General Debate 05 August 2026

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KKNZ2025

“Roy Morgan’s New Zealand Poll for July 2026 shows the National-led Government (National, ACT & NZ First) down 2% to 49%, maintaining a clear lead over the Labour-Greens-Te Pāti Māori Parliamentary Opposition, down 1% to 41%.

In addition, a further 10%, up 3% support independents and parties outside Parliament – the highest level of support for parties not represented in Parliament since the last election.”

“National-led Government set to win most seats but fall short of a majority with 59 seats”

= TOP on 8% support will hold balance of power

https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/10281-nz-national-voting-intention-july-2026?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MRU%203%20Aug%202026&utm_content=MRU%203%20Aug%202026+CID_cbe886474e8088b3cf5b8e8822235933&utm_source=Market%20Research%20Update&utm_term=Read%20Full%20Article
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August 5, 2026 8:01am
- Ghost
  
  The hard part for TOP will be turning those polling numbers into votes and actually getting into parliament. Will they succeed, only a few months to find out
  
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  August 5, 2026 8:48am
- pdm
  
  One bit of good news is that NZFirst are down from their highs and are now level with ACT.
  
  Given Winston has been campaigning for the last year (since he ceased being Deputy PM) and ACT are only starting their campaign I am optimistic that ACT will finish with more MP’s than NZFirst on 8 November.
  
  That should put the kibosh on any thoughts of Winston sharing the PM role for good.
  
  Especially as Labour are not likely to have the means to form a Government.
  
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  August 5, 2026 8:55am
  - RoboRob
    
    No, NZF as the only party that can work with Labour or National, they will always have an outsized amount of power in exchange for their role as king maker.
    
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    August 5, 2026 9:09am
- MCōs
  
  I should hope that after the current unmanageable arrangement the next administration will have more confidence and supply agreements with far less power to the minor parties.
  NZ First should never have a minister within cabinet again and if they don’t like it they have nowhere to turn. They have already nailed their colours to the Blue mast.
  
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  August 5, 2026 9:03am
  - RoboRob
    
    Dream on. If the right get back in National will be far weaker and the minor parties will not be so minor.
    
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    August 5, 2026 9:10am
- Gravelroad
  
  Am finding it difficult to understand this
  On-going flirtation with the Opportunities Party – which is essentially just a bunch of unknown, amateur leftists/communists.
  It can only be because voters see the possibility for free welfare money for everyone and higher taxes for rich pricks.
  Is that all?
  Are people really that dumb?
  
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  August 5, 2026 9:25am
Southern Raider

Assaulted and thrown down 2.4m stairwell. Had half his skull removed, permanent brain damage and died 5 years later.

Assailant got 2.5 years jail and was paroled after only serving a year of the sentence.

Tell me the justice system in NZ is fair.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/josh-storer-uk-man-attacked-in-albany-bar-dies/UCWFT5TFPBCE7EDFTWSNHZJOXE/
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August 5, 2026 8:05am
- David Garrett
  
  Southern: Sentences for violence in NZ are ludicrously light compared to those in Oz and the UK
  
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  August 5, 2026 9:02am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Tell me the justice system in NZ is fair.
  
  And the chap that threw him down the stairs did it for no reason apart from the fact that he could…
  
  Nathan could not explain to police why he did it except that Storer was annoying him, according to court documents.
  
  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/man-who-threw-josh-storer-down-albany-pub-stairs-sentenced-to-2-years-5-months-jail/HPG46KOAI752AFC7O6JRB74API/
  
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  August 5, 2026 9:14am
David George

Irish PM’s jet can’t land in fog after Israeli system removed, the aircraft is missing the key technology because his country banned defence purchases from the Jewish state.
The €53m (£45m) Dassault Falcon 6X is usually equipped with a FalconEye system, made by Israeli defence company Elbit Systems.

But Micheál Martin’s government was forced to purchase the aircraft from a French firm without it after Ireland blacklisted all Israeli defence technology in 2024.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/04/irish-pms-jet-cant-land-in-fog-after-israeli-system-removed/
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August 5, 2026 8:07am
- Southern Raider
  
  Can’t wait till the Irish try to go to war and have to fight with sticks and slings so they can continue their pathetic BDS strategy.
  
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  August 5, 2026 8:23am
- mike
  
  It seems doubtful that no other technology could be used.
  
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  August 5, 2026 8:29am
  - David George
    
    Falcon Eye combined vision system is the best and is the only one compatible with Dassault systems. In fact it was specifically designed and manufactured by Israeli company Elbit in partnership with Dassault.
    So no.
    Free tip: you can easily look up actual facts before blurting out nonsense from your imagination.
    
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    August 5, 2026 8:51am
    - mike
      
      Irish air force has no issues with the aircraft.
      Free tip: approach MSM articles with skepticism.
      
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      August 5, 2026 9:20am
- Positan
  
  Last year, the then, unbelievably-woke Nelson City Council passed a resolution (moved by a Green councillor) that it would not do business with any Israeli business or company.
  The unsurprising fact that Nelson City Council had never before done business with any Israeli entity, nor had been even remotely likely to do any sort of business with any such entity in the then foreseeable future was completely irrelevant and not even considered in the Nelson City Council’s pathetic haste to signal the absolute fatuousness of its “virtue” to the world.
  
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  August 5, 2026 9:19am
artemisia

So following forced sale the Pegasus golf club site development proposal has entered the fast track process. There is anger, even outrage, in the community, some 16,000 signed a related petition. Anger ramped when the new owner restricted access (and concreted holes). Not quite sure what all the issues of the 16,000 are, but look like removal of amenity and green space.

Still, 16,000 is a lot of locals. Maybe they had a case? Or maybe they checked out the normal consent process and how easily it can be delayed. Possibly for years. Or even if approved, hedged about with so many restrictions and costs that it becomes uneconomic for the owners. Which of course are the reasons for the fast track process.
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August 5, 2026 8:12am
- KKNZ2025
  
  “16,000 is a lot of locals”
  
  Apparently not locals, less than 5000 people live in Pegasus, with current design capacity 6000.
  
  Looks like a lot of external negative opinions from the usual suspects
  
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  August 5, 2026 8:21am
- Southern Raider
  
  Population of Pegasus is only 4,000 so most of those people aren’t directly affected.
  
  However I can understand the towns issue as they brought into a community to live beside a golf course and large green space. Same happened in Gulf Harbour north of Auckland where people brought houses backing onto the golf course for a premium and then a developer brought the course and closed it down.
  
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  August 5, 2026 8:26am
  - artemisia
    
    Southern Raider – Lampedusa’s dictum ‘If we want things to stay as they are, things will really have to change.’
    
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    August 5, 2026 9:27am
- peterwn
  
  So the 16,000 petitioners are calling for the effective confiscation of private land through town planning processes.
  
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  August 5, 2026 8:40am
  - artemisia
    
    There was local talk about a buy back, clearly didn’t happen. Though 16,000 and a few hundy each may well have done it.
    
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    August 5, 2026 8:46am
    - RoboRob
      
      I think the issue was that the value of the land was MUCH higher for a property developer then what the residents could justify.
      
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      August 5, 2026 9:04am
  - RoboRob
    
    The issue is around them being sold their sections (at least a decade ago) based around this being a small settlement centred around a golf course. The original developer has now sold off the golf course and they are talking about 1000s of new houses.
    
    There should have been some sort of HOA / body corporate that ‘owned’ and managed the golf course, so from that perspective the issue is partially their fault.
    
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    August 5, 2026 9:03am
    - peterwn
      
      If the lot purchasers purchased their lots on the strength of a golf course being established, they should have insisted on the developer entering into covenants providing for the golf course and its continuing operation. It is such covenants that empower a HOA or body corporate to own/manage such a facility.
      
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      August 5, 2026 9:10am
    - MCōs
      
      Step right up
      Read our free brochure free brochure
      The big print giveth
      And the small print taketh away
      
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      August 5, 2026 9:13am
    - All_on_Red
      
      The land will have to be re-zoned before any development. 77 Ha is a fair bit of land. The locals want the Application to go through the normal consenting process, not Fast Track, where their say is minimal.
      The Golf Club was privately owned, not by the Developer. So the Rules in the Covenants set up by the Developer dont really apply (mainly cause the Zoning is different)
      I think the Mortgagee sale price might have covered the debts of Pegasus Golf Club?
      https://www.chrislynchmedia.com/news-items/pegasus-golf-course-locked-up-as-staff-told-their-jobs-are-gone/
      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/christchurch/wolfbrook-sets-date-for-fast-track-of-pegasus-golf-course-housing-plan/
      
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      August 5, 2026 9:21am
- pdm
  
  If they want further delays they can probably get local Iwi on board too.
  
  Ngai Tahu know a thing or two about delaying change/progress (whether or not it is progress at Pegasus) and will probably extract some Koha as well.
  
  Not likely to share the Koha though.
  
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  August 5, 2026 9:00am
- Ghost
  
  perhaps if those 16,000 people, who aren’t locals were members then this wouldn’t happen. But it only had 209 members, so it couldn’t survive
  
  https://www.golf.co.nz/club-detail?clubid=566
  
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  August 5, 2026 9:01am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  The Golf Club was owing $9 Million.
  https://www.nzgolfbusiness.com/pegasus-golf-club-enters-voluntary-liquidation/
  
  The community were living in fantasy land…
  
  Why should the current owner be penalised by a bunch of disgruntled neighbours who clearly weren’t helping to keep their fantasy golf course afloat?
  
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  August 5, 2026 9:19am
Nūhaka Native

Michael Laws on The Platform pointing out:
This election is not actually between the current coalition and labour/Greens/TPM and now, thanks to the media amplification, TOP (Roy Morgan says they are on 8%) as well.

It is really the current center right coaltion versus the mainstream media and the metropolitan left wing parties. Every time they present ex Labour Party PM Helen Clark as their ‘impartial’ commentator on anything happening in or to the country, we all get to see that.

Laws also points out that if the coalition doesn’t stop squabbling, things won’t go well for them in November

They could take an Aesop’s fable lesson ‘United we stand, but divided we fall’, or, in the new ‘priestly language’ of NZ, ‘Kotahitanga te kaha’.

https://youtu.be/YvnRWQdMO1g
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August 5, 2026 8:13am
- RoboRob
  
  If only the government had some control over the media and could force them to be more impartial.
  
  I hear there is a minister of broadcasting but their role is limited to organising funding for the media.
  
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  August 5, 2026 8:59am
  - peterwn
    
    If only !!!!!! That is no doubt what Chris Luxon and his people ponder over.
    
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    August 5, 2026 9:13am
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      That is no doubt what Chris Luxon and his people ponder over.
      
      They’ve had 3 years to ponder up a decent solution…
      
      If they haven’t figured out by now how to deal with a hostile media, then they deserve to lose the election.
      
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      August 5, 2026 9:22am
- MCōs
  
  Of course Helen Clark isn’t impartial and neither is Michael Laws, nor the other ex PMs who comment on NZ politics.
  
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  August 5, 2026 9:27am
Jimbo666

If those 16,000 had joined the golf club there wouldn’t be a problem?
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August 5, 2026 8:15am
Scott

Here’s an old headline from the BBC in 2020:

Snowy winters could become a thing of the past

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55179603

The thing about the theory of climate change is that it should generate predictions that can be proved true or not.
So one of the few predictions of climate change is that snow will become a thing of the past. In Britain and here in NZ.

Well snow fell in central Wellington yesterday for the first time in 15 years!

Is climate change real? Is the planet getting inexorably warmer due to manmade greenhouse gases?

I’m very sceptical. Here in the Wairarapa it got to 7C yesterday. Not much global warming / climate change evident here.

And it’s a serious issue, with net zero and carbon credits and electric cars and fossil fuels exploration bans.

The theory of climate change impacts our economy in a big way. What if it’s not true? 🤔
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August 5, 2026 8:17am
- pdm
  
  Snow on Te Mata Peak and Mount Erin in Hawkes Bay.
  
  Doesn’t happen every year.
  
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  August 5, 2026 9:03am
- David Garrett
  
  Scott: Global warming has also bypassed Tonga..a record low of 8.5C overnight a couple of weeks ago…and the days are much much cooler than usual…this phenomenon is of course why they had to change the name of the “crisis” from “global warming ” to “climate change “
  
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  August 5, 2026 9:10am
[email protected]

[Mod – Details on this case are supressed, that means we don’t tell people where to go to find out about it.]
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August 5, 2026 8:23am
Ghost

A man allegedly assaulted a woman and stole her car prompting a serious police incident that has closed roads in Auckland’s Epsom during the morning rush.

Five people have been injured, NZ Herald are reporting.

stuff

One person is in a critical condition, one in a serious condition, one in a moderate condition and two others were treated at the scene, St John said.

NZ Herald

Some families are having an awful start to the day. hopefully they will be ok
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August 5, 2026 8:45am
peterwn

So Chris Hipkins has said he would never appoint Winston Peters as Foreign Minister. I bet he will quickly start whistling a different tune if after the election he is unable to form a coalition government without Winston’s support.
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August 5, 2026 8:47am
- RoboRob
  
  Guaranteed.
  
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  August 5, 2026 8:56am
lastmanstanding

IMHO the Coalition should be pointing out the consequences of Labour Green and TOP tax policies. The MSM have been silent as usual even though the policies will adversely impact many of them. Space doesnt allow me to do so except it will be middle income earners that will be most impacted. The rich as usual will employ lawyers and accountants to either legally avoid the impacts or transfer their capital off shore. Either way they wont be paying the taxes. The policies are inequitable and in some cases have been tried and have failed in other countries. As usual the Left see taxes and wealth distribution as their only goal. Growing the economy to create a bigger pie is beyond their capacity and capability.
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August 5, 2026 8:48am
- RoboRob
  
  Unfortunately the coalition seem busy trying to extract their collective feet from their mouths at the moment!
  
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  August 5, 2026 8:55am
- peterwn
  
  They already are – pointing out that the left wing are proposing 8 new taxes and that countries have abolished wealth taxes because capital was fleeing these countries.
  
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  August 5, 2026 8:56am
- pdm
  
  I thought this was very good from National yesterday – originally seen on Facebook.
  
  https://nominister.wordpress.com/2026/08/04/this-may-be-the-national-partys-best-effort-in-two-years-nine-months/
  
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  August 5, 2026 9:06am
RoboRob

Have a listen to the political part of the Hoskings show (~08:10 – 08:25) on Newstalk ZB.

Mitchell is one of the more competent National MPs, Hoskings is possibly the most National friendly person in the media and Ginny Anderson (Labour) is ‘erratic’. Mitchell was totally destroyed on National not doing what they promised.

Mike said they hadn’t done what they promised on Maorification. Mitchell countered that they had and pointed to removal of co governance. Ginny then said, no they haven’t removed co governance and then rattled off a number of new co governance arrangements entered under this government.

Clearly Labour have identified this as a weakness, Ginny was well prepared and ready to go with her attack lines.

The only bright side might be that this may push National to get the removal of a tiny number of treaty references from legislation passed this term. It looked like this had zero chance of being passed but perhaps they now will as a counter to this Labour attack line. National has slow walked this process and clearly has no real interest in it. Comments from Judith Collins and Goldsmith back this up.
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August 5, 2026 8:53am
gravedodger

Question how many of the 16 000 are willing to put up the $300 odd needed to clear the Five million debt the Golf course has accumulated, preventing that bill falling to Ratepayers of Waimakariri District Council who will inevitably be in the gun?
No answer needed the answer is clear, that is how the Five million debt arrived.
It would have been clear when it was a few thousand and growing annually, while many of the 16 000 were playing golf there for nothing because they had bought in as part of the development, while Full membership at Russley Golf Club, 30 minutes away approaches $3 000 a year.
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August 5, 2026 8:58am
Yvette

Can anyone fathom what Winston is actually trying to do at the moment in probably ruling himself out of Foreign Minister positions in future coalitions, and facing the likelihood of TOP being ‘kingmaker’ rather than New Zealand First.

An aside – Winston’s definition of indigenous: an immigrant who arrived here before there was anyone else here to tell them to go home
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August 5, 2026 9:03am
- Ghost
  
  I think he is trying to pull a trump. Also it feels like he wants an early election to capitalize on his strength in the polls. I expect if he doesn’t get his way he will drop in the polls by election time.
  
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  August 5, 2026 9:08am
  - RoboRob
    
    Interesting. Hadn’t thought he might be imploding himself on purpose. If he does blow up the government (unlikely), I would think its an easy win for Labour.
    
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    August 5, 2026 9:13am
Gary Benner

The Electoral Commission is trying to get young people to vote.

https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/karl-le-quesne-electoral-commission-chief-electoral-officer-says-to-encourages-young-people-to-enrol-to-vote/

What I would prefer to see is a campaign to get young people involved in learning about the processes of government first, otherwise it becomes an “X Factor” or “American Idol” type affair, where looks and soundbites rule the day.

I would prefer to have a 50% turnout from people who genuinely understand the politcal scene, rather than 100% where a significant number are voting on the basis of superficial messaging, social media influencers, and enticements.

Quality not quantity.
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August 5, 2026 9:05am

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