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August 10, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 10 August 2026

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General Debate

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BarryB

A couple of days ago there was a discussion on here about maori language words. It reminded me of some Chinese history.
When the first Europeans got to China they landed in Canton – the area of Hong Kong and Macau. I assume they asked the question “Where does the Emperor live?” and the answer was ‘Peking’. In Cantonese (the language of the Canton area) the capital of China is called Peking (as pronounced using phonetics in english). If these early arrivals had landed further north where Mandarin dialect is used, the answer to their question would have been Bejing. Those early explorers were not wrong – as was claimed years ago when the name officially changed.

Now back to Maori language. It is claimed that words like Whanganui and Taupo and Whakatane and many others are not pronounced correctly. The latest iteration says
that the three above should be pronounced as Fanga-nui or Wanga-nui (depends where you live), and Toe-paw, and Fa-ka-TAH-ne – again sort of using phonetics. In some cases the use of diacritical mark crops up in maori words to indicate a concentration on some letters – so Fa-ka-TAH-ne could be written as Fa-ka-tàh-ne

Now I look at these words and think to myself ‘How could the early European arrivals got things so wrong’ Why did they hear Toe-paw yet spell it Taupo – phonetically different words. Same with Fakatàhne – why did they phonetically spell it Whakatane.
If they heard the currently claimed pronunciation they would have spelt it fokataane.
Either the early arrivals spelt the words correctly or they purposely spelt them incorrectly so as to piss of later generations of Maori.

I think they actually spelt them as they heard them and the current move to come up with ever more complicated pronunciations is simply a gravy train affectation exercise.
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August 10, 2026 8:02am
- mike
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Thank you for your attention to this matter.
  
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  August 10, 2026 9:00am
  - Jack5
    
    And yours, Settler Mike, and āmen.
    
    Regional Maori pronunciation is interesting to those of us in the territory of the Kāi-Tāhu and of the Kāti Māmoe people who were their subjects. Both of these tribes were colonisers from the North Island.
    
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    August 10, 2026 11:22am
    - mike
      
      Might I venture to suggest that you won’t find out anything useful from Barry’s musings?
      
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      August 10, 2026 12:59pm
      - Ra Henare
        
        Suggest anything you like Mike.
        We can make up our own minds on Barrys Musings.
        
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        August 10, 2026 3:11pm
- Positan
  
  Well reasoned, Barry – it’s the only possible conclusion.
  Even sillier today, Maori who didn’t have any written language are now insisting that Kaiteriteri should have its spelling altered to “Kaiteretere” – just as they did a while back, insisting there was an H in Wanganui.
  It’s this sort of gratuitous pettiness that has cost Maori the respect that so many of us once accorded their feelings and actions.
  No more – they’ve truly blown it.
  
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  August 10, 2026 9:01am
- David Garrett
  
  Barry: Excellent points, which I have often considered myself. When in NZ I live near the village of Kaukapakapa…the modern pronunciation of which is said to be: Koh-kappakappa. The pakehas have always called it Cow-copper-copper.
  
  As you say, if the modern pronunciation is correct – particularly the first syllable – why would the missionaries not have written it phonetically?
  
  Up here in Tonga – where there is no “b” – Cook named the main island “Tongatabu”. In the absence of a “b”, the “p” is indeed pronounced halfway between the two.
  
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  August 10, 2026 9:22am
  - muzled
    
    eh, I call it KKK. Or is it kkk, or maybe even Kkk…
    
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    August 10, 2026 12:14pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    Language is continuously developing both in word usage (i.e., gay) and pronunciation.
    
    An example that I have long loved is Albury in Australia. (Yes I have visited a couple of times since 1964)
    
    Half (I exaggerate, of course) say ALL BURY
    The other half say Al Berry.
    
    Language is always developing, and for some self righteous person(s) declaring their version to be the only correct pronunciation borders on the hilariously stupid.
    
    Or in NZ’s case, I suspect trying to puff oneself up as an expert with the vision of increased wealth
    
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    August 10, 2026 3:20pm
- Notsofast
  
  The only occasion au is o is in French, so DeVauchelles for example. Or chaude.
  There is no English word that au is o, but consider
  Laugh
  Caught
  Fault
  
  And
  Ho
  No
  Lo (and behold)
  
  I just reached out to chatgpt
  
  https://chatgpt.com/share/6a78f65f-ac94-83ec-a9e4-7aec297c0d98
  
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  August 10, 2026 9:52am
  - Positan
    
    At school I learned that Maori pronunciation always stopped at each vowel – ie. Taupo was effectively Ta-u-po. Similarly, Rotorua was Ro-to-ru-a.
    
    I think Taupo became Toe-po after fatuously-woke TV newsreaders learned that Tau Henare chose to be named as “Toe” – because prior to that, Taupo had always been Tow (as in towel) po – which it still is when I pronounce it.
    
    Oddly enough, virtually no attention is ever paid to the shockingly-widespread and uneducated pronunciation of English in this country, so why we should be even remotely concerned with any pronunciation of Maori is a real mystery to me.
    
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    August 10, 2026 11:56am
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  Barry, I can speak to this a bit.
  
  I don’t think you are correct here, but probably not entirely wrong either.
  
  By the logic you use here, Maori would not say “pirihimana” (a word no Englishman ever said) they would use “policeman” because that is the word they heard.
  
  I grew up in South Africa. I am English speaking, but grew up surrounded by Zulu and Xhosa speakers so I spoke those well (not so well after 34 years of living in NZ). I also spoke Afrikaans almost exclusively for 2 years while I was in the Army.
  
  As you would expect, there are many English (and Dutch) words borrowed into Zulu and Xhosa (and a few the other way around). In none of those words do we see the pronunciation preserved properly.
  
  For example the Dutch(Afrikaans) word for window is “venster”. The “v” sounds like “f” in English and the “r” is quite hard. So in English pronunciation that would be something like “fensterr”. Zulu and Xhosa do not use the “r” sound at all. Then there’s the way Zuls and Xhosa grammar form nouns. So the word changes to “ifestile”.
  
  The same happens wherever loan words are adopted. The adopting language changes them as need be (in either pronunciation or spelling). eg. Köln becomes Cologne and policeman becomes pihirimana.
  
  So it is perfectly justifiable for people to use a different (ie. English) pronunciation for Taupo in an English sentence. It has become an English word. Maori no longer have authority.
  
  That said, it is well known that Maori is not a stable language (few languages are) Southern Maori is very different from what is used in the North. So to insist that there is a “correct” pronunciation for Taupo is rather stupid of them.
  
  But it is a useful cane to flog whitey…
  
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  August 10, 2026 11:15am
  - Local Miller
    
    There’s a slight difference in what you’re talking about cmm and Barry’s post. Barry isn’t talking about word’s being borrowed into English, but the (mainly) missionaries writing down a language that didn’t have any written form. In this context, they would have tried to get the written form close enough to what they heard that someone reading it later would be able to pronounce it without assistance.
    Given the background of who was creating the written language and why, I’d say they wrote it as they heard it, and were either hearing a specific dialect or the pronunciation has changed over time. Last Friday I was catching up with some friends and the issue of Maori dialects came up, and it was pointed out that there’s a wide range of these across the islands.
    
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    August 10, 2026 5:02pm
- ISeeRed
  
  You’re overthinking it. It’s just another way to shame “Pakeha”. No other ethnicity gets shamed for its accent or pronunciation of words. Teased sometimes, sure. But shame is only reserved for whitey.
  
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  August 10, 2026 11:42am
  - leoj
    
    Nailed it!
    The activists are simply taking the piss.
    Since maori had no written language they had to rely on whitey to translate. Whitey had an alphabet with “F” in it. They didn’t use it when they heard Whangarei, Whakatane or Wanganui.
    Question: How can maori prove the pronounciation if they never an alphabet or the written word?
    They cannot. They are taking the piss.
    
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    August 10, 2026 1:21pm
    - cmm (semi-retired edition)
      
      I’ll push back on that slightly, but only re the F sound.
      
      There was no written form of Maori, so early European linguists set about making one – just like they did in Africa and elsewhere with no written languages.
      
      There are many sounds used in languages that are not available to English speakers. Some examples are:
      * The clicks in Zulu, Xhosa and KhoiSan (aka Bushman) languages. In Xhosa there are three main click sounds and each has been assigned the letter c, x or q.
      * Zulu and Xhosa have a hiss like sound that uses “hl”. (Try making a “sh” like hiss, but keep your teeth apart and touch the tip your tongue to the front of the roof of your mouth so that the air escapes to the side).
      * German, Dutch etc have the “g” sound….
      And, no doubt, Maori has it’s own sounds…
      
      The “hl” I mention above is interesting because the h is a softener. Maybe it was used the same here?
      
      The “wh” sound would have been been encoded as “f” if is really sounded like “f”. But the linguists decided to encoded “wh” meaning that it certainly is distinct, if only slightly so, from the “f” sound in English. The “h” is quite likely a softener.
      That they didn’t use something like “fh” is interesting.
      
      But meantime, just use it as a stick to beat whitey…
      
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      August 10, 2026 1:54pm
      - OlderChas
        
        I spent more than 30 years in the Royal New Zealand Navy. At least a quarter, more likely a third of my colleagues were Maori – some of very high standing in their own hapu and iwi. Many were very good mates. For all those years we sailed from our base in the “Wytematta” harbour. Not one of any sailor I knew or heard talking (and many were very fluent in Maori) ever pronounced it “Wytematahhh”, as it is pronounced by every journalist/story teller/autocue reader -call them what you will -that I hear today. Three of my friends -all fluent in Maori and highly respected for their knowledge of things Maori by both pakeha and maori- when asked by me “Where the hell did this new pronunciation came from mate?” gave the same response. “Fucked if I know mate – some up himself wanker.”
        
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        August 10, 2026 5:35pm
- Bullion
  
  This is no different from other languages, like English (British English) and German (Hochdeutsch), where there has been a move towards standardisation – especially for spelling and in the German example also the gender of the word (though this can differ between Germany and Austria for example).
  
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  August 10, 2026 12:02pm
- MCōs
  
  “A couple of days ago there was a discussion on here about maori . . . . .”
  There’s endless discussion on here about Maori something, usually in a negative light
  It’s a bit like an attempt at a cultural revolution with anyone sympathetic to a Maori cause made to wear a “woke” label round their neck
  
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  August 10, 2026 12:50pm
  - Notsofast
    
    Not dissimilar to Islam being considered in a negative light. Or gender. These are cults that enforce bleak aspects of humanity.
    
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    August 10, 2026 1:02pm
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    I don’t think there are many here who are anti-Maori culture.
    
    But there are many, like me, who think it should be held in the same regard, and to the same standard, as other cultures.
    
    Let’s not put Maori knowledge up on a pedestal and pretend it is science. Nope, it is folklore along with other fairy tales or “country wisdom”.
    
    Let’s allow people to borrow Maori words into their language without accusing them of stealing “Maori intellectual property”.
    
    Basically treat Maori culture the same as Highlands or Morris dancing and eating haggis etc. Not something that needs to get special treatment.
    
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    August 10, 2026 2:00pm
Cassandra

“Māori data in Māori hands’: Experts want Google to adhere to data sovereignty principles.” RNZ headline.

I’ll go long with this, as long as the principle is applied consistently. For example, almost no modern surgical or medical treatments were developed by Maoris. Accordingly, no Maoris should expect to access any of them.

I’m happy for anyone with a legitimate interest in them to access my data, regardless of their race.
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August 10, 2026 8:13am
- Simon
  
  Maori don’t come up with the nonsense the left do.
  
  A mountain can’t be a person unless the left say so. National govern as if mountains are people, Maori grifters go along with it, but it’s National pushing mountains are people not average Maori.
  
  The Maorification agenda is core National
  
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  August 10, 2026 8:32am
  - pdm
    
    Not to mention Rivers Simon.
    
    Actually Mountains don’t offer much in the way of control.
    
    Rivers are a completely different `kettle of fish’ though because H2O is the main elixer of life.
    
    No wonder they are going after rivers then.
    
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    August 10, 2026 10:13am
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    I’ll bite.
    
    “Maori don’t come up with the nonsense the left do. ”
    Bullshit. Maori are predominantly on the extreme left, so the logical conclusion is that they support this bullshit.
    
    Look at the Maori roll statistics. More than 50% of Maori have decided that they are special and “deserve” to be on the Maori roll and not the general roll.
    
    Only a race supremacist would do that.
    
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    August 10, 2026 11:20am
    - imalwaysright
      
      Maori are being conned by the activists to join the Maori roll.
      
      They think that their Maori MP’s have some sort of loyalty and concern for the average Maori and their interests.
      
      In fact, under Maori activist representation, they will have almost zero chance of reaping any appreciable benefit as the money will be ringfenced for some imaginary future project and will disappear.
      
      The other problem for Maori is that they will have no recourse when it goes tits up, rather, any dissent will be punished.
      
      The only people Maori Activists hate more than everyone else is Maori.
      
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      August 10, 2026 1:39pm
- Swifty
  
  “What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is my own!”
  
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  August 10, 2026 8:36am
- David Garrett
  
  Cass: What do you mean “almost”? What modern surgical procedures were practiced by the pre 1840 Maori? (From memory they had some leaves to chew for diarrhea)
  
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  August 10, 2026 8:41am
  - Cassandra
    
    DG: I was hedging my bets in case it turned out that some herb used by Maoris actually worked like quinine bark. Happy to delete ‘almost’.
    
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    August 10, 2026 8:56am
  - mandk
    
    You could extend that argument to all aspects of matauranga Māori, which masquerades as science, even though it is roughly on a par with the folk wisdom the early European settlers brought with them.
    
    Matauranga Māori tells you that you get some pain relief if you chew on a certain leaf.
    
    Real science tells you which compounds in the leaf are analgesic, and which are potentially harmful. It also tells you how the beneficial compounds work, how to isolate the good from the bad compounds, and how to synthesize and mass manufacture them.
    
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    August 10, 2026 11:00am
    - Paulus
      
      So what is the history of Asprin ?
      Aspirin’s active concept originates from the bark of the willow tree (genus Salix) and the meadowsweet plant, which ancient cultures used for thousands of years.
      So did Maori invent it too ?
      
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      August 10, 2026 12:18pm
      - imalwaysright
        
        Saw a Youtube video about plants from medieval times that have medicinal properties.
        Most of them are considered weeds these days, but their various benefits would rival any pharmacy.
        
        Here’s a sample
        https://youtu.be/TPubSYfYYag?si=nWZTvPyyEvylGX5j
        
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        August 10, 2026 12:54pm
  - Mod88
    
    Head Transplants… 😉
    
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    August 10, 2026 12:25pm
    - artemisia
      
      Phase 2 less successful.
      
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      August 10, 2026 1:05pm
Cassandra

And in an interesting redefinition of tino rangatiratanga (self-determination, autonomy , sovereignty) the Green Party wants the Government to borrow $2.4 billion to establish a ring fenced endowment for maraes. All funding decision using the income to be made by the tribes. Independent but still living at home.
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August 10, 2026 8:14am
- Simon
  
  A Labour led government, probably in 3 yrs time , will be incredibly corrupt. Just open corruption of paying massive amounts of tax money to special aligned interests. Billions will disappear.
  
  This is why National are utter garbage because they don’t counter the corruption when in govt. NZ on Air under Ardern, a small taste of the corruption, has not been closed down.
  
  National claim that the $120 billion pa govt spending is now back to basics or some rubbish. Close off the corruption now. It’s not back to basics call out the corruption and waste. But National are utterly useless garbage.
  
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  August 10, 2026 8:26am
  - Cassandra
    
    But, Simon, infinitely better quality garbage than Labour, Greens et al.
    
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    August 10, 2026 8:57am
    - Positan
      
      Sadly Cass, that point is quite irrelevant given the thrust of this argument.
      Intelligent voting should be based on upholding the standards and capabilities of the best party – not on which is likely to be the better of a bad lot.
      National’s potential party vote has been lost hugely to ACT. A few days back, I would have said to NZFirst – but the pendulum has swung away from it after Peters’ last major gaffe.
      Credibility can only be gained by conduct, it can’t be bought with promises.
      
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      August 10, 2026 9:16am
      - AitchW
        
        If National win a reasonable number of electorate seats which seems likely, and a large number of voters in those electorates vote tactically it’s quite likely that ACT will receive a decent percentage of the party vote. We could quite conceivably see a decent overhang on the right. How will MSM spin that I wonder?
        
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        August 10, 2026 12:23pm
    - Pope Punctilious II
      
      Sadly, that is probably the best defence that can be made of the Nats.
      
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      August 10, 2026 9:21am
    - david
      
      The painful truth is that we have to choose “the best of a bad lot” – a totally negative approach rather than switching it round to being a positive choice between competing history, policy, leadership or ideas.
      Sad really.
      Apologies to Positan and Pope – hadn’t got to your comments before hitting post.
      
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      August 10, 2026 10:52am
  - ISeeRed
    
    Nailed it. National could (have) be(en) better. It’s garbage. Not untreated sewage like Labour, toxic sludge like the Gweens or radioactive waste like Te Mouldy Party. But garbage nevertheless.
    
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    August 10, 2026 11:46am
- AndyW
  
  I agree that marae have important roles to play in the community, but iwi have billions of dollars of assets -that’s where the funding should come from!
  The Greens are going after TPM votes.
  
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  August 10, 2026 8:45am
  - Cassandra
    
    Andy: 99% of marae use is for the extended family which owns them. Community use is close to nil. I live near three maraes. I’ve never been invited in.
    
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    August 10, 2026 8:59am
    - AndyW
      
      Not even during a storm??!!
      
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      August 10, 2026 10:14am
    - kiwimike
      
      Whanau
      
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      August 10, 2026 10:44am
    - Ra Henare
      
      Cass,
      Have you ever asked to visit?
      
      How many of your non Marae neighbors (similar distance away) that you don’t know have invited you in to their home???
      
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      August 10, 2026 3:27pm
  - rouppe
    
    And Marae are still private property, unlike schools and halls.
    
    I was ok with some public money bolstering the ability of Marae to operate in an emergency.
    
    But it’s (and we are surprised!) escalated to exhorbitant and ridiculous levels.
    
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    August 10, 2026 9:08am
  - Hugh Jarse
    
    During the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Zealand government allocated $96.5 million specifically to fund nationwide marae redevelopments and upgrades.
    
    This package was part of a larger $600 million post-COVID-19 economic recovery reset of the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF). It was managed via two primary streams by Kānoa (the Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit):
    
    Provincial Growth Fund Reset: Funded renovations for 314 marae.
    
    Worker Redeployment Package: Funded renovations for an additional 35 marae.
    
    Key Details and Impacts
    Marae Supported: A total of 351 marae across the country received funding for renovations.
    
    Scope of Upgrades: The fund covered critical structural maintenance including carpentry, plumbing, electrical rewiring, painting, landscaping, and installing safety elements like fire sprinklers or accessibility ramps.
    
    Regional Distribution: The Bay of Plenty received the largest single portion, with nearly $30 million dedicated to upgrading 77 marae.
    
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    August 10, 2026 10:01am
    - AitchW
      
      Was there any oversight of the spend? Were the marae later audited to ensure that all of the money was spent where it was meant for?
      Given that Labour’s (Or should that be NZF’s?) 3 billion provincial lolly scramble fund was poorly policed it would be prudent to check on the mare spending.
      
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      August 10, 2026 12:26pm
  - Paulus
    
    But please advise me how many Maori there are who are members of the how many Marae ?
    
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    August 10, 2026 12:20pm
- Southern Raider
  
  Two key things here
  
  1) giving a new Maori body $2.4B of taxpayer money on basis of “here you go, invest and spend it however you like”. No governance or oversight from taxpayers at all and can guarantee when it’s gone it will be hands out again
  
  2) its taxpayers once again funding 100% of what is actually private property. Dress it up as you like but I can’t book a marae for a party or a meeting or a community get together as I can a town hall. Worse is there seems no plan for Maori to coinvest from the huge Maori economy and all the assets they already own.
  
  If the Coalition was smart they would call their bluff
  1) has to be 1:1 between taxpayer funding and iwi funding
  2) can only be spent on infrastructure and maintenance or it’s just a big slush fund to pay for meetings and managers and advisors with no actual outcomes
  
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  August 10, 2026 9:57am
  - Ghost
    
    if you want to book a marae then go right ahead
    
    https://maraebookingsonline.nz/
    
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    August 10, 2026 11:14am
    - Nobby2
      
      G, Funny how when maori want to fleece people of other ethnicities they can produce ads / websites with hardly any maori words and when they do use maori words English words are put first.
      
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      August 10, 2026 11:25am
      - Paulus
        
        Whilst on here am I understanding that from the first August St John have dropped the iniquitous Maori name ?
        This lost them so much money that many donations ceased expecting the Taxpayer to make it up which did not happen.
        
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        August 10, 2026 12:24pm
      - Ghost
        
        no, they are still Hato Hone St John, which you can still see used in their press releases and website
        
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        August 10, 2026 2:35pm
      - MCōs
        
        General public donations make up about 10% of Hato Hone St John revenue and has not been affected by the name change.
        Source Google, which go on to provide multiple sources for questions I put forward.
        
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        August 10, 2026 5:35pm
    - OlderChas
      
      10 Marae listed. Not many Iwi renting their places out!
      
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      August 10, 2026 5:52pm
      - Ghost
        
        the Marae in my town isn’t listed on the website, but it can be booked directly through the marae’s website. So is the Marae a town over.
        
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        August 10, 2026 6:06pm
  - Hugh Jarse
    
    As much as I am against the Greens proposal which appears to be on top of previous funding, I don’t have any problem with reimbursing or supplying supplies for use during emergencies if that occurs. However there are a couple of funds set up for that which may already go someway to reimbursement and should be considered when considering the credibility of any Greens funding proposal.
    
    Marae Emergency Response Fund:
    
    A $1 million allocation added to the Māori Development Fund and administered by Te Puni Kōkiri to provide one-off grants for replenishing food, utilities, and accommodation supplies used during activations.
    
    Mayoral Relief Funds: Localized disaster relief pools authorized via the National Emergency Management Agency that councils can disburse to reimburse marae and community organizations for immediate hardships and supplies.
    
    NEMA Welfare Support Grants: Event-specific funding mechanisms (such as those utilized following major storms and cyclones) allowing marae to directly claim back costs incurred from sheltering and feeding displaced whānau
    
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    August 10, 2026 2:59pm
    - OlderChas
      
      I am fairly sure that marae who open their doors in times of trouble can only do that because they have the facilities to cope with providing emergency shelter. I can only surmise that those facilities have been “installed” because of previous “funding”? How much do Iwi who have billion dollar balance sheets these days contribute to the improvement and upkeep of marae?
      
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      August 10, 2026 5:57pm
      - Ghost
        
        No. The Marae here opens up during storms, power cuts there is no special facilities that have been installed. It’s just a marae.
        
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        August 10, 2026 6:09pm
- imalwaysright
  
  $2.4 billion is $3 million for each and every marae in the country.
  
  The notion that marae are Civil Defence centres is wrong.
  They are informal, and have no minimum requirements or obligations.
  
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  August 10, 2026 1:53pm
  - Hard Cheese
    
    Greens trying to pick up disenfranchised TPM voters by promising unaudited slush funds to every iwi. No doubt all siphoned off into administrative overhead and management salaries – when the money runs out, the hand goes back out. The Greens are a disgrace.
    
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    August 10, 2026 4:40pm
  - MCōs
    
    During Cyclone Gabrielle dozens of marae opened their doors as emergency accommodation, welfare centres
    I would have thought it would make good sense for the government to help keep marae in appropriate areas up to scratch so they’re ready to help when the need arises.
    
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    August 10, 2026 5:55pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      And do you think that $2.45 BILLION is the right number? Too little? Too much?
      
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      August 10, 2026 6:49pm
    - Hugh Jarse
      
      Could you name those dozens of Marae within the area affected by Cyclone Gabrielle ?
      
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      August 10, 2026 8:08pm
Yvette

OT – out there
Why is it that it nearly always transpires that OT knew about the child concerned yet did nothing or not enough? Searle said Oranga Tamariki was not fit for purpose. [1]

Disturbing as that is, this comment concerns the name: ‘Oranga Tamariki ‘
Child Welfare has undergone name changes, from English, to Maori and English, Maori only and now frequently abbreviation of the still Maori: OT

Now I, in many ways, find I have become an Accidental Racist [2] mostly spurred by news or other views of Maori being presented as fact when much of it is fiction, or the Aryan-like raising up of their ancient wisdom (religion) being more equal than others, that the courts apparently recognise Maori have a greater affinity for water, whereas all us will die without it, while Maori historically account for roughly 20% to 31% of annual drowning fatalities depending on the year, disproportionate to their population portion. That State television shows nearly every sporting team indulging in the ministry of silly walks or doing the haka. That we should be co-governed by Maori when “Māori are more likely to be overweight, depressed, homeless, incarcerated and uneducated” [3] according to the almost daily mantra, and in decisions may take as long as they have with Ihumātao.

And in the past, child welfare I would read about, then an imbalance suggested Maori children were the most important (and also the greatest population portion, again, involved) and the use of the te reo name Oranga Tamariki moved a seemingly perpetually negative Ministry towards being a Maori only ministry, and my interest also departed.

From 1-News at 6 now delivering Maori phrases so quickly and glibly that they must bore the fluent and are of no value to learners, but now are pronounced with consonants appearing at the end of syllables, which in Maori te reo never occurs, to re-written history and the void before 1840 –

I am an Accidental Racist.
How many others are OT – out there?
________________
[1] Lindsay Mitchell: Why the vacuum around the new Children’s Commissioner?
https://www.brashandmitchell.com/post/lindsay-mitchell-why-the-vacuum-around-the-new-children-s-commissioner
[2] akin to “The Accidental Pope” by Ray Flynn and Robin Moore. A humble fisherman is elected as the next pope in this novel by the bestselling author of The French Connection and the former US Ambassador to the Vatican. In the Sistine Chapel, still undecided about who they should vote for, the Cardinals smile to themselves as they cast what they think are throw-away symbolic votes for Bill Kelly, a former priest and now a Cape Cod fisherman, who rescued some priests — but too many cardinals are of a like mind, and no one is laughing when Kelly is elected “Accidental Pope”
[3] Kelvin Davis
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August 10, 2026 8:25am
- Simon
  
  Read through the comments. Gated boomers are everywhere. The problem is violence and addiction inherent with those with low IQs.
  
  How does the state assist? Through eliminating those who commit violence and push drugs.
  
  Drug users are placed in rehab for 2 years until clean then bar coded. Drug dealers are executed. This is the base. Work from this point.
  
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  August 10, 2026 8:50am
  - kiwimike
    
    Some good points, less future victims.
    
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    August 10, 2026 10:45am
  - Taieri
    
    The problem is violence and addiction inherent with those with low IQs
    ————
    
    The propensity for violence and addiction has very little correlation with IQ.
    Hermann Goering IQ was tested at 138. He’s both a drug addict and a war criminal.
    There’re many alcoholics with an extremely high IQ.
    And just as many violent criminals.
    Ted Kaczynski murdered 3 persons and injured 23 others. His IQ was 167.
    
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    August 10, 2026 5:32pm
- imalwaysright
  
  Saw the ‘outgoing’ Childrens Commissioner, Achmad, on Q&A last week.
  
  Her solution to the poverty and abuse of children is to raise wages and welfare payments.
  Nothing about abusive deadbeat parents.?
  
  She also lamented that many young people and children told her they were distressed that she had lost the big job and they had started a petition!
  
  That must be because of her letter to all the ‘tamariki’ saying:
  
  “You, your safety and happiness are so important to me that I’m writing this letter to you, and to all New Zealand’s children.
  
  I’m writing so that you know we all care about you, fully committed to a future where you grow up safe and full of joy.”
  
  Letter:
  https://www.dearchildren.co.nz/
  
  Thanks Claire, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
  
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  August 10, 2026 8:54am
  - Pope Punctilious II
    
    These commissar positions are invariably invented by Labour governments. They could be removed by a centre-right government that was serious about focusing government spending on practical, non-ideological objectives.
    
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    August 10, 2026 10:26am
    - pdm
      
      Surely `could be removed’ should read `must be removed’.
      
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      August 10, 2026 12:27pm
    - Ghost
      
      Race Relations Conciliator was created by National in 1972. Jim Bolger’s government created the privacy commissioner. Key’s government created the Disability Rights Commissioner.
      
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      August 10, 2026 2:14pm
  - OlderChas
    
    imalways – that woman made me physically cringe with shame and embarrassment every time I saw her comment on tellybishion. Without a doubt, the wettest, wokiest, most useless person ever appointed to any position anywhere.
    
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    August 10, 2026 6:06pm
- mike
  
  I don’t think you’re an accidental racist.
  
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  August 10, 2026 1:07pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Verity Johnson’s one request of the government is for a plan to show how they’re going to improve the economy.

Well, gee, Verity. The current government is doing its best to help repay the mammoth debt run up by the last government. We’re trying to pay back all the money that was squandered by Labour.

[ Mod – knock off the personal abuse ]
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August 10, 2026 8:28am
- Taieri
  
  a plan to show how they’re going to improve the economy
  ————
  
  “Improving” the economy has nothing to do with the government. The role of the government is to create and maintain the regulatory conditions in which the economy can thrive. Have the recent governments fulfilled that role?
  
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  August 10, 2026 9:35am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Correct T,
    
    Verity should be sharing her ideas about becoming personally more productive, as should every other New Zealander.
    
    One shouldn’t need the Government to create plans.
    
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    August 10, 2026 10:13am
    - pdm
      
      I think that would be too difficult for Verity ima.
      
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      August 10, 2026 12:27pm
      - Colville
        
        Shoulder tap more sailors?
        
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        August 10, 2026 7:47pm
  - Bullion
    
    You just contradicted yourself.
    
    The makeup of our economy of a) requiring private debt, often facilitated by increasing house prices, to generate growth for government to collect for surpluses and reducing debt or b) government debt increasing to generate growth collected by the private economy for surplus and reducing debt.
    
    So the govt does have a role here. We’re in a situation where govt is trying to do (a) but the private sector is not taking on the debt at the rate required to grow the economy. Its why the economy hasn’t really grown by much and why treasury keep being too optimisic with their predictions for the past few years.
    
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    August 10, 2026 12:38pm
    - Taieri
      
      I’m not sure whether you understand the topic. It’s not about the fiscal position of a government, which is completely different subject. It’s about what really makes this country going, a private enterprise, small, medium and large.
      
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      August 10, 2026 5:39pm
      - Bullion
        
        Which all operate under the policy settings of a GOVERNMENT. As you point out, so they do have a role which you contradicted your own point.
        
        And I added more given the focus of this govt to get to surpluses and reduce debt and what that means for the economy, because the government does have an impact on the economy.
        
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        August 10, 2026 6:53pm
- Philview
  
  It is interesting to view the comments Stuff articles like that. Many people who appear to believe that the Coalition inherited an economy in good shape and ran it into the ground. People really can be easily duped by the media.
  
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  August 10, 2026 11:20am
- Manu-Rau
  
  Thanks, Verity, but I’m not really interested in the opinions of a strip-club owner.
  
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  August 10, 2026 3:45pm
Simon

Brand Ardern into Luxon. Ardern was all about her personal brand. Whereas woke dripping wet Luxon to his credit is all about brand National.

Luxon is core National. National are Luxon. No personal brands involved in the least. Dripping wet woke virtue signalling neolib clown car National driven by Luxon.
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August 10, 2026 8:36am
- newview
  
  You are entitled to your opinion Simon. So am I. Your continual carping on about how useless you believe National to be is imo extremely boring. The readers here do get your message I’m sure. I try not to read your comments but your persistence is hard to avoid.
  
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  August 10, 2026 11:08am
  - ISeeRed
    
    We comment-policing now? OK, I’ll play. I’d rather skim Simon’s offerings than a certain snarky sarky troll’s endless pointless non sequiturs and smug what-about-isms.
    
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    August 10, 2026 11:53am
    - newview
      
      If that comment is meant for me ISR you are welcome to your opinion like me. I rarely comment on this forum so your endless pointless troll accusations about me don’t seem quite accurate. I notice you don’t call Simon a troll. His endless pointless remarks about Luxon and National fit that description except they don’t get to reply.
      
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      August 10, 2026 4:27pm
Quail

In a democracy the majority view is supposed to trump the minority view.
These crazy Green , TOP party policies should be only be given the attention that single digit polling suggests, NO attention . They are simply not relevant.
MMP is empowering potential kingmaker parties far far beyond their democratic strength or public support.
Another reason for MMP to go!
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August 10, 2026 8:43am
- Yvette
  
  Quail, Willie Jackson abhors the “tyranny of the majority” without ever mentioning the corollary: “the tyranny of the minority” or feudal tribalism.
  
  And if that doesn’t define democracy, what of a Election System that allows a party leader to take all the votes that his or her party is given, and after the official result is declared, decide then where to place those votes to skew the result to be what that leader feels like.
  
  If President Donald Trump arrives in November to observe it in practice, I will not be surprised.
  
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  August 10, 2026 9:20am
  - Positan
    
    Willie Jackson’s only basic skill lies is the straightforward mangling other people’s intelligent quotes.
    
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    August 10, 2026 9:47am
    - Nobby2
      
      P, willie jackson has absolutely no basic skill and no skill at all. He is a complete waste of space.
      
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      August 10, 2026 11:30am
      - Paulus
        
        Can’t be he is a leading Maori so above all others anyway !
        
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        August 10, 2026 12:28pm
      - Graeme Hall
        
        Paulus: Willie may be a leader, or maybe not, but despite the continual bluster he can only purport to be Maori. He is primarily Pakistani, Jewish, & Welsh – with a background level of Maori.
        
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        August 10, 2026 1:56pm
      - keepcalmcarryon
        
        He’s been getting he pua pua implemented even under the Nats watch without public input so I’d say he is very very skilled in the service of an undemocratic minority.
        Others not so much.
        
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        August 10, 2026 2:19pm
- MCōs
  
  On the one hand “In a democracy the majority view is supposed to trump the minority view.”
  On the other hand hand there are individual rights.
  This is the difference between our system and the American system, which is a constitutional republic.
  
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  August 10, 2026 9:43am
  - Quail
    
    MCos,
    Take your point , though , property and individual rights in NZ have either led or followed.the steep decline in other facets of the NZ economy.
    Property rights in this country are weak and getting weaker by the day . eg : Legislation like the RMA has choked productivity and peoples ability to manage their own property.
    It remains to be said that a “kingmakers party “( > 5%) with NO elected members should never ever have the opportunity , authority or ability to choose a NZ Government.
    That is what is happening in NZ today.
    
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    August 10, 2026 1:40pm
- kiwimike
  
  No the left leaning media is empowering the parties they want.
  
  PR
  Proportional Representation is fair.
  100% vote divided amongst the parties fairly.
  
  Party A gets 33.4 %, they get 33 MP’s
  Party B gets 4.8%, they get 4 MP’s.
  Party C gets 17.9%, they get 17 MP’s
  
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  August 10, 2026 10:50am
- Ra Henare
  
  Think you might find that NZ Democracy.
  
  IS Representative Democracy Citizens elect leaders (e.g., members of parliament, local councillors) to make laws and govern on their behalf.
  
  Which in essence means that often those elected persons/dumbkoffs do what they want, not what the majority want.
  
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  August 10, 2026 3:36pm
RoboRob

Election promises, smoke and mirrors…

‘Infometrics chief economist Brad Olsen said National’s focus on fiscal discipline was encouraging, but it was simply committing to continuing the coalition’s current fiscal strategy.

“The focus from the National Party of trying to get debt … down to below 40 percent is probably the least ambitious they could have possibly been,” he said.

“Previously, we’ve heard the National Party talk a lot more about trying to get debt back to 20 percent of GDP, and so [it’s a] step in the right direction and necessary step, but not nearly as far, or as, I guess, expansive of a policy or position that they could have taken, and have taken before.”‘

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics/949387/national-s-debt-reduction-target-lacks-ambition-economist
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August 10, 2026 9:03am
Southern Raider

Not sure if anyone else sees stories about the WNBA (women’s NBA) but they seem to be one of the most woke sporting body in the world.

A rich lister is proposing to get a new team added to the WNBA called the Nashville Balls where the draft is solely trans players to try and prove how stupidly woke they are.

It’s a fine example of how we are now living in a world where what once was clearly sarcasm and a joke could actually now be real life.
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August 10, 2026 9:07am
- RoboRob
  
  The WMBA is a joke and apparently full of black lesbians, which is why the straight white girls constantly get bashed / fouled. However I have to give it to this rich lister, a team full of trans ‘woman’ would smash every other team and dominate the league.
  
  Reminds me of the movie lady ballers…
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py2MzGtmaJ0
  
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  August 10, 2026 10:04am
- Im Right
  
  Ahhh yes, excellent news SR!
  The sheer hypocrisy and racism from the WNBA, since Caitlin Clarks arrival, has been nothing short of breathtaking.
  How dare a white heterosexual player get any coverage!
  And basically none ever did, but the arrival of Clark and her outstanding rookie stats and her mere presence on the court lifting the WNBA to it’s most watched/attended money generating year ever….has shown the WNBA for what it actually is!
  A window dressing league, to keep the liberals happy that women have their own league, has lost money since it was created, lost 40million in its best year ever, last year, and is financed almost exclusively be the NBA.
  The NBA team owners are now growing in numbers to withdraw their ‘donation’ each year to keep it afloat.
  Women in USA may wax lyrical about their own leagues (soccer/WNBA), but the support is on social media only it seems, attendance to actually watch games is pitiful, sums it up really.
  
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  August 10, 2026 10:29am
- rouppe
  
  I read recently two NBA (ex?) players have said they’re now trans and want to enter the WNBA draft.
  
  Whether it’s all talk and no trousers I guess we’ll see.
  
  I whole new team would be magnificent piss taking.
  
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  August 10, 2026 10:40am
  - Southern Raider
    
    I think a new “trans only” team would get a massive amount of financial support from conservatives just to prove a point.
    
    There is some trans players in some European leagues and they just dominate the game being so much taller and more physical than the women.
    
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    August 10, 2026 10:45am
- imalwaysright
  
  The WNBA are having an emergency meeting to define ‘woman’.
  Ridiculous.
  
  Saying that, our Parliament are doing the same thing….
  
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  August 10, 2026 12:37pm
rouppe

Proctor is out of the tour with a fractured shoulder blade.

I watched the game. He was over the ruck trying to get the ball, arms outstretched. The Springbok player targeted that arm. I’m of the opinion he was intending some sort of injury.

Will there be any review of that action?
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August 10, 2026 9:16am
- David Garrett
  
  rouppe: Should Cyril Brownlie have been sent of in 1927? I say Cyril’s “whanau” deserve a posthumous apology.
  
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  August 10, 2026 9:33am
  - pdm
    
    Not to forget Colin Meads being sent off at Murrayfield in 1967. Referee had the surname Kelleher I think.
    
    Either Truth or more likely Neville Lodge in Sports Post had a very good cartoon soon after which said something like this.
    
    “do you really think you should be holidaying in the King Country this yeart Mr Kelleher”.
    
    ps Brownlie’s was probably the greater sin because it was at `Twickers’ old boy.
    
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    August 10, 2026 10:24am
  - rouppe
    
    I never saw that game. What was it like?
    
    Plus things have moved along a lot since 1927. If knocking heads is now a red card, surely deliberate injury deserves some attention.
    
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    August 10, 2026 10:36am
    - kiwimike
      
      it’s assault.
      similar to diving on a player who has scored or onto a pile of players, non one can see you coming.
      – card and a charge of assault.
      
      Like tackling a man in the air.
      He’s in the air, tackle him and you get a yellow card and 10 mins off, unless he goes off and you do too!!
      
      It’s not hard.
      
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      August 10, 2026 10:54am
    - pdm
      
      rouppe I listened to it (the Meads sending off game) on a transistor radio – kick off about 3am. Bob Irvine was probably the commentator.
      
      Might have seen some news reel clips (black and white) but, not the whole game.
      
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      August 10, 2026 12:31pm
  - Steve Todd
    
    @David Garrett @ 9:33AM
    
    1925.
    
    It was The Invincibles 1924/25 tour of the UK.
    
    The sending off occurred in the test against England, on 3 January 1925.
    
    Goodness knows where you got 1927 from. You really do need to learn to use Google/Wikipedia, David.
    
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    August 10, 2026 9:00pm
- gravedodger
  
  It was a blatant shoulder charge rouppe aimed to maim Proctor and it seems to have succeeded.
  If entry to a breakdown was to be with hands and arms ready to wrap was the law, may be the only way to stop the use of shoulders that now prevails.
  
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  August 10, 2026 10:25am
- Anthony Melchett
  
  Only if hollands knee to the head of the stormers winger is also reviewed.
  
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  August 10, 2026 10:40am
- imalwaysright
  
  Sad that so many phases of play end up with the ref drawing an imaginary rectangle in the air and then standing there watching the big screen and conducting a five minute forensic analysis of 5 seconds of action.
  
  What’s next? Will each team have a King’s Councillor and be able to call witnesses…?
  
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  August 10, 2026 2:17pm
  - Tauhei Notts
    
    Would you call an Auckland City Councillor who was an old boy of Kings College a King’s Councillor?
    
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    August 10, 2026 7:39pm
Pope Punctilious II

The Dead walk among us:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM0bGSmT9aM

[Mod – Give a description of what your link is]
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August 10, 2026 9:20am
- Charlotte Wells
  
  It’s Marilyn Waring (still not dead yet) blathering on about pay equity.
  
  A socialist construct as ever there was.
  
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  August 10, 2026 4:26pm
mogg

British Special Forces are using amphibious drones which have cameras mounted on the back. Yes they contain Chinese made components which have been found to be sending data back to China.
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August 10, 2026 9:38am
- kevn
  
  mogg… I wonder if Chinese cars sold in NZ have the same potential feature?
  
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  August 10, 2026 11:04am
  - kowtow
    
    Various world militaries exclude certain models of e cars from their bases.
    
    The IDF do it , so do the Chinese.
    
    That’ll tell you all you need to know.
    
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    August 10, 2026 11:34am
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Get yerself a Beatle!
      
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      August 10, 2026 7:05pm
  - BananaLlama
    
    Almost certainly and not just China.
    There was a recent scandal involving LG smart TV’s sending customer data back to their servers despite customers opting out of data collection.
    I would say it is rampant and you should be very skeptical of anything that has these kind of features.
    
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    August 10, 2026 11:50am
  - mogg
    
    No doubt about it, the Chinese will have the most advanced spying capabilities anywhere, they have had years of practice on their own people.
    
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    August 10, 2026 12:43pm
    - Jack5
      
      China’s also ahead in electronics manufacturing.
      
      Chinese components are going into hundreds, perhaps thousands, of products made elsewhere.
      
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      August 10, 2026 1:22pm
- Colville
  
  The way British armed forces are funded I am surprised that SAS have much better than rocks.
  
  Hardest bastards in the world tho.
  
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  August 10, 2026 7:52pm
Ghost

If true, then the last few months have been for nothing.

“For weeks, President Trump had been laying the groundwork to declare victory in the Iran war should Tehran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even floating the idea privately to senior aides that he’s willing to walk away without a nuclear deal, U.S. officials said,” WSJ writes.

“But that scaled-back objective became more difficult when Iran insisted Saturday on its highest price yet for permitting the free flow of traffic in the waterway, seeking billions of dollars in U.S. payments, the removal of American troops from the region and an end of the U.S. naval blockade, among other things,” the report adds.

Article
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August 10, 2026 9:43am
- Southern Raider
  
  This all fell apart when Trump was pushed into the initial ceasefire. His advisors are idiots and clearly had no idea that the IRGC (just like Hamas, Hezbollah etc) only uses ceasefires as a means to rearm and reset.
  
  Don’t start something if you’re not prepared to go all the way.
  
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  August 10, 2026 9:52am
  - Ra Henare
    
    Southern, and what is your vision of All the Way?
    
    It appears that a military solution, based on attempts so far, will not be successful.
    
    Keep in mind that in late July 2026, Adm. Cooper advised the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the White House to halt the bombing campaign around the Strait of Hormuz.
    
    His recommendation noted that the military strikes had reached the limit of their effectiveness because CENTCOM had effectively exhausted most designated Iranian targets in that sector.
    
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    August 10, 2026 3:43pm
- mike
  
  I think it is most likely that hostilities will gradually settle down, Trump will lose interest (probably after declaring victory, again), and Iran will be left with effective control of the strait.
  
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  August 10, 2026 9:54am
  - RoboRob
    
    Which would be the worst possible outcome, at least in the short term. I imagine if Iran controls the strait its neighbours will work even harder to make sure they don’t need to use it.
    
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    August 10, 2026 9:58am
    - mike
      
      More likely that they will reach an accommodation with Iran, further reducing US influence.
      
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      August 10, 2026 10:13am
      - RoboRob
        
        Nah, nobody wants to pay a toll if they can avoid it.
        
        5 1
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        August 10, 2026 10:37am
    - imalwaysright
      
      “Which would be the worst possible outcome…”
      
      Yes, but it is because Iran was underestimated.
      
      When you underestimate this type of enemy you begin losing from Day 1.
      
      3 0
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      August 10, 2026 2:23pm
  - Colville
    
    Sooner or later the head of Iran will fall out a window* and someone more moderate will be there to pick up the job.
    
    That is what USA is waiting for.
    
    *with an Isreali hand print between the shoulder blades.
    
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    August 10, 2026 7:55pm
- RoboRob
  
  At this point Trump should just shut (the F) up and leave his blockade in place. Eventually Iran will be forced to the table as their oil storage overflows and they run out of money.
  
  At this point the Iranians believe they hold the power because of the mid terms and Trumps apparent race to get this over with. Stop negotiating and wait, make them come to you for a deal Trump. This isn’t a business deal with sane people who are both keen to come to an agreement, this is group that needs to show its people that it ‘won’ and beat the ‘great Satan’. In the same way as Putin wont end the Ukraine war until he came proclaim victory.
  
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  August 10, 2026 9:55am
  - Taieri
    
    This isn’t a business deal with sane people
    ————-
    
    A bit difficult to establish which side is sane and which is not…
    
    8 4
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    August 10, 2026 10:15am
    - RoboRob
      
      Neither? 🙂
      
      3 2
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      August 10, 2026 11:32am
      - Taieri
        
        Notwithstanding the cruelty of the Iranian regime, they are defending their country from an aggression.
        
        5 3
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        August 10, 2026 12:44pm
    - Ra Henare
      
      Keep in mind that it is a culture clash.
      US business deal is about money
      Iranian business deal is about sovereignty
      
      US sent 2 business idiots to negotiate a settlement.
      They thought that offering money would solve the problem
      Iran sent diplomats to negotiate a settlement based on them regaining sovereignty.
      
      For better or for worse Obamas solution worked because it was a diplomatically negotiated settlement.
      
      1 0
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      August 10, 2026 3:50pm
  - MCōs
    
    I remember thinking about 1980 or so that I was going to stop getting riled up about what’s happening between Israel and the Palestinians because nothing ever resolved itself in that neck of the woods.
    Btw
    It’s no accident that the oil companies are making stupendous profits (at our expense) and the current wars will ensure there’s no unemployment problems in the defense industry
    
    6 3
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    August 10, 2026 10:28am
  - BananaLlama
    
    How do you stop Iran retaliating and doing the same to every other oil producer in the region …. you can’t stop these tiny drones from causing immense damage.
    
    3 2
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    August 10, 2026 11:54am
- virtualmark
  
  If you go back to 1979 the Iranians strung the Carter administration along with the hostage release talks right up to the election, and then released the hostages the day after Reagan was inaugurated. Basically they were happy to delay and delay to mess with US domestic politics and elections.
  
  I suspect something similar could happen here. Iran has plenty of motivation to see the Dems win control of the House & Senate and so cause problems for Trump.
  
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  August 10, 2026 10:49am
  - kowtow
    
    I recall and just confirmed they released the hostages moments after the swearing in, literally for maximum effect.
    
    I also recall how other western nations , esp the Canadians stood with the US through the crisis .
    
    A pity that has been so quickly ignored by the imcumbent.
    
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    August 10, 2026 11:39am
  - leoj
    
    Wrong read.
    Reagan promised action and they capitulated.
    I wish Donald would learn from that and take it up a notch. The mad mullahs needs to have their heads handed to them. Meanwhile, Donald is not keen to kill civilians. It’s tricky.
    
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    August 10, 2026 1:34pm
    - virtualmark
      
      Nope.
      
      The Carter administration negotiated the release of the hostages, via Algeria as an intermediary. But the Iranian’s didn’t engage substantively until after the US Presidential election in November 1980, and they didn’t release the hostages till Reagan was inaugurated … basically to mess with Carter’s re-election hopes.
      
      There are rumours, but no absolute proof, that the Reagan campaign did a deal with Iran to ensure there’d be no progress with the hostages until after the 1979 election. It’s the original “October surprise”. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_October_Surprise_theory
      
      3 2
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      August 10, 2026 4:30pm
      - mike
        
        Like Nixon torpedoing peace talks during the Vietnam War.
        
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        August 10, 2026 6:36pm
- kiwimike
  
  Just Destroy Kharg Island and it’s infrastructure as threatened.
  
  2 4
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  August 10, 2026 10:58am
  - Taieri
    
    Indeed. And what then? An economy on a bicycle? They were very successful with that in Hoxha’s Albania…
    
    2 2
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    August 10, 2026 12:49pm
  - virtualmark
    
    Because you like paying $4 a litre for petrol?
    
    5 1
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    August 10, 2026 2:15pm
Scooter

More waffle on Mike Hosking and Luxon this morning. Almost the whole 10 min interview on what new taxes there would or would not be plus council amalgamation. Surely there are a lot more important and current topics to question eg a referendum on the Maori seats, or his wish to for one on mmp, Winston etc. It seems as though Mike has been given a very limited area in which to question the PM.
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August 10, 2026 9:53am
- kowtow
  
  Is it possible he’ll only go on if the questions are pre screened?
  
  perhaps that’s why he’s too afraid to go on Plunket.
  
  8 4
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  August 10, 2026 11:44am
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  “eg a referendum on the Maori seats”
  
  Yah dreaming mate. Those should have gone with the introduction of universal male suffrage. On the same bill.
  
  That was almost 150 years ago and no government, of any stripe, has addressed that.
  
  If you think Luxon is the Man with the Balls to take on this issue, then you are entirely mistaken.
  
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  August 10, 2026 12:23pm
  - imalwaysright
    
    We will have a nuclear reactor before we have a referendum on Maori seats.
    
    14 0
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    August 10, 2026 12:44pm
  - Taieri
    
    If you think Luxon is the Man with the Balls to take on this issue
    ————-
    
    No realistic politician will entertain this issue. The time for such move had passed long time ago.
    
    5 1
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    August 10, 2026 12:51pm
- AitchW
  
  I think the Hosk is old enough and confident enough to ask any question he likes of the PM. That’s why Ardern stopped going on his show in favour of puerile radio like Hauraki and the Edge. She was happy to play silly games on those two, but not to be held to account and not allowed to vomit word salad. on Newstalk.
  
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  August 10, 2026 12:33pm
mw

While the parties are coming up with their policies, we get to know what national would do as well as labour. We know what the minor parties would do assuming that the were a major party with complete control.
Of course that doesn’t happen and labour who may have to form a coalition with TOP if they get enough votes are clearly not going to do many things that top wants.
So my thought is, it would be nice to have some kind of analysis of what a coalition set of policies could be. I.e. what TOP policies could make it through that we could expect to see if they form a coalition. So, removing 3.x billion of spending on govt departments would be off the table, UBI may be off the table etc.. but what would be left that has a good chance of staying – like the land tax. Though it does get complicated as one thing that on principle could get over the line with labour was meant to pay for something else that wouldn’t get over the line.. So its a bit of a mess but it is interesting to have a better idea what labour would agree to implement from its coalition partners.
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August 10, 2026 10:41am
- Paulus
  
  [Currently, no such person can be identified on a TOP list of leaders, candidates, or board. Happy to be corrected with new evidence. holy mod.]
  
  https://www.opportunity.org.nz/
  
  4 1
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  August 10, 2026 12:35pm
- Taieri
  
  While the parties are coming up with their policies
  ————–
  
  The only discernible policies on offer seems to be the contest of who will tax us more.
  
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  August 10, 2026 12:53pm
graham

I glanced through the RNZ article regarding the Green Party proposal for $2.4b funding to back ‘critical’ marae this morning.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics/945925/greens-propose-2-point-4b-funding-to-back-critical-marae

Co-leader Marama Davidson said marae were critical infrastructure and needed funding certainty to continue their work responding to weather emergencies and supporting communities.

“Critical infrastructure”? Really? Certainly they have performed valuable work during times of crisis, but so have many other community organisations.

She said marae voluntarily stepped up during weather emergencies, feeding and housing locals and tourists who needed it. The investment would ensure they were appropriately funded to do so.

So if everything currently is voluntary, I presume that once they’re given $2.4b of funding there will be a structured system of accountability, reports, independent auditing – the sort of oversight which one would normally expect for such an eye-watering amount of funding?

The party said the government would have no authority to direct investments, appoint trustees, alter funding decisions or interfere with the operation of the trust beyond ordinary law.
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August 10, 2026 10:52am
- Paulus
  
  How many actual so called Maori are there in New Zealand – there are one hell of a lot in Australia – are they recipients too ?
  
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  August 10, 2026 12:37pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    Interested, Paulus in your view.
    Please define so called Maori.
    
    In NZ, Maori is defined as anyone who has a Maori(Full blooded ancestor).
    
    It happens in Other countries eg USA where people will often say they are Greek , or Italian.
    
    But Americans.
    
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    August 10, 2026 3:54pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Should we follow the US example and call them Maori New Zealanders?
      
      After all, there are plenty of Maori Australians, and of course not forgetting Cook Is Maoris.
      
      Which sparks the question, if an NZ Maori marries a Cook Islander, moves to Raro and has kids etc, are they Maori Cook Is Maories?
      
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      August 10, 2026 7:11pm
Gravelroad

With so much of interest and concern going on here I am puzzled why stuff would consider this to be headline news this morning:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/361018057/porter-airliines-flight-canada-canceled-after-child-refus

It is about some kid on a big plane in Canada who wouldn’t sit in their seat for takeoff.
So after a lot of mucking around, Captain decided to go back to the terminal and offload kid and parent/ caregiver. Then runway closed due to time limit so all passengers and crew off plane for night as well.
This is headline news in NZ?
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August 10, 2026 10:58am
- Ghost
  
  It’s not exactly headline, it is the new section where new articles are listed, which is why it is called Latest. It’s good having that where it is, saves having to go down and look for anything new
  
  4 4
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  August 10, 2026 11:06am
- Ra Henare
  
  Gravel.
  So you only want news you approve of?
  
  Consider a wider audience in NZ whose families travel by plane.
  What to expect if you don’t control your kid on the flight.
  
  1 1
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  August 10, 2026 3:59pm
Philview

I have been reading articles in the media for several weeks complaining about MMP and the tail wagging the dog. Chris Luxon allows himself to be manipulated into saying we will take a look at it. Next thing the media claiming it all came randomly from Luxon’s mind. Sir Ian Taylor has been very vocal in this space so would be interesting if the media could follow up.
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August 10, 2026 11:27am
- pdm
  
  I am not sure Luxon was manipulated.
  
  More like he opened mouth before thinking and then doubled down.
  
  Alternatively he genuinely thinks the country should have another MMP referendum in which case it will be interesting to see if he has the heart (or his minders allow him) to pursue it if he is in a position to do so after the election.
  
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  August 10, 2026 12:42pm
- greybeard
  
  One interesting aspect of this is the assumption by the MSM that Luxon wants to return to FPP: as far as I know FPP was not mentioned by him.
  Having experienced many elections under both FPP and MMP I am firmly convinced that STV would be a superior solution. But that is just my opinion.
  
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  August 10, 2026 2:29pm
Jack5

Visa side door in Australia …

Almost 30 per cent of graduate visas in Australia are held by family members who have never studied in Australia, an analysis reveals, reports the Daily Mail (Australia).

Around 73,900 of the 271,191 temporary graduate visas have gone to secondary applicants, including spouses and dependent children.

The Daily Mail says that under current Australian rules, international students studying for university degrees or on vocational courses can bring immediate family members with them to Australia. Those family members are granted the same work rights as the primary visa holder.

After graduating, students can then transition to a temporary graduate visa, allowing both themselves and their families to remain in Australia while they gain work experience.

Government data shows the number of temporary graduate visa holders has increased 174 per cent since Labor won office in Australia in 2022.

The 2026 federal budget projected migration would moderate to 225,000 a year from 2027, but the government’s forecasts have repeatedly been exceeded, with net overseas migration hitting 301,000 in the latest year.
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August 10, 2026 11:27am
cmm (semi-retired edition)

Anyone that lives in NZ and runs out of water within a few days absolutely deserves it.

Hopefully they will learn, but unlikely. After a few generations of the Nanny state, everyone expects everything to be supplied all the time. Here in Christchurch few people learned from the first EQ (aka Darfield EQ) and many, if not most, didn’t have any back up water for the second one either.

Every household should have at least 100 litres of back up water. Once a year, tip it out into the garden, rinse the containers and fill it up again.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361018040/govt-may-need-step-ohakune-water-crisis-deepens
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August 10, 2026 12:19pm
- rouppe
  
  Currently in Ohakune. In a caravan, with 180l fresh water capacity. However it’s currently at about 40l, and no way to refill.
  
  So the remaining water will be kept for toilet flushing, and I’ve availed myself of some bottled water for drinking and cooking. No showers for a couple of days.
  
  Only other option is to drive out somewhere else which I’m hoping to avoid.
  
  The current problem is apparently an air-lock in the pipe, which is supposed to be fixed by end of the day. Fingers crossed.
  
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  August 10, 2026 12:44pm
  - Don Beckett
    
    In place of a shower, just go up to the snow line & roll around in it like the Fins do. Bracing. 🙂
    
    4 0
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    August 10, 2026 2:33pm
  - rouppe
    
    Bugger. Now it’s tomorrow end of day…
    
    0 0
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    August 10, 2026 6:27pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Whip around the mountain to the hot pools near Kuratau.
    
    0 0
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    August 10, 2026 7:14pm
- Ghost
  
  When my nieces were at school in Canada each student had an emergency bag stored at school. We aren’t a very prepared country. But even some who do prepare forget to include their pets.
  
  6 3
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  August 10, 2026 1:01pm
- Taieri
  
  Every household should have at least 100 litres of back up water
  ———-
  
  Fair enough. But that should not detract from the incompetency of the council. The ratepayers do not receive water for free. They pay for this service and should be advised immediately if there’re any disruptions.
  
  9 1
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  August 10, 2026 1:02pm
  - Ghost
    
    I can’t remember, but didn’t the article say it was 5km of old concrete pipes? So yes, council has to hold some blame on this
    
    4 1
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    August 10, 2026 1:10pm
    - cmm (semi-retired edition)
      
      Finding someone to blame doesn’t really help.
      If you want water when the incompetent people can’t bring it then arrange it yourself.
      
      5 0
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      August 10, 2026 2:07pm
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    “But that should not detract from the incompetency of the council.”
    
    Yup, but zoom out a bit…
    
    Living with an incompetent council is also just a part of the environment you should be protecting yourself from.
    
    If you live in a shaky country, then be prepared for water outages due to earthquakes.
    If you live in an area with an incompetent council, then doubly so.
    
    8 0
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    August 10, 2026 2:05pm
    - Taieri
      
      If you live in an area with an incompetent council
      ————-
      
      Unfortunately I do.
      And while I’m not a “prepper” I have enough supplies to last for a few months if need be. Still, if the Big One ever comes and my house is destroyed, all stores will also be destroyed. And then, I’ll expect an assistance from the powers that be. That’s what they are for after all.
      The problem is that, especially in the cities, most people have nowhere to store necessary supplies. If they live in flats or shared accommodations for example.
      
      4 0
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      August 10, 2026 5:48pm
- BananaLlama
  
  I have about 40-50,000 liters of storage which is enough to last my household through summer without it raining once and even i got caught out by a drought. The council refused to allow any tankers to refill at the pumping stations incase there was a fire and they needed access to the pumps.
  When they were criticised the reply was we should have expected droughts due to global warming…. it could have gone real bad but thankfully someone made them see sense.
  I guess the point i am making is you should still help people out even if you think they haven’t done enough to help themselves.
  
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  August 10, 2026 1:58pm
Jack5

Razor return – but in league?

Scott Robertson, former Crusaders and All Blacks coach, has been approached to head the planned South Island rugby league team, the Orcas.

Stuff reports the Orcas president, Sir Graham Lowe, has confirmed the approach to Robertson, reports Australian media outlet Code Sports. It says Lowe’s confident the Christchurch-based league franchise can secure Robertson.

There’s speculation a 20th team, which might be the Orcas, will join the NRL competition in 2029.

A company has been registered called: The Orcas Rugby League Ltd. It’s owned by Pounamu Resources Ltd, which in turn is owned by Andrew David Kenneth Chalmers and Danielle Emma Christoffersen – both of Dairy Flat, Auckland.

Andrew Chalmers and Sir Graham Lowe own the Bradford Bulls league club in Yorkshire.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/361018058/former-all-blacks-coach-scott-robertson-targeted-south-island-nrl-expansion-team
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August 10, 2026 1:12pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361018176/two-women-charged-over-alleged-5m-property-fraud-scheme
This week’s opening entry in the continuing saga of “How Diversity buggers-up a Country”.
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August 10, 2026 2:33pm
- Pope Punctilious II
  
  I’m not sure what your point is. Allowing Asian immigration increases crime? I don’t think the stats would support that hypothesis.
  
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  August 10, 2026 4:15pm
  - greybeard
    
    Just about every day we read about financial scams, fraud, immigration crimes, etc etc involving recent Asian immigrants to NZ who, having achieved NZ resident status, then proceed to prey on their recently-arrived fellow-men.
    It is entirely predictable.
    It is a scandal that it continues unabated and that these crims are still here.
    
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    August 10, 2026 8:26pm
Ghost

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has ruled out a governing deal with New Zealand First.

article

Now rule out the Tamihere Party
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August 10, 2026 5:58pm
Jethrod

The tomtoms are beating.
It doesn’t sound good.
Was Hipkins given a heads up today , and made the Winston announcement, feeling a bit of confidence.
Can’t wait for tomorrow.
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August 10, 2026 8:39pm
Ra Henare

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has officially ruled out his party working with Winston Peters and NZ First.

“Winston Peters has ruled us out. I’m happy to rule him out. It’s clearly not going to happen,” Hipkins said.

https://www.interest.co.nz/public-policy/139750/labour-leader-chris-hipkins-officially-rules-out-working-winston-peters-and-nz
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August 10, 2026 9:43pm
Jack5

The picture at the Herald site tonight, with Luxon flanked by Erica Stanford and Chris Bishop ….

The directions of the eyes of Stanford and Bishop don’t seem to mesh with the pair’s positions behind and each side of Luxon.

Has someone being buggering around with a professional equivalent of Gimp?

Or am I over-reacting to the news media participating in the election campaign, as opposed to reporting and interpreting it?

The photograph’s at the top of the Herald web site tonight.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/
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August 10, 2026 11:56pm

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