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July 6, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 06 July 2026

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General Debate

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greybeard

Liam Lawson 6th place ! Points in both weekend races.
Well done Liam.
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July 6, 2026 8:07am
- pdm
  
  Let me quote Biscuit who no doubt is watching either a live soccer game of a Liverpool replay.
  
  Car racing is:
  round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round.
  
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  July 6, 2026 8:22am
  - David Garrett
    
    pdm: Yes! So nice to see someone who, like me, cannot think of anything more boring that watching cars going round and round and round and round…
    
    Back in the 70’s there were at least spectacular – albeit sadly often fatal – fairly regular crashes to break up the monotony.
    
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    July 6, 2026 8:35am
    - pdm
      
      Well I am quoting Bicuit as the originator to me of the round and round etc part.
      
      But, I do agree.
      
      Went once as a teenager to car races at Corunna Bay, Napier in the mid 60’s. Boring, boring, boring.
      
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      July 6, 2026 8:42am
      - David Garrett
        
        pdm: I see we are in the minority! (But my first downtick is probably just the usual reflexive one to everything I say from the usual suspect)
        
        Be interesting to see the relationship between those who agree and disagree with us as the day goes on. But for now work calls…
        
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        July 6, 2026 8:55am
      - kowtow
        
        I wonder if some or much of the negativity is from small minded people who equate any NZer on the world sporting stage with patriotism /nationalism (that having been the defacto state religion) , prior to the Ardernist installation of our new state religion , paganism.
        
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        July 6, 2026 9:26am
      - Sacha
        
        I know how you feel. I once went to a rugby test game. Once.
        Boring, boring, boring.
        
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        July 6, 2026 8:47pm
    - Razork
      
      Not as boring as the daily weather updates from a foreign country thou.
      
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      July 6, 2026 9:35am
      - David Garrett
        
        So don’t read them! Problem solved.
        
        Is there are missing “d” in your user name I wonder?
        
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        July 6, 2026 10:01am
      - Cassandra
        
        DG: not your usual tolerant charming self today?
        
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        July 6, 2026 11:06am
      - David Garrett
        
        Cass; Mea Culpa…I am actually in work mode today – it now being warm enough in my home office for the brain to work – so perhaps you are right.
        
        I wonder what Raz(d)ork thinks about the near daily report on a bike rack in Wellington. I personally find such reports very interesting – but the weather in the Kingdom is possibly too remote for some.
        
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        July 6, 2026 11:30am
      - Jethrod
        
        David,
        Would it be possible to provide a daily report on a bike rack in Nukualofa, outside Narrotam’s and opposite 21st Century Electronics?
        Asking for a friend!
        
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        July 6, 2026 3:33pm
      - Charlotte Wells
        
        The brain performs better in slightly cooler environments. Research shows that a comfortable thermal zone—ideally between 18°C to 24°C—is optimal for cognition.
        
        Complements of the web.
        
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        July 6, 2026 4:06pm
    - Quail
      
      An elderly acquaintance was really keen on the Wigram races.He owned a Mark 3 Jaguar and took part.
      Cool real cool!
      
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      July 6, 2026 8:38pm
  - rouppe
    
    I dunno… Seemed like a bit of action on the highlight reel (though they ignored Lawson, again)
    
    https://youtu.be/rnjmSOUYVp8?si=_eah_bMwC5Wqql8i
    
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    July 6, 2026 9:26am
  - Jigsaw
    
    Not much more boring than large very dim heavily muscled and vastly tattooed men bashing the hell out of each other chasing a small ball.
    
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    July 6, 2026 11:13am
    - Cassandra
      
      Golf?
      
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      July 6, 2026 12:06pm
      - Lance
        
        Hmmm
        Contact golf… the idea has possibilities
        
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        July 6, 2026 12:08pm
    - NothingLeft
      
      Rugby, I’ll have you know, is a game played by gentlemen, with odd shaped balls.
      
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      July 6, 2026 1:05pm
      - R
        
        Speak for yourself!
        
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        July 6, 2026 2:12pm
      - Jethrod
        
        More than that…. Rugby is a game for Gentlemen played by louts, whilst Football is a game for louts played by Gentlemen.
        So said Lord Arthur Tedder, who served as the Chancellor of Cambridge University and Marshall of the Royal Air Force.!
        
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        July 6, 2026 3:40pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Gareth Morgan was right! Cats are filthy, disease-ridden pests. They have passed the Toxoplasmosis parasite to 30% of us, and there’s no cure.

Moreover “… (it’s) essentially impossible to eradicate, unless we fully remove cats”.

Let’s exercise that option, and kill every cat in NZ.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/wellbeing/361002569/1-3-people-catch-cat-linked-brain-parasite-trick-stops-it
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July 6, 2026 8:21am
- David Garrett
  
  Jesus…I have never liked cats…now here’s another great reason.
  
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  July 6, 2026 8:38am
  - David Garrett
    
    …And lots of cat lovers here this morning too…
    
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    July 6, 2026 10:02am
    - OlderChas
      
      I am happy to declare that I was one of the ups, DG.
      
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      July 7, 2026 11:02am
- David George
  
  Good luck with that; a hundred thousand Crazy Cat Ladies say “don’t you dare touch the pussy”.
  
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  July 6, 2026 8:41am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Toxoplasmosis is a disease of the brain, which is why ‘crazy cat lady’ is actually a syndrome and not just an insult. You could argue that this is a very successful strategy by the parasite to maintain its breeding environment (it lives in all mammals but breeds only in cats).
    
    Honestly, if the parasite bred only in, say, guinea pigs, do you think we would not eradicate guinea pigs?
    
    The reality is that Toxoplasma gondii is a dangerous, brain-invading parasite. We have the ability to eradicate it by disrupting its breeding cycle. We do similar things to protect our trade. Why would we not do so to protect our people?
    
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    July 6, 2026 9:19am
    - David Garrett
      
      Nevermind: Can’t fault that logic…but see Mr George’s comment above
      
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      July 6, 2026 10:03am
- Im Right
  
  Capture and euthanise feral cats, (or just shoot them in the bush) ensure all male cats are neutered when purchased/adopted.
  Those 2x rules would help the local fauna in NZ.
  Domestic cats, no more than 3 allowed per household.
  Cats are instinctive killers, no matter how well fed they are and given all the comforts that a pharaoh would have blushed at, they will still roam and kill anything that unfortunately comes within striking distance.
  TBH I’m surprised no laws against cats have like the ones above have not been introduced decades ago, NZ has a diverse and unique fauna, cats are responsible for thousands of their deaths each year.
  No matter how much the owners disbelief that their wee cat wouldn’t do that, just ask them when was the last time a dead bird was brought inside, or a multitude of feathers found in their back yard.
  
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  July 6, 2026 8:43am
  - Flossie
    
    Three per household seems to me to be at least one too many. Sure your pussycat might need a friend, but two??
    
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    July 6, 2026 12:20pm
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    You’re not going to enact all of those, but I expect you can get a reasonable consensus (even from the cat ladies) on some – including :
    * Getting rid of feral cats. Most country folk with pet cats will happily bump a feral on the head.
    * More active neutering.
    
    Neutering is more important in females than males. One male can service dozens of females, so focusing on neutering males is not effective.
    
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    July 6, 2026 4:27pm
    - Im Right
      
      But if all males are neutered the dozens of females don’t have kittens!
      
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      July 6, 2026 5:44pm
- BarryB
  
  And I recall that its killing some Dolphin. The deasease is spread through cat shit – the rain washed it into the rivers and into the sea and the Dolphins pick it up.
  
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  July 6, 2026 9:30am
  - BarryB
    
    From the DOC:
    Toxoplasmosis is, however, a confirmed cause of death in Hector’s and Māui dolphins and is likely to be a significant human-caused threat to the dolphins’ populations. This is especially the case for the critically endangered Māui dolphin.
    
    Toxoplasmosis is a cause of death in marine mammals elsewhere, including southern sea otters and Hawaiian monk seals, and is also known to cause behavioural changes, still births and reduced reproductive rates.
    
    https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/pests-and-threats/diseases/toxoplasmosis-and-hectors-and-maui-dolphin/
    
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    July 6, 2026 10:12am
- G152
  
  You would prefer rats and other vermin no doubt
  
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  July 6, 2026 1:17pm
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Hantavirus or toxoplasmosis?
    
    Decisions, decisions!
    
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    July 6, 2026 1:39pm
Wairoa Native

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has said, “Nobody is banning trans people from sports. They are banning males from competing in the female category.” That distinction was reflected in the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which held that states may reserve girls’ and women’s school sports for biological females without violating the U.S. Constitution or Title IX. The Court did not ban transgender people from participating in sport; it upheld states’ authority to define eligibility for the female category.

Martina Navratilova is one of the greatest tennis players in history and has been a prominent advocate for lesbian and gay rights for more than 40 years. After being publicly outed as gay in 1981, she became one of the first elite athletes to live openly as a lesbian, despite losing sponsorships, and has since campaigned extensively for LGBT equality.

AP still show they are anti female and on the side of the misogynists in their misleading headline though.

https://apnews.com/article/e01548be1fc0f574d9c274e077414075
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July 6, 2026 8:27am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  If you are a Martina fan you might enjoy the recent doco on Netflix that tells of her life-long friendship (and sometimes rivalry) with Chris Evert.
  
  https://openthemagazine.com/entertainment/ott-review-chris-and-martina-the-final-set
  
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  July 6, 2026 10:20am
KKNZ2025

“The most powerful country in the world is really being run by about five or six people, given the day, maybe seven or eight,”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-06/donald-trumps-imperial-presidency-regime-change-to-the-usa/106877148
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July 6, 2026 8:36am
- Charlotte Wells
  
  Not an unbiased report at all.
  
  More dross for the mob that want any reason to hate Trump.
  
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  July 6, 2026 11:40am
- imalwaysright
  
  Even 5 or 6 are too many.
  One is plenty, committees don’t work.
  
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  July 6, 2026 12:34pm
- Phronesis
  
  It would be even more interesting to know who was actually running the country when Biden was president.
  
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  July 6, 2026 12:42pm
- virtualmark
  
  Realistically the US Executive Branch, under all Presidents, is really run by 5 or 6 people. President, their Chief of Staff, a few key Cabinet members (Treasury, Defence, State), and the DNI. Maybe the occasional VP gets a look in, but typically they’re there to ensure some key voting bloc steps up and are tolerated rather than wanted.
  
  To me the key difference with this Trump 47 administration is the acquiescence of Congress. The current Congress, under Johnson and Thune, have done nothing and seem subservient to Trump rather than seeing themselves as co-equal. Basically Trump has their balls in a jar on his desk.
  
  Should also note that New Zealand is typically run by 5 or 6 people too. PM and the inner Cabinet. There’s always an inner Cabinet group who make the big decisions and then whip the rest of Cabinet into line.
  
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  July 6, 2026 5:19pm
Cassandra

Damien Grant …. goes on to analyse TOP’s shonky arithmetic

[ Mod – Most of your post is cut and paste. A link to the article and how much you like it would do ]
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July 6, 2026 8:49am
- coge
  
  The TOP LVT appears to have been dreamed up in a student common room. Also, they need to declare, which land holding individuals and groups will be exempt from their LVT.
  
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  July 6, 2026 9:20am
- Cassandra
  
  Mod: could I offer a contrary view? Cut and paste is what DPF does. It’s a much better debating format than posting a link. Very few of our participants divert to a link and then come back to comment.
  
  [Mod – different mod. DPF can do as he wishes, he pays the bills. Small paragraph and link is all that is needed]
  
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  July 6, 2026 11:18am
  - Cassandra
    
    And I might add that I must have missed the link lesson at Senior Net.
    
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    July 6, 2026 12:10pm
mike

David Seymour comes out in favor of environmental degradation.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361001461/seymour-implores-gisborne-council-go-easy-forestry-companies
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July 6, 2026 8:50am
- greybeard
  
  I agree with the Council on this. I also think it was unwise of Seymour to get involved, it looks as though he bowed to some sort of pressure or threat from the directors. Which in fact it was.
  
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  July 6, 2026 8:52am
  - Cassandra
    
    No, he’s asking the Council to be sensible. Cutting nose to spite face pretty stupid. The biggie is directors’ personal responsibility.
    
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    July 6, 2026 9:06am
    - Swifty
      
      I’d like to see our politicians, both local or national, personally on the hook for the consequences of their decisions too.
      
      That would fix a lot of Leftie stupidity, damage and waste.
      
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      July 6, 2026 9:13am
    - Gravelroad
      
      I am puzzled by the use of pink backgrounds on here for downticks.
      Cassandra’s comment is showing in the pink with 20 upticks and 5 downticks.
      Mike above at 8.50am is in the pink with 5 upticks and 21 downticks.
      It doesn’t make sense to me, or am I missing something?
      
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      July 6, 2026 11:36am
      - cmm (semi-retired edition)
        
        Yellow shows 20 or more positives than negatives.
        It is hidden if there are 20 or more negatives than positives.
        
        Pink shows “controversial” with at least 20 (I think) positive or negative ticks, but not enough differential to be yellow or hidden.
        
        Thus many posts go pink before either yellow or being voted off the island.
        
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        July 6, 2026 4:36pm
- Swifty
  
  Agreed and I’ve a long family history of forestry involvement.
  
  I fail to see why Mr and Mrs Hohepa or Smith must pay through their rates for forestry cleanup or environmental or infrastructure remediation as a result of forestry activities, or slash sweeping down our rivers.
  
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  July 6, 2026 9:02am
- Cassandra
  
  No he doesn’t, Mike, he’s asking the Council to achieve its goal without damaging the economy unduly. Read his letter. Big ask, I know.
  
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  July 6, 2026 9:08am
  - mike
    
    And the council is merely asking the forestry companies to pursue their business without excessive damage to the environment, people and other businesses.
    
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    July 6, 2026 9:12am
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Tricky, isn’t it. Forestry was encouraged by Government post Bola, and again for those foolish carbon credits. If it becomes too difficult to harvest the trees then the forestry companies will simply walk away. Not maintaining or harvesting them will likely see trees falling into streams during storms; and forest fires during periods of drought.
      
      The reality is that the current situation was caused in part by public policy, and there is a public good in not driving the forestry companies to the wall. The trees are there and require management. Which is not to support egregious behaviour by forestry company directors, but there’s a balance to be struck.
      
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      July 6, 2026 9:33am
      - pdm
        
        I am not up to speed on the current situation as it is over 40 years since I lived in Gisborne.
        
        My guess is most of those trees were grown on Private Land (or Maori Trust land eg Mangatu Blocks or Wi Pere Trust as examples). Surely these land owners must bear some responsibility too – even if they contracted out harvesting of their trees.
        
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        July 6, 2026 10:04am
      - Sacha
        
        Im in a forestry partnership. We paid for the slash clean-up after logging was completed. At a partnership meeting, it looked pretty tidy.
        I read an interesting article a while back about an area of neglected land on a farm somewhere in the South Island that is regenerating native trees/plants. It had been untouched for about 50 years after logging, so the seeds had lain dormant for many years.
        There is hope.
        
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        July 6, 2026 8:59pm
    - Cassandra
      
      No, mike, the Council is introducing personal liability for directors – that’s the real issue.
      
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      July 6, 2026 11:12am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  If only the Gisborne District Council had done its job properly 20 years ago enforcing a rule or two against the forestry vandals.
  
  The report found the forestry industry has lost its social license in Tairāwhiti because of a culture “of poor practices”, which the report said is facilitated by the Gisborne District Council’s capitulation to the permissiveness of the regulatory regime and its under-resourced monitoring and compliance.
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350472488/damning-forestry-slash-report-gisborne-district-council-extremely-disappointed-by-findings-recommendations
  
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  July 6, 2026 9:35am
  - mike
    
    Yes, and Seymour apparently wants the council to go back to not enforcing the rules.
    
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    July 6, 2026 10:02am
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      At least the Council now has the use of drones to check what is going on…
      
      I really wonder how many logging sites were ever checked by Council staff before the 2017 and 2018 storms arrived.
      
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      July 6, 2026 10:29am
- Graeme Hall
  
  The idea behind leaving the slash to decompose was to provide nutrients for the next generation of trees to access and it works so long as the slash doesn’t get washed into town. Prior forestry practices used to harvest and bulldoze the site clear, then wonder why the next generation of pines looked so stunted – so there are pros & cons to the practice of leaving the leftovers on site.
  
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  July 6, 2026 10:46am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    to provide nutrients for the next generation of trees to access and it works so long as the slash doesn’t get washed into town.
    
    Makes sense if the harvested site is on nutrient poor (podsolised/leached) soils and is of flat-gentle slope.
    
    But it makes no sense on the steep slopes of highly erodible soils of NZ’s East coast. It’s not even an area that needs fertiliser input for fast-growing Pinus radiata.
    
    The fact is, the East coast loggers of the last decade got away with practices that would not be entertained in any other developed country.
    
    The only type of forestry suitable for the steep erodible soils of the East coast is Protection Forestry
    (i.e. – No clearfelling harvest ever).
    
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    July 6, 2026 2:47pm
Paul

Yep, Seymour is wrong on this (not a sentence I could have envisaged writing!) For nearly 200 years, the company form means that shareholders are not liable for the actions of their companies, while directors are fully liable. That allows shareholders to put up the capital while leaving the running of the company to professionals.
But it only works if regulators hold the directors to account in practice.
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July 6, 2026 8:59am
- Colville
  
  Agree.
  
  East Coast forest block of say 200ha. Extract the trees and leave shit everywhere. All the cash paid out to shareholders. Land is worth less than the cost to clean it up. Raise middle finger to council and let them liquidate the company.
  
  Without the ability to drag the directors to court council has no chance of a reasonable result.
  
  The chap who wrote to Seymour is a Japanese professional employed effectively by Sumitomo. $50BilUS$ a year turnover. They can afford to do a good cleanup. !
  
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  July 6, 2026 9:50am
  - Swifty
    
    Agreed.
    
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    July 6, 2026 10:01am
  - R
    
    The forestry slash debacle is a direct result of greens driven policy to leave the slash to decay and return nutrients to the earth. About the mid 80’s policy from then government, H & S legislation also prevented mum & dad and the children’s weekend firewood expedition, to collect fuel for their winter heating. Legislation from a period long before the majority of today’s present activists were even thought of. CONSEQUENCES again.
    
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    July 6, 2026 10:04am
    - Colville
      
      Burning slash piles was always a problem too.
      
      The industry has changed so that a significant proportion on the slash is left on the hill face now because of machine harvesting. Back in the day when a man with a saw woudl drop the tree and it would be hauled to a skid to be limbed, topped and graded into logs it was natural for the slash to be gathered in one place.
      
      I believe 90%+ of trees are now machine felled.
      
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      July 6, 2026 10:28am
    - Paulus
      
      Greens thinking of Consequences – you must be joking ~
      
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      July 6, 2026 11:38am
      - kowtow
        
        Greens thinking.— you must be joking.
        
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        July 6, 2026 12:42pm
- Graeme Hall
  
  For nearly 200 years, the company form means that shareholders are not liable for the actions of their companies, while directors are fully liable.
  
  Limited liability is the point of forming companies. When the Glasgow Bank collapsed in 1878 all the shareholders were on the hook. If you owned one share you could be and were bankrupted. Lloyds used to run like that until those who liked the big payouts refused to honour their debts. One of Christchurch’s richer citizens, a mushroom man, walked away from his obligation.
  
  https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/20832339.shocking-tale-glasgow-bankers-ruined-families-fraud-scandal/
  
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  July 6, 2026 10:40am
  - Paulus
    
    In New Zealand AMI Insurance at the time of the Christchurch Earthquakes was a Mutual and as such the Policyolders as the Owners should have taken responsibility of their financial position in going bust.
    But no, Helen Clark, and the followintg Government, as I believe at the time, wanted votes so the Government took responsibity for doing what the Shareholders/Policy Holders should have done.
    Cost hundreds of Millions of Taxayers Money, which would not have taken place had AMI been a Limited Liability Company.
    
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    July 6, 2026 11:45am
    - Ghost
      
      No
      
      Darfield Earthquake (4 September 2010)
      The Christchurch Earthquake (22 February 2011)
      
      Helen wasn’t even in NZ. She stepped down as labour leader on 19 November 2008. April 2009 she took up her role as Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
      
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      July 6, 2026 11:58am
  - In Vino Veritas
    
    Hmm, my understanding Graeme, is that those New Zealanders (and there were a few) that tried to walk away were taken to court, and all lost. If they refused to pay, then they were bankrupted and Lloyds recovered via the bankruptcy.
    
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    July 6, 2026 4:40pm
    - Graeme Hall
      
      That was what was intended to happen, but Mushroom Man still standing, still loaded, still saving the Cathedral, and still never paid. Maybe he was exempted by his political influence? Who knows?
      
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      July 6, 2026 9:02pm
imalwaysright

The Santana Mines rep was on the Platform saying that Santana have to pay Ngai Tahu’s consultants fees regarding their opposition to the mine.

He could not comment on whether he also pays NT to attend discussions.

Is this State enabled extortion?

Imagine any company wanting to invest in NZ watching this, why would they bother.
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July 6, 2026 9:30am
Maggy Wassilieff

Wonder why some teachers can’t teach?

Perhaps it’s because they don’t actually learn how to teach…

Consider how to achieve top marks at Victoria Uni’s course on practical teaching skills…where a student must critically analyse the life of one of their ancestors through a gender/power/treaty lens.

Top marks also require students to “deeply engage” with their ancestor’s “tangata whenua or tangata Tiriti positioning,” and with their “power and privilege.”

https://www.brashandmitchell.com/post/dr-michael-johnston-grading-your-grandmother
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July 6, 2026 9:54am
- R
  
  Such academic drivel will certainly not improve the calibre of teacher graduates, even the sincere graduates. Comply with the policy edict or fail. Great thinking (lack of) Victoria Uni.
  
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  July 6, 2026 10:06am
- imalwaysright
  
  The other side of the coin is that all of the graduates willingly comply.
  That, in itself, should preclude them from teaching.
  
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  July 6, 2026 10:14am
  - RoboRob
    
    This has always been one of the unspoken rules of academia. You have to know your teacher / lecturer. Some (few) will allow descent and mark based on your argument rather then your agreement with their view. However this is always a more dangerous option, you have to argue your point very well.
    
    In all other cases, you swallow your pride and conform to the teacher / lecturers view. Arguing achieves nothing more that a fail mark.
    
    Sure these graduates could refuse to comply. They would fail and not become teachers, leaving the remaining ‘true believers’ the only ones to gain teaching degrees.
    
    A better option for the country would be for those who disagree with this stuff to speak out about the system once qualified. However there seems little will to do this in the education profession. A great example of this would be the 10s of thousands of teachers that sat quietly by and watched students fail to achieve reading and math standards in an obviously flawed system for the last 20+ years.
    
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    July 6, 2026 10:57am
    - imalwaysright
      
      Correct about speaking out after qualifying, but it seems the only thing teachers get off their collective arse about is their pay.
      
      They all know that there is no other job, apart from MP, where they would be paid so well for such low ability and for such poor performance.
      
      14 1
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      July 6, 2026 11:31am
  - rouppe
    
    Don’t know about willingly.
    
    My son had to complete a course on the “power wheel” as party of his first year engineering degree.
    
    For clarity, the “power wheel” was not some mechanical device, it described people as having power depending on their gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
    
    It was a Jacinda Arden choice. You didn’t have to do it, but then you couldn’t progress your degree
    
    22 1
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    July 6, 2026 11:41am
    - RoboRob
      
      Ah yes, the optional / non compulsory that is compulsory in all but name.
      
      17 2
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      July 6, 2026 12:03pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      “Don’t know about willingly.”
      
      Well, they didn’t refuse.
      Same as the Public servants singing Maori chants every morning, they all moan about it, but they still do it.
      
      They can’t have it both ways.
      
      NZers seem to have an excuse for every occasion.
      Sometimes you have to take personal responsibility, its not always someone, or something, elses fault.
      
      10 0
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      July 6, 2026 12:48pm
      - R
        
        ‘Taking personal responsibility’, is so yesterday; …..last century really. Our next export focus, is going to be on getting value from our regular excuses, which the country seems to be so good at making.
        
        4 0
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        July 6, 2026 4:32pm
- Swifty
  
  Good grief.
  
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  July 6, 2026 10:14am
  - RoboRob
    
    Thats nothing. Every single paper is organised this way. Look at early childhood education…
    
    https://kowhiti-whakapae.education.govt.nz/oral-language-literacy
    
    How is oral language & literacy approached in Kōwhiti Whakapae?
    
    Four whakataukī/ whakatauākī ground and shape oral language and literacy capabilities and related practices. Each highlights elements of oral language and literacy that are significant from te ao Māori world views.
    
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    July 6, 2026 11:03am
    - Paulus
      
      EH !
      
      7 3
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      July 6, 2026 11:48am
    - muzled
      
      Wow, that really is a bunch of mumbo jumbo.
      
      6 0
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      July 6, 2026 3:29pm
- Raphael
  
  A nephew recently completed a teaching qualification. He had to write a paper about organising a protest and how he would make sure the usual rent-a-crowd would be involved.
  
  He still has no idea how this has anything to do with actual teaching.
  
  23 1
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  July 6, 2026 11:31am
  - NothingLeft
    
    teachers (and lecturers) tend to teach things that interest them, and avoid or skip over stuff that they find less exciting. Marxist Leninist(and Alinsky’s rules for radicals) praxis would get a lot of them salivating.
    
    Left captured universities means lots of left wing content, even in STEM courses.
    
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    July 6, 2026 1:09pm
Scooter

So Chris Luxon on Mike Hosking rules out any Nuclear power debate, what an Arrogant [Mod – no need for this] Just in the same vein as Jacinda. The sooner National ditches him the better.
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July 6, 2026 10:19am
- RoboRob
  
  Anyone expecting Chris Luxon to take on any controversial issue, especially in election year, is dreaming.
  
  I suspect Mr Luxon was more of a process manager, who stuck with the status quo at Air NZ rather then a visionary or change agent.
  
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  July 6, 2026 11:05am
- Graeme Hall
  
  Trouble is voters, and listening audiences as well, are often left to choose between two: the inexecrable and the mediocre.
  
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  July 6, 2026 11:09am
- Philview
  
  It will be interesting to see the political reaction if China decides it wants to dock its new nuclear powered aircraft carrier (currently under construction) into an NZ port.
  
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  July 6, 2026 11:25am
  - rouppe
    
    I would expect that request to be denied. Because as odious as the Greens are, they know that if they allow it, then there’s no reasonable excuse to deny anyone else’s nuclear ships.
    
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    July 6, 2026 11:45am
  - RoboRob
    
    An aside but I have watched a few Naval you tube videos recently and apparently that would never happen. The China navy currently is built around projecting power locally. NZ might be a bit too far 🙂
    
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    July 6, 2026 12:07pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      That comment did not age well!
      
      4 0
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      July 6, 2026 6:31pm
- Waipuk
  
  Luxon does not want any distractions from Nationals campaign message.
  
  If he said anything (just one word) which hinted at the idea of nuclear the media would be screaming about for weeks, months. Ie The sky is falling.
  
  18 3
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  July 6, 2026 11:27am
  - Charlotte Wells
    
    What campaign message is that then?
    
    4 4
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    July 6, 2026 11:45am
    - RoboRob
      
      Dont vote Labour, they are bad?
      
      7 2
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      July 6, 2026 12:08pm
      - Charlotte Wells
        
        Which would be OK if national were a better choice.
        
        Instead they are just half of the purple choice.
        
        2 3
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        July 6, 2026 3:08pm
    - JJ56
      
      Need more companies like OpenStar.
      
      0 0
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      July 6, 2026 3:07pm
  - Graeme Hall
    
    That is the problem we face. Instead of our PM implementing the right policy for the country, or even opening it up for discussion, we see him trying to retain power by maintaining the status-quo.
    
    This “strategy” has led the Liberal/National Coalition in Australia to an existential crisis and why the polls show One Nation, who never supported renewables, net-zero, or bent the knee to diversity, leading both major parties.
    
    1 1
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    July 6, 2026 9:27pm
- rouppe
  
  He did, probably correctly, point out we have significant potential capacity available for renewables.
  
  Except the best of those, hydro, is constantly frustrated by RMA objections. One of our most recent geothermal plants commissioned has its entire capacity dedicated to a Microsoft data center.
  
  Wind and solar just won’t cut it.
  
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  July 6, 2026 11:48am
  - imalwaysright
    
    The data centres will prove to be a curse for NZ.
    
    10 2
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    July 6, 2026 12:23pm
    - mogg
      
      No sign of any curses yet, in fact exactly the opposite.
      Infratil data centres have just had an independent valuation boost of AU$ 3.3 billion. I am looking forward to their Wgtn roadshow on Wed evening, wine and food to follow.
      
      0 1
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      July 6, 2026 3:32pm
  - Ian Boag
    
    Correct me if I am wrong – I was under the impression that there aren’t any places left suitable for significant hydro except maybe a run of the river scheme on the Waitaki. The West Coast one that people get excited about is a tiddler ….
    
    3 1
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    July 6, 2026 2:12pm
    - Taieri
      
      Some years ago there’re plans for further hydro development on the Clutha. Four more dams were considered, one at Luggate with 86MW capacity, one at Queensberry with 160MW capacity, one at Beaumont with 185 MW capacity and one at Tuapeka Mouth with 350 MW capacity. It was decided that these projects were uneconomical.
      
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      July 6, 2026 2:30pm
      - wsk12345
        
        In addition project aqua on the Waitaki had millions spent on trying to get consent. 540 MW. There was also lots spent on options for the Mokohinui Rover and I believe the Buller.
        
        2 1
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        July 6, 2026 2:48pm
      - RoboRob
        
        I think at least one of those was blocked on environmental reasons, I believe by local farmers.
        
        1 1
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        July 6, 2026 2:59pm
      - KKNZ2025
        
        “…it was decided that these projects were uneconomical”
        By who? The gentailers (51% govt owned) focusing on the potential risk to their spot prices?
        
        2 0
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        July 6, 2026 2:59pm
    - Jethrod
      
      The Motu River in the eastern Bay of Plenty, was touted in the 50’s and early 60’s for hydro development, but was ruled out because of lo g distances for development.
      
      1 0
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      July 6, 2026 3:55pm
- MCōs
  
  I didn’t listen to that conversation
  What were his reasons or did he effectively just say no?
  I gather from your comment you are in favour of NZ going down the nuclear power route
  There are a number of hurdles to jump; mainly revolving around cost, location, seismic issues, waste
  Have you got the answers?
  
  0 0
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  July 6, 2026 1:00pm
  - Ghost
    
    basically, we haven’t maximised what is available to us yet, that we have other options to increase our energy right now
    
    https://www.iheart.com/podcast/211-the-mike-hosking-breakfast-24837692/episode/christopher-luxon-prime-minister-discusses-plans-338209533/
    
    1 3
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    July 6, 2026 1:17pm
  - Waipuk
    
    Only when there are brown/black outs and a few people start to die.
    
    1 1
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    July 6, 2026 1:42pm
    - Jethrod
      
      Are they similar to a whakapohane.?
      
      0 1
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      July 6, 2026 3:58pm
- NothingLeft
  
  nukes are not economic, especially in a geographaicallly remote seismically fraught place like NZ.
  
  Our future power needs will be most cheaply met by growth in solar, cheap batteries and geothermal.
  
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  July 6, 2026 1:12pm
  - Taieri
    
    nukes are not economic, especially in a geographaicallly remote seismically fraught place like NZ
    ————
    
    The powers-that-be in Finland don’t share this view.
    
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_Finland
    
    As far as seismic activity is concerned, there’s nothing that can’t be accommodated with a suitable design.
    For example, the Clyde Dam is sitting right on the top of a seismic fault. They built in two parts with a vertical wedge plug between them to accommodate any movement. This plug allows up to 1 metre of vertical movement and up to 2 metres of lateral movement between two parts and is held in place by the water pressure of the lake behind the dam. It used to be possible to have a guided tour of the inside of this dam. It was a very interesting experience, unfortunately no longer possible.
    
    6 0
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    July 6, 2026 2:46pm
    - Ian
      
      Been to Finland for a winter Xmas. 5m people like us. Think they have five reactors. 200kph long distance trains. Lots of manufacturing in engineering. Jumbo jets that land from Asia in a town of 100k in the middle of the country – the Santa Claus Village. Very flat country in the north where there’s lots of mining. How are we doing compared to this? And have been in one of those tours inside the Clyde dam when it was being built. Muldoon had some vision…
      
      9 0
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      July 6, 2026 3:34pm
  - RoboRob
    
    Nuclear is both doable and affordable IF supported by government. The major Nuclear costs are regulatory hurdles.
    
    Thanks said, we do have a lot of geothermal available which may be a better option for NZ.
    
    5 0
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    July 6, 2026 3:01pm
- Nūhaka Native
  
  Several prominent environmental thinkers and climate scientists support nuclear power as part of the solution to climate change.
  
  James Lovelock, a British scientist, environmentalist, and creator of the Gaia hypothesis, believed nuclear power is one of the safest and cleanest sources of electricity and argued that it should play a major role alongside renewable energy in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  
  James Hansen, an American climate scientist best known for raising global awareness of climate change through his 1988 testimony to the U.S. Congress, argues that nuclear power is essential because it provides reliable, low carbon electricity and that renewable energy alone is unlikely to reduce emissions quickly enough.
  
  British environmentalist, author, and journalist George Monbiot also changed his long-standing opposition to nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster, concluding that it is a safer and cleaner alternative to fossil fuels and should form part of a low-carbon energy mix.
  
  Mark Lynas is a British environmentalist, author, and former anti-GMO and anti nuclear activist who changed his views after examining the scientific evidence. As climate adviser to former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, he came to support nuclear power, arguing that it is one of the safest and most effective sources of low-carbon electricity and an essential technology, alongside renewable energy, for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling climate change.
  
  Modern small modular reactors (SMRs) are designed to be safer than older nuclear plants by using passive safety systems that rely on natural processes rather than active controls to prevent overheating. While they do not eliminate radioactive waste, advanced reactor designs can recycle or reuse spent nuclear fuel to extract more energy and reduce waste, making them a promising low carbon energy option alongside renewable sources.
  
  A good example is France, whose electricity system is largely powered by nuclear energy, giving it one of the lowest carbon emissions per unit of electricity in Europe despite relatively limited renewable generation.
  
  We should be seriously looking at this option here in New Zealand, but we can’t because people cling to our ‘nuclear free’ moment.
  
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  July 6, 2026 6:23pm
Cassandra

I think it’s a good idea to knock the nuclear topic on the head at this stage. There’s no way we can have a sensible discussion right now. Its time will come but it’ll need a careful strategy and preparation.
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July 6, 2026 12:18pm
- imalwaysright
  
  Agreed, geothermal is far better and relatively achievable and cheap.
  
  Unfortunately Nuclear is a permanent slot on the NZ Procrastination Roulette Wheel.
  
  7 1
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  July 6, 2026 12:28pm
  - Phronesis
    
    Funny thing is geothermal is nuclear.
    
    8 1
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    July 6, 2026 12:51pm
    - kowtow
      
      So’s solar as is wind by the same token.
      
      5 0
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      July 6, 2026 1:32pm
- Inandout
  
  Cass, oh the time will come as surely as night follows day. Power cuts, especially when the evening meal is about to be cooked, irritates voters no end. I can remember my Mum screaming swear words when the electricity suddenly stopped. Muldoon accurately sensed this frustration when he announced ‘Think Big’.
  
  11 2
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  July 6, 2026 12:35pm
  - Blog-aholic
    
    And today Muldoons think Big projects having come to pass are keeping NZ lit at night and say but for now today if we needed something of the like the greens, TPM, Iwi and every other SJW niche wonk would stop it dead……
    
    13 2
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    July 6, 2026 1:02pm
    - R
      
      ‘Stop it dead’…….as they did during the 1970’s to present time, whenever very viable and sensible hydro electric schemes were proposed. Now those same activists are complaining about ghe price of electricity. Unlike solar, hydro dams don’t require replacing every 25 to 30 years. Just regular maintenance
      
      12 0
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      July 6, 2026 2:22pm
  - [email protected]
    
    Reminded me to run the 5kw generator for half an hour under load to make sure it remembers how.
    
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    July 6, 2026 7:43pm
- R
  
  ‘sensible fiscussion now’………this situation applies to an awful lot of the political and social agenda. The low depth of general, let alone technical knowledge in NZ is abysmally low. That is why the country is in its present predicament. An enormous clean out of the education and comprehension skills is required.
  
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  July 6, 2026 1:21pm
slightlyrighty

https://youtu.be/Qyaaab_ztys?si=_CeQ824BEWBpoqBA

To those who are still advocating for Pumped Hydro, here is a study of how it went completely tits up over the Tasman.
7 0
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July 6, 2026 1:38pm
Jack5

Another great video from commentator Patrick Boyle on YouTube — this time about Chinese competition hammering Europe’s car makers.

Chinese State banks are manipulating the yuan (Boyle uses the official name, renminbi). They are stopping currency adjustment, the free-market way to adjust trade imbalances.

Boyle says China has side-stepped a century of European engineering dominance.

He talks of “China shock 1.0,” when the country joined the World Trade Organisation in 2001, and near wiped-out low-wage manufacturing competition — things like “toys, furniture, and basic electronics”.

“China shock 2.0” is the country’s growth in capital and technology-intensive sectors that Europe used to have to itself. (I would have thought it would be “Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea had to themselves.”)

Chinese makers have a noticeable edge in electric cars.

Chinese EV makers are moving into European car-plant facilities abandoned by firms like Ford and Nissan, says Boyle. For example, BYD is in talks to take over half VW’s Dresden factory.

European assembled, Chinese EV’s qualify for Europan electric-car subsidies.

One of Patrick Boyle’s best videos:

https://youtu.be/Q0rBGfn-LyU?si=qI83mVFr_rckk7Sp
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July 6, 2026 1:39pm
- mogg
  
  China is not a free market economy, they are growing their exports through government subsidies, they do everything they can to discourage home consumption. The EU aka the home of protectionism, are meeting to decide on extra taxes they need to protect their manufacturing from Chinese cheap Chinese imports, they intend to play China at their own game.
  
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  July 6, 2026 3:22pm
- virtualmark
  
  Now that the US and Europe have only a small value of exports to China I’m surprised there’s not a more coordinated campaign to tariff and restrict imports from China.
  
  Once you reach the point where you’re not winning any value then why keep playing the game? Two-way free trade works if both sides are getting some value. But as soon as it becomes a one-sided exchange then there’s no downside on tipping the table over.
  
  A more constructive and collegial President than Trump would be able to pull together a big coalition of developed countries to push back against China.
  
  (Noting, to be fair, that Australia and New Zealand are rare countries with roughly equal trade with China)
  
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  July 6, 2026 5:39pm
- pb
  
  Notice that he doesn’t mention Tesla, except in the negative.
  
  The West lost its ability to create when it submitted to diversity. China, for all its faults, doesn’t worship trannies. They went hard on EV’s and we didnt. No drag-queen story hours in Shanghai.
  
  He reminds me of the “ultra conservative conservative Irishman” Burke, whom like most modern right politicians are essentially lefties, just at a Fabian pace.
  
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  July 6, 2026 10:06pm
mike

No rugby for Wellington this weekend.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/679241/referees-withdraw-from-wellington-club-rugby-over-ongoing-abuse
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July 6, 2026 1:48pm
- greybeard
  
  And there will be riots in Mexico after that football result.
  
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  July 6, 2026 3:19pm
  - mike
    
    But will President Trump have that red card rescinded?
    
    1 6
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    July 6, 2026 3:53pm
    - Jethrod
      
      Careful ….. you will get one applied to you!
      
      3 1
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      July 6, 2026 4:00pm
    - Charlotte Wells
      
      It was a BS card to start with. It was only a yellow. There’s been plenty worse go unpunished during this tournament.
      
      And the FIFA decision has precedent.
      
      “FIFA in November deferred the final two games of a three-match ban for Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo for a red card against Ireland in a World Cup qualifier, allowing him to play at the start of the World Cup.
      
      Argentine defender Nicolás Otamendi and Ecuadoran midfielder Moisés Caicedo in April had one-game bans deferred for red cards in qualifiers, also allowing them to be available for World Cup openers.” From our very own 1 News.
      
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      July 6, 2026 4:35pm
      - Prince
        
        According to One News, that was Trump also. No evidence of course, but plenty of vox-pops showing outrage at Trump’s supposed intervention.
        The outrage shows no end.
        
        2 3
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        July 6, 2026 7:30pm
  - RichardF
    
    Hopefully all of the 5k or so English supporters in the crowd get home safely.
    
    4 0
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    July 6, 2026 5:05pm
  - virtualmark
    
    If I were the England team I’d have flown out of Mexico City as soon as possible after the game ended.
    
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    July 6, 2026 5:35pm
greybeard

“Stuff” self-destructs by requiring people to log-in to participate in daily quizzes !
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July 6, 2026 6:38pm

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