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July 17, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 17 July 2026

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General Debate

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CJames

I see according to The Australian, tickets to the Jacinda gabfest (their word) are about three times the price of the Taylor Swift concert VIP tickets. I know which one most people would prefer to spend their money on. But not to worry, the Australian government shelled out real money to let their public servant mandarins hear her pearls of wisdom. That should cause their economy to go belly-up even more than Albo’s disasters.
Aren’t we just so lucky that she is theirs now. Maybe her mentor Helen Clark should also move to Sydney so they can form a double act..
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July 17, 2026 8:01am
- KKNZ2025
  
  “Since stepping down as New Zealand’s Prime Minister in 2023, Dame Jacinda has been warning against divisive and authoritarian leadership…”
  
  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-17/jacinda-ardern-empathetic-leadership-in-politics/106900418
  
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  July 17, 2026 8:12am
  - David Garrett
    
    KK: I got about half way through that before I started gagging…
    
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    July 17, 2026 8:54am
  - Hugh Jarse
    
    Would that be a tad hypocritical of Jacinda, given her attempts to divide New Zealand into identity groups and those vaxed and those not and her governments authoritative attempts of news and information control ?. I guess she does know a bit about the subject though.
    
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    July 17, 2026 3:28pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    Hilarious
    
    Since stepping down as New Zealand’s Prime Minister in 2023, Dame Jacinda has been warning against divisive and authoritarian leadership in favour of compassionate and values-driven governance.
    
    Guess she missed her term as PM
    1. Divisive, ie two classes of citizens, YUP, says Ardern live onTV.
    
    Authoritarian. Ignore NZ bill of rights;
    dont take the jab get fired.
    
    Values driven governance. Ferking hilarious.
    Oops I fogot Her value increased enormously when she was in the government. Thinks expensive houses.
    
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    July 17, 2026 5:28pm
- Blog-aholic
  
  Unlike Pavlova, Sam Neill, Crowded House and old Russell Crowe I doubt they’ll every actually ‘claim’ her as one of theirs……then again who would?
  
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  July 17, 2026 8:23am
  - pdm
    
    Not to mention Phar Lap.
    
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    July 17, 2026 9:40am
    - Don Beckett
      
      [Mod – people who have the privilege of not being moderated should realise that privilege can easily be revoked]
      
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      July 17, 2026 10:28am
      - Nukuleka
        
        Unnecessary. No matter what our opinions and differences may be this type of slur is unacceptable, Don.
        
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        July 17, 2026 10:47am
- Simon
  
  ardern is a headline act but its some 2 day “leadership workshop” Across 3 cities / whatever.
  
  https://womenunlimited.co/
  
  Its for mid wit govt employees, paid to attend by taxpayers. Run by private company. Probably well connected with Aust mangerial state.
  
  Looks like a racket with Ardern heading it.
  
  Ardern will read prepared lines and answer a few questions. Not really in charge just a figure head.
  Get paid quite well and promote the Ardern brand.
  Utterly like her govt.
  
  Remember all those National party types who were part of Jacindamania and injected themselves with a jerry built medical treatment because of her. They probably should also attend.
  
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  July 17, 2026 8:32am
  - Nikola Donatello
    
    “and injected themselves with a jerry built medical treatment…”
    
    What an absurd statement. I can’t stand Jacinda. I would never use a vaccine based on the claims of any government.
    
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    July 17, 2026 8:44am
    - imalwaysright
      
      “I would never use a vaccine based on the claims of any government.”
      
      You did, and so did may others here and overseas.
      Unfortunately.
      
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      July 17, 2026 8:54am
  - Paulus
    
    Perhaps she wants to be AustralianPM ?
    Can only be as bad as the current one and women everyywhere still love her.
    
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    July 17, 2026 2:12pm
- R
  
  Clearly the Taylor Swift promotion company is undervaluing Taylor Swift. PROBABLY BY A FACTOR OF 10
  
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  July 17, 2026 9:00am
- redeye
  
  Is this going to be yet another public appearance to tell everyone she’s enjoying her privacy?
  
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  July 17, 2026 9:04am
  - Albie
    
    Reminds me of South Park’s We want our privacy episode.
    
    https://youtu.be/2N8_5LDkZwY?si=-jMT6IW-OZSQzzNm
    
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    July 17, 2026 9:30am
  - Scooter
    
    In a recent interview in Australia she said something along the lines of she wants to remain small but still wants to effect change bla bla. She’s basically a media whore, hates to be out of the limelight, just like every other failed mostly left sided politician.
    
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    July 17, 2026 10:34am
    - R
      
      Well she doesn’t have any ‘success in life’ attributes that she can fall back on for respectful publicity, does she.
      
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      July 17, 2026 11:40am
- lastmanstanding
  
  So many questions.
  1. Will the Nats do a Labour and replace Luxon?
  2. If so who?
  3. Erica Standford?
  4. Someone else?
  5. Will Top top 5%? ( apologies for the pun).
  6. Will Top go with Labour? Their Leader said they will go with the Party with the most votes knowing Labour has topped (sorry) the polls for the past 12 months.
  7. Who will NZF go with?
  8. How many seats will the Maori Party win?
  9. Will their overhang disappear?
  10.Can the Nats hang onto even a couple of their marginals and create an overhang?
  Answers please.
  
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  July 17, 2026 9:12am
  - pdm
    
    Good questions:
    
    1 No
    2,3,4, negated by 1.
    5 Maybe
    6 Yes
    7 Depends entirely on Baubles available to Winston.
    8, 9 Who knows.
    10 Possibly.
    
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    July 17, 2026 9:47am
    - R
      
      Credible answers pdm.
      
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      July 17, 2026 11:42am
    - David Garrett
      
      Pdm: Perhaps you would like to accept my wager of a box of chocolate fish that TOP will Not get 5%? Email me at [email protected] if you want a wee flutter
      
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      July 17, 2026 6:18pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        Your old mate Heather Roy thinks it’s time the 5% thing bit the dust – 1% is about 25,000 voters and perhaps that’s a few to many to totally bin just because they don’t live in the same place …..
        
        After all, without Seymour’s gifted (rorted?) seat there’s no way you would have made it into parliament. And the country would have been poorer for it …. 🙂
        
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        July 17, 2026 7:18pm
      - Nikola Donatello
        
        David Garrett resigned from parliament four years before David Seymour became an MP.
        
        So I think that you are making stuff up.
        
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        July 17, 2026 7:28pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        OK – it was Rodney’s gifted (rorted) seat. My bad ….
        
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        July 17, 2026 7:36pm
      - Ghost
        
        Actually I thought it was obvious you were pointing out that the epsom seat has always been gifted, thought Benedict would realise that
        
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        July 17, 2026 7:41pm
  - Ghost
    
    1-4 no
    
    5 depends on the media coverage they get. Right now the media are actually pushing them hard. I’d like to say no, but if they are in the high 4’s come voting time, then possibly. only time will tell
    
    6 there really isn’t anything in their policy that would partner them up with the right
    
    7 Winston will tell you when he has decided.
    
    8 with their fracturing, former leader speaking up. perhaps 1 or 2 if they don’t sort their mess out by election time. 8 and 9 really depend on if labour and Māori want to play games together.
    
    10 yes if those candidates get out and work for the vote
    
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    July 17, 2026 9:55am
    - RoboRob
      
      My picks too 🙂
      
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      July 17, 2026 10:29am
  - Pope Punctilious II
    
    Stanford for PM not a good idea. Leave her in education, where she’s doing a terrific job.
    
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    July 17, 2026 12:25pm
- Bullion
  
  She lives rent free in your head.
  
  I know the internet is fuelled by outrage, but why the dedication and obsession with a past PM?
  
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  July 17, 2026 9:17am
  - Ian Boag
    
    It’s a contest. Who of the KB chanting circle can prove they hate JA the most – and have always done so – and warned us at the time that she was shonky? And in 2020 over half the population were deluded enough to ignore this wisdom being peddled anonymously on a right-wing blog. Go figure.
    
    The “I hate Jacinda more than anyone else does” thing seems to involve being a bit repetitive. It has been a few years since she shot through, so there is not a lot of relevant (to NZ) new material.
    
    And just in case we missed it there were issues with the vaccination program. We all know that. It was also some years ago but this issue has legs and KB has lots of people who knew all this and warned us all at the time five or six years ago.
    
    One might even conclude that those on each side of this thing show no signs of changing their views. The antis appear to be willing to bang on about it forever – as is their right of course. I’ve not seen any new arguments on either side for a while ….
    
    Keep up the good work! Obessions are healthy 🙂
    
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    July 17, 2026 9:37am
    - Dougal10
      
      As opposed to those like me who knew she was shonky back in about 2014 when she started putting herself into the media. DG would have known before then.
      
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      July 17, 2026 11:05am
      - Ian Boag
        
        who knew she was shonky back in about 2014
        
        Congrats! If only the country had been smart enough to follow your anaonymous blogget advice 🙂
        
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        July 17, 2026 8:18pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Bullion/Boags she and her merry band of inexperienced and unqualified clowns turned NZ into a joke. Crime, racial tension, poor economic outlook, garbage public health, taxes, fees and red tape everywhere one turns. I realise some people live in a smug little sheltered bubble and weren’t affected much, but most people are still reeling from the effects and just treading water. Many are seriously looking at leaving the country if these delusional, inexperienced and unqualified clowns get back in come November.
      
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      July 17, 2026 4:51pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        No doubt about it – Bill E would have done it all so much better … maybe … 🙂
        
        Bloody voters. Doncha hate democracy? You could probably fit in an anti-MMP rant even.
        
        Please confirm that that stupid voters didn’t realise what they were missing … the half-witted electorate didn’t see it your way.
        
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        July 17, 2026 7:41pm
      - Bullion
        
        Weird how the left criticise Ardern for squandering her unprecedented mandate in the mmp era to do something (even became an attack line from Nats re working groups etc.) but some seem to think they did soo much, like what did they do? Someone had a paper, there were proposals for water reform (that still is better than anything the current Govt has come up with, but its ok paying more for less if it also has less Maori).
        
        We have had almost 3 yrs of this Govt and things have gotten worse for lots, unemployment worse, labour force participation worse, growth has been bad etc.
        
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        July 18, 2026 7:13pm
  - Ghost
    
    people like to be afraid of their boogeyman
    
    Strangely, someone here claimed a few times she would be served the moment she landed in NZ for their lawsuit against her. Guess that was another kiwiblog made up story
    
    Anyway, at least they mentioned Helen as well, vaccine further up with benedict and simon, I’ve nearly got todays bingo card done.
    
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    July 17, 2026 9:42am
- Gussy
  
  Ardern called capitalism a “blatant failure”
  
  It appears to be working extremely well for her.
  
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  July 17, 2026 1:10pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    Such a failure that China after experiencing the train-wreck of socialist economics, worked out it was the path to prosperity and embraced it with gusto as an economic engine. Sure there are many issues in that place, but capitalism being ” a blatant failure” isn’t one of them.
    
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    July 17, 2026 6:02pm
Yvette

UNDRIP is so important to the [Maori] nationalist project, in fact, that a clause “affirming” our commitment was somehow slipped into the India-NZ Free Trade Agreement, apparently without the knowledge of even the Trade minister, Todd McClay.

The stealthy insertion has been seen by critics as a Trojan horse for constitutional — and anti-democratic — change. Fingers have been pointed at Māori activists within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade but none of our politicians seem interested in finding out who put it there.
https://www.brashandmitchell.com/post/graham-adams-india-s-view-of-indigenous-rattles-māori-advisers

While “… none of our politicians seem interested in finding out who put it there”, can it be trusted that as it appears a random addition nobody “in charge” asked for, will it be removed.

1 – It contradicts that the coalition agreement between Winston and Luxon, to not recognise UNDRIP as legally binding.

2 – From the same item – “… following the Independence of India from the British Crown, all Indians are considered Indigenous. The Indian Government therefore … does not accept the concept of “Indigenous Peoples” — and therefore the UNDRIP — is applicable to India.

3 – The Treaty of Waitangi is a big enough fuck up without a 2026 Trade Agreement having similar mistakes.

4 – The UNDRIP clause is situated in a cooperation chapter focused on culture, trade, and traditional knowledge. Under Article 13.4 of the same chapter, it is explicitly stated that the chapter “does not impose any legal or financial obligations requiring the Parties to explore, commence or conclude any individual cooperation activities,” meaning it is technically non-enforceable through the FTA’s formal dispute mechanisms.
This is the only reason for leaving it intact: because this statement sets the precedent that UNDRIP is useless.
As “a Trojan Horse for constitutional change” its inclusion may achieve the opposite – bloody hope so.

5 – Why would anyone vote for parties that in passing law, discover third parties have added or inserted clauses into the legislation, and no one acts to remove it.
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July 17, 2026 8:03am
- pdm
  
  `1 – It contradicts that the coalition agreement between Winston and Luxon, to not recognise UNDRIP as legally binding.’
  
  Yet there are clear assertions that the clause was inserted by MFAT Staff – be it one staff member or ten staff members involved.
  
  Winston is obviously not concerned about the apparent (should that be obvious) manipulations and shenanigans to destabilise the Coalition Government from within the department and Portfolio he is responsible for.
  
  Or is it just another indication that he is not on top of his Portfolio.?
  
  Because he has a history of not reading Cabinet Papers or studying the fine print so why should this term of Government be different.
  
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  July 17, 2026 8:32am
  - Hugh Jarse
    
    ChatGPT advises: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) is the primary New Zealand government department responsible for advising the government on international relations and overseeing the development and negotiation of international treaties.
    
    While MFAT leads and coordinates the treaty-making process, the lead government agency responsible for a specific treaty often varies depending on the subject matter, for Trade: MFAT leads negotiations for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).
    
    So Winston’s Department which he refuses to allow to be subject to budget cuts is responsible for leading and coordinating the Treaty process, staff from his Department have most likely been the ones who inserted the offending clauses, and yet it’s all the Nats fault.
    
    What did Winston really know about this ?
    
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    July 17, 2026 10:13am
- R
  
  Fifth columnists and their activities, are often very difficult to identify. Hark back to the WW2, and recognise the difficulties the governments had at that time; and they had specialist units hunting for such people trying to undermine the goodwill of the nation.
  
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  July 17, 2026 9:04am
  - David Garrett
    
    R: A segue…but fifth columnists in WW II were largely imaginary…and every single German spy landed in England was either “turned” into a double agent or executed…most lasted less than a week
    
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    July 17, 2026 10:41am
    - R
      
      David, you should know that ‘fifth columnists’, and spies, are quite different activities.
      
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      July 17, 2026 11:45am
      - David Garrett
        
        I do…but part of the reason the SPIES were so unsuccessful was the lack of any meaningful support from 5th columnists…As I say, the latter were largely imaginary…including in the head of my hero WSC
        
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        July 17, 2026 12:20pm
      - David Garrett
        
        R: One of the German spies lasted less than a day…he knocked on the door of a pub looking for drink (he didn’t know the licensing hours) and when told to come back later he clicked his heels and bowed slightly…very UnEnglish behavior…the one who lasted longest lasted about six weeks …he committed suicide in desperation at the lack of support from any of those fifth columnists he had been told would shelter and assist him
        
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        July 17, 2026 12:50pm
      - Jack5
        
        Would it be possible for some German spies in the UK not to have been discovered, their records destroyed in crumbling Berlin or found by the Red Army?
        
        The Americans took over much of Germany’s network of spies in Soviet countries at the end of World War 2.
        
        Could the Soviet Union taken over any undiscovered German spies in the West?
        
        Perhaps they didn’t need to with Britons like the Cambridge Five already fans of the Soviet Union.
        
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        July 17, 2026 1:03pm
    - Inandout
      
      DG, in relation to ‘clicking heels’ around the mid 1980s I had occasion to visit a German merchant vessel in Auckland. While speaking with the Captain a junior officer entered and spoke in German to the Captain. Before the junior officer departed he first clicked his heels and I was rather surprised this practice still occurred, especially on a merchant ship.
      
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      July 17, 2026 1:29pm
  - kowtow
    
    As a matter of historical interest
    
    it originated in the Spanish Civil War .
    
    AI ;
    
    ‘The term originated during the 1936 Spanish Civil War. Nationalist General Emilio Mola boasted that he had four military columns advancing on Madrid, and a secret “fifth column” of sympathizers already inside the city waiting to undermine the government from within’
    
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    July 17, 2026 12:18pm
- imalwaysright
  
  Small point, but ‘UNDRIP’ is always written in upper case.
  
  Even in a two second scan of a page, it would be hard not to notice the term, and wonder why it is in such a document.
  
  Also, the context in which the writer goes out of their way to assure us that it is included for benign reasons and has no legal weight, seems to beg the question– then why include it?
  
  This is deliberate and I believe all of the relevant Ministers knew about it.
  
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  July 17, 2026 9:20am
  - Groggy
    
    Or they are just using proper grammar?
    
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    July 17, 2026 11:20am
    - Cassandra
      
      un drip appears to be French.
      
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      July 17, 2026 11:46am
    - David Garrett
      
      Groggy : Short answer, No…UNDRIP is an acronym…like NATO or the UN itself
      
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      July 17, 2026 1:34pm
      - imalwaysright
        
        UN is an initialism, to be an acronym you would have to say “un” instead of ‘you en’.
        
        Not sure what groggy’s point is, I was referring to UNDRIP standing out visually on a page as it is being scanned by a proof reader etc.
        
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        July 17, 2026 2:03pm
- keepcalmcarryon
  
  The reason it’s not been discovered who changed the wording is because National in all likelihood wanted it there.
  Please read how National, not Labour put us on the road to co governance that we may not be able to turn around from; https://www.brashandmitchell.com/post/pee-kay-national-the-enemy-within
  And that’s not even getting to the Key years and Finlaysons skullduggery.
  National has been demonstrably pushing this stuff since Bolger. They’ve simply lied about their position.
  Do. Not. Vote. National.
  
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  July 17, 2026 2:26pm
  - imalwaysright
    
    Exactly
    
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    July 17, 2026 6:46pm
imalwaysright

On tv1 news the lady from MPI who runs the Dead Skua Department–Pito One Beach Division, was on Petone beach with about a dozen staff, who looked like they had been called in from home, looking for another dead skua.

Such a response from the media and the Government– anyone would think a child had been tortured and murdered by its parents…
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July 17, 2026 8:14am
- crash
  
  They were interested in how the bird died and the fact that it might have the new strain of bird flu. Given the threat to the country, the mobilisation is justified.
  
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  July 17, 2026 8:51am
  - I remember when
    
    Euthanasia.
    
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    July 17, 2026 9:46am
Simon

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Quite a few people complain that Luxon has not delivered on what National promised. Its good to remind them that National has always been garbage. Its not Luxon’s fault.

The difference for Luxon is that NZ just can’t carry the National party like it was able to.
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July 17, 2026 8:19am
- Nikola Donatello
  
  That comment seems unhinged.
  
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  July 17, 2026 8:50am
  - Jethrod
    
    But not unexpected!
    
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    July 17, 2026 9:14am
- R
  
  Simon, you would possibly have more credibility, if you were to remind the public that the coalition isn’t able to implement Nationals election policies because they didn’t recurve a mandate. The COALITION IS IMPLIMENTING COALITION POLICY, despite the presence of Winston
  
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  July 17, 2026 9:08am
  - wsk12345
    
    But they aren’t. Things Thr coalition partners support are not happening bc the Nats don’t want them to eg slowing immigration (limiting to quality immigrants), de-maorification.
    
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    July 17, 2026 10:26am
  - RoboRob
    
    The Coalitions ISNT implementing all coalition policy. There are a number of agreed policies yet to be implemented.
    
    What National policies do you think are being blocked by their coalition partners?
    
    My list is
    1. Removing 1 year free uni. Reportedly blocked by NZF until recently.
    
    2. Reducing spending on any of Winstons government departments.
    
    Anything else?
    
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    July 17, 2026 10:34am
- Jethrod
  
  Now those 5 tickers that are likes of simons contribution, they are the 5th column issues, referring back earlier in this session.
  
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  July 17, 2026 2:10pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  National are indeed fence-sitting “garbage” in many ways. They do seem to be steadily chipping away at a lot of the rot the three previous clown parties caused. Many would argue not strongly or quickly enough. However, they a colossus of reason and positive action compared to the three clown parties of the last govt. You do NOT want another round of the toxic left again. The choices on offer are not perfect but choosing the left will be economic and social suicide.
  
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  July 17, 2026 4:56pm
AitchW

Is it reasonable for the minister to rely on his advisers to read the agreement on his behalf and advise him of any fish hooks?
Once upon a time I’d have said yes.
However, unlike Sir Humphrey, our public servants are not scrupulously politically neutral.
I’d suggest that the next trade deal needs to be scrutinised by a forensic accountant and lawyer independent of the public service.
What a sad indictment of what should be a politically neutral and ethical public service.
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July 17, 2026 8:32am
- RoboRob
  
  ‘Is it reasonable for the minister to rely on his advisers to read the agreement on his behalf and advise him of any fish hooks?
  
  NO. The minister should ideally read ALL agreements. He should then seek advice from officials to get different perspectives and things he missed.
  
  This should be true for all policy in all departments.
  
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  July 17, 2026 10:37am
  - Ra Henare
    
    Thank goodness for AI.
    
    All the minister needs is a good AI set of prompts to highlight any items in any agreement that could be contentious. Either against International law, either of teh Coalition agreements(remember there are two ACT & NZFIRST)
    
    Eliminate the political cardy wearers.
    
    For information.
    
    It is highly unlikely that the ratification of the New Zealand–India Free Trade Agreement will be completed before the next New Zealand general election on November 7, 2026.
    
    So there’s plenty of time for amendments
    
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    July 17, 2026 6:44pm
Tomtoddy

Global decarbonization changed little since the Paris Agreement: from ~1.9% per year before Paris to ~2.1% after. China, which dominates global emissions, actually decarbonized more slowly after Paris than before, offsetting gains elsewhere.

The decarbonisation trend was already in place so Paris was a waste of time and its value has been heavily over-stated.

NZ is more negatively affected than most countries by the detail of the Paris Agreement so we should get out now.
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July 17, 2026 9:05am
RoboRob

The new RMA act apparently locks in any existing council arrangements. A number of councils and regional councils are looking at locking in various versions of unelected co governance arrangements with local IWI. This is especially galling as the regional councils are soon to be disestablished and so the members are unresponsive to voters.

These arrangements are binding and permanent.

Act wants to block these arrangements from taking place and perhaps enact law to roll them back. They have already publicly pushed back against these activities in the media.

What chance of National taking a stance? If this was last year I imagine they would have taken their usual stance of ignoring it, however with polling near rock bottom they actually have a chance to publicly take a strong stance. This could be a saviour for them. Will they take the chance? Do they have someone strong enough to publicly stand up and explain why democracy is important?

Watts, Bishop and Luxon are not the people for the job. They need someone like Willis or Stanford but its not really in their area.
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July 17, 2026 9:20am
- Southern Raider
  
  Just read that Environment Canterbury is trying to urgently push through agreements with Ngai Tahu and 10 other Runanga to get ahead of the law change.
  
  Also need to be wary of MPI who is pushing for two new Iwi governed marine protection areas around Whangarei Heads against the wishes of locals.
  
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  July 17, 2026 10:07am
- imalwaysright
  
  Rr,
  This seems to be a perverse type of anarchy in that the rules of democracy and governance are being subverted by the very people charged with administering them.
  
  I see it as an overthrow of our society for the purpose of installing apartheid.
  
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  July 17, 2026 10:23am
  - crash
    
    Downtickers are simply those who disagree. Those who take umbrage at being downticked illustrate how thin-skinned they are.
    
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    July 17, 2026 12:16pm
    - RoboRob
      
      I’m not thin skinned otherwise I wouldn’t post stuff about Trump or National. I have a growing group of down tickers who down tick most of my posts!
      
      I was honestly interested in what parts of the post those who disagree actually disagreed with 🙂
      
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      July 17, 2026 4:09pm
- RoboRob
  
  Do the down tickers think that council bodies entering into IWI co governance arrangements is a good thing or do they disagree that National getting involved and stopping it might be a vote winner?
  
  Are the down ticks because they think Watts, Bishop or Luxon ARE the best people in National to stand up before the country and explain that bocking IWI co governance isn’t racist and that they are protecting democracy for the people of the country?
  
  I didn’t mention Trump, wasn’t mean to National and the other things mentioned are just facts, so genuinely interested in what was controversial?
  
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  July 17, 2026 10:42am
  - Cantabrian
    
    Small point – IWI is not an abbreviation to be capitalised; it is a proper noun and should have only the initial letter capitalised.
    From Te Aka, the Maori Dictionary:
    1. (noun) extended kinship group, tribe, nation, people, nationality, race – often refers to a large group of people descended from a common ancestor and associated with a distinct territory.
    
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    July 17, 2026 3:51pm
- crash
  
  All actions taken under current law are binding until future legislation repeals the law under which they were established. Assuming you are referring to MWaRs this is particularly the case within the FNDC, where agreements are up for council approval without ratepayers knowing the contents until afterwards. In addition to this, MWaRs are defined in resource consent legislation, not local body legislation, and are being used for purposes that are nothing to do with resource consents and everything to do with low-level co-governance.
  
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  July 17, 2026 12:23pm
pdm

If Watts is in charge as Local Body Minister nothing will happen.

He will just sit on his `shiny arse’ in bewilderment.

Simon Court is your best bet to get it done.
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July 17, 2026 9:52am
- Colville
  
  Hasting District Council are redoing the flood model for Esk Valley after doing it first time using the most pessimistic Climate Change scenario possible but on advice from Minister Watts they have been told to pull their head in and use something a bit more reasonable.
  
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  July 17, 2026 10:32am
  - RoboRob
    
    Nice to see some action from Watts
    
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    July 17, 2026 12:13pm
    - pdm
      
      A first for Watts – clap, clap.
      
      Watts won’t go anywhere near the Co Governance rorts happening on a daily basis in Councils throughout the country though.
      
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      July 17, 2026 12:52pm
- RoboRob
  
  Simon is an ACT MP. I have heard him speak a number of times about his attempts to get Watts to take action. His has no real power. We need National to take action here.
  
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  July 17, 2026 10:45am
I remember when

No Child deaths definitively linked to Covid shots, FDA says: NBC News. 23 May.
“…according to a report from the Food and Drug Administration that was quietly made public last week.”
In the analysis, dated 5 Dec, the FDA reviewed 96 reports of child deaths submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System through Aug 14, 2025.
After reviewing the cases the FDA reported that no cases were “certain” to be linked to Covid Vaccination.
In the analysis, five deaths were classified as “possible” and two as “probably”, though the agency said those categories don’t mean the vaccine caused the deaths and that other explanantions could not be ruled out.
The classifications were based on criteria from the World Health Organisation, which says that for “possible” cases, there “may be another equally likely explanation for the event.
“Probable” cases, the FDA wrote, are “unlikely to be attributed” to alternative cases, but an alternative cause “cannot be ruled out.”

Now all we need is an adjustment of the global covid death totals – using the same criteria.
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July 17, 2026 10:04am
Quail

@RR.
“ The new RMA act apparently locks in any existing council arrangements “
“these arrangements are binding and permanent “
National were never ever going to change anything . The RMA industry is obviously just too big and powerful for any party short on courage and vision. (As is the grievance industry.)
And even if they lose the upcoming election most of the party and their friends will still be taking the taxpayers dollar in Wellington.
Thanks MMP!
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July 17, 2026 10:06am
Rusty

Is it a new phenomenon of birds dying of the flu?
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July 17, 2026 10:06am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Not at all…
  
  Fowl plagues have been known since at least 1880… (but probably not recorded in ages past)
  
  https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/avian-timeline/index.html
  
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  July 17, 2026 12:46pm
  - keepcalmcarryon
    
    Bird flu has been around for millions of years. The current H5 strain less time like you say.
    Although it’s considered more highly pathogenic , it’s been going around the world this time without huge drama (infected those cows in America but nothing really came of it) but has potential to mutate and be nastier and be bad for the poultry industry.
    It’s a shame our media completely can’t be trusted to not catastrophise over things like this.
    The MPI site has a fairly level headed analysis of H5 avian influenza: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/biosecurity/pest-and-disease-threats-to-new-zealand/animal-disease-threats-to-new-zealand/high-pathogenicity-avian-influenza/about-avian-influenza-and-the-risk-to-nz#what
    
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    July 17, 2026 4:18pm
imalwaysright

Looks like the death throes of Britain have ended.
The undertaker will be appointed on Monday.
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July 17, 2026 10:29am
Ghost

Iran has asked Yemen’s Houthi rebels to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure, three sources told Reuters on Thursday, posing a potent new threat to global energy supplies.

The idea has been discussed within the Islamic Republic’s leadership, and the message has been conveyed to Iran’s Houthi allies, two senior Iranian sources and a regional source familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The sources said the Houthis had been informed recently of Tehran’s request, which has not been previously reported.

article

Things will get pretty bad if this happens.
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July 17, 2026 10:30am
- RoboRob
  
  And this is why something needed to be done about Iran. Their proxy groups are causing instability in the whole region and countries like Lebanon are stuck with essentially a foreign army located within them who wage war on Israel. Imagine a world without Hamas, Houthis and Hesbolah.
  
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  July 17, 2026 10:48am
Ghost

President Donald Trump is expected to use a prime-time address Thursday night to discuss election integrity and potentially unveil ‘four sets’ of newly declassified intelligence concerning alleged foreign interference in recent U.S. elections, according to reports.

Article

How about addressing the things that are really concerning Americans right now. The war. The price of fuel. The cost of living, etc. I really do hope this isn’t what he is going to use the address for, that can easily be a press release or a stand up.
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July 17, 2026 10:34am
- RoboRob
  
  With an election in November it seems a pretty good time to push election integrity, if you believe that there are issues.
  
  Regardless of the proof or not of election irregularities, there is nothing much in the Save Act that is unreasonable. It would certainly make elections safer from potential issues and might reduce the repeated claims from both sides about cheating.
  
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  July 17, 2026 10:51am
  - RichardX
    
    ”there is nothing much in the Save Act that is unreasonable“ is a somewhat simplistic view of the issue.
    
    Most state IDs will be insufficient to register to vote and not everyone has easy access to the “approved” forms of ID required, of which a passport is an example.
    
    Less than 50% of Americans have a passport and see if you can guess if holding a passport bears any correlation to income or race.
    
    Another form of approved ID is a birth certificate but it turns out that there is a bunch of people who no longer use the name on their birth certificate. The vast majority of those are female, due to taking their husband’s name.
    
    The data available in the link can be extrapolated to show how many eligible voters could be excluded.
    https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SAVEact-tables.pdf
    
    If you want to disenfranchise the poor, minorities or females, the Save Act is a good way to do it.
    I wonder which party benefits most from that.
    
    https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2026/03/17/save-america-act-what-to-know/89062933007/
    
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    July 17, 2026 11:33am
    - David George
      
      Other countries have reasonable verification as a requirement to vote, there is no reason why the US can’t, or shouldn’t, do it as well. Given the large numbers of illegal aliens in the country it’s pretty important they do.
      Trust in the electoral system is as important as the system itself.
      
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      July 17, 2026 12:08pm
      - RichardX
        
        I am happy with reasonable verification as a requirement to vote and all US states have some sort of verification process.
        
        I do not accept the Save Act provides “reasonable” verification.
        
        Did you notice that the “worst” election (according to Trump) was 2020 where it was Trump in charge, with his DOJ, his FBI, etc etc.
        
        I wonder if there is any correlation to Trump accepting the results in 2016 and 2024.
        
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        July 17, 2026 12:21pm
- kowtow
  
  The constitution is invalid when politicians , organised and deliberately use election fraud on a massive basis to undermine the republic itself and everything it stands for.
  
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  July 17, 2026 12:26pm
Ghost

this is an interesting look at the data from the latest RNZ-Reid Research poll

More than half of those surveyed in the latest RNZ-Reid Research poll could be persuaded to vote for a different party, and it is Opportunity which could benefit most.

The latest poll, conducted from 2 to 9 July, delivered the coalition parties 61 seats between them – the narrowest majority in a 120-seat Parliament.

and the part no one here wants to ever see

Broken down by party, Labour received 28.7, National 24.3, New Zealand First 13.8, Greens 13.1, Act 10.5, Opportunity 6, and Te Pāti Māori 3.6 percent
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July 17, 2026 10:41am
- RoboRob
  
  Yup, the poll results are bad and have been for some time. The right of politics have a massive battle ahead to maintain power.
  
  I wanted to see when the last one term National government was. Sadly it is worse then I thought…
  
  In New Zealand history, there has never been a one-term National Party government.
  
  Every completed National-led administration since the party was founded in 1936 has lasted for at least three parliamentary terms:
  
  First National Government (1949–1957): 3 terms
  Second National Government (1960–1972): 4 terms
  Third National Government (1975–1984): 3 terms
  Fourth National Government (1990–1999): 3 terms
  Fifth National Government (2008–2017): 3 terms
  
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  July 17, 2026 10:57am
  - Philview
    
    While I think the Left block is devoid of talent and very extreme at the margins, the Right block have done a poor job of selling their own mission. The recent attacks between Coalition partners undermines public confidence.
    
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    July 17, 2026 11:18am
    - Ghost
      
      What’s worse, restricting social media or banning people from giving their kids smartphones, or the kid buying it?
      
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      July 17, 2026 11:42am
      - RoboRob
        
        Restricting social media, because it implies identifying people and tracking them. However Both are poor answers to the issue.
        
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        July 17, 2026 12:11pm
      - hookerphil
        
        I think it should be more banning U16’s from purchasing a smartphone. If a parent wants to buy one for their child, it is just the same if they want to buy or give their U18’s alcohol or smokes or anything else that kids are nor legally allowed to purchase.
        
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        July 17, 2026 12:19pm
      - Ghost
        
        neither should happen. Take social media, yes, it has its problems, yes, it has bullying. It also allows kids who need support to reach out to others. It allows kids to stay a part of the lives of relatives and friends who do not live in the same town, country as them. There are negative aspects and positive to each. Banning either is the wrong path to take. Smart phones have their negatives, but they are a great for personal safety for children. I’d saying taking away that safety is worse. Neither should be banned or restricted.
        
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        July 17, 2026 12:47pm
      - Don Beckett
        
        They can have a ‘dumb’ phone till they are 16, then get a smart phone.
        
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        July 17, 2026 3:00pm
      - Ghost
        
        No. If you are getting a phone for your child’s safety then it would be a smartphone, dumb phone lacks the features you’d want
        
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        July 17, 2026 3:08pm
  - R
    
    Looks a bit like NATIONAL is the natural majority desired government lead party, despite the instability inducing MMP mistake the country made late last century.
    
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    July 17, 2026 1:43pm
mike

Donald Trump top of the polls!
In a YouGov poll surveying Americans about the worst person in the nation’s history, President Donald Trump topped the list, selected by 34% of respondents. The broader list of “worst Americans” included: Donald Trump: 34% Jeffrey Epstein: 14% Jeffrey Dahmer: 8% Charles Manson: 6% Ted Bundy: 4%
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July 17, 2026 10:48am
- RoboRob
  
  Wow, Trump worse then mass murders. He is winning bigly 🙂
  
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  July 17, 2026 10:54am
  - Swifty
    
    The fact that he denied Hilary her life’s ambition absolves Donnie of all his sins in my view.
    
    Heh.
    
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    July 17, 2026 1:39pm
  - mike
    
    Only in the ‘most corrupt president’ stakes.
    
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    July 17, 2026 2:12pm
    - RoboRob
      
      The competition for that trophy is high.
      
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      July 17, 2026 4:13pm
- hookerphil
  
  Is the current Democrat vote 34%?
  
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  July 17, 2026 12:20pm
- Northshoredoc
  
  Those kind of surveys speak to how short term the average persons memory and/or knowledge of history is.
  
  Although looking at the survey in full it appears that a large number respondents are trolling depending on whether they identify as democrats or republicans.
  
  https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/55089-freedom-is-the-value-americans-say-best-represents-the-us
  
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  July 17, 2026 12:40pm
cmm (semi-retired edition)

Clickbait horseshit from Stuff:

‘We live in the second most dangerous country in the world,’ NEMA boss says after quake hits

“Price was referring to a Lloyds of London study, where New Zealand was identified as the country with the second-highest annualised rate of losses from natural hazards behind Bangladesh,” a NEMA spokesperson said.

Every year Monsoon comes like flushing the dunny and the Ganges Delta (where 80% of the Bangladeshi population lives) gets washed out to sea. Some years over 1000 people will dies and tens of millions will be made homeless.

Clearly Bangladesh is way ahead of us.

But second?

Surely Indonesia, Philippines, etc must beat us out?

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361007244/64-earthquake-rocks-south-island
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July 17, 2026 11:23am
- Don Beckett
  
  I would suggest that Japan is much worse for earthquakes along with parts of South America & others
  
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  July 17, 2026 3:04pm
- Master Mariner
  
  From a Insurance point of view, Everything is insured which was why the CHCH quakes was one of the most expensive claims in recent times.
  Nothing to do with disasters and natural Deaths but only the cost from an insurance point of view.
  However the insurers are claiming it back through misguided climate change policies aided by the Councils with flood zones etc etc
  No wonder they fly the Greens Business Class around the World.
  
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  July 17, 2026 3:35pm
cmm (semi-retired edition)

So 3 Comanchero lieutenants get found guilty, but the national commander escapes charges.

I wonder whether he gets to keep the benefit?

It is laughable that “Justice Dunningham found Naufahu guilty only of possessing 6.6g of cocaine for supply at his lavishly furnished $1050 weekly rental in Orewa, Auckland, where he kept designer clothes, a champagne collection, five vehicles, and two cash counters.”

So glad to see my tax at work.

These people are scum. Any gang affiliation (being a member or a moll) should be instant grounds for losing the benefit.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361007238/no-doubt-affluent-gang-boss-receiving-dodgy-cash-judge-clears-him-million-dollar-drug-charges
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July 17, 2026 11:35am
- David Garrett
  
  Cmm: As a lawyer I have to say I find the good Judge’s verdict very odd…a ton of circumstantial there I would have thought…and despite widespread misunderstanding, circumstantial evidence is every bit as good as direct evidence…you just need more of it
  
  I would have thought there is no possible use for a cash counter other than to count large amounts of cash.. and the benefit is not paid in cash
  
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  July 17, 2026 1:55pm
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    The one legitimate purpose I can think of would be as a technical curiosity. For example, many technically oriented people have bits of equipment that they possess just to see how they work.
    
    I doubt our current subject could make that claim without crossing his fingers behind his back though.
    
    Still, except for a relatively small list of items, possession of something does not imply criminal usage. eg. owning a car that can do 200kph does not mean you do so.
    
    50 cents and a servo pie says this bloke is before the beak within 2 years. They can have another crack at him then.
    
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    July 17, 2026 4:15pm
Jack5

The lucky state in the lucky country?

Another prospect for Queensland, which has been fracking coal-seam gas out of its coalfields in sufficient quantities to liquefy it and export it as LNG.

Now eyes are on its Taroom Trough geology formation which some are talking up as a big oil find. One problem: the oil will need to be fracked out.

Queensland’s Taroom Trough:

https://aukusforum.com/aukus-news/f/taroom-trough-the-energy-opportunity-beneath-central-queensland

How oil fracking works:

https://www.bop-products.com/blog/fracking/oil-drilling-and-fracking/

How coal-seam gas (CSG) is fracked:
https://gisera.csiro.au/resources/frequently-asked-questions/how-is-csg-extracted/
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July 17, 2026 12:49pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  I may have to move there. Not a fan of that climate and the nasties that come with it though.
  
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  July 17, 2026 3:25pm
- Master Mariner
  
  Its a massive area too Jack5.
  
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  July 17, 2026 3:37pm
Gary Benner

So hot the tails of his desire to ban smart phones for kids, David Seymour is now pitching NZ as the global testing ground for new technology.

https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/david-seymour-act-party-leader-pitches-nz-as-global-testing-ground-for-new-technology/

On the face of it, riding the front of the wave sounds positive, but somewhere along the line there needs to be some critical thinking applied.

Back in the late 80’s & 90’s NZ was the testing ground for fax machines in the home – basically we were an ideal location, socio-economically the same as the US and Western Europe, and a place they could work out the kinks in the products and marketing. As it turned out, it all worked well.

But fast forward to today’s “technology”. What are we talking about? Sadly more than likely, genetic modification of our foods and medicines, because quite frankly, from the perspective of the rest of the world, if it all goes pear shaped, we are just a pimple on the arse end of the Pacific, and who cares if it all goes tits up. We’ve already seen the seedy rise of medical incompetence in regards to so called “mRNA vaccines”, the corporate greed and lack of ethics employed in that whole débâcle. Where Fauci at al are protected by an autopen pardon!

I would hate to see the same sort of “medical experts” be in total command of what happens to our food supply, agricultural viability, and what we can and cannot do with our own bodies medically.

Every surfer will tell you riding the front of the wave can be catastrophic when the peak comes down and dumps on you and smashes your face into the sand, or worse the coral. If David is talking the likes of “fax machines”, or perhaps these days more likely air fryers, robotaxis, automated drone deliveries, or even in-home robots, then these are things that can just be turned off and thrown in the bin. But if the “new technology” he is referring to (and I believe he is) has the potential to alter the fundamentals of life, like food, water and medicines, irrevocabaly, then we surely don’t want to be the patsy who ends up taking one (and all) for the team.

Let’s be smart here, sure ride the technology wave, but look ahead, behind, and in every direction, to make sure the wave chosen “for us” is not going to trash us, leaving only us to pick up the mess while the perpetrators walk away with “autopen” pardons.
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July 17, 2026 12:51pm
- imalwaysright
  
  We are rapidly turning into a power supply for Data centers.
  
  The rest of the world is seeing protests at their high electricity and water demands, yet this Government can’t wait to tell us that they are worth $6 billion or whatever.
  
  $5.9 of the $6 billion goes to Taiwan etc for the hardware.
  
  How does that benefit us?
  
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  July 17, 2026 1:30pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    Push back against the dystopian nightmare the trillionaires want is starting to gain momentum, especially amongst the young. Academic Sci-Fi dorks and those who think they are going to ride this wave to personal wealth are cheering it on.
    
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    July 17, 2026 5:03pm
- AitchW
  
  Seymour on the radio yesterday was talking about examples such as expanded roles for drones in agriculture needing rules changes from CAA and self driving taxis on specific routes.
  It’s a huge leap from there to gene editing.
  That’s exactly the sort of scare mongering that the Luddite Greens use.
  
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  July 17, 2026 1:39pm
  - Gary Benner
    
    AitchW, sorry but it is not a huge leap. Watch this:
    
    https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1954890117909060
    
    With politicians it is just as important to what they don’t say as what they say. Obviously David has had some negative feeedback regarding genetic modification, so he tones down that aspect of “new technologies”, while playing it safe with talk of “drones” etc. What will be important is if this is implemented, exactly what
    
    This is not scare mongering (I am not a Green supporter – but have worked extensively inside the medical industry), as our recent close shave with mRNA “vaccines” should be warning enough not to trust the so called “experts” who have been found to be tightly bound to their industry first, and not the health of the community. Fauci et al are only out of the street due to a suspicious “autopen” pardon.
    
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    July 17, 2026 4:16pm
  - Gary Benner
    
    AitchW, Just to remind you of the sort of thing we need to be acutely aware of, is this summary of the fake “pandemic”, and how it is engineered.
    
    HOW THEY ENGINEERED THE FAKE PANDEMIC
    
    1. China released staged footage of people “dropping dead” in the streets; scenes never witnessed anywhere else in the world before or after December 2019.
    
    2. A PCR test was rolled out that could not determine whether someone was actually sick. The vast majority of results were false positives.
    
    3. The claim of asymptomatic transmission was heavily promoted to justify restrictions on healthy people and to force mass testing on the entire population; which led to tens of millions of false positive test results.
    
    4. Tech companies and media outlets were mobilized to censor dissent and rebrand inconvenient truths as “misinformation.”
    
    5. Behavioral psychologists were brought in to design fear-based messaging specifically intended to secure public compliance.
    
    6. To keep the illusion of a deadly pandemic alive, they required excess mortality data.
    
    7. Ordinary mild respiratory symptoms alone could not produce those numbers, so the population was subjected to sustained psychological pressure capable of triggering mass psychogenic illness.
    
    8. Relentless fear messaging kept cortisol levels chronically elevated, weakening immune function, particularly among the elderly.
    
    9. Social isolation, delayed medical care, and lockdown policies then generated the excess deaths needed to prop up the narrative.
    
    10. Cloth and surgical masks were suddenly declared effective, something no serious public-health authority had previously recommended for ordinary respiratory pathogens, turning every face into a walking advertisement for fear.
    
    11. People were conditioned to remain isolated “until the vaccine was ready,” buying authorities additional time to expand control.
    
    12. Billions were injected with an experimental product that was claimed to stop both infection and transmission.
    
    13. When those claims collapsed, the goalposts were moved: “Your shot won’t work unless the unvaccinated also take it.”
    
    14. New “variants” were announced every few months to justify an endless series of booster campaigns.
    
    15. A new condition – “long COVID” – was introduced to reframe mounting vaccine side effects.
    
    16. Pharmaceutical companies recorded unprecedented profits, shielded by government contracts and complete legal immunity.
    
    17. Anyone who raised objections was silenced, deplatformed, investigated, or publicly discredited.
    
    18. Once the story became too strained to maintain, the pandemic was abruptly declared over, and the entire episode was treated as if it had never happened.
    
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    July 17, 2026 4:48pm
    - Nikola Donatello
      
      You sound like those people who claim the CIA was responsible for 911. And that the Apollo missions were fake.
      
      2 8
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      July 17, 2026 5:06pm
    - AitchW
      
      Gary I’m glad to see that your tinfoil hat is working.
      
      3 4
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      July 17, 2026 5:38pm
      - Gary Benner
        
        AitchW, I have two close family members suffering from Myocarditis that came after the jab, both in younger years, so cannot write this off as chance.
        
        The politicians and the medical industry have done their best to avoid scrutiny, but data and hindsight will reveal all.
        
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        July 18, 2026 8:50am
    - AitchW
      
      Now do the Holocaust.
      And the reptilian shape shifters.
      And lets not forget the Illuminati.
      
      2 7
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      July 17, 2026 6:00pm
Ghost

A former political figure involved in a late night bar incident can now be named.

Jack Brazil, a former Green Party candidate and high profile activist, appeared for sentencing before community magistrate Sarah Steele in the Dunedin District Court on Friday afternoon.

article

Former gunshot victim. Also charged in Ireland for Burglary.
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July 17, 2026 3:51pm
- Hugh Jarse
  
  Was he the one who was shot in Dunedin but no offender was ever identified ?
  
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  July 17, 2026 4:39pm
  - kowtow
    
    ‘Dunedin police are seeking to identify a man who was in the car with Jack Brazil when the Dunedin activist was shot.’
    
    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/crime/police-seek-man-who-was-activist-when-he-was-shot
    
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    July 17, 2026 7:11pm
- rouppe
  
  Despite not working, he “was not opposed to community work”.
  
  Prick.
  
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  July 17, 2026 4:52pm
Hugh Jarse

A quote from the author, Julia Gabel in an article in the NZ Herald on the naming of the two new Cook Strait ferries.

“Cook is a controversial figure for some as his discoveries in the late 18th century ultimately paved the way for New Zealand to be colonised by Britain, which had long-lasting impacts for Māori.”

She obviously thinks it’s terrible for Maori to be forced to live in a first world country where they won’t be killed, eaten or raped by the neighbouring tribe, forced to take part in a modern medical system which has extended their lives by some 30-40 years due to the aforementioned brutal behaviour by the British, forced to live in a democratic framework where they can choose their leaders or representatives rather than a tribal one. What a terrible impact the Brits have had, maybe they would have enjoyed the French or the Spanish more ?
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July 17, 2026 3:55pm
- lifesgood
  
  I for one am delighted with the names for the ferries. It is good that both discoverers of New Zealand have been honoured. Far too much of our colonial history in New Zealand has been expunged. Cook was an incredible navigator and discoverer and without him NZ would still be in the dark ages of murder, rape, war and cannibalism or, perish the thought, under French rule. Mind you I doubt the French would put up with the modern rewriting of history that is going on here.
  
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  July 17, 2026 5:04pm

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