About
Contact
Advertise

Facebook
Twitter

June 26, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 26 June 2026

Like this:

Like Loading…

Email
Facebook
Twitter
Comment203

Uncategorized
General Debate

Comments (203)

Login to comment or vote

rouppe

Can’t say I’ve too much sympathy.

Two brothers owe a combined $500,000 in student loan debt, interest and arrears penalties, and they’re complaining.

One’s a surgeon in Australia. Complaining it’s ird’s fault.

Take a loan, pay it off.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360997679/doctor-built-life-overseas-now-hes-been-arrested-airport-over-180000-student-loan-debt
64 0
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 8:07am
- Frank the tank
  
  Good.
  
  Scabs that fed off the NZ taxpayer, scarpered overseas for more money and now facing the consequences of their behavior.
  
  More of this please.
  
  41 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 8:14am
  - Southern Raider
    
    Also shows why we should bond medical students.
    
    How much does the taxpayer fund towards their degrees and what % end up going overseas to work.
    
    Medical degrees are almost fraud against taxpayers.
    
    13 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:10am
    - crikey
      
      SR: “almost fraud”? WTF is that?
      
      Do we have a new category of criminal offence? Almost robbery, almost theft…
      
      0 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 5:24pm
- Gravelroad
  
  Looks like these two are self-serving elites who claim they don’t know anything. Seems strange for highly trained and paid professionals.
  Pretending to be ignorant and too special to be bothered to pay back taxpayer funded loans.
  I agree with this guy:
  “Revenue minister Simon Watts says: “Those who repeatedly ignore their obligations should expect consequences.”
  
  61 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 8:27am
  - Sir Cullen's Sidekick
    
    I like the quote of the year from Simon What?
    
    13 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 8:33am
  - pdm
    
    Doctors sometimes have no concept of financial matters.
    
    I recall when I was in the BNZ Gisborne the Branch Manager used to meet once a month with the then Chief Superintendent of Cook Hospital to help him balance his cheque book.
    
    21 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 8:44am
    - peterwn
      
      And even a former Auditor General was not good with his own money. He repeatedly withdrew cash from ATM’s with his corporate credit card and assumed he was inviolate.
      
      24 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 8:56am
      - Colville
        
        Because the massage parlor wouldn’t take his credit card?
        
        4 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 1:25pm
    - lastmanstanding
      
      IMHO if a poll was held the vast majority would say all things Maori have far to much say and influence. Its time this was put to the test. You cant escape it. A Martian would think Maori and all things Maori are the overwhelming majority. Im not saying there should be no recognisition of Maori culture but fair go its everywhere in your face all the time shoved down your throat. Its time for a reset that acknowledges Maori but that there are other cultures many of them and NZers should unite under one culture that of being NZers. We are ONE people.
      
      38 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 9:26am
      - trout
        
        A kerfuffle over an opinion piece published in the Psychologist Journal and later removed (censored).
        Well worth a read;
        https://zenodo.org/records/16743836
        A very well written exposition of how ‘racism’ is used to justify the infusion of Maori values and unscientific mautaranga into professional practice.
        The writer also describes the push in our institutions (led by Uni ‘maori studies’) to judge people according to their acceptance of Maori dogma.
        Reminds me of the ‘Star Bellied Sneetches’
        
        11 1
        Report
        June 26, 2026 11:18am
      - Paulus
        
        In time the comment will be “Namaste” which means “I bow to you” in English.
        Maori will love that if they ever understood.
        
        2 1
        Report
        June 26, 2026 11:54am
  - pdm
    
    “Revenue minister Simon Watts says: “Those who repeatedly ignore their obligations should expect consequences.”
    
    A pity he does not apply that logic to his Local Government Portfolio.
    
    18 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 9:24am
- Chris2
  
  There is an immediate solution to student loan defaulters living overseas that will see them pay their debt.
  
  IRD sends the names of overseas-resident loan defaulters to Internal Affairs and when those debtors NZ passport falls due for renewal, the Passport Office declines to issue a new passport, until the debt is paid.
  
  NZ universities already refuse to issue a degree if a student has outstanding debt owed to the university. So the passport proposal is not unique.
  
  32 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 8:39am
  - Southern Raider
    
    Or sent notices to all the credit agencies in western countries so that these people get blacklisted by banks
    
    5 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:12am
  - peterwn
    
    And do as the Poms do. If you are a NZ citizen you must have a NZ passport to enter NZ (I think this is virtually the case since you would only get 3 months in NZ on a foreign passport and you would need to spend $$$ confirming residency/ citizenship).
    
    10 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:21am
  - Jack5
    
    Chris2’s … when those debtors NZ passport falls due for renewal, the Passport Office declines to issue a new passport …
    
    What if the applicant doesn’t care about an NZ passport?
    
    By then the debtor likely has an Australian passport. Don’t hear of flocks of Aussies lining up for NZ passports.
    
    We do have flocks of foreigners queuing up for NZ residency so they can get visa-free entry to Australia then eventually Aussie passports. (Nearly half people from NZ applying for citizenship in Australia weren’t born in NZ).
    
    This all shows the value of tying medical students to NZ service for course entry, as the third university in Waikato plans. This worked for providing teachers in days when they were scarce.
    
    6 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:45am
    - Ian Boag
      
      If the debtor came in on an Aussie passport I would not bet that he would be picked up ….
      
      1 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 3:37pm
- kowtow
  
  Whatever about the merits or otherwise of the student debt issue , it is extraordinary and frightening the powers the state gives itself to enforce civil liabilities .
  
  4 21
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 8:40am
  - peterwn
    
    IRD would be treated as a joke if it did not have state sanctioned powers to collect taxes, and student loan repayments are treated almost like unpaid taxes. Anyway there are significant state powers potentially available to private creditors. It was not that long ago that proven debtors could be (and were) thrown into jail for not paying debts. Oz is no different indeed Oz Government agencies are possibly more ruthless than NZ in this regard.
    
    18 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:28am
    - kowtow
      
      ‘It was not that long ago that proven debtors could be (and were) thrown into jail for not paying debts.’
      
      Thank you for proving my point.
      
      The state reserves to itself powers once available to others for remedies . Hardly “equitable” in this age of all things “equity”.
      
      If private citizens were still able to enforce matters the state leaves to itself , perhaps we’d have a more generally responsible society.
      
      But as a respected lawyer once said ; the state is very jealous of its powers.
      
      3 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 10:37am
      - peterwn
        
        I do not think the Government passed the law to send debtors to prison. It would have been judge made law. And as far as I know the prisoner’s family and friends had to arrange food or they starved. High Court judges can still throw into jail those who are in contempt of court. Parliament similarity – the Case of the Sheriff of Middlesex in UK refers – Mr Speaker had him thrown into jail for carrying out a court order and the judges turned their backs on him.
        
        1 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 7:34pm
- artemisia
  
  Highly unlikely IRD did not follow up loan arrears at all. For years, even decades. More probable that their reminders were returned Gone No Address.
  
  Searching locally doesn’t help if the borrowers are living in another country. Clearly immigration records can help unless names have been changed. Many women do change their names upon marriage.
  
  Debt collectors based overseas seem to be used more these days and will be part of the increased recovery.
  
  34 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 8:46am
  - pdm
    
    Too true Arty.
    
    One of our daughters went to the UK and was there for about 15 years with money still owing on her Student Loan.
    
    We regularly (quarterly maybe) received letters from IRD which we forwarded on to her.
    
    Her Student Loan could only have been the subject matter.
    
    19 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 9:28am
  - Gravelroad
    
    Nick Mills, newstalkzb Wellington, this morning seems to think it is dreadful and unacceptable that these people should be pursued to pay back their loans.
    In that case, why do we have student loans at all?
    Why not give them the money and pay for their tickets to Australia?
    Asking as someone who didn’t go to university.
    Just worked so other people could.
    
    41 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 9:44am
    - igm
      
      Mills is a Labour sycophant and a disgrace to NewstalkZB.
      
      13 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 10:05am
      - wisteria
        
        He als0 supported Tori Whanau but when it all went bad for her, he denied this.
        
        12 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 1:22pm
    - mandk
      
      Nick Mills thinks that way because he is a dim-witted socialist.
      
      He doesn’t realise that most public expenditure benefits the comfortably-off more than it benefits the poor, if it benefits the poor at all.
      
      Most of the policies Labour are now promoting will favour people on $100,000 plus more than they will help people on the minimum wage or on WINZ support.
      
      12 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 10:12am
      - R
        
        Labour would dearly love electors paid $100,000 or more to vote for them. Hence these election BRIBES.
        
        0 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 9:31pm
    - Southern Raider
      
      Easy fix. Just cancel all student loans unless it’s for a trade qualification.
      
      8 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 10:14am
    - peterwn
      
      Precisely. The Left regard it as a redistribution of wealth from fat-cats to the citizenry, but wait, would not these brothers meet the definition of fat-cats? Pretty sure that surgeon does not drive an old Honda to work.
      
      21 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 10:33am
    - TripeWryter
      
      Gravelroad:
      I heard Nick Mills, too. It represents a common attitude in this country that we should not be harsh on people who try to evade their responsibilities.
      The doctor has had 30 years to sort this out.
      Another example is the attitude to absent parents who don’t pay their liable parent contributions.
      Several years ago a group of them, well-organised it seemed, who had the ‘right’ connections to the ‘right’ people, kicked up a fuss and complained that the payment system was too harsh and too onerous and was driving some of them to bankruptcy.
      They found a sympathetic ear on the side of Peter Dunne’s head and he moved to wipe the debt – which totalled $1.6 billion.
      One of those parents was the mother of my children.
      A weak system had allowed her to leave the country without contributing a cent towards her children.
      An even weaker system did not try very hard to find her despite her living taxpayingly openly in Australia.
      For 30 years she has been able to come and go into New Zealand without anyone in authority tapping her on the shoulder.
      Now, none of that is my business. But it galled me a bit when I think of the hoops I had to jump through to be granted the DPB, and to be getting it year after year.
      Our son took out a student loan. He worked three jobs to pay it off.
      
      14 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 10:35am
      - peterwn
        
        Some aspects of this stank. An under 18 girl went to another place to pursue her studies. Her father was paying a liable parent contribution for the girl but it went into mum’s pocket and she used it for her lifestyle. The father went to court to try and stop paying (he would probably have accepted an order to pay it to his daughter) but the court took a ‘black letter’ interpretation of the law so he had to keep paying for his ex’s lifestyle.
        
        9 1
        Report
        June 26, 2026 3:28pm
    - Bobba Fret
      
      The two blokes on Newstalk ZB afternoon show think it is very justified and they were well aware it was a loan and should pay it back.
      I agree with them.
      
      7 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 1:43pm
      - Sacha
        
        I remember how gleeful some students were when they realised that they could borrow to go to Uni and then skip the country with their ill-gotten degrees. They openly said that they would never come back if they were expected to repay the loans.
        With their superior knowledge of human intelligence, they all thought that THEY were the clever ones –
        I suspect that the Doctor Brothers were of that ilk.
        
        9 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 2:59pm
      - hookerphil
        
        Sacha, but the even cleverer ones filed for bankruptcy and in one stroke…all gone.
        
        3 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 4:24pm
- peterwn
  
  Good! It is a complete affront to all those ex students who are doing the right thing and pay off their student loans that people like that surgeon think they can get away with it. What is worrying is lefties think that the Government should ignore or write off student loan debts owed by expatriate Kiwis. I feared some years that Robbo would forgive these debts to help get special votes from these people. I think he realised that all those ex students who did the right thing would have a grievance against the Government and would want some of their student loan money back.
  IRD would have tried to contact this surgeon multiple times, debt collectors in Australia would have tracked him down very easily so he has no real excuse here. Perhaps the surgeon will need to accept that he is ‘gated’ and find a local job. For starters he could sell off his Porche (or any other flash car he has) to help pay it down and accept he needs to put up with a 10 year old Honda.
  Then there is the surgeon’s brother ‘Bob’ who owes $310k and is scared stiff of arrest if he tries to return to Australia. He says he cannot afford it and it would take the rest of his life to pay it off. I dunno – he was a tertiary qualification and surely he understands that the loan agreement means what it says and is not a joke. He will probably be hoping that a change of government will mean he can leave NZ with impunity.
  I remember Peter Troughton the pom who came to NZ to run Telecom then subsequently went to Australia. He allegedly racked up $A1M tax debt according to ATO and they put a ‘hold’ on him leaving Australia. He got all upset because he could not leave Australia to see his allegedly sick mum.
  No sympathy in these cases.
  
  46 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 8:53am
  - Southern Raider
    
    Bob is “sacred” but bet he hasn’t attempted to pay any of the money back
    
    5 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:16am
- RoboRob
  
  I always have a laugh at med students complaining about their $100,000+ interest free student loans. As if that’s much more then pocket money for a doctor. Even a doctor paying the minimum 10% would easily pay of such a loan quickly.
  
  With regards to these tossers, its not like it isn’t common knowledge that you need to pay a minimum amount each year when you are overseas. I know it and I haven’t had a student loan for decades. Its not like this stuff isn’t all over the student loan application forms and yearly statements. They, like so many, thought they could get away with it and got caught. Tough shit.
  
  39 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 9:04am
  - peterwn
    
    And if they stay in NZ they pay it off on very easy terms (10% of salary above some minimum and interest rebated I think).
    
    11 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:38am
  - Sacha
    
    In the USA young people are paying off their student loans for decades after graduating if they go to the ‘big name’ universities. They find that they cannot buy houses or even afford to get married because of loan repayments. Those who go to the state colleges, get the same knowledge at basement rates compared to the Name universities.
    My daughter at 22 decided to go to uni (after leaving school the day she turned 15) and lived in a bed sit, did answering service phone calls for 4 years until she got her masters in political science. Never got any financial support, climbed the Public Service back room ladder, saved and invested her money and is now retiring with a comfortable nest egg. She has the income to travel in a not-too-affluent way, traded her way up to a very comfortable house-and land-property.
    I wish I had been as sensible –
    
    4 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 5:42pm
- Local Miller
  
  These guys have got to be kidding. 30 years living and working in Australia and never paying off their student loan! My kids all paid off their loans between 5 and 10 years after qualifying, and it didn’t break their bank to do it. A small amount came off each week’s pay, enough to ensure there were no penalties and reduce the capital slowly. None of them had jobs in the doctor class.
  I don’t believe for a moment they weren’t aware of their responsibilities to repay their loans.
  
  46 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 9:08am
  - peterwn
    
    Typical surgeon prima donna characteristics – a Porche in the hospital parking lot and a massive sense of entitlement.
    
    20 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:41am
- R
  
  Entitled professional arrogance. As a surgeon, he is supposed to be intellectually bright, and have an ability to comprehend situations. Clearly not, in this case
  
  7 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 9:15am
  - Paulus
    
    From the view Medical top dogs they are not all stuffed porsche pigs, but are in most cases sound practicioners.
    Those from other countries are to me the most sound too.
    
    0 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 4:08pm
    - Sacha
      
      Some of the best medical practitioners and surgeons are from the dreaded Indian continent.
      And one of my daughters just ‘loves’ her Indian dentist – she tells me that he has a kind manner, and is capable as well. I understand he did his initial trading in India, and a graduate course in the US. Came to NZ to be with extended family. We are lucky to have him.
      
      2 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 5:51pm
- Southern Raider
  
  We are way too soft. That’s over $2B that could be used to pay off debt or invest in infrastructure.
  
  They chose to be educated in NZ and funded by taxpayers, but then left for another country to work and pay tax there.
  
  After 3 decades of working in medicine they must have some good assets. Keep them locked up until they sell some and pay it back.
  
  The worst thing we do is get these people at the border, get a poultry sum paid and then let them
  Leave under and agreed payment plan. Most never make the next payment.
  
  5 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 10:07am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Poultry sum? That’s chicken feed!
    
    1 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 6:36pm
- Jethrod
  
  Here is a way to reverse the brain drain to Aust, claim outstanding debts
  
  4 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 11:51am
- Ian Boag
  
  He is a defaulting debtor. If the debt is to anyone other than government he would not be arrested. I know. I run a business. Defaulting debtors are a fact of life. Recovery of debt is a civil matter unless it’s a student loan. Defaulting debtors do not go to jail.
  
  I don’t see what makes the IRD special as a creditor – if I added their level of interest to default debts owed to me I would be denounced as a loan shark.
  
  5 4
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 3:32pm
  - peterwn
    
    I think that loan sharks charge a significantly higher rate of interest than IRD.
    
    1 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 7:19pm
  - freemark
    
    Do you think that any of us should all be forced to pay tax at a level that any Govt decrees? At pain of bankruptcy, imprisonment?
    
    1 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 7:49pm
    - Ian Boag
      
      should all be forced to pay tax at a level that any Govt decrees
      
      How else would you do it?
      
      0 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 9:30pm
igm

Would you believe?
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0f4a702a1122547b5f87f0bc428e5443943191f7ae6cfba1815f2c05332804dc.png

[Mod – put descriptions with links so people know what they are clicking on]
6 4
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 8:10am
- Notsofast
  
  The Opportunity party is Green party 2.
  This explains their opposition to establishing the rights of women and children per the Jenny Marcroft bill.
  Interestingly, a land tax would have procured many billions from land bankers of the city fringes, usable for infra structure projects. It still can.
  
  6 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 10:17am
- Raphael
  
  from Igm’s screenshot:
  
  @kaiviti_cam Cam Slater
  The Opportunity Party is increasingly looking like a Labour project to destroy the Green Party.
  Let’s join some dots.
  1. The General Manager of the party is lain Lees-Galloway
  2. His business partner is Toni Grace, Hipkins’ partner
  3. The number 3 candidate is Kayla Kingdom-Bedd, an author of the He Puapua report that Labour secretly adopted
  4. She is the partner of James Shaw, the ousted leader from the Green Party
  5. James Shaw is said to be doing a lot of the heavy lifting policy wise
  6. There is at least one union linked candidate
  7. The media luwies are in on it.
  
  Do not be hoodwinked in to thinking this is some sort of teal centre right party, it is not.
  
  It is a project designed to destroy the Green Party, aised and abetted by Labour linked people and a former Green Party leader
  
  Here is Cam’s original X post. https://x.com/kaiviti_cam/status/2070033895865897148
  
  25 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 10:25am
  - rouppe
    
    Except it won’t destroy the Green Party, as they have sufficient support to remain in parliament, even with a significant loss of support
    
    11 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:32am
    - imalwaysright
      
      The problem the Greens have is that the TOP candidates are relatively good looking.
      
      Chloe looks like one of those child acting former stars who is about to fall on hard times, and the rest of them look like they fell out of a Save Mart donation bin.
      
      The trendy lefty gal about town will soon latch on to the shiny happy TOPs and expunge any memory of the Groans.
      
      7 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 10:53am
    - NothingLeft
      
      Imagine what would happen to the Greens if there was an actual environmentally focused party in NZ, rather than just watermelons.
      
      10 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 10:53am
    - RoboRob
      
      Yup, sadly the word Green does enough heavy lifting they will always get to 5%. Slater may be right but at this point TOP seems more like a project to shift uninformed voters from the right.
      
      10 4
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 11:17am
    - AitchW
      
      The Green could run on a platform of compulsory euthanasia of the over 70s (overpopulation) compulsory veganism, and free dope for everyone and a large chunk of their addled supporters would vote for them.
      I fervently hope that no Green candidate reads this, they must might adopt those policies.
      
      11 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 2:56pm
  - Nūhaka Native
    
    There are some very telling links listed there. I just repeat this message about ‘TOP” (I know they don’t like being called that now). TOP are just Labour/Greens dressed in Teal clothes. Their general manager is Iain Lees-Galloway, a former Labour cabinet minister. Their leader, an upper middle class progressive full of luxury beliefs, typical of left wing parties these days. She can’t even say what a woman is, quote “I’m not a Dr”. Hard won, female sex based rights are important. If TOP deny that reality, what else do they get wrong?
    
    8 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:36am
  - Jethrod
    
    The deputy leader of TOP is Daniel Eb, whose mother is one Deborah Pead, probably on of the foremost PR people in NZ.
    Not heard of her, try Google, one very smart cookie.
    
    3 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 11:58am
Simon

HMNZS Pukaki, Tutira, Rotoiti, Hawea, Taupo, and Kaniere superb war time performance in Korean War, dangerous dirty close shore work. New Zealanders setting high standards.

Vs Manawanui, utter clown boat which would embarrass a third world country.

Total system decline and failure.
17 5
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 8:15am
- Jethrod
  
  Wind things back a bit Simon, the Captain of the Manawanui was appointed on 9 December 2022.
  The minister of Defence at the time was one Peeni Henare, surely this would have come across his desk prior to the appointment?
  
  7 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 12:02pm
  - fightingtemeraire
    
    No, the Minister is not involved in the running of the Navy.
    
    4 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 1:59pm
    - peterwn
      
      Remember the UK Minister in charge of the Royal Navy who sang in G&S “And that junior partnership, I ween, Was the only ship That I ever had seen. But that kind of ship So suited me, That now I am the Ruler Of the Queen’s Navee!”
      
      1 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 7:26pm
- Nobby2
  
  Simon, Absolutely appaling seamanship from the Captain down when they didn’t know that the autopilt had to be turned off, or maybe they didn’t know how to turn it off. So training seems to be nonexistant or deficient, seamanship skills don’t seem to be important any more and don’t get me started on the shabby, rusty condition of the vessels in the fleet.
  
  5 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 3:47pm
imalwaysright

Update to Ngai Tahu being paid $8 million to report on the new Otago Marine reserves.

Laws, the Platform, talked to a representative of Fish Mainland, who have a membership of about 100,000 recreational fishermen.

He said that they were having trouble being heard in the planning stages and they eventually gained support, and hopefully publicity, from the Highlanders Rugby Team.

Allegedly the University of Otago found out and threatened to withdraw their sponsorship of the Highlanders !

The Highlanders ended their support.

As it stands today, non Maori are prohibited from fishing in the reserves, but Ngai Tahu ARE allowed to on the basis of training their young people in their cultural practices.

Sounds like APARTHEID..
47 3
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 8:17am
- RoboRob
  
  The other side of this is that Ngai Tahu, who never went that far south historically any way, are now co-managers (read co-governance) of the reserves alongside DOC.
  
  All this from the party opposed to co governance. Although to be fair Luxon never said he was.
  
  22 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 9:44am
  - mike
    
    Ngai Tahu moved into the Otago region during the 18th century.
    
    8 10
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 9:55am
    - RoboRob
      
      Just went and looked it up, and you are right, my bad. I had heard that and believed it because it gets bloody cold down south. I guess they went for the birds and seals etc.
      
      9 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 10:02am
      - pdm
        
        RR maybe someone told them about mutton birds or they followed the Moa that tried to escape the carnage being inflicted on them.
        
        5 2
        Report
        June 26, 2026 10:05am
      - mike
        
        And the greenstone.
        
        5 3
        Report
        June 26, 2026 10:30am
      - rouppe
        
        Weren’t they being chased out of the upper south Island by Te Rauparaha of Ngai Tahu?
        
        4 3
        Report
        June 26, 2026 10:34am
      - NothingLeft
        
        greenstone is throughout west coast, even up into Golden Bay, no need to go far south for it.
        
        2 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 10:55am
      - Jack5
        
        Ngai Tahu had a tough, fighting chief, Tuhawaiki, known to his far south whaling and sealing friends as Bloody Jack.
        
        Te Rauparaha came to the South Island in 1829 and started a war with Ngai Tahu by capturing Kaikoura and what were to become Lyttelton and Akaroa, with considerable slaughter.
        
        Tuhawaiki, from his island stronghold of Ruapuke, in Foveaux Strait, sailed north in whaleboats and canoes.
        
        Armed with muskets and traditional Maori weapons, they ambushed Te Rauparaha who, escaped capture by slipping out of his cloak as he fled into the sea. He hid in kelp while southern canoes hunted for him.
        
        Ngai Tahu later crushed a war party from a Te Raupara ally at Tuturau, in Southland, after it had travelled down the West Coast and then cross-country to Southland.
        
        Historian F.G. Hall-Jones says the invaders from the north on the way south captured a village at Lake Wanaka, where “two girls were killed and eaten.”
        
        6 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 12:37pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        “Historian F.G. Hall-Jones says the invaders from the north on the way south captured a village at Lake Wanaka, where “two girls were killed and eaten.”
        
        Oops. I thought it was the colonisers that caused child abuse in Maori communites. /
        
        Did the colonisers bash to death then eat children for dinner?
        
        0 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 6:43pm
    - keepcalmcarryon
      
      Around the time of European settlement, ngai tahu invaded the South Island from the north.
      They’ve no mystical claim to the South Island they were in the process of colonizing at the same time as everyone else.
      
      4 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 10:14am
    - Jethrod
      
      So are you saying they were not the original inhabitants of the South Island? Were they the cause of the decline or annihilation of the original inhabitants….. the Moriori?
      So not indigenous in the South Island, therfore questionable participants in the TOW.
      
      3 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 12:38pm
      - Pope Punctilious II
        
        Moriori never lived on the South Island. They were descended from a Maori tribe that migrated the Chathams around 1500 AD, and developed a distinctive culture and language there.
        
        2 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 2:48pm
    - Paulus
      
      Please prove that statement re Ngai Tahu tribe !
      
      0 4
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 4:10pm
      - keepcalmcarryon
        
        Gradual move south from the 1700s.
        No, they weren’t the original inhabitants, but we don’t call what they did colonialism of course.
        https://teara.govt.nz/en/ngai-tahu/page-2
        
        3 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 4:24pm
      - keepcalmcarryon
        
        Abel Tasman claimed the South Island well before ngai tahu in 1642 as Staten Landt. Captain Cook again in 1770 before ngai tahu had finished colonizing the South Island.
        
        1 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 9:43pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      mike: “Ngai Tahu moved into the Otago region during the 18th century.”
      
      Likely to be weasel words. Source?
      [Perhaps you should read the rest of the thread before declaring your “fact”. holy mod.]
      
      1 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 6:39pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        Not sure what “fact” I declared, if you were addressing me Mod.
        
        0 0
        Report
        June 27, 2026 1:19pm
  - kowtow
    
    They did . And were willing to sell up for a few pieces of gold.
    
    See Wentworth Jones Deed .
    
    I suspect that absence of SI chiefs from signing the treaty ( while they sold up in Sydney) was why the Crown proclaimed sovereignty by discovery rather than cessation.
    
    Happy to be corrected.
    
    4 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:41am
- pdm
  
  Irrelevant to the thrust of the thread.
  
  But.
  
  Why is/were the University of Otago sponsoring the Highlanders?
  
  I am sure that would not have been specified in their funding grant applications.
  
  10 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 10:04am
  - imalwaysright
    
    I think Grant is a big fan of rugby….
    
    3 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:14am
  - Ghost
    
    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/otago-university-sponsor-highlanders
    
    4 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:16am
  - Philview
    
    More concerning is why the University would withdraw their sponsorship. Surely a University run by Grant Robertson wouldn’t have a political motivation. I say in jest!
    
    10 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 11:12am
mandk

I have no sympathy either.

Evidently the doctor is a surgeon with three decades of experience behind him, so I’m guessing he is earning a very good salary in Aus.

He was contacted by the IRD about his debt in 2015, but he doesn’t appear to have done much about it in the meantime.
19 1
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 8:19am
- RoboRob
  
  According to copilot a surgeon in AU with 30yrs experience earns between 500k and 1m+. If we averaged that to 750k, the 50,000 debt is all of three weeks pay. If we factor in the AU $ are actually worth something its more like three weeks pay.
  
  21 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 9:47am
  - rouppe
    
    Which goes to my suggestion that he take a loan.
    
    He says he just owns “a 2007 Audi which keeps me poor and the family live in a modest wooden terrace.”
    
    There’s bad smells coming from all directions on this story, it ought to be checked.
    
    Maybe the Audi is for the nanny. Technically the truth and all that.
    
    15 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:39am
rouppe

Unbelievable.

16 year old boy in Britain stabs a 9 year old girl in the heart. She dies.

Claims it was an accident, but the jury found him not guilty of both murder and manslaughter. How can it not be manslaughter?

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360998058/teenage-boy-cleared-killing-girl-9-after-claiming-it-was
25 1
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 8:25am
- imalwaysright
  
  It reads like an accident.
  
  4 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 8:31am
  - rouppe
    
    I’m sure British law is very similar to ours. Crimes act says:
    
    Except as provided in section 178, culpable homicide not amounting to murder is manslaughter.
    
    S178 refers to infanticide, so not applicable.
    
    Culpable homicide is killing a person either:
    
    (a) by an unlawful act; or
    (e) by wilfully frightening a child under the age of 16 years or a sick person.
    
    Accident or not, he went to the kitchen, picked up a knife with the intention of scaring her, made a stabbing action which penetrated her body by several centimetres.
    
    I’m astonished the guy walked.
    
    8 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:51am
- greybeard
  
  I thought it odd too. We know what the little girl looked like, maybe the boy’s description would be controversial. Or maybe they were related. If they were not related it would be strange for a 9-year old girl and a 16-year old boy to be “play-fighting”.
  
  16 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 8:35am
  - igm
    
    Did he arrive in a dinghy?
    Chances 10:1 he did.
    
    4 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 8:43am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Or maybe they were related.
    
    Step-brother.
    
    9 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 9:20am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Disruptive teen, just expelled from school….playfighting with a sharp knife?
  
  https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgl3xgjzl6no
  
  11 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 8:58am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Odd that she was found dead in her home. Was he living there as well, or did he get in somehow?
    
    2 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 9:15am
  - Boy Geoff
    
    Just a scallywag, huh.
    
    2 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 9:18am
    - AitchW
      
      A loveable rogue…
      
      3 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 2:59pm
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    This is the problem with making excuses for disruptive/aggressive kids with ADHD etc. Just give them a label and everything is suddenly forgiven and justified.
    
    No, labels give you a reason – not an excuse.
    
    Yes it is hard for ADHD etc kids to moderate their behaviour. But they can learn. And part of that learning is through punishment. ADHDs learn this stuff slower, so they need more feedback.
    
    Punish an ADHD kid enough and the message will get through and the ADHD kid will learn to moderate their behaviour.
    
    If you instead let the kid run wild they will never learn to moderate their behaviour and that sets them up for a lifetime of problems.
    
    And I say all that having been such a wild kid in my young pre-school/school years. I was taken in hand. Firmly and generally learned that it was not beneficial to let the demons out.
    
    I also broke my leg which massively curbed my exuberance and also likely helped me settle down a bit.
    
    6 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 9:47am
    - imalwaysright
      
      It is psychological neglect to not correct a child.
      Children may not like discipline but they subconsciously know that if someone is telling them they are wrong, and standing their ground, then its because they care about them getting it right.
      Sports and military training are good examples, and invariably result in lasting commaraderie.
      
      7 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 10:39am
    - wisteria
      
      I would prefer to talk about uncontrolled kids and not give them a label.
      .
      
      2 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 11:51am
      - Don Beckett
        
        Is not “uncontrolled” a label ?
        
        2 1
        Report
        June 26, 2026 1:44pm
- peterwn
  
  Dumb CPS. They should have included a charge of unlawful possession of a weapon as backup. Actually they probably still can.
  
  4 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 10:47am
- NothingLeft
  
  Jury heard the evidence and decided not to convict, that is the purpose of a jury – to deliver a reasonable take on what most would view as an appropriate outcome, not necessarily letter of the law, Horrible accidents can happen, and there is no point in punishing people for them in the absence of malice.
  
  2 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 11:00am
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360997986/let-them-live-their-life-minister-tells-council-clipboard-wielders-let-family-build-their-home

Its executive director of building, planning and regulatory Robert Love said:
“We recognise this is a difficult and frustrating situation for the landowners.
“Councils consult on and set their District Plans within the framework established by central government legislation. Once in place, legislation including the Resource Management Act requires us to administer the plan consistently across the district, and there is no discretion to waive or make exceptions to resource consent requirements on a case‑by‑case basis.”

Maybe Mr. Love could show us exactly where it says that no discretion is possible, and where it says that no exceptions are possible.

Surely Common Sense is possible ?
21 2
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 8:36am
- redeye
  
  The council let them carve off 4 hectacres into a single title. Then they say it’s ‘highly productive land’.
  If they want it farmed then surely they should allow someone to live on it. A 4ha block of land, with noone living on it, is almost certainly going to be used as a run-off grazing paddock. Which ofcourse makes it not so special.
  The cliboard bloke also says
  
  Changes apply across the entire district and to many thousands of properties,” he said.
  “It would not be feasible for [the] council to assess the implications of every rule change on every individual property,
  
  I call bullshit on that. How many affected land owners were told they were not allowed to build a single home on their property. I’m picking it’s less than 10.
  
  7 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 9:22am
  - Don Beckett
    
    Four hectares is nearly 10 acres – an accepted size for a lifestyle block.
    
    5 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 1:46pm
- Quail
  
  GB,
  Agree,
  David Seymour and Simon Court are to be commended for supporting the couple.Sadly their only real option is to introduce a law in Parliament.
  This demonstrates how powerful bureaucracy in NZ actually is.
  It just goes to show how little actual change there has been to the RMA despite all the rhetoric from the beehive.
  The district plans are created by councils themselves ,with input from people the majority of whom do not have “skin in the game”
  There is no consideration of individual property rights, just what council, the EDS,,and assorted pressure groups want,
  Individual property rights are largely irrelevant in NZ
  It would be great if someone could intervene for this couple,
  The question though ,is who can?
  
  6 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 9:46am
- Paulus
  
  Common Sense in New Zealand emigrated, probably to Australia, some many years ago.!
  
  6 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 12:03pm
- hookerphil
  
  “Its executive director of building, planning and regulatory Robert Love said:”
  Notice how it is all Robert Love – the Council itself are not being given the chance to discuss this.
  
  Who runs the Council these days – it is being very obvious.
  
  6 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 12:08pm
- Colville
  
  greybeard.
  
  This is something I know a little bit about.
  
  Its the National Policy Statement on Highly Productive Land that has caused council to screw these people over.
  
  It says in the article that an exception may be possible IF they apply for Resource Consent.
  They have declined to do so citing a $70,000 pricetag which I think is total BS but possibly planner has said it could go to a hearing which would bump up the cost.
  
  Interesting for me is the picture in the article showing they have done some major earthworks. This would 100% have needed a resource consent and obviously they didnt apply for that because they would never have had it granted on HPL, council could prosecute them as a next step 🙂
  
  2 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 1:47pm
Nukuleka

I realise that I am my own worst enemy by even reading anything written by RNZ’s education correspondent John Gerritson, but could anyone direct me towards any article he has penned in which he has been nothing other than a mouthpiece for teacher unions and/ or the Labour Party? Sadly our taxes pay this political activist’s salary.
20 3
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 8:49am
gravedodger

The Springston couple now being declined a house building permit remind me of how many got around such Crat imposed gnarlups in years past
How many small blocks fenced the boundary in the closing decade of last century with two meter deer fencing to bring a case of likely sustainable land use to allow a subdivision then never placed an animal on the block after permission was granted?
11 1
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 8:55am
- hookerphil
  
  The old economic unit…in my brothers splitting up farm land into sellable blocks (in the Selwyn District) it was to grow flowers for the local and Japanese Market that appeared to swing the deal – not sure whether any actually did anything of the kind. Because you don’t have to once approved.
  I also remember in the 80’s a subdivision around the Hanmer Springs Ferry Bridge area being based on the future potential of truffles being found/made/planted around the trees. It was approved.
  
  1 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 12:15pm
  - Colville
    
    Hawkes Bay has many coppice firewood blocks (gums) that were planted for the same reason.
    
    4 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 1:51pm
  - Charlotte Wells
    
    I had a friend north of the river who did the flowers.
    
    Ended up being a loss and not worth the effort.
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 6:33pm
- nova
  
  I feel sorry for the couple, but I don’t agree with David Seymour that this is a case of bureaucracy run amok. This is not just a technicality. Rules were put in place to prevent productive land from being broken up into unproductive lifestyle blocks. The minimum size for the Selywn outer plains district is 20ha. They have 4ha. Now I’m not sure if I agree with the rules in this particular location, but don’t blame the bureaucrats. Blame the people who made the rules. And I must confess that I didn’t know about the rules for Selwyn, but I also didn’t buy 4ha of land in Selwyn, and wait 5 years to apply for building consent, when rule changes were imminent. I wonder in their case if they were just poorly advised, or hoping to rely on a grandfather clause.
  
  2 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 1:12pm
  - Quail
    
    My earlier post addressed who makes the rules. —Council.
    They are guided by Governments NPS etc and Council produces a plan for consultation.
    Consultation is usually with the usual groups such as Federated Farmers , But they are usually swamped by the likes of Forest and Bird , Fish and Game with their own agendas plus the Government paid for Environmental Defence Society.There are many others, including iwi,
    Individual land owners can not compete with these people , who are funded. by government The results of this process removes individual property rights and there is little that can be done to enable
    a fair outcome.
    Ownership has become a myth with only some use rights left.And these use rights are shrinking by the day.
    Just ask that unfortunate couple !
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 5:51pm
  - Colville
    
    Nova. You are 100% wrong.
    Council approved subdivision and created title. These people purchased a section $400k or so.
    2021 Labour introduced NPSHPL. Council did a plan change and removed these people rights to build.
    If they had appealed they likely would have been grandfathered in but they were not advised.
    
    1 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 8:04pm
RoboRob

I see the party opposed to co governance has just announced 5(?) new marine reserves near Dunedin. These will be co-managed (the ministers own words) by DOC and Ngai Tahu.
26 1
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 9:07am
- Pope Punctilious II
  
  “Co-managed” = iwi calls the shots, taxpayer funds everything.
  
  14 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 9:13am
  - Paulus
    
    Co Managed means you pay when we tell you to.
    Like Tauranga, Mt Maunganui, or their name Mauao,will be repaired when the owners, now the local Iwi decide, but Ratepayers will pay of course.
    I wonder whether the once planned and designed, Cultural Centre there will raise its head again as planned too.
    
    5 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 4:20pm
- Im Right
  
  Why are you surprised Rob?
  Nothing, and I mean NOTHING gets to be done in the south island without the mafia (Ngai Tahu) being involved and getting a nice slice of the action.
  Been going on for decades and it seems no government can stop their protecton racket.
  
  19 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 9:21am
  - Ghost
    
    These marines were a plan of Ngai Tahu, who have been fighting for them since 2010
    
    1 9
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:07am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Details here:
  
  https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-co-governance-charade-and-8m.html
  
  7 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 9:25am
- Ghost
  
  this is old news
  
  https://insidegovernment.co.nz/six-marine-reserve-areas-declared-for-south-east/
  
  From Brave Ai
  
  The creation of these reserves was officially announced on October 5, 2023, by Conservation Minister Willow-Jean Prime and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Rachel Brooking, both members of the Labour Cabinet under Prime Minister Chris Hipkins (who succeeded Jacinda Ardern earlier that year). The announcement took place in Dunedin alongside Kāi Tahu representatives.
  
  Although the reserves were announced in late 2023, they were scheduled to formally come into force following an Order in Council and gazettal process expected to be completed by mid-2024. By that time, the National-led coalition government under Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (elected in October 2023) was in office. However, the policy development, consultation, and decision-making occurred entirely under the previous Labour administration.
  
  While the Labour Government approved the reserves in 2023, the Otago Rock Lobster Industry Association filed for a judicial review, delaying the process into the Luxon government’s term. In December 2025, the High Court resolved the review, allowing five of the six reserves to proceed immediately. The sixth reserve, Te Umu Kōau, was subject to limited reconsideration regarding its boundaries.
  
  3 7
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 9:33am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Yep, old news that the reserves were to be created..
    
    New news that the reserves are to be Co-managed by Ngai Tahu, who are being funded and allowed to Fish in the Marine reserves, something non-Maori won’t be permitted to do.
    
    28 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 9:44am
    - Ghost
      
      No, this isn’t new. This is old news
      
      “Kāi Tahu will work in partnership with the Department of Conservation to manage the marine reserves once they are in place.”
      
      Government announces big boost to marine protection
      
      4 13
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 9:51am
      - RoboRob
        
        Your missing the point. They had three years to change the arrangement. Doc can work with IWI without having a co governance model.
        
        15 1
        Report
        June 26, 2026 10:05am
      - Ghost
        
        facts matter, if you can’t get them right then why bother. In the scheme of things, this wont even be an issue, just a small amount of people will care, the vast majority will support it.
        
        1 20
        Report
        June 26, 2026 10:21am
      - cmm (semi-retired edition)
        
        Ghost, I think the vast majority will just accept it.
        
        Accepting it is not the same as supporting it.
        
        18 2
        Report
        June 26, 2026 10:32am
      - Ghost
        
        come on downvoters, put your thoughts down, seriously, it gets a bit silly you people downvote instead of discus. I’d bet some of you even hit report as well.
        
        0 8
        Report
        June 26, 2026 12:48pm
      - RoboRob
        
        @Ghost
        
        I’m not a down voter. You are sort of right, that in the scheme of things a lot of people wont notice. However it strongly ties into the overarching theme with this term of National, they said a lot of things last election that they simply haven’t followed through with. It seems strange that people would defend this action.
        
        It seems likely the Nats will campaign on reducing government size, spending and one country for all again. It is hard for voters, who have paid attention, to believe that based on this term. Trust people on what they do, not what they say.
        
        They face the same issue with their Kiwisaver policy. National are THE party that has persistently changed Kiwisaver every time they have come to power. They cut the $1024 kick start, down to 500 (key) and now down to $250 (Luxon?). When they talk about a new $1500 kick start it is hard to believe that that will last as a future National government will likely cut it.
        
        4 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 1:29pm
      - Ghost
        
        National have always supported co management. Which is what this is, the ultimate authority still remains with doc, not with Kāi Tahu. The final decision is with the minister on anything, who can veto any decisions the government do not support
        
        1 3
        Report
        June 26, 2026 2:01pm
      - RoboRob
        
        National have always supported co management
        
        I suspect most people would struggle to know the difference between co-governance and co-management. Is there one?
        
        I recall National campaigning in 2023 saying they opposed it co-governance, certainly if they have always supported it they did a great job of fooling people.
        
        6 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 3:49pm
      - Ghost
        
        co management is where the crown or council share management with iwi, but the ultimate power remains with the council or crown, in this case the minister can veto anything they disagree with, Doc is in charge
        
        Co governance. Crown and iwi have equal or jointly defined authority
        
        3 1
        Report
        June 26, 2026 4:03pm
  - RoboRob
    
    It’s not old news that the party the campaigned against co governance has just launched a new co governance entity, when they had three years to change the structure to something more appropriate.
    
    17 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 9:50am
    - mike
      
      Seems they have quietly accepted there are benefits from these arrangements.
      
      2 19
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 9:56am
      - NothingLeft
        
        Racism and aristocratic privilege are double plus good – The left + National (but I repeat myself).
        
        4 3
        Report
        June 26, 2026 11:03am
      - Quail
        
        Mike,
        No , this is yet another way for both participants ( DOC and Nga Tahu )to extract yet more taxpayer money for their own use.
        Who cares , it is only the taxpayer hurting!
        Ethics, morals etc don’t exist for some!
        
        9 2
        Report
        June 26, 2026 12:57pm
      - Pope Punctilious II
        
        Benefits for whom? Benefits such as?
        
        4 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 2:01pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        Benefits being the silly luxury beliefs brigade get to feel more smug?
        
        What else?
        
        0 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 6:53pm
- keepcalmcarryon
  
  Ngai tahu control the South Island fishery.
  Not sure of the hazy legal but the effect is such. No one else has the ability to bring about closures on a whim(while still being able to take). Also Whilst being a huge commercial Operator with own quota but controlling prices for others as processors and on sellers.
  The system is skewed and corrupt.
  Now they’re after fresh water.
  
  8 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 9:35am
  - Paulus
    
    From Fresh Water comes Electricity for large parts of New Zealand.
    
    3 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 4:23pm
- imalwaysright
  
  What exactly do they mean by ‘manage’?
  
  A ban on fishing doesn’t require management…that’s a policing job.
  
  And what is this “special knowledge” that Ngai Tahu tells us is necessary to manage the fish?
  
  Hopefully not the same “special knowledge” they applied to the moa and fifty odd other species.
  
  7 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 10:08am
  - Paulus
    
    Whartever it is Taxpayers pay !
    
    5 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 4:24pm
Boy Geoff

I’m with Ani O’Brien. Why doesn’t Labour just do a deal with TOP for Mt Albert?
3 0
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 9:20am
SpencerArnold

So, according to reputable sources, the TOP party has individuals working with or associations of….
– Iain Lees-Galloway, former Labour MP who got sacked for an inappropriate relationship
– Toni Grace, Chris Hipkin’s girlfriend as a business partner of Lees-Galloway
– Layla Kingdom-Bedd, one of the co-authors of He Pua Pua
– James Shaw, partner of Layla Kingdom-Bedd

Now can someone from TOP tell me (with a straight face) that this is a centrist party who can work with either side?
18 0
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 9:26am
mike

The deranged gun-nut majority on the US supreme court decide it’s illegal for a gun owner to need permission to carry a firearm on private property.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/25/supreme-court-hawaii-gun-law
4 25
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 9:46am
- RoboRob
  
  The issue wasn’t so much the private property aspect, it was that Hawaii was trying to get around the second amendment by classifying large public areas as gun free zones. The private property aspect was a smoke screen for the broader changes. Existing private property laws already allow for you to stop someone coming on to your property.
  
  14 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 10:08am
  - mike
    
    You can stop someone coming onto your property, but not if your objection is that the visitor is armed.
    
    1 17
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 10:29am
    - rouppe
      
      Not correct. You’re back to your old tricks of misrepresenting facts
      
      They can still stop anyone they like coming into their property, armed or not.
      
      Whether they are armed is not the determining factor. It is their intent while entering your property.
      
      I’ve let people come to my place with big sharp knives on their person. Because they’re coming for dinner and wanted the use of a decent chef’s knife, of which I only have one. But I wouldn’t let you do that.
      
      14 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 11:02am
      - mike
        
        Untrue. The court claimed the law was an unconstitutional restriction by requiring affirmative permission from the property owner.
        
        2 12
        Report
        June 26, 2026 11:08am
      - Local Miller
        
        You said “untrue” but then showed that the court said exactly what rouppe claimed.
        
        The Supreme Court has said it is unconstitutional in (in Hawaii) to create a law that goes against the Constitution. Since the right to bare arms in public places is protected, you can’t create a law that allows a private person to override that right. The basis was that the law was aimed not a “private property”, but at “private property with public access”. i.e. places like shopping malls, which could be privately owned, but are open to the public. At most places like this, the owner (or their surrogates) have the right to deny entry, but Hawaii was trying to legalize denial of entry based on carrying a firearm. The owner can still deny entry, but it would need to be based on some other “characteristic”, such as drunkenness, unruly behavior, etc.
        
        5 3
        Report
        June 26, 2026 2:23pm
      - mike
        
        Your interpretation would appear to preclude a shopping mall erecting a sign banning firearms from the premises.
        
        3 5
        Report
        June 26, 2026 2:34pm
      - RichardX
        
        …Since the right to bare arms in public places is protected…
        
        You’re saying sleeveless shirts are OK?
        
        5 0
        Report
        June 26, 2026 3:25pm
  - Tom Hunter
    
    What I really liked about this was that Hawaii’s decision relied on an 1865 Louisiana statute that made it unlawful ‘for any person or persons to carry fire-arms on the premises or plantations of any citizens,'” without the owner’s consent
    
    Plantations eh?
    
    😂😂😂😂😂😂
    
    As Alito pointed out, those shitty laws weren’t widespread nor widely accepted even at the time. They were part and parcel of what would become Jim Crow – the “Black Codes” to prevent Blacks having the means to defend themselves. I also appreciated Alito’s comment that:
    
    “Hawaii’s claim that this tainted artifact illuminates the original understanding of the right to keep and bear arms cannot be taken seriously.”
    
    Democrat laws from 1865 being used by Democrat judged in 2026. Not surprising really. You can remove the slaves from the slaveholder but not the burning desire to control people.
    
    5 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 2:56pm
    - mike
      
      Even Tom Hunter should be able to understand how Alito accomplished this trickery.
      Then, having defined the right to bear arms as broadly as possible, Alito demanded granular specificity from older statutes that echo Hawaiʻi’s. The state offered many; its list included 18th-century laws in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York that required permission from a property owner before carrying a gun on his land, as well as 19th-century laws in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas that restricted the unapproved carrying of guns on “the premises or plantations of any citizen.” Even under Bruen’s stringent standard, aren’t these statutes enough to shore up Hawaiʻi’s modern version?
      No, Alito wrote because each is “distinguishable” from Hawaiʻi’s. The state’s true goal, he asserted, is to enshrine “local attitudes” and “a Hawaiian tradition” that “disfavor the carrying of guns” in public to prevent violence. By contrast, the 1700s laws were mere “anti-poaching” rules meant to mitigate “harms and risks associated with unauthorized hunting.” So, under Bruen, they are not “relevantly similar” to Hawaiʻi’s in terms of “how and why” they were enacted. Meanwhile, the 1860s laws were post–Civil War “Black codes” meant to oppress former slaves. So Alito dismissed them as a “tainted artifact” that did not qualify as Bruen “analogues.”
      
      0 8
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 3:22pm
- Charlotte Wells
  
  “Ketanji Brown Jackson writing the dissent.”
  
  There’s the DEI hire at it again. She is the embodiment of Imposter Syndrome.
  
  The private property thing is aimed at businesses etc, not homeowners.
  
  “private property open to the public.”
  
  But you knew that when you read the article. Just chose not to represent the facts.
  
  9 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 11:52am
  - mike
    
    Jackson merely noted the existing jurisprudence: if a contemporary law infringes on conduct protected by the second amendment, it is presumptively unconstitutional. But, as Jackson wrote, “there is no right to carry a gun onto private property without the permission of the owner.”
    
    2 10
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 1:21pm
    - rouppe
      
      “there is no right to carry a gun onto private property without the permission of the owner” means that there’s nothing written in law that specifies someone can carry a gun onto private property without the permission of the owner. Which the dissenting judge interpreted as “therefore they can’t, and I’ll write a law that says that”.
      
      Just like there’s no law that specifies that someone may pee standing up. But most men do it every day. Does that mean it’s then reasonable to write a law saying men may not pee standing up because the female judge has had enough of having to put the seat down?
      
      7 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      June 26, 2026 1:38pm
      - Local Miller
        
        They tried this in France. That is put through a law that men had to sit down to pee. I don’t think it stood the test of time 🙂
        
        10 2
        Report
        June 26, 2026 2:25pm
- keepcalmcarryon
  
  The deranged anti gun hoplophobes in Labour pushed rushed gun law changes through in NZ -after Jacinda in select committee chaired loosening online purchase laws and police cut vetters and licensed a foreign terrorist causing Chch by not following the existing rules. Group punishing the law abiding to deflect responsibility.
  Gun crime went up.
  
  [Mod – just debate the topics]
  
  2 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 7:53pm
wisteria

I am disgusted that a female who had a relationship with the Police Commissioner 20 years ago has just discovered her “hurty” feelings without naming herself.
23 3
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 9:49am
- R
  
  Perhaps she has a very slow reacting comprehension problem. Then, of course, it could be the old; he’s done very well, and I am not a part of the relationship now syndrome. We’ve heard it before!
  
  8 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 1:19pm
- Bobba Fret
  
  It is becoming very concerning that if a man becomes well known / high up / in the public eye, that a relationship that ended badly (or whatever) can suddenly become an investigation of him after 20 years.
  
  12 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 1:59pm
- MCōs
  
  Well clearly this is not an anonymous accusation and she is being taken seriously enough for officers to fly across the Tasman twice to talk to her.
  Whilst one hesitates to second guess what may have occurred previously maybe she hadn’t waited twenty years at all . . . .
  
  4 6
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 2:30pm
- Nobby2
  
  Wisteria, Looks like a stitch up to me by one or more of the people Police Commissioner Chambers called out and named over the McSkimming affair and who are now looking for retribution.
  
  5 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 4:06pm
- Paulus
  
  Which Union do you thinks she belongs ?
  And it is Election year too.
  
  5 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 4:26pm
Pope Punctilious II

I’m a bit surprised that Stuff has dared to touch this story about retraction of a politically incorrect paper in the journal of the NZ College of Clinical Psychologists: https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360997918/peer-reviewed-article-maori-author-removed-because-it-wasnt-line-organisations-values
Dr. Helen Buckland-Wright points out how the government should respond to the NZCCP’s corruption by ideology: “What I would like to see now is psychologists no longer being required to maintain NZCCP membership for Crown and other contracts …”
This is an example of how the government can combat “the long march” through the country’s institutions. Will they do it?
6 1
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 10:13am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  It seems like it is time for the Ministers of Science/Health/Justice/Education /Children to investigate what type of psycho-hocus-pocus is being wrought upon vulnerable NZers by Government-funded Clinical Psychologists.
  
  9 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 4:22pm
Yvette

Islam
Good morning, world. I’ve been intrigued to see how the war in Iran has changed the way the country’s Islamic government portrays women. State television features women’s military parades with pink guns and pink jeeps. Most notably, it features women who say they support the regime but are not wearing hijabs.

In the face of attacks by outside powers, the Islamic republic is crafting a new kind of identity, one that is less about religion and more about nationalism. And that shift is emblematic of something bigger happening in the Middle East: Political Islam is waning.

I spoke to my colleague Ben Hubbard about what is emerging in its place — and how Islamic the Islamic republic really is anymore … – ‘The World: Less Islamism, more nationalism’, New York Times

Is Sun Tzu now on the staff of the New York Times?
7 3
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 10:30am
- mike
  
  Quite possibly many Iranians understand that they have been attacked because they are Iranians, not because they are Muslims.
  
  3 19
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 10:34am
  - NZer In Exile
    
    Serious question. How do you work that out?
    
    Iran was attacked neither because it contained Muslims nor because people therein are “Iranians”. Start making sense.
    
    3 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 7:06pm
- kowtow
  
  That treacherous rag should change its name to The Quisling Times.
  
  3 4
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 12:00pm
Damocles11

‘Iran launched an explosive-laden suicide drone at a cargo ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, endangering the regime’s fragile truce with the US after President Donald Trump had declared the waterway safe for oil tankers.
US officials told the Washington Post that a Singaporean ship was attacked by an Iranian Shahed drone on Thursday evening.
Although the President has said the strait is reopened following the ceasefire, only 50 vessels passed through the waterway on Wednesday.’

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15930637/Irans-suicide-drone-strike-US-ally-threatens-Trumps-fragile-peace-Strait-Hormuz.html
4 2
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 11:01am
- Paulus
  
  Nah, keep Hezbollah going to strike Israel so that IR Iran can keep laughing at Trump.
  
  1 4
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 4:28pm
Damocles11

A well-paying (between $160k to $220k) make-work job on the Maorification / Treaty gravy train is now being advertised on Seek. This is what Tauranga ratepayers have to stump up for:
‘Head of Strategic Māori and Iwi Partnerships – Water Services Organisation, Tauranga City Council
This role sits at the heart of how we partner with iwi, hapū, tangata whenua and the wider Māori community across our water services system. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, you will lead the development and delivery of the organisation’s Māori and iwi partnership framework, ensuring Māori perspectives, aspirations and obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi are embedded across strategy, planning, investment and delivery.
You’ll play a pivotal role in shaping how we work in partnership—guiding leaders, influencing decision-making, and ensuring our commitments to Te Mana o te Wai and equitable outcomes are realised in practice.’
16 3
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 11:12am
- Yvette
  
  Damocles11, related –
  Some Key Themes from Hui (11th July) and Council meeting (14 July)
  • Concern around the way that TCC has engaged with
  Iwi/ Hapū.
  • Iwi/ Hapū would like to understand how they can be
  involved at the Governance and decision-making level
  • That the status of Tangata Whenua is recognised
  • Would like to understand the benefits of a WO
  • Concerns about the possible partnering with TCDC
  • Concerns on the ownership of the wai
  • Concerns on how a focus on the health of the wai will
  remain a focus of a WO [1]
  
  • Concerns on the ownership of the wai [water]
  Is this a council decision or something that should be determined by Parliament?
  ______________
  [1] https://letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/14/data/citywide/local-waters-done-well/files/lwdw-18july.pdf
  
  7 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 1:21pm
- Prince
  
  I can tell you for nothing:
  Perspectives ? – We wuz robbed.
  Aspirations ? – Gimme gimme gimme, More more more.
  Obligations ? You gotta be kidding.
  
  8 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 3:04pm
- Ian
  
  Why is the pay so much? this person won’t be the CEO…
  
  3 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 3:16pm
- Paulus
  
  Sound quite normal for such as me, a Ratepayer in Tauranga.
  
  4 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 4:29pm
BeaB

RNZ tells us we can now see King Charles’s tax payment for the ‘first time’. I thought he had made his taxes public for the past five years. But our state broadcaster wouldn’t put us wrong, would it?
Like the way they have carefully not told us that the TOP party is staffed by Labour fellow travellers, including Chris Hipkins’s partner, Toni, and Ian Lees-Galloway.
No wonder so many of us have fled to Newstalk ZB where we get excellent information and productive interviews.
7 3
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 12:29pm
- MCōs
  
  You don’t refer to any RNZ article. Perhaps it’s this one by Riley Stuart in London, ABC News
  https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/623071/king-charles-iii-and-queen-camilla-have-no-plans-to-move-into-renovated-buckingham-palace
  No doubt they checked out the credentials of Mister S before they reprinted his less than riveting scoop
  
  2 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 1:07pm
- Ghost
  
  No, this is the first time the king has revealed his taxes.
  
  https://www.gbnews.com/royal/buckingham-palace-king-charles-tax-disclosure-statement
  
  2 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 3:15pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

It’s a miserable day in Wellington, a howling Southerly that feels like minus something or other.

I lay down a challenge to the Maori sovereignty people to go and spend the day living like the old time Maori, shivering in the whare with the dog skin cloak and wondering where the next meal is coming from.
13 2
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 1:18pm
- MCōs
  
  One of the very few advantages of living in Wellington is you can write shit like that
  
  4 12
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 3:07pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Not so, Cossie. In fact, freedom of speech and the rule of law in NZ do not arise from Maoridom.
    
    This my way of expressing my revulsion for the Maori sovereignty people – the likes of Kapa-Kingi, who wants to treat our PM as a punchbag; or the people who fly dead reptiles around the country at our expense; or can take seafood when the rest of us can’t, or who clip the ticket on every racket going (I could go on).
    
    These people do extremely well out of the pakeha and everything the pakeha brought with them. The miserable weather in Wellington today simply illustrates the point.
    
    To paraphrase the late Bob Jones, these people should be grateful for all the good things brought to them by later settlers, and it would be nice to hear that gratitude once in awhile.
    
    13 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 4:01pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Only the top dogs wore dog-skin cloaks.
  
  Ye ancientte common bloke/blokesses (ware) had bare skin.
  
  8 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 4:28pm
  - OlderChas
    
    Yes – and remember – the world is soooo much warmer now than it was then – right?
    
    3 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    June 26, 2026 6:11pm
Jack5

Argentina’s Javier Milei’s got the AI bit between his teeth.

The president proposes to make law for “non-human corporations” run entirely by artifilcial intelligence. When fully automated, they might not have any human staff or shareholders, reports the Telegraph.

Machine-run companies could “own assets, hire employees, participate in international trade, sue you in court and even donate to political campaigns … all without a single human’s input or liability,” says Yuval Noah Harari, an Israeli historian who often writes about technology.

The Telegraph says Milei’s proposal could mean companies with no directors and bots setting up businesses.
1 1
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 2:41pm
- Sacha
  
  I wonder what such a company would do when it had no human clients?
  Would it create an exclusively AI clientele?
  Seems like the height of silliness to me –
  
  4 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 26, 2026 5:06pm
Ra Henare

My post yesterday re the Spinoff article/hit piece didn’t make it thru moderation until this morning.

Partly my fault for late submission.

But in my quest to address emotional irrational responses.
/////////////////////////
so we are to belive a Spinoff report without question>

Not this guy.
It sounded rediculous.

So I did some digging.

DIA’s cost for providing the VIP/Crown limousine service was $340,646 in 2025, including an availability fee of $298,359. That availability fee is described as covering fixed costs such as depreciation, capital charges, allocated overheads, and vehicle costs, plus administration, transport coordination, the booking portal, staffing, property, and overheads.

FOR MINISTERS and ex PMS.

So Spinoff has injected a falsehood, saying the totals were to enable Ex PMS access.

So another journalist’s emotive bullshit hit piece.
3 0
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 5:37pm
Ghost

No, a Tamihere party mp lying, surely they wouldn’t do that

Coalition ministers are questioning the veracity of claims from Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, about how often she visits prisons and youth justice facilities.

Maipi-Clarke has made highly specific claims to voters about her work advocating for and visiting rangatahi in prisons and Oranga Tamariki-run youth justice facilities.

The accuracy of her claims is now in doubt, with ministers saying there is no evidence Maipi-Clarke has done the work she’s taking credit for.

Article

I guess it wasn’t that hard to prove she lied, Tamihere party mp’s don’t do work
6 1
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 6:34pm
- greybeard
  
  But her lying had the desired effect: lots of credulous people now think she is a saint.
  
  1 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  June 27, 2026 8:15am
Ghost

good interview with Mike Baker

THE Iranian Regime is STILL In Charge. No Matter What Trump Says.

The full interview is here
1 0
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 7:44pm
Ghost

More than a week after British TV star Jeremy Clarkson revealed he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, there’s been a surge in men getting checked – with some choosing to do it themselves at home.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation’s Peter Dickens said the charity estimated the number of at-home testing kits being bought over the counter was in “the low thousands”.

Article

Jut go to your GP.
1 0
Log in to Reply
Report
June 26, 2026 9:29pm

Add a Comment Cancel reply

Login to comment or vote

« The need for LNG

So much for balance »

Donations

You can now donate to Kiwiblog

Exclusive content from DPF on Patreon

Become a Patron!

Never miss a post

Email Address

Join 13K other subscribers

Highlights

Target achieved II
Good progress on attendance
Health Target 5 – elective treatments
Health Target 4 – Specialist appointments

Links

"And that's before getting into the other myriad reasons to criticise govt education."
Not PC
MEDIAWATCH: New Sealord TV advert is Karen level self victimisation drowned in culture war grievance
The Daily Blog
Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: There's already a good punishment for councillors who misbehave
Breaking Views
Green Party calls for union membership as default setting for new employees
The Standard
Word of the day
Hompaddock
The WORST Places To Live, Darlings!
No Minister
Can we have proper conversations about the Treaty, assisted dying, AI, farming, media, politics, & our future?
Point of Order
*For a New Liberty*: My Bob Murphy Interview
Utopia
Climate Change: Incoherent
No Right Turn
Canada stepping up
Offsetting Behaviour
Currie Cup Predictions for Round 1
Stats Chat
Parallel Societies
NZCPR
Pride Month, 250th celebrations, Supreme Court decisions, hot dogs!
Bob McCoskrie's McBlog
A central banker’s fiction
Croaking Cassandra
THE WORKING FROM HOME RACKET BY PUBLIC SERVANTS
No Punches Pulled (Bob Jones)
The Accidental Engagement
Imperator Fish
Legal Beagle: Election '23: The Special Votes
Public Address
Get Vaccinated Tomorrow Or Shut Your Pie Hole
Cactus Kate
Making this movie might have been a mistake
Liam Hehir
Why I am retiring from political blogging
Kiwi FireWalker

[email protected]

PO Box 12270, Thorndon, Wellington 6144

Facebook
Twitter
FourSquare
Instagram
LinkedIn
Google+

Archives
Disclosure Statement
Editorial Policy
Privacy Policy
Complaints Policy
Comments Policy

Design by cre8d

%d

Share this:

Like this: