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May 31, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 31 May 2026

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General Debate

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Simon

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NZ prepare for war against China is very stupid

What the war nuts need to explain is how to how handle the hundreds of thousands of Chinese who live in NZ

Prison camps if it kicks off? Or simple property confiscation and deportation

To create a war fever against China to justify moron defence spending means Chinese population living in NZ will have to be addressed

Stupid war nuts. Disgusting clowns.
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May 31, 2026 8:03am
- Jethrod
  
  Ohhh…. you’re not still on about that are you?
  
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  May 31, 2026 9:34am
- Benedict Yu
  
  Is this satire?
  
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  May 31, 2026 9:36am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    No, it is out-right racism.
    
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    May 31, 2026 9:49am
    - Don Beckett
      
      …………or plain idiocy.
      
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      May 31, 2026 10:28am
      - nathie
        
        Or both.
        
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        May 31, 2026 11:48am
- AitchW
  
  Did someone hurt you Simon?
  
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  May 31, 2026 9:39am
- crash
  
  Ooops upticked in error.
  
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  May 31, 2026 12:34pm
Cassandra

US Secretary of War Hegseth, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia’s premier forum for defence leaders, militaries and diplomats, attended by NZ Minister Chris Penk said that stronger, more self-reliant allies are key to deterrence.

“The era of the United States subsidising the defence of wealthy nations is over,” Hegseth said. “We need partners, not protectorates, We don’t have a strong alliance unless everyone has skin in the game. No freeloading.”

The US demand is for 3.5% of GDP. Note that NZ is currently at less than 1.5%, with a stated goal of 2% by 2032.

Hegseth said nations which continued to “free-ride on the generosity of the American taxpayer” would see a clear shift in the way the US conducted its business.

A wink is as good as a nod.
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May 31, 2026 8:10am
- Northshoredoc
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  I’m sure the gathering smiled politely before rolling their eyes and wondering who invited the buffoon from the USA.
  
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  May 31, 2026 8:27am
  - Gussy
    
    Doubt the Europeans gathered were smiling much.
    Buffoon or no buffoon, the trajectory of US security strategy is unlikely to change any time soon.
    
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    May 31, 2026 10:27am
    - David Garrett
      
      Gussy: It will change once the White House gets a new tenant
      
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      May 31, 2026 1:24pm
      - Gussy
        
        I don’t think it will back to what it was, DG.
        Loath Trump as you might, he’s right about Europe (refer s. IV.3.C of National Security Strategy of the United States of America, November 2025
        and tell me it isn’t so).
        
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        May 31, 2026 3:50pm
      - leoj
        
        JD will follow the same edict and rightly so. The US does not owe us anything.
        
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        May 31, 2026 4:45pm
- septic skeptic
  
  The US will do whatever is in their own (or maybe their political donors) interests regardless of whether any supposed ally spends 1% or 10%.
  
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  May 31, 2026 8:27am
- KKNZ2025
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Nothing at all to do with increasing the turnover & profits of the USA political-military-industrial complex (aka Merchants of Death)
  
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  May 31, 2026 8:29am
- imalwaysright
  
  Most of the conflicts seem to end up as asset stripping operations for the benefit of the agressor and, to a much lesser degree, their main supporters.
  
  We don’t start these asset stripping operations, why should we be ‘taxed’?
  
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  May 31, 2026 8:29am
- Albie
  
  Bah Humbug to that I say Mr Hegseth! Lynda Topp has already laid out the strategy for our tax spend: singing, dancing and pretending to be other people otherwise known as acting!
  
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  May 31, 2026 9:03am
  - Handyman
    
    The sheer arrogance of the arts sector is appalling.
    No other sector says: “no one will buy the crap we make, but we have a nice lifestyle making it so the taxpayers should pay us”.
    This doesn’t come as a request, but as a DEMAND.
    
    So we have a choice: either give the money to retain paramedics onboard ambulances, or to the “pottery collective’, who have never sold a thing they’ve made.
    
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    May 31, 2026 11:11am
    - imalwaysright
      
      Yep, if it doesn’t pay the rent then its a hobby and they need to get a job.
      
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      May 31, 2026 12:18pm
    - Ghost
      
      Have you looked at sports in NZ?
      
      Athlete Financial Support.
      
      Training Grants: Athletes who are awarded TAPS at Elite level, will receive a grant of $50,000 per annum (gross). Athletes who are awarded TAPS at Potential level, will receive a grant of $25,000 per annum (gross)
      
      TAILORED ATHLETE PATHWAY SUPPORT (TAPS) 2025-2028 – PDF
      
      NZ Netball is getting $2.2 Millon per year
      NZ Rugby $3.9 Million
      
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      May 31, 2026 12:30pm
    - R
      
      Credible productive activity is not a principle of the Arts fraternity, anymore than it is of the Unions
      
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      May 31, 2026 12:44pm
- nz_aj
  
  Noting the NATO guideline was 2% and the latest data I find has the EU averaging 2.1%, although I’d guess this is still increasing. By comparison the highest spenders were countries closer to Russia: Poland 4.5%, Latvia 3.6%, Estonia 3.5%. The USA spends 3-3.5%.
  This puts a 3.5% target into perspective. We are thankfully a long way from likely theatres of war like countries surrounding the south china sea, although some might argue we’d be a good staging ground for invading Australia.
  I think we should be spending at least 2% and the Topp twin comments were self-identifying stupidity
  
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  May 31, 2026 9:19am
  - igm
    
    Cut climate b/s payments, UN, WEF, WHO as well. There is our defense budget more than covered. Also continued expenses for the Chch affair.
    
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    May 31, 2026 9:58am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      So you want New Zealand to be the only nation globally to withdraw from the UN?
      
      What you are suggesting makes no sense. An extra 1 percent of GDP on defence is about 4 billion dollars annually.
      
      We give about 8 million dollars per year to the World Health Organisation. About $25 million to the UNFCCC. I do not understand what the Chistchurch affair means.
      
      So without debating the merits of these expenditures, abolishing them is not going to fix the defence problem.
      
      Of course there is a range of other spending that could make a dent. I have set out suggestions in detail on this blog in years gone by. For the most part, these suggestions are still valid.
      
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      May 31, 2026 11:09am
      - leoj
        
        The UN is a basket case and needs to be disbanded.
        The UN exists to be anti USA.
        
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        May 31, 2026 4:49pm
  - Benedict Yu
    
    The Tipp twin also ignored the 400 million dollars annually that the government spends each year subsidising music and the arts. Is that below OECD averages? Would she know?
    
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    May 31, 2026 10:59am
    - Boy Geoff
      
      Doesn’t provide UBIs for rainbow artists but.
      
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      May 31, 2026 11:20am
      - R
        
        When I left school, and went into employment, I clearly understood that my standard of living and lifestyle would be determined by the personal effort I expended; physically and mentally.
        
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        May 31, 2026 12:48pm
      - rouppe
        
        R:
        
        Effort alone isn’t enough.
        
        You have to extend effort on something someone is willing to pay for.
        
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        May 31, 2026 1:18pm
    - Boy Geoff
      
      And also Benedict, you referred to them as the Tipp Twins. Does that mean that you thought they were rubbish? (Would be a sacrilegious thought in contemporary Aotearoa, you know).
      
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      May 31, 2026 12:08pm
      - Charlotte Wells
        
        Their talent and abilities were mildly entertaining.
        
        Their biggest drawcard was being lesbian sisters who could sing a bit.
        
        World famous in New Zealand sums them up.
        
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        May 31, 2026 2:40pm
      - leoj
        
        They wouldn’t be famous except for being lesbians.
        
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        May 31, 2026 4:50pm
  - R
    
    ‘a good staging ground’…..this was exactly the intention of Japan, during WW2. Remember the Battle of the Coral Sea! Take New Guinea, Noumea, and NZ, and Australia is isolated and ripe for plundering. SAVED BY THE USA.
    
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    May 31, 2026 11:16am
  - Paulus
    
    Please how the Annual turnover of each Country you name as 1% of nothing is still nothing.
    
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    May 31, 2026 2:07pm
- Cassandra
  
  BBC report: Hegseth also criticised “freeloaders”, categorising New Zealand as such in response to a later question, while warning that “Europe and Nato have some big decisions to make”. We need to take this seriously. 2% by 2032 will not work.
  
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  May 31, 2026 9:51am
  - Master Mariner
    
    The real issue is where did the question come from ?
    My understanding it came from a NZ Journalist.
    
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    May 31, 2026 3:24pm
- RichardX
  
  The Hegseth led purge of flag officers looks like it has paid off.
  
  I don’t know if anyone caught Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command as appointed by Hegseth, testifying before the Armed Services committee but it was something to behold.
  
  The Admiral was being questioned by Congressman Jason Crow (D Colorado 6th), a former Army Ranger.
  Cooper, after being provided with the relevant supporting text, refused to state that it was prohibited under DOD rules to deny the enemy quarter.
  
  Of course doing so would show it would be illegal for Sec Hegseth to order any US troops to provide “no quarter”.
  
  It was lucky Hegseth was only cosplaying a “warfighter” for his boss when he proclaimed “We will keep pushing, keep advancing, no quarter, no mercy for our enemies.” on March 13.
  
  Hegseth is also ex-military so should have known better.
  Seems odd to accuse an Admiral of cowardice but I’m not sure a better explanation exists.
  
  The US Military Commissions Act (2009) amends Chapter 47A of Title 10 of the United States Code as follows:
  “§ 950t. Crimes triable by military commission
  “The following offenses shall be triable by military commission under this chapter at any time without limitation:
  “ …
  “(6) DENYING QUARTER.—Any person subject to this chapter who, with effective command or control over subordinate groups, declares, orders, or otherwise indicates to those groups that there shall be no survivors or surrender accepted, with the intent to threaten an adversary or to conduct hostilities such that there would be no survivors or surrender accepted, shall be punished as a military commission under this chapter may direct.
  
  https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/950t
  
  YouTube of the exchange
  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VL7beKYDutE
  
  Does someone, or a group of people, need to remind the US military of their obligation to refuse illegal orders?
  Oh wait…
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk9Gh3qwW4I
  “We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community…”
  
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  May 31, 2026 9:51am
  - Michael Sommerville
    
    When you quote ex military, it is helpful if you quote their rank. Generals’ opinions have more clout. You say “Congressman Jason Crow (D Colorado 6th), a former Army Ranger.” What rank is the former Army Ranger? What rank was Hesketh?
    
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    May 31, 2026 10:42am
    - Cassandra
      
      Liddell Hart was a captain.
      
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      May 31, 2026 12:29pm
      - Charlotte Wells
        
        I would suggest Liddell Hart was more of a military genius that Jason Crow.
        
        “Generals’ opinions have more clout.” Rank is no measure of intelligence, or ability.
        
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        May 31, 2026 1:28pm
      - peterwn
        
        Army or Navy? Big difference.
        
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        May 31, 2026 2:16pm
      - Damocles11
        
        I would say Liddell Hart was more of a military genius than Hegseth is.
        
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        May 31, 2026 2:58pm
- Taieri
  
  Hegseth said nations which continued to “free-ride on the generosity of the American taxpayer” would see a clear shift in the way the US conducted its business
  ———————-
  
  And how is NZ “free-riding” on the generosity of the American taxpayer?
  
  How much exactly has the US taxpayer spent on defending NZ in the last 40 years?
  
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  May 31, 2026 9:51am
  - Cassandra
    
    He’s talking about our low defence expenditure while the US provides a proper navy. And of course a massive contribution to NATO.
    
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    May 31, 2026 9:57am
    - Taieri
      
      The US Navy exists solely to protect the US interests worldwide and to support their imperial power. That and only that. Nothing to do with philanthropy and specific defence of our fine homeland.
      
      While we maintain or try to maintain friendly US/NZ relations, we are not in any formal military alliance and our foreign policies are not always concurrent with what the US does. Still, we do maintain an active military co-operation, but in the recent years, the NZ side of it has been as a giver rather than a taker, vide our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. In both these conflicts we contributed far more than we gained.
      
      As for our defence spending, while it is relatively low, we are actually spending more on per capita terms than for example Japan. The relevant figures being USD577 vs USD446.
      Should we spend more? Perhaps, I’m not qualified to decide, but where is the money going to come from? In the country that is virtually bankrupt. And not just the money, we have no air force to speak of and our navy is not capable of operating all of its 8 ships in commission due to the lack of manpower. We have just one active combat ship, one patrol ship and two logistic support vessels. All that in the country with one of the largest EEZs in the world.
      
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      May 31, 2026 10:44am
      - Cassandra
        
        NZ is not bankrupt. We can – must – afford a proper contribution to a joint effort.
        
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        May 31, 2026 11:09am
      - Ghost
        
        so where are you going to pull the money out of, and don’t say borrow
        
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        May 31, 2026 11:15am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        You are correct. New Zealand is not bankrupt. But the medium term outlook is dire compared to other nations in the OECD. Of course we have made that choice.
        
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        May 31, 2026 11:12am
      - Taieri
        
        New Zealand is not bankrupt.
        ————-
        
        VIRTUALLY bankrupt.
        We can only maintain our expenditure with ever increasing borrowing.
        
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        May 31, 2026 12:32pm
      - rouppe
        
        Which is why I keep mentioning long range, lethal capable, Sea Guardian drones.
        
        They can monitor vastly more area than a frigate, can order compliance under threat of a missile in their engine room, can integrate easily with many armed forces, and can be bought for USD30 million vs a frigate at USD1000 million.
        
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        May 31, 2026 1:27pm
      - leoj
        
        If New Zealand withdrew from the dumb Paris Accord we might be some way to reaching such defense goals.
        
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        May 31, 2026 4:54pm
      - Ghost
        
        IF NZ withdrew from the paris accord we would be in breach of our free trade agreements with the EU and UK, it would also cause issues with the CPTPP.. Your idea would be very expensive to NZ. Best we wait for our trading partners to pull out
        
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        May 31, 2026 5:06pm
  - Ghost
    
    I think we’re a different class. We pay our own way with our defense force, we aren’t receiving help from the USA. It’s a fair comment to nato countries.
    
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    May 31, 2026 9:59am
    - Cassandra
      
      Ghost: NZ cannot ensure even one frigate ready for cation all the time. We are freeloading.
      
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      May 31, 2026 10:25am
      - Taieri
        
        We are freeloading.
        ————
        
        On whom and in what way? Concrete and specific arguments please.
        
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        May 31, 2026 10:46am
      - Ghost
        
        does this look like our navy is freeloading,
        
        HMNZS Canterbury – Operation Calypso (2026) — Departed 7 Feb 2026 for Samoa and Tokelau, supporting government agencies and conducting regional tasks.
        HMNZS Aotearoa – Indo‑Pacific deployment (2025) — Returned 12 Dec 2025 after 307 days at sea, operating from Antarctica to the Korean Peninsula.
        HMNZS Te Kaha – Middle East & Indo‑Pacific (2025) — Returned 24 Aug 2025 after a seven‑month deployment including maritime security operations.
        HMNZS Aotearoa – Operation Crucible (2024) — Completed a 135‑day Indo‑Pacific mission, returning 25 Oct 2024.
        HMNZS Aotearoa – Antarctica resupply (2025) — Departed 17 Jan 2025 for Antarctic logistics support.
        
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        May 31, 2026 10:50am
      - Cassandra
        
        Taeri: see various comments on this post. NZ has consistently bludged. Of the UK in Malaya and Malaysia and Australia and the US in Vietnam. And so on.
        
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        May 31, 2026 11:12am
      - Taieri
        
        Taeri: see various comments on this post.
        ————
        
        Emotive comments are NOT valid arguments.
        Please provide specific instances of NZ “freeloading”.
        
        BTW: I’m not interested in the long forgotten wars. ANZUS collapsed very many moons ago.
        
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        May 31, 2026 12:34pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    and another point to consider. NZ PAYS for all its US MIltary equipment spend.
    
    Many others (think Israel, Egypt, Jordon and others) get gifted Military equipment.
    
    Ergo they get a grant from the USA which they use to buy US Military equipment.
    
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    June 1, 2026 12:46am
- Tom Hunter
  
  People should look at this document published late last year, US National Security Strategy. Just 29 pages long it makes clear US priorities – and this will become bi-partisan:
  
  1. Western Hemisphere
  2. Indo-Pacific area
  3. Europe
  4. Middle East
  5. Africa
  
  The document was blunt about why Europe’s in 3rd place:
  – Declining economic power
  – Declining civilisational influence
  – A resulting decline in military power
  ““Should present trends continue, the continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less. As such, it is far from obvious whether certain European countries will have economies and militaries strong enough to remain reliable allies.”
  
  More detail here, Dear Euros: It’s worse than you think, but the bottom line is spelled out in this Tweet;
  
  This is the preamble to strategic decoupling.
  
  The United States has begun the audit of empire. The tone is paternal but the move is surgical. Europe is being warned that the subsidy era is ending. The Pax Americana scaffolding is being dismantled in phases. This is phase one.
  
  Washington no longer sees Europe as a strategic force multiplier. It sees entropy. Fragmentation. Electoral volatility. Economic sclerosis. Moral fatigue. The Pentagon knows Europe will hesitate when the next real test comes. That hesitation is now priced in. So the U.S. is repositioning before the liabilities crystallize.
  
  The American defense apparatus is reallocating trust to actors who can project force and absorb risk without ambiguity. Japan. India. Israel. Select Gulf states. Australia.
  
  NATO, as constructed, is a legacy structure. Legacy structures degrade under new constraints.
  
  The nuclear umbrella review is the clearest signal.
  
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  May 31, 2026 1:57pm
- Ra Henare
  
  so hegseth is reported as saying
  
  United States subsidising the defence of wealthy nations is over
  
  It would appear by commenters that NZ is now miraculously a wealthy Nation???
  
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  May 31, 2026 6:33pm
Paulus

Seems to me that is what he recently said to the both NATO and the EC.
Get your act together as we will not (so we say) help out with your problems.
Taken a long time to say that since WWII really.
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May 31, 2026 8:42am
- Cassandra
  
  His Shangri La speech is worth tracking down. It is blunt: pay up or face consequences. He listed the benefits of being an equal funder. I’m sure Penk will report to Luxon. Pity Peters wasn’t at the conference.
  
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  May 31, 2026 8:54am
  - R
    
    Peter’s is only interested in his train set, and future additions thereof.
    
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    May 31, 2026 9:17am
  - Ra Henare
    
    Just keep in mind that is CURRENT Hegself pratling on.
    
    The next Adminsitration will have a different guy and a different take on things.
    
    So as my tehn high school daughter taught me many years ago
    
    Just simmer down.
    
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    May 31, 2026 6:36pm
rouppe

Wee story about a car crash. Little nugget in there

“My Tesla was in the self-driving mode and when I saw the orange car at the side of mine in my peripheral, I just quickly took over.

I don’t think self driving mode is legal here. I’d be very careful about saying stuff like that.
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May 31, 2026 8:55am
- Dougal10
  
  My ute has a self driving mode on divided roads but it not fast to react and the cameras dont always see the hazards , the worst thing is it will turn its self on if it thinks you aren’t paying attention even though its turned off in the settings
  
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  May 31, 2026 9:20am
  - rouppe
    
    That’s not self driving mode. That’s lane keep assist.
    
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    May 31, 2026 9:52am
    - Dougal10
      
      No its more than that .
      
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      May 31, 2026 12:40pm
    - Albie
      
      My Subaru has lane assist and adaptive cruise control. I once had both activated on a trip from Auckland to Wellington. By Hunterville I was seriously starting to nod off so I went back to full manual for the rest of the trip!
      
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      May 31, 2026 3:55pm
- nz_aj
  
  Tesla self driving is, although some friends described it as sketchy when driving outside our motorways and well defined roads like the one in the video. https://nzta.govt.nz/assets/About-us/docs/oia-2025/oia-19661-response-letter.pdf
  Wonder what was up with the young girl driving?
  
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  May 31, 2026 9:33am
  - rouppe
    
    How about that. Learn something every day…
    
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    May 31, 2026 9:58am
NeverMindTheBollocks

I drove from and to Petone yesterday. There were a fair number of cyclists on the new pedalway, but they were well outnumbered by walkers and some joggers.

As an aside, both Jackson St and the Esplanade were crawling – 30+ mins from one end to another. Parking for the new route is at the Petone end.

Hopefully, the enthusiasm will dwindle in awhile.
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May 31, 2026 9:19am
- Taieri
  
  Hopefully, the enthusiasm will dwindle in awhile
  ————-
  
  So that you will have something to complain about again?;)
  
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  May 31, 2026 9:54am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Lol!
    
    It’s interesting to see that the usage is not just cyclists. I’m sure some of it is the novelty value, but a wheelchair-friendly path next to the sea (albeit with the railway line & motorway on the other side) is on a calm day not a bad way to while away the afternoon.
    
    Whether the cycling fraternity will be happy at others imposing on “their” trail will also be interesting. I drove along SH2 this morning, and saw one peleton on the path. They were going at quite a clip – God help the joggers with headphones further along the path.
    
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    May 31, 2026 12:51pm
- greybeard
  
  If there were plenty of cyclists, walkers and joggers every day on the new pathway then it would no doubt be very good for services at both ends. May even reduce the traffic.
  
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  May 31, 2026 10:43am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    It looks like most of the current usage is from Petone to Ngauranga and back again, hence the comment regarding parking & traffic crawling in Petone.
    
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    May 31, 2026 12:44pm
Jack5

Insurrection on Kiwiblog late last night.

Rowdies from the 🐪Medina popped in to the thread, “What do Muslims Think?”

Definitely not alcohol fuelled. Could have been after a hashish smoke-up though. Their arithmetic functioning seemed to be staggering. 😀

If you’re back today, apologies, Dear Mu’min, for the images in this post, but blog host DPF’s never declared such images to be haram.
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May 31, 2026 9:34am
- Jethrod
  
  From my observation it appears that Andrew Flanagan had a lot to say. But apart from that ……?
  
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  May 31, 2026 10:07am
  - NothingLeft
    
    his output is in inversely proportion to his ability to reason – akin to getting ChatGTP to mimic a Reddit mod.
    
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    May 31, 2026 6:19pm
Quail

Perhaps the Ardern asset stripping of privately owned firearms and draconian regulation of the ownership of same should be reviewed “a la Switzerland”?
Given the NZ populace has had their ability to defend themselves , against invaders removed ,or severely weakened , the Government has taken on the huge responsibility of defending the NZ populace against all comers.(including the. State itself)
So not only should NZ be spending more, we need to have a positive full defence review to see what is actually necessary.
IMHO Defence spending should be targeted at the most effective measures, working with our allies ,not the “nice to haves” such as a paper tiger Navy!
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May 31, 2026 9:50am
- Jethrod
  
  I think our Navy should be just a step up from a merchant navy; just enough to supply the Islands we are responsible for.
  The Air Force should go drone-happy, with the transport (C130’s) and P8’s for maritime recon work.
  The Army being ready to supply lots of small well-trained forces, ready-to-go.
  
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  May 31, 2026 10:17am
  - Paulus
    
    Are our Frigates, for example, built to Military standard Hull or similar to a Commercial vessel.
    Go to the Antarctic and you will soon find out again.
    
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    May 31, 2026 2:14pm
rouppe

Democrats must really hate Bill Maher. He cites really inconvenient data.

“Did you know that a Black fourth grader in Mississippi is two and a half times as likely to be proficient in math and reading as one in California?” Maher said. “Mississippi is kicking our a– in education and for way less money. We’re 37th in fourth-grade reading. They’re ninth.”

And

“Texas has passed California in solar and blows away California when it comes to wind and energy storage,” Maher said. “How does a state with no pro-climate policies produce better climate results than a state where here, even though we have so much better bumper stickers on our Priuses?”
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May 31, 2026 9:57am
MCōs

Brent crude oil, which is the basis of our fuel supply is currently at US91.12 per barrel. A drop of 16.32% from a month ago
Petrol prices at the pump haven’t dropped in that time
What gives?
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May 31, 2026 10:02am
- Ghost
  
  Petrol dropped down here overnight.last week it dropped then went up, so down again today.
  
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  May 31, 2026 10:04am
- rouppe
  
  Pretty sure I saw diesel at 2.99 yesterday, 2.93 this morning.
  
  Whether that’s “in line” with Brent crude prices since February I don’t know
  
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  May 31, 2026 10:39am
  - Ghost
    
    Waitomo down here had diesel this morning at $2.81
    
    6 1
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    May 31, 2026 11:14am
    - rouppe
      
      Just checked gaspy. In Christchurch (where I am this weekend) lots selling diesel for $2.70!
      
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      May 31, 2026 2:15pm
- Dougal10
  
  We dont use brent crude
  
  1 1
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  May 31, 2026 12:43pm
  - wgtn_dude
    
    True. However as a benchmark index, it’s a good proxy for the crude the refineries are purchasing that supply us.
    
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    May 31, 2026 1:16pm
Swifty

The new Ardern movie:

https://x.com/shoahukraine/status/2060751194755391795?s=46
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May 31, 2026 10:14am
imalwaysright

Saw the boss of Ryan Air saying his company hedged their fuel prices until April 2027.
The Air NZ boss is blaming fuel costs, among other things, for losing nearly half a billion dollars. Why?
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May 31, 2026 10:38am
- Ghost
  
  ummm
  
  Air New Zealand hedges 83% of its fuel through to the end of this year, and 46% for the first half of 2027
  
  Article
  
  4 1
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  May 31, 2026 11:12am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Thank God for that. Imagine the loss otherwise. $1 billion?
    
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    May 31, 2026 11:51am
- Master Mariner
  
  Exactly. My thoughts too then I had a look at the board.
  Standard Risk analysis to hedge your Fuel.
  
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  May 31, 2026 5:54pm
AitchW

If we were to abandon net zero today how much would the government’s tax take drop?
How much tax revenue could be diverted to health? Or the arts?
I wonder if the luvvies realise that their rabid support for the climate cult is costing them government funding?
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May 31, 2026 10:58am
- rouppe
  
  It wouldn’t. But we could invest much more in hospitals and energy
  
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  May 31, 2026 7:10pm
Swifty

Has there been a greater lie told to us in modern times than ‘diversity is our strength?’

https://x.com/danilerer/status/2060842679659835420?s=46

I don’t see many berets and baguettes in that lot.
12 2
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May 31, 2026 12:11pm
- Charlotte Wells
  
  Perhaps Climate Change?
  
  9 2
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  May 31, 2026 1:34pm
- Ghost
  
  religion?
  
  4 2
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  May 31, 2026 1:36pm
- Hugh Jarse
  
  He’s a woman because he is wearing a dress ?
  
  We are first in line for the vaccine ?
  
  6 1
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  May 31, 2026 2:01pm
Swifty

Trump is responsible for inciting!

https://x.com/papitrumpo/status/2060819799853133927?s=46
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May 31, 2026 12:40pm
Jack5

Data Centre “gold” rush: how sustainable?

Artificial intelligence (AI) developments are huge step in technology, but how profitable are they?

One of latest big money plunges. Softbank, of Japan, says it will invest $US52 billion (about $NZ87 billion) into data centres in Europe. It says this could grow to $US87 billion (about $NZ 145 billion) and it will be working with local partners, like Schneider Electric.

President Macron has been pushing for more data centres in France to help catch up with AI spending in America and China.

Softbank is also involved in a $US33 billion ($NZ55 billion) data centre project in the US.

Arvind Krishna, chief executive of IBM, a few months ago questioned whether heavy investment in data centres is sustainable.

Data Centre Magazine reports that, speaking on the “Decoder” podcast, Krishna said world demand for data centres required AI computing commitments at around 100GW of capacity and a cost of roughly eight trillion US dollars (about 13.4 thousand billion NZ dollars).

To pay just the interest, that would require profit (or really, operating surplus) of 800 billion US dollars (about $NZ 1.336 trillion — 1,336 thousand billion NZ dollars).

A large portion of data centre cost comes from the rapid depreciation cycle of AI chips. “You’ve got to use it all in five years because at that point, you’ve got to throw it away and refill it,” he said.

Is there a new, new thing coming bigger than AI?

Krishna talks of the potential of quantum computing in comparison with that of AI in this video interview with Malcolm Gladwell. The link (it’s long, about 51 minutes, covering a few topics):

https://youtu.be/8X7VYhHKbss?si=EEF8hr5VrLOkx9qC
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May 31, 2026 12:56pm
- artemisia
  
  New Zealand company Infratil is doing very well out of constructing data centres overseas. They have been doing it for several years, now picking up new contracts. Share price reflects that.
  
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  May 31, 2026 1:30pm
- peterwn
  
  Obsolete chips does not make the data centre obsolete. Operator just replaces the processing equipment.
  
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  May 31, 2026 2:25pm
  - Jack5
    
    The chips are the processing equipment.
    They’re what grew Nvidia from the maker of PC graphics cards into the world’s biggest listed company, with a market capitalisation of $NZ8.35 trillion (thousands of billions).
    
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    May 31, 2026 3:25pm
crash

So why do we need to recognise English as an official language? The case for is well put here: https://tinyurl.com/3td7ue8w
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May 31, 2026 1:49pm
Paulus

A good article – all airlines world wide use English for everything.
Namaste !
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May 31, 2026 2:18pm
Swifty

With Occupy, then Antifa, then BLM and now the Pro-Pals is a state of permanent unrest and rioting now the new normal in the US and Europe?

https://x.com/nicksortor/status/2060899224389087495?s=46
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May 31, 2026 2:38pm
- NothingLeft
  
  It’s an old pattern, low talent/loser revolutionaries, especially those without partners or kids, looking to elevate their status by violent means. Evolution has programmed young, childless and low status people to behave this way, as for most of our history it made more sense when they had low chance of raising children successfully in periods where food was in short supply – as it almost always was every decade or two. The genes of peasants were for millennia being gradually squeezed out and replaced by the genes of nobles – a perpetually losing game that it was worth gambling to buck.
  
  Culturally enforced monogamy from a young age reduced such behavior as young men got the sex they craved and soon after children would drop their testosterone levels (and aggression as evolution has found beneficial to successfully raising kids) and they tended to be much more willing to contribute to the status quo with that itch scratched.
  
  Lack of family formation inevitably leads to greater unrest from incels and childless women that evolutionarily benefit from civilizational violence (eliminating competition for the food that could feed the babies of childless young women hooking up with the eventual conflict winners)
  
  The post-industrialization elimination of hunger has been a remarkable change in living circumstances and (lack of) survival pressures that our evolutionary created instinctual programming hasn’t caught up with.
  
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  May 31, 2026 4:57pm
- rouppe
  
  It’s the same people, using whatever cause is to hand to attempt to implement anarchy, so that they can then sweep in with hard core Marxism “to save us”.
  
  You just have to look at Pol Pot to see where that leads.
  
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  May 31, 2026 6:15pm

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