About
Contact
Advertise

Facebook
Twitter

October 28, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 28 October 2026

Like this:

Like Loading…

Email
Facebook
Twitter
Comment20

Uncategorized
General Debate

Comments (20)

Login to comment or vote

BarryB

Ardern…
Arday…..

just saying……
4 0
Log in to Reply
Report
October 28, 2026 8:01am
Tomtoddy

Here is how it works.

Scene 1. You are instinctively left leaning. Start with an article saying the cost of living is bad. Find a few random citizens who agree. Ignore anyone who disagrees. Keep writing similar articles. Attack any centre right leaders. Produce more negative articles showing pics of rough sleepers and mothers with 10 kids.

Then run a poll and sound surprised when people say their biggest concern is the cost of living.

Write an article quoting lots of people who say, “I am actually OK, but everyone around me is in trouble.” Mission accomplished.

Scene 2. You find there is a new party in town. It is way left of centre. It has a photogenic leader who talks in sound bites. You write stories about it. You select smiley photos of its leader. You write more stories about how well its doing. More happy pics. More stories about how interested people are into this “new broom”.

Run a poll. New party is close to 5%. Run more stories. More pics with concerned face. Explain how flexible this new party is. Trumpet its new ‘bottom lines’ that could happily accommodate both Mao and the American Founding Fathers. Run another poll that shows them over 5%. Make big dramatic announcement about the “new kid on the block.” Find even more positive angles to run.

Pour a beer and sit back. Mission accomplished.
16 2
Log in to Reply
Report
October 28, 2026 8:06am
- Cassandra
  
  Freedom of the press carries with it an obligation for balance. Q Wong and TOP are entirely a creation of the media. They have all become part of a political movement and therefore should be regulated accordingly.
  
  17 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 28, 2026 8:10am
- mike
  
  You don’t think the cost of living is an issue?
  
  1 13
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 28, 2026 8:10am
  - Tomtoddy
    
    Of course, it’s an issue, Mike. It is every election. But the MSM obsess over it because it is a way of undermining the sitting coalition govt without appearing to undermine them.
    
    The real issue is how to keep on growing the economy so more people on the bottom rung can climb up a rung or two. The left want to increase debt, tax and regulate us – that keeps more people on the bottom rung and reaching for ‘quick fixes’ that the left spruik.
    
    12 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 28, 2026 8:19am
    - gravedodger
      
      And unlike our Aussie cousins Tt, very little of the current price inflation here is NZ Govt initiated.
      Albanese, Chalmers and Bowen are front and center of it across the ditch.
      
      4 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 28, 2026 8:44am
  - amospicton
    
    The ‘cost of living’ is an issue everywhere – not just NZ. It’s a misnomer – the cost of living is actually much much lower in Nigeria but the quality of life is not. The fundamental problem is not the cost of living it is that we are unable to afford it because we are not a wealthy country. We will not solve that problem by increasing taxes, working from home or speaking more te reo.
    
    6 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 28, 2026 8:21am
- kowtow
  
  Today’s RNZ webpage.
  
  Latest poll has coalition in power . RNZ ; Opportunity still across the line.
  
  Wanaka meeting;photo of each candidate there .But photo of Opp representative is not from the locale , but one chosen to ensure Wong is shown…..
  
  5 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 28, 2026 8:12am
- Tomtoddy
  
  Good morning downticker. Is your name Harold?
  
  7 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 28, 2026 8:13am
- Mod88
  
  If Polls are read/used to pick Trends, the Opportunity Party have dropped in 5 of the last 6. My pick is they will not get over 5%.
  
  4 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 28, 2026 8:14am
- redeye
  
  Also send a colleague to troll for people with unhappy experiences with the health sector.
  But only do this when there is not a left leaning party in charge.
  
  2 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 28, 2026 8:37am
Scott

Watching the Black Caps get thrashed by India last night I was struck by how many Indians were in the crowd. In fact most of the people seemed to be Indian?

And researching our demographics this morning using AI I’ve noticed how our population has radically changed in my lifetime. For example 50 years ago in 1976 the population of NZ was around 90% European in a population of 3.1m. There were about 250,000 Maoris and 45,000 pacific islanders and Indians and Chinese and others combined was about 30,000.

Today our demographic breakdown is 68% European, 17% Asian, 9% pacific and 18% Maori. The Maori figures have changed largely because of self identification as the criteria.

So in 50 years we have had a huge demographic change fueled by mass immigration. Particularly in the last 25 years when we imported a million people mostly from Asia.

According to the media diversity is our strength. At a recent TV debate the political leaders, with the exception of Winston Peters, agreed with this.

Is diversity a strength? How do we know this?
5 0
Log in to Reply
Report
October 28, 2026 8:09am
cmm (semi-retired edition)

Winston says the sinking of the Manawanui was due to “woke bullshit”.

I tend to agree. How does someone who has only been in the Navy a relatively short time end up queue jumping to get the command of a ship – even if it was only a dive/support vessel.

When they were hyping her up they spent more time going on about her being a lesbian primary teacher than her seafaring credentials.

That came through in the transcripts too – her main contribution seemed to be telling everyone twice to go to toilet before getting on the lifeboats.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361051780/winston-peters-defends-nz-first-ad-blaming-woke-bullst-manawanui-sinking
13 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 28, 2026 8:11am
- Mod88
  
  Low-hanging fruit. Those that “Appointed” her should be the ones in the Dock methinks. These people are meant to be running a “War Fighting” outfit.
  
  2 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 28, 2026 8:16am
- igm
  
  The whole debacle is beyond comprehension . . . Winston and Ron Mark are right on the money. Another Ardern/Hipkins-driven failure.
  
  2 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 28, 2026 8:16am
- Ghost
  
  A short time? 19 years in the UK royal navy, 12 years in NZ navy. Should she have the job she did, not up to us, but she was in the navy for 3 decades.
  
  0 4
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 28, 2026 8:17am
  - Taieri
    
    I was at sea for 51 years. My last suitcase was there with me for about 10 years. It is still just a suitcase.
    
    1 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 28, 2026 8:30am
artemisia

The Ministry of Education’s 2026 annual report is not hopeful one of the big two targets will be met by 2030 – the reading, writing and maths target is at risk.

“Feedback from the sector consistently highlights the challenge of implementing multiple changes at the same time, alongside ongoing workforce, fiscal and operational pressures. As steward of the system, the Ministry needs to balance the need to improve outcomes with the sector’s capacity to absorb and implement change,” it said.

Fortunately the sector has the answer. Teachers step up and do their job? Sorry, no – more OPM is the answer.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/education/2197862/government-s-attendance-goal-doable-literacy-and-numeracy-unlikely
6 0
Log in to Reply
Report
October 28, 2026 8:13am
NeverMindTheBollocks

Shell Lane (The Terrace) bike rack report:

At 8.29am, just the five bikes today. 19 empty slots, chaps!

A cool, calm, sunny morning in the Capital, ideal for cycling.
1 0
Log in to Reply
Report
October 28, 2026 8:29am
Yvette

If Leoni resigns from the Labour Party now – and some reports say she has already –
does the wording of the legislation confirm that a person must already be a sitting Member of Parliament for the law to apply?

Because Kerrin Leoni is a candidate running during an election cycle rather than a sitting MP holding a current seat in Parliament, the wording of the Waka Jumping Act simply does not apply to her.
The law operates by declaring that a sitting MP’s seat becomes vacant. A candidate who has not yet been elected does not occupy a parliamentary seat, meaning there is nothing for a party leader to vacate under this law … I think.
________________

The Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act 2018 (the waka-jumping law) Section 55A:

(1) This section applies to every member of Parliament, except a member elected as an independent.
(2) The seat of a member of Parliament to whom this section applies becomes vacant if the member of Parliament ceases to be a parliamentary member of the political party for which the member of Parliament was elected.
2 0
Log in to Reply
Report
October 28, 2026 8:34am

Add a Comment Cancel reply

Login to comment or vote

« No Trevor, it isn’t voter suppression when you forget to check a website

Who will win the Israeli election? »

Donations

You can now donate to Kiwiblog

Exclusive content from DPF on Patreon

Become a Patron!

Never miss a post

Email Address

Join 13K other subscribers

Highlights

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

Links

General Debate Without Moderation
No Minister
Open Mike 28/10/2026
The Standard
The California billionaire tax is very likely a net revenue loser
Utopia
Who cares about parties' foreign policy policies?
Not PC
United Rugby Championship Predictions for Week 5
Stats Chat
Whatever the RBNZ does to the OCR, some will welcome it as the right decision – and some will decry it as wrong
Point of Order
Word of the day
Hompaddock
Report Card – Qiulae Wong (Opportunity Party)
Bob McCoskrie's McBlog
When “secular communions” become contested.
Kiwipolitico
The Bradbury Group with Greenpeace’s Russel Norman, NZCTU President Sandra Grey and Political Panel of Phil Goff, Oscar Kightley and Simon Wilson
The Daily Blog
Defining Election Issues
NZCPR
An "opposition" that doesn't want to win
No Right Turn
Tensions flare as Labour seeks to win back Green votes by backing rival gang
The Civilian
Sheep, speech, and the DMCA
Offsetting Behaviour
What I’d do
Croaking Cassandra
THE WORKING FROM HOME RACKET BY PUBLIC SERVANTS
No Punches Pulled (Bob Jones)
The Accidental Engagement
Imperator Fish
Legal Beagle: Election '23: The Special Votes
Public Address
Get Vaccinated Tomorrow Or Shut Your Pie Hole
Cactus Kate
Making this movie might have been a mistake
Liam Hehir
Why I am retiring from political blogging
Kiwi FireWalker

[email protected]

PO Box 12270, Thorndon, Wellington 6144

Facebook
Twitter
FourSquare
Instagram
LinkedIn
Google+

Archives
Disclosure Statement
Editorial Policy
Privacy Policy
Complaints Policy
Comments Policy

Design by cre8d

%d

Share this:

Like this: