dairy Farms throughout the country are not `clapped out’.
    
    Mostly they are spoken very highly of by their employers and are mainstays of the industry.
    
    We have recently had two families of Phillipino neighbours – both couples have been hard working and excellent neighbours.
    
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    May 30, 2026 10:08am
- imalwaysright
  
  The only thing of value NZ could add to any conflict is food supply.
  
  We should sign ‘food for defence’ treaties and leave the gory stuff to those with the gear and the soldiers.
  
  It would then be in their interest to protect NZ and the supply routes
  (And we would be making money).
  
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  May 30, 2026 10:23am
Positan

Two yet to be answered questions:

1. What is happing vis-a-vis Willie Jackson, the Manakau Urban Maori Authority and Matt McCarten?

In recent times, Willie has been abnormally quiet in parliament …

2. How did the UNDRIP reference get into the India/NZ free trade agreement?

The Minister doesn’t know …. but the rest of the country really needs to be told.
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May 30, 2026 8:08am
- Dougal10
  
  Number 2 is easy mfat put it in like they put climate change bs in the eu one.
  
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  May 30, 2026 8:43am
  - Michael Sommerville
    
    And should be just as easily removed.
    
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    May 30, 2026 9:25am
    - R
      
      removed……….and the perpetrators identified and summarily dismissed; no golden handshake nor past service privileges. Would only have to dismiss a couple of managers, and the message would filter through the public service real quick!
      
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      May 30, 2026 10:26am
      - Quail
        
        R,
        Agreed.
        Consequences must be part of any deliberate bureaucratic interference in the business of governance!
        
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        May 30, 2026 1:31pm
    - Jack5
      
      The UNDRIP issue in the NZ-India free trade agreement is a side issue and a diversion.
      
      It diverts attention from the FTA opening the border to thousands and thousands of Indian students, each allowed to work 20 hours a week. This while NZ youth unemployment is soaring close to 15 per cent and will keep rising.
      
      The India-NZ FTA is of bugger all value to NZ. Dairy products, overwhelmingly our major export, are all but shut out.
      
      Here’s what an Indian business news site, BT Today, says of the FTA:
      
      “While sensitive farm products have been kept out, New Zealand will eliminate tariffs on 100% of its tariff lines, providing duty-free access for all Indian exports.”
      
      It goes on to quote India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on another controversial aspect of the FTA – NZ’s commitment to invest billions in India:
      
      ” India welcomes investment worth over USD 20 billion from New Zealand across diverse sectors.”
      
      BT Today is part of the India Today Group, a prominent publisher in the country.
      
      https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/economy/story/agriculture-protected-what-india-kept-out-of-the-new-zealand-fta-507650-2025-12-22
      
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      May 30, 2026 12:33pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360985723/his-tenant-paid-rent-cash-now-police-want-seize-his-property

“Around the same time, Mike says he was told that Dan was in a motorcycle club called the Tribesmen.
“I’d never heard of [them],” he says. “I had no idea that it was a gang or anything of the sort … It was fairly meaningless to me.”

There is no way that Wheeler , in 2021, did not know about the Tribesmen gang: they have existed since 1980 and have a long NZ history which has been well-documented.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribesmen_Motorcycle_Club
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May 30, 2026 8:08am
- KKNZ2025
  
  The police case is that the property rent paid from other parties is receiving the proceeds of crime so acting to seize his property.
  
  Landlords should be concerned at the police scope creep cracking a nut with a sledgehammer & assuming / making case law that all cash transactions are tainted.
  
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  May 30, 2026 8:34am
  - rouppe
    
    Possibly, but “Mike” could have helped himself.
    
    First, being offered a year’s rent in cash is a huge red flag.
    
    “I assumed he had been paid in cash a lot and had cash to spend,” Mike says. “Simple as that.”
    
    Bollocks.
    1. A tradie being paid in cash is avoiding GST and income tax. Yes, I’ve paid in cash in the past, but I knew what that meant.
    2. Someone paying tens of thousands in cash for something is laundering money. As the Barretts would say, “it’s bloody obvious”.
    3. I wonder whether Mike declared that rent as income to the IRD. If he didn’t, that’s also tax evasion.
    
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    May 30, 2026 10:19am
    - Ra Henare
      
      Following your logic Rouppe
      
      The Police should take assets of
      1. foodmarkets for supplying food paid for in cash.
      2. Petrol stations paid petrol or diesel in cash.
      
      I dissagr ee that paying a years rent in advance is by itself a sign of criminal activity.
      I suggess that paying a years rent in advance is a great bargaining tool.
      (PS GST is NOT paid or due on rediential rents)
      
      Correct me if I am wrong but I thort the Legislation was assets bought with proceeds of crime. So rent paid is now an asset?
      
      Interesting argument.
      
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      May 30, 2026 3:39pm
      - rouppe
        
        To be perfectly honest I wouldn’t be particularly surprised if $300 of food paid for in cash was cash that came from a tinnie house operation. I see it a lot at PaknSave Porirua.
        
        That aside, you’re talking transactions of hundreds of dollars, not tens of thousands of dollars.
        
        And to be specific, he didn’t pay for a year’s rent in advance, he paid for a years rent in advance in cash. Me doing a bank transfer of a year’s rent is something completely different.
        
        Where I will concede is the arms length nature of this. The legislation was intended (I thought) to target a criminal who used the proceeds of his criminal activities to acquire assets.
        
        Mike wasn’t involved in any criminal activity unless he was hiding that rent from the IRD.
        
        The flip of this is banks. The reason we have such pain-in-the-arse AML/CFT hoops to jump through is that if a bank were to accept tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars in deposits in cash, they would be foul of the AML legislation, and be liable for hefty fines.
        
        I don’t think Mike should be targeted with a proceeds of crime action, but the point I’m making is that you’re a mug if you don’t know that (in a NZ context) the likelihood of the cash being dirty in that scenario is pretty high.
        
        Oh and your comment about GST not being paid on residential rents is specious. The property was a commercial shed, previously used for a panel beater iirc. Commercial property can attract GST. But again, that’s not my point
        
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        May 30, 2026 5:08pm
    - OlderChas
      
      Some years ago i had a good friend who got into a bit of trouble which could have seen him jailed. he engaged a barrister on the advice of his solicitor. the barrister told him it was going to cost him $250 per hour plus GST. (-9yes – I said it was some years back – I believe the going rate is now about $450 an hour).
      My friend was not a wealthy man and – I guess seeing the look on his face – the barrister offered to drop the GST – but only if he was paid in cash.
      My friend handed over $13,000.00 in several lumps to this lawyer and Officer of the Court during his troubles. Not an invoice nor scrap of paper was ever seen.
      Yep – proceeds of crime? lol (Disclosure: This was before the laws allowing cops to seize property without conviction)
      
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      May 30, 2026 5:56pm
- Ghost
  
  I’ve never heard of them.
  
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  May 30, 2026 3:51pm
  - rouppe
    
    You’re a news hound. They’re in the news regularly.
    
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    May 30, 2026 5:13pm
    - Ghost
      
      still never heard of them. Gang stories don’t interest me. There were gang pads bought here, the gangs evicted by the council, I couldn’t even tell you who they were
      
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      May 30, 2026 5:26pm
    - Hard Cheese
      
      I’d never heard of them either, but I’ve heard of the Mongrel Mob, Killer Beez and Headhunters.
      
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      May 30, 2026 5:48pm
David Garrett

Grey: I disagree…the sign they put up at the shed “Dan” rented gave no hint that he was a gang member…there is no reference in the story to patched gang members hanging around. To me – and I am no babe in the wood – the story rings true.

I should add that up here in the Kingdom I am often paid in cash – and not just by criminal clients. It is none of my business where the money comes from.
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May 30, 2026 8:24am
- artemisia
  
  Agree DG. If the main news input for decades has been the 6pm news on the telly, add a bit of low social interaction and quite possible a lot will pass people by.
  
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  May 30, 2026 8:46am
- rouppe
  
  It is none of my business where the money comes from
  
  It kinda is.
  
  Notwithstanding that, I accept that life in Tonga is likely highly cash driven. It’s the same in Thailand, though the government there is talking a lot about changing that, and I know ex-pat’s there have had a lot of trouble with banks suddenly freezing their bank accounts until they formally identify themselves to the bank a la AML.
  
  But if you’re paid in cash from a guy covered in gold chains and diamond rings who has a fleet of fast boats that seem to rendezvous a lot with vessels a few miles offshore, then you’re part of the drug trade.
  
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  May 30, 2026 10:25am
Cassandra

The Iwi Leaders Forum, a group representing the Maori tribes, met with Opposition MPs and Maori trade unions in Wellington yesterday, to complain that there was nothing in the Budget specifically targeting Maori unemployment.

Skilled workers have no, problem getting a job. People who can’t read and write and don’t turn up for work do not get or keep jobs. Expecting taxpayers to solve that problem is daft. The solution is staring the tribes in the face.

An interesting twist was one prominent Maori referring to the Government failing to provide special treatment solely for Maoris as “apartheid “.
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May 30, 2026 8:27am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  The lack of self awareness among some activists is astounding. Do they even listen to themselves?
  
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  May 30, 2026 8:35am
  - CJames
    
    More to the point – do the reporters interviewing them ever challenge their more extreme comments or ask them to define exactly what that word means and why?
    I know the answer – they don’t. Often I doubt the reporter will mention that it is an untruth
    
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    May 30, 2026 9:27am
    - R
      
      Very doubtful in many cases, that media reporters actually are capable of recognizing the difference between truths and untruths!
      
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      May 30, 2026 10:30am
    - Prince
      
      Yeah, a simple ‘do you think the Govt should fund Health based on need, or race’, could provoke some intesterting answers. Why should anyone subsidise John Tamihere, when he is clearly, quite able to help himself ?
      
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      May 30, 2026 12:46pm
  - artemisia
    
    They listen only to themselves NMTB.
    
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    May 30, 2026 9:39am
- KKNZ2025
  
  It has long been argued that the Government providing special treatment solely for Maoris as “apartheid “.
  
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  May 30, 2026 8:36am
- Yvette
  
  Where in the Treaty does it say the Crown will protect Maori, their position or possessions?
  And if it is among “principles” what is it protection from? French colonists were a threat that seems to have faded. Which leaves unruly pioneer non-Maori: those against whom the Maori asked the Crown representatives to contain by British rule.
  
  So non-Maori in the Maori/Crown Treaty, in the sense of English grammar, are not a subject but an object – they are included out.
  
  Cassandra, you write of “… the Government failing to provide special treatment solely for Maori.”
  The Treaty Article 2 ensures Maori continued ownership to their property, but as I read it, does not say we, the object of the now outdated Treaty will help them look after it.
  
  During Covid, Maori should have been told, here is the vaccine which may save your precious taonga – your life or that of your loved ones – come and get it. Just as they should understand: here is education – come and get that.
  
  If Maori are the partner of the Treaty, they are a partner in colonisation.
  If I am the object of the Treaty, not a participant – it is not my Treaty.
  ____________
  
  The Indian (mid Asia) nation, on independence from British colonialists, became defined as an indigenous people.
  When the British relinquished New Zealand as a colony, my ancestors became indigenous
  
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  May 30, 2026 9:11am
- pdm
  
  Cass – not much Labour and The Unions can do about the Budget. Both are opposition with the Unions probably more effective than Labour.
  
  The unasked question by Media is:
  Why didn’t the Iwi Leaders Forum request a Meeting with Government Ministers including Finance Minister Willis?
  
  Too hard for the media.
  Too hard for the Iwi Leaders because they would not like the answers.
  
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  May 30, 2026 9:15am
  - R
    
    Doubtful that either of these two parties would understand the economics of the answers.
    
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    May 30, 2026 10:32am
- cas
  
  If they felt like picking or pruning kiwifruit there would be jobs. Instead the industry relies on backpackers and Indians.
  
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  May 30, 2026 10:50am
  - Ian Boag
    
    Amyon who has any sort of semi-permanent “home” or a partner/kids would likely find the arithmetic of going to Te Puke to pick kiwifruit for a couple of months a bit hard.
    
    https://chatgpt.com/share/6a1a1d50-376c-83ec-a437-b9addfb49d2b
    
    Kiwifruit peak picking season is April-May. By the time you figure the costs/logistics/misery of having two “homes” and the costs of relocation for a small number of months it can get a bit hard. Not to mention what happens if it rains. Backpackers don’t have these issues. I don’t know about Indians
    
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    May 30, 2026 11:10am
    - cas
      
      I was meaning locals who only need to get out of bed.
      
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      May 30, 2026 11:44am
- Hugh Jarse
  
  Maori Trade Unions ?
  
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  May 30, 2026 11:51am
NeverMindTheBollocks

They don’t like it up ‘em.

Maori activists and their newer New Zealander useful idiots are dismayed by legal recognition of English as an official language.

They ask what the issue is, given that everyone born here speaks English.

The answer is creeping Maori language use. In days gone by, the large lump of rock in Taranaki was Mt Egmont. Then it was Mt Taranaki or Mt Egmont. Now it’s Taranaki maunga. Next you won’t be able to climb it, and after that it will be forbidden to even look at it.

Where the natural features go, so does use of language.

Making English an official language is one small pushback. The fact that activists don’t like it tells you everything you need to know.

http://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/596786/what-needs-protecting-researcher-questions-purpose-of-english-language-bill
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May 30, 2026 8:33am
- Yvette
  
  NeverMindTheBollocks, you mention Mt Taranaki.
  AI is one emerging matter which will change many things while at the other end of the artificial intelligence is the declaration by Maori and recognised by New Zealand law that Taraniki is now a personage with people to speak on her / his behalf.
  I would view this as a more serious issue than perhaps the “creeping Maori language use” you write about.
  In January 2011, a Christian youth group of about 25 climbers carried a sofa and a dismantled barbecue to the summit of Mt Taranaki. Calling themselves “Team Epic,” the group hauled the furniture up the North Ridge to lounge at the peak, which beyond the incineration of their bbq bangers, ignited a nationwide debate about cultural sensitivity.
  Since then a more specific group speaks for the artificial intelligence with which Mt Taranaki is imbued, which now apparently stretches to the mountain’s stance against sea bed mining 50km off the Taranaki coast.
  
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  May 30, 2026 10:06am
- Paulus
  
  The so called media will continue to perform whatever they want in Maori so it is of little use in making any effective changes.
  
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  May 30, 2026 3:23pm
artemisia

Here’s a thing. I wanted to find a Kiwiblog post I made a couple of months back, popped Kiwiblog and user name into Google. Maybe I’m the only person in the KB universe that has never done this, but in case there are a couple of others out there, try it.

Apropos of not much, i was a very early Google adopter. Not quite the chaps in the garage but well before the IPO. Gmail was only by invitation from Google. Funny now that the name doesn’t raise an eyebrow anywhere in the world – back then it was weird as.
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May 30, 2026 8:40am
NeverMindTheBollocks

Sir Hirini Moko Mead has died.

I see that Radio New Zealand neglects to mention that for most of his life he was called Sid Mead.

To me, that would seem to be insulting to his mana. But, what would I know.

http://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/596767/maori-leader-and-academic-sir-hirini-moko-mead-has-died
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May 30, 2026 8:44am
- Paulus
  
  Who ?
  Never heard of him – may he rest in peace !
  
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  May 30, 2026 3:24pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Kiri Allan thriving away from Parliamentary Politics

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/gisborne-herald/news/kiri-allan-on-life-after-politics-and-the-story-behind-her-new-book/BMZ3WK532VGSHPS45KZWIHB7RU/
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May 30, 2026 8:45am
- CJames
  
  Didn’t she get a cushy job in some government funded organisation? I wonder if it was an advertised vacancy she filled.
  
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  May 30, 2026 9:31am
  - R
    
    A vacancy, can not fill a vacancy!
    
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    May 30, 2026 10:35am
    - Jethrod
      
      Better consult DG on that point of grammar!
      
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      May 30, 2026 12:55pm
      - David Garrett
        
        Jethrod: Quite right dear boy, quite right. Cannot is one word, not two
        
        1 0
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        May 30, 2026 7:29pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  This post sparked me to go back and look at the report of Allan’s trial.
  
  From what I can see, she does not seem to have been convicted for driving over the limit (and not for the first time either) though per the statement of agreed facts, she was. The sentence was extraordinarily light, too.
  
  This line caught my eye:
  
  “(Allan) had low culpability for the crimes given her “fragile emotional state at the time”, (Judge) Stevenson said”.
  
  This is an outrageous comment from the Judge. Low culpability? WTF?
  
  In my view, the fact that Allan was not just an MP but the Minister of Justice means that an example should have been made of her. It’s important that we’re all equal before the law, and those responsible for it all the more so.
  
  A very poor show, all round.
  
  http://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/517483/former-justice-minister-kiri-allan-pleads-guilty-to-crash-charges
  
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  May 30, 2026 9:39am
  - R
    
    Clearly tat Judge, like many now, has low culpability also.
    
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    May 30, 2026 10:37am
  - Tauhei Notts
    
    I liked reading that article. I had always thought that she had purchased and was running a school for new drivers.
    
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    May 30, 2026 3:32pm
  - Bobba Fret
    
    There was far more than $5,296 (what she was ordered to pay) in damages to the vehicles involved.
    
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    May 30, 2026 4:52pm
- Bobba Fret
  
  She says being a lawyer ” I think it’s one of the reasons that made me a good politician”.
  She has a very high opinion of herself……..IMO she was a terrible politician.
  Also, one of her businesses does a lot of consultancy work for the government?????? What possible good advice could she give? She is the one that needs help and advice!
  
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  May 30, 2026 10:19am
  - Ghost
    
    she was expected to be a future labour leader and possible PM if not for her career ending cock up, although I wouldn’t be surprised to see her return to politics
    
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    May 30, 2026 10:59am
    - Jack5
      
      Kiri Allan wasn’t too bad for a Leftist politician. She struck me as being intelligent and capable, which don’t always go together.
      
      As Justice Minister Kiri had a challenge keeping the law system going during Covid, while also tending her East Coast electorate.
      
      Meanwhile, in her personal life there were cancer, lesbian divorce, and her two young children.
      
      I think we’ll hear more of her.
      
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      May 30, 2026 12:58pm
      - CJames
        
        We might “hear more from her” and Labour could try to rehabilitate her (are their ranks of skilled people that low they need retreads?) , but I believe she would be unacceptable to most New Zealanders. Things that happen before you are an MP can be forgiven (unless you are right wing – eh DG) but your probity after getting into parliament is a different matter. For Ministers, it should be even tougher – Caesars wife stuff.
        So no – I don’t believe it would be acceptable for Kiri to come back. Our version of Mandelson perhaps?
        
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        May 30, 2026 1:39pm
      - Jack5
        
        Without suggesting that Kiri Allan is near the political calibre of Winston Churchill, voters willingly overlooked the British leader’s thirst for booze (AI reckons its six glasses of wine a day plus spirits).
        
        Then there was Abraham Lincoln’s quip about Ulysses S. Grant, the Union’s commander (and later US President), a renown drinker.
        
        Lincoln said if he could find out what whisky Grant drank, he would send a barrel of it to all his other commanders.
        
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        May 30, 2026 2:11pm
      - Ghost
        
        doesn’t really matter what you believe CJames. What matters is will the left vote for her?
        
        Ruth Dyson recovered from her drink driving conviction. Kiri will as well. It will be a slow return, building her profile back up. Unless labour put it her on the list and let her back in that way.
        
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        May 30, 2026 2:23pm
      - Paulus
        
        These are all good attributes for an up and coming leader of the left wing New Zealand politicians.
        
        3 2
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        May 30, 2026 3:27pm
    - Bobba Fret
      
      I hope she doesn’t return to politics. I think she has a very over inflated opinion of herself and is extremely arrogant.
      
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      May 30, 2026 4:53pm
Benedict Yu

The iwi leaders forum met yesterday to complain that Maori were allocated insufficient funding in the Budget.

“Iwi leaders furious about Budget 2026, call it ‘economic apartheid”

““We are sad. Sad about the blatant destruction of whānau values. We are angry about the systemic dismantling of structures that support whānau and hapū. We need to call this out for what it is, economic apartheid…””🙄

https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360985854/iwi-leaders-furious-about-budget-2026-call-it-economic-apartheid

Can you imagine what it is like dealing with people with this mindset? That the Government needs to pour money into bespoke programmes for Maori. The reference to “apartheid”…. I think he means that white people are being advantaged by being given more government money than Maori. On a per capita basis I think that the exact opposite is the truth.

Honestly, this is a perfect example of why the Treaty Principles Bill was such a lost opportunity. We have entered an era where Maori demand racially separated government programmes. The people cited in this article are, literally, demanding separate training courses that are only available for Maori young people.

There was a solution on the table that would have ended this corrosive division. Sadly the Prime Minister said that he could see nothing he liked.

If we go back to 2024, the Maori representative being quoted in this article said…

“I think what we need to understand here is that fundamentally, this is an issue in regard to the system that has been imposed upon us. This racist, foreign-type system.

“When you undermine the Treaty of Waitangi and He Whakaputanga, you know, they don’t have any legitimate right to act on our behalf.”

https://www.stuff.co.nz/te-ao-maori/350393486/government-meets-credentials-dictatorship-veteran-maori-activist-says

The “racist foreign-type system” he refers to is, presumably, New Zealand’s system of Parliamentary democracy.😳

Government Ministers should today discern the wise words of David Lange from a speech in November 2000.

“Democratic government can accommodate Maori political aspiration in many ways. It can allocate resources in ways which reflect the particular interests of Maori people. It can delegate authority, and allow the exercise of degrees of Maori autonomy. What it cannot do is acknowledge the existence of a separate sovereignty. As soon as it does that, it isn’t a democracy. We can have a democratic form of government or we can have indigenous sovereignty. They can’t coexist and we can’t have them both…… ”

“……. the court of appeal once, absurdly, described [the Treaty] as a partnership between races, but it obviously is not. The signatories are, on one side, a distinctive group of people, and on the other, a government which established itself in New Zealand and whose successors represent all of us, whether we are descendants of the signatories or not.”

https://www.brucejesson.com/david-lange-2000/

What David Lange said is so clearly correct. Yet his warning was ignored. By all governments. Including the current one.
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May 30, 2026 9:38am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  “ We can have a democratic form of government or we can have indigenous sovereignty. They can’t coexist and we can’t have them both…… ”
  
  These words should be graven in stone at the entrance to Parliament.
  
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  May 30, 2026 9:41am
- Taieri
  
  The iwi leaders forum met yesterday to complain that Maori were allocated insufficient funding in the Budget.
  ————
  
  Translation:
  
  The iwi leaders forum met yesterday to complain that the iwi “leaders” were allocated insufficient funding in the Budget.
  
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  May 30, 2026 9:56am
- G152
  
  They could always treat full blooded Maori as descendants of the original tribes
  
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  May 30, 2026 10:03am
- Master Mariner
  
  “……. the court of appeal once, absurdly, described [the Treaty] as a partnership between races, but it obviously is not”
  I believe you are missing one key word in that description “Akin”.
  Meaning similar but has totally different legal interpretations.
  Bit like a unmarried Couple living “Akin” to marriage as an example.
  But at the end of the Day , NZ needs to reinforce its “Social contract” first getting rid of any race baited connotations such as Pakeha, maori, Pasifika etc and start with New Zealand and New Zealander.
  Start at primary school.
  
  17 2
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  May 30, 2026 10:15am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    Just to a clear. I was quoting David Lange verbatim.
    
    17 0
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    May 30, 2026 10:32am
    - Master Mariner
      
      Yep, Got you now.
      
      4 0
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      May 30, 2026 12:39pm
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  Since 80% of Maori high school kids fail to attend school on a regular basis, one can only assume that “whānau values” means doing nothing and expecting a hand out.
  
  The real destruction of Maori society comes from enabling this lifestyle. The only solution is to take this away and force Maori back into a productive lifestyle.
  
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  May 30, 2026 10:33am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  We are sad. Sad about the blatant destruction of whānau values.
  
  It’s whanau members who decide to introduce gang-life and drugs to their family.
  
  It’s whanau members who don’t give a stuff when their 10-14 year olds are out roaming streets late at night.
  
  It’s whanau members who turn a blind eye when their youngsters are abused.
  
  It’s whanau members who decided whether or not they will speak Te Reo to their children.
  
  Every family/whanau has their worries and tragedies and history to navigate. Maori folk aren’t unique in this respect.
  If they want the best for their whanau and families, then they have to do the hard yards themselves; the same as every other family / kin group in NZ.
  
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  May 30, 2026 11:03am
  - Ghost
    
    We’d always go out late at night, our parents never knew. Either just walking around or playing down at the primary school. Home around 2am, up in time for school. One friend got picked up by the police, no idea why the idiot was carrying a machete. Same friend stole my student ID one day and got caught trying to buy alcohol. Very strict religious fruit cake family, I expect he was after freedom.
    
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    May 30, 2026 11:12am
  - Paulus
    
    Surely Whanau values included historically how much salt to put into the pot for flavouring ?
    
    2 1
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    May 30, 2026 3:31pm
- rouppe
  
  I saw a news piece on trades training, at a Marine engineering firm. They had a dozen apprentices.
  
  I don’t recall a single one being white. Maori have plenty of opportunity, and plenty of support.
  
  What the iwi ~~national socialist maori workers~~ leaders forum is missing is aspiration.
  
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  May 30, 2026 1:07pm
- Quail
  
  BY
  “ this is a perfect example of why the Treaty Principles bill was such a lost opportunity “
  You are absolutely correct.
  And it was the National party who deliberately ensured that it did not progress to a referendum or anywhere.
  Lest we forget!
  
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  May 30, 2026 8:40pm
OlderChas

I was astounded to see the fogging of One NZ Stadium when coverage resumed after the half time break. I thought that it was truly a fog – i.e. a weather event. Then the commentators informed us that it was smoke from the half time fireworks display!
Who was the idiot that decided a fireworks display in an enclosed (and obviously without extractor fans) space was a good idea?
People die from smoke inhalation while lying quietly in bed. What damage does sucking in huge volumes of air contaminated with smoke do to large athletes playing rugby?
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May 30, 2026 10:02am
- Benedict Yu
  
  Psychologists like investigating such events. This was not one person who decided to let off fireworks but most probably multiple people. Buying them, placing them, then setting them off.
  
  Paradoxically a group can take riskier decisions than one person because there is diffuse responsibility.
  
  Anyway, it is likely to be the first and last time this happens at that stadium.
  
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  May 30, 2026 10:38am
  - Hugh Jarse
    
    BY, an interesting study on the use of pyrotechnics in stadia.
    https://www.workingwithcrowds.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2481168-DOWNLOAD.pdf
    
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    May 30, 2026 12:20pm
  - Gravelroad
    
    Yesterday there was a lengthy discussion on newstalkzb about the merits or otherwise of allowing the Crusader horses to ride around the arena before the games.
    Apparently some people think that having the horses there (one of the horsemen said he had been managing it for 30 years) was terribly inappropriate and cruel. One young horse got a bit spooked last time, but was ok.
    But there was no valid venue reason why it couldn’t/shouldn’t be done in the new stadium.
    People just making up stuff because they can.
    These Crusaders horses are strong, intelligent and trained to be around crowds.
    Unlike some of the watchers.
    
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    May 30, 2026 1:24pm
    - Jack5
      
      Opposition to horses in the OneNZ stadium is the remnant of the Woke drive after the mosques massacres to change the Crusaders’ name.
      
      If Maori had been great horse warriors like the Comanches, the Woke, too, would support horses for Crusader games at the OneNZ stadium.
      
      But Western knights on a religious crusade? Nope.
      
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      May 30, 2026 1:55pm
      - Paulus
        
        Where did Maori find horses in the wild ?
        
        2 5
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        May 30, 2026 3:33pm
- R
  
  Sport stadium managers are not immune to stupid decisions, anymore than business managers are.
  
  7 0
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  May 30, 2026 10:42am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    Yes and nobody died. 🙂 It is not as though they are airline pilots. Or surgeons.
    
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    May 30, 2026 11:01am
- Hugh Jarse
  
  I was there last night and astounded that this occurred. In my view, the organisation responsible needs to present to the public the risk assessment they carried out. It may allay concerns through the thoroughness of any assessment or it may prevent a bad decisions in the future if there none. But this situation along with the mess made of the horses performances makes you wonder who is in charge of these decisions.
  
  Great performance by the Crusaders, the Hurricanes never really stood a chance.
  
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  May 30, 2026 12:05pm
Damocles11

‘Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has issued a statement saying no deal has been reached with the US to end the conflict.
Baghaei also states that the management of the Strait of Hormuz must be decided upon by Iran and Oman.
“None of the Western parties, when speaking about the Islamic Republic of Iran, can use the language of ‘must’,” he said, referring to US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social post in which he said Tehran “must” agree never to have a nuclear weapon as part of any deal.
“We make decisions based on the interests and rights of the Iranian people.”
In response to Trump’s claim that the US would lift its naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, Baghaei urged caution.
“We need to see whether in practice they will actually follow through on their words or if it’s merely a propaganda claim.”’
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May 30, 2026 10:16am
Damocles11

‘New Zealand’s government budget deficit (OBEGALx) for the 2025/26 financial year is forecast to be NZ$11.9 billion (or NZ$15.06 billion under the standard OBEGAL measure), according to the newly released Budget 2026 data.’
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May 30, 2026 10:20am
Charlotte Wells

Babylon Bee does an AI woman as President for the USA.

Ignore all the stereotype BS, the best bit is right at the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwXYrQxEnl8
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May 30, 2026 10:42am
- Tauhei Notts
  
  Charlotte, that was brilliant.
  
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  May 30, 2026 12:42pm
mogg

UK justice. in action; three teenage boys found guilty of gang rape on a 17 yr old girl, plus more sex offences against other girls, have been given ‘rehabilitation orders’ and fined £25 each, that’s around $55NZ, less than a parking fine. The judge said he considers rehabilitation more important than punishment. The victim said that’s why girls are now reluctant to go to the police.
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May 30, 2026 11:13am
- Ghost
  
  It’s an interesting case. Both boys have mental health issues, one is in the bottom 1%of iq amongst his age
  
  3 years youth rehabilitation order. Should have been in residence if that’s what the judge thought was needed. But the legal officers are looking at appealing, so they could end up in a youth facility
  
  https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/may/24/uk-judge-decision-rape-girls-hampshire
  
  I’d say though it’s still better than teenage rapists have got here
  
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  May 30, 2026 12:05pm
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Both boys have mental health issues, one is in the bottom 1%of iq amongst his age
    
    Somehow, I doubt much of this…
    
    The boys have successfully managed the Justice system, but prior to encountering the justice system, they have managed to manipulate other teens, worked the internet and camera video scene, and have planned and executed repeat rapes.
    
    I think they’re street-wise savvy thugs.
    
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    May 30, 2026 12:44pm
    - Ghost
      
      one of the boys has been diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment. The reports on both boys would come from the courts clinical psychologists and psychiatrists as part of the Pre-Sentence Report. Neither boy used their mental health issues int he trial, they both plead not guilty.
      
      The case has now been referred to the appeals court
      
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      May 30, 2026 1:47pm
Maggy Wassilieff

What is going on here?

In a statement, DOC’s Deputy Director-General Public Affairs Sia Aston told RNZ they were aware of concerns raised about how the region had “managed relationships with iwi and processes including contracting, procurement and debt management”.

“We are taking these very seriously. We have completed an internal review which confirmed some of these concerns are valid and we need to understand more about them.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/environment/596750/department-of-conservation-launches-external-investigation-over-debt-relationships-with-iwi

https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/361014596/doc-probe-triggered-after-18-million-campground-debt-dispute

Why hasn’t DoC handed their findings over to the Police or the SFO, if they’ve already identified concerns?

It’s not DoC’s job to be investigating their own dodgy processes.
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May 30, 2026 1:22pm
- Quail
  
  MW,
  Totally agree with your two last sentences.
  Sadly in NZ bureaucratic integrity , over many departments seems to be in decline.
  
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  May 30, 2026 1:48pm
- mogg
  
  25% of young people in UK claim to have ‘mental health issues’. The happy coincidence is that they can be signed off work permanently and given full benefits plus. Call me mr cynical but I don’t believe a word of it.
  
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  May 30, 2026 2:20pm
- artemisia
  
  Anything to do with the Auditor General and Kaipara District Council current enquiry? Similar wording.
  
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  May 31, 2026 9:40am
Ian

From the ODT – “A researcher and linguist (doesn’t look pale) based at Otago University says the govt’s push to make English an official language raises a question of “what exactly is English being protected from?”. Well maybe he should do some research on the 58 countries that have English as an official language. Maybe he should be doing some research on what those countries are protecting the English language from…
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May 30, 2026 3:06pm

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