The Herald reports:

The estimated time that work-ready Jobseeker recipients will spend on income support until they reach retirement age has jumped by 23 per cent since 2019, amid a “worrying” slowdown of the benefits system that could strain government finances and trap thousands of people in poverty.

Growing up in a household where no adult is working, is one of the main indicators of likely problems later in life.

For example, Sole Parent Support clients are projected to spend an average of 17 working-age years on a benefit (up from 12.5 years in 2019), but the upper quartile of this group – about 18,700 people – are expected to spend more than 25 years in the system.

We should;d have a maximum time limit for welfare, for people who are work capable.

about 2000 teens on the Youth Payment or Young Parent Payment now expected to spend an average of 24 working-age years on a benefit – a 46 per cent increase from the 2019 estimate. 

Labour’s legacy again.

In June 2022, Taylor Fry predicted Māori would make up nearly half of work-ready Jobseeker clients by the end of this decade, up from 35 per cent in 2010.

Absolutely the wrong trend.

A guest post by David Garrett:

I have long detested gangs, particularly the “ethnic” gangs – not because their membership is largely Maori and PI, but because by and large they are the most vicious, and have no hesitation attacking members of the public going about their lawful business.

I am prompted to write this piece by the awful story published on Stuff recently. It was headed Mongrel Mob prospect laughed as he stomped man to death. The victim was a young teacher – who looks as if he was Maori – walking home with friends after a night out celebrating his sister’s birthday.  The attack – on both the victim and a female member of their party – resulted  in the death of Darcy Strickland, and the woman being kicked unconscious. When some members of the public approached, Alizaye Todd asked for a knife so he could “finish it”, clearly meaning he wished to ensure the victim was dead. Given the facts, he had little choice but to plead guilty if he wishes to escape what in New Zealand are laughingly described as  a “long” minimum non parole periods.

Gangs have been a blight on our society since at least the early 70’s, with their behavior getting worse and worse as our hopelessly criminal centred justice system fails to punlish murders such as described above with very lengthy non parole periods (NPP’s)  such as in Australia or the UK.  In both of those countries,  30 year plus NPP’s are routine, and “whole of life tariff” or LWOP sentences for murder are not uncommon. (Other than Tarrant, the longest NPP in New Zealand is 30 years – reduced on appeal from the original 33 – imposed on William Dwane Bell, for a triple murder at the Panmure RSA  in 2001).

Since the 1972 Labour government, successive governments have pledged to crack down on gangs – back then it was “we’ll take the bikes off the bikies” – but in my view  there has never been a serious attempt to drastically curtail their barbarous behavior let alone eliminate them. I believe that time is long overdue. That said, I believe some gangs are very much worse than others in terms of their danger to the public, so first a little history.

 Gangs can – very roughly – be classified as the “outlaw motorcycle gangs” and the “ethnic” gangs, chiefly the Mongrel Mob (Mob) and their sworn enemies, Black Power (BP). The ethnic gangs are no less “outlaws” that their brethren who get around on over-powered motorbikes The most prominent and earliest outlaw motorcycle gang in New Zealand is the Hells Angels, set up in 1961, and reported to be the first “chapter” of the gang outside the US. Very little is heard these days about “the Angels”, chiefly because they realise that bashing, killing and raping people is very bad for their other criminal enterprises, chiefly drug distribution, “chopping” stolen vehicles, and prostitution.

The Angels were formed in the US in  1948, their first members mostly being returned servicemen who liked to ride large motorbikes and “raise a little hell”. The origin of  the “1%” on their patch is a declaration by a “respectable” organization of bike riders in the US stating that only 1% of motorcyclists were thugs looking to cause trouble. The outlaw motorcycle gangs seized upon that “distinction” and some still proudly proclaim it.  

During the 1960’s and 70’s, various outlaw motorcycle gangs were formed throughout the country in cities large and small. Some were shortlived, some survive and have thrived, such as the Head Hunters. The Head Hunters “patched over” the Wellington  based Sinn Fein MC in 2011, the Satan’s Slaves MC in 2014 and the Epitaph Riders  from Christchurch. The Satan’s Slaves gang had been formed in Wellington in 1969. 

To be clear, ALL outlaw gangs – including those who purport to simply  be “motorcycle clubs” are engaged in criminal activity to a greater or lesser extent. In 2000 a policeman said this of the Headhunters (aka the “88’s” because H is the eight letter of the alphabet):

“The Head Hunters Motorcycle Club is considered one of the most dangerous organised criminal operations in the country. It controls the West Auckland crime scene… …They are responsible for the manufacture, sale and distribution of Class A, B and C controlled substances, with deals taking place throughout the country…

Detective Sergeant Turley also held the gang responsible for “murders, serious assaults and suspicious disappearances” as well as “extortions, home invasions and robberies”. Although the police almost never make a distinction, the outlaw motorcycle clubs almost exclusively prey on their own kind – a man or woman with no connection to any outlaw motorcycle gang is most unlikely to be targeted by any of those gangs

So to what I call the “scum gangs”, primarily the Mob and Black Power. Although like their motorcycle riding fellows they are outlaws – and proud of it – ordinary people such as the murdered teacher referred to above are much more likely to fall victim to them, usually for little or no reason – other that earn a patch, as was the case in the unlucky Darcy Strickland’s case. As an aside, it would be most interesting to learn – perhaps someone could ask the female PR spokeswoman for the Mob – whether Mr Strickland’s murderer has now been or will be “patched” after his brutal and cowardly crime. 

The Mob was formed in the mid sixties. Their name purportedly arose from a sentencing of a group of thugs in Hastings in 1965, when a Magistrate noted that the defendants before him had  “acted like a pack of mongrels”. As with the “1%” referred to above, this label was seized upon by the Mob, and now “Mongrelism” – or acting in every way totally alien to civilized society – is an integral part of the life of every Mob member. A member or prospect who didn’t display “Mongrelism” at every opportunity would not remain a prospect or  member for long.

In my opinion, no-one should be fooled by claims such as those by one Sonny Fatupatu of the “Kingdom” chapter of the gang that they are fundamentally different from other chapters, and operate much more like the “alternative form of whanau” as claimed by some useful idiots as Tariana Turia, and various academic apologists for gangs such as Jarrod Gilbert, a Christchurch academic who holds himself to be an “expert” on gangs and their behaviour. In short, such actions as giving school lunches to deprived children – with gullible media in attendance – are no different from the soup kitchens maintained by Al Capone and his gang in the 1930’s, viz. whitewashing to disguise what the gangs are really about. Only the gullible and naïve should be fooled.

So what can be done, and what new laws do we need to come down hard on all gangs, but the scum gangs in particular? The answer is we can do quite a lot without any new laws. A number of laws already exist which the police don’t bother to enforce.  Police may search premises without warrant on a number of grounds, including looking for drugs and weapons. Police may “turn over” anyone on the street – i.e. check vehicles and the passengers within them to determine whether vehicles are registered and warranted, and whether the passengers have any outstanding warrants.

 And here in step “human [criminal] rights lawyers” eager to ensure that their odious clients are not unduly bothered. I cannot name the lawyers I refer to for fear of a defamation suit against our esteemed host – I myself own nothing so am not worth suing – but they are names which pop up regularly in the MSM. Suffice it to say they seem far more concerned about the “rights” of their scum clients than those upon whom they prey with devastating effect.

Regular turnovers work: a couple of years ago some Mob member whined to the media in a small town in Hawkes Bay that the police were “picking on us”. This undoubtedly arose from some old style local police chief ignoring the instructions emanating from “bullshit castle” in Wellington, and rather than “policing by consent”,   giving regular  attention to known criminals and their associates, including gang members.

There should be no police escorts of fleets of overly loud motorcycles  having traffic stopped for them so 200 bikies can proceed in an uninterrupted stream,  disregarding  traffic lights and signs so they can all stay in one group when proceeding from the site of a funeral of some  gang member to the cemetery. Rather there should be a large police presence ready  to pounce on any misdemeanour large or small. In short, with the laws we already have, police can quite easily make every single gang member in the country aware that the patch on his back is catnip to the police, who are just waiting for an excuse – or an opportunity to manufacture one – to turn them over, perhaps for the third or fourth time that day.

Local authorities can assist by passing strict bylaws governing “gang pads” in their areas, and growing the balls to rigorously enforce building codes – even if they need to obtain the assistance of police to do so. In short, much can be done with laws which already exist, but some gang-specific legislation would certainly be useful – but only in a deliberate political decision is made to make gang members’ lives a misery.

Part Two – New laws to tackle gangs?

Matt Nippert at the Herald looks at the average salary for executives at various charities in NZ, and how many staff they have.

The ten highest paying charities are:

1. Te Whānau o Waipareira Group $510k, 178 staff
2. University of Auckland $428k, 6,246 staff
3. VUW, $369 staff, 6,301 staff
4. Waikato Raupatu Lands Trust, $368k, 172 staff
5. Massey University $353k, 3,351 staff
6. St John, $321k, 3,622 staff
7. Ngai Tahu, $312k, 779 staff
8. Canterbury University, $302k, 2,620 staff
9. Lincoln University, $287k, 614 staff
10. St Kentigern Trust, $284k, 415 staff

An average salary of $500,000 for senior leadership is astonishing for such a small organisation.

ANZ forecasts:

We are now forecasting 25bp hikes in both February and April, taking the OCR to 6%. We are now forecasting cuts from February 2025, ultimately taking the OCR back to 3.5% as before.

This is not a huge surprise to me. Non-tradeable inflation is still at 5.9%. The job isn’t yet done.

I recently came across Dimitrios Papandreou, who was the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, making him the head of the Greek Orthodox Church. He served from 1941 to 1949.

He was almost the only major religious figure in occupied Europe who called out the Nazis for their persecution of Jews. He wrote a public letter which stated:

In our national consciousness, all the children of Mother Greece are an inseparable unity: they are equal members of the national body irrespective of religion… Our holy religion does not recognize superior or inferior qualities based on race or religion, as it is stated: ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek’ and thus condemns any attempt to discriminate or create racial or religious differences. Our common fate both in days of glory and in periods of national misfortune forged inseparable bonds between all Greek citizens, without exemption, irrespective of race

This obviously angered the Nazis, so the local SS Commander threatened to execute him by firing squad. The reply was:

According to the traditions of the Greek Orthodox Church, our prelates are hanged, not shot. Please respect our traditions!

A great man.

The NY Post reports:

But, perhaps most damaging for the president, Hur — a former Maryland US attorney — suggested that jurors would not hold Biden liable for his actions on account of his perceived mental decline, even though he is seeking a second four-year term in November.

“[A]t trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” the report says. …

Biden “did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended (‘if it was 2013 — when did I stop being Vice President?’), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began (‘in 2009, am I still Vice President?’),” the report says.

“He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died [May 2015]. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him. 

The Guardian also reports:

Joe Biden has twice made gaffes this week in which he told anecdotes wrongly identifying dead European leaders as having talked to him about the events of the attack on the Capitol on 6 January 2021.

On Wednesday at a campaign fundraiser in New York, Biden reportedly referred to the former German chancellor Helmut Kohl as talking to him about European concerns about the attempt to stop the certification of his 2020 election win, when he apparently meant Angela Merkel. Kohl died in 2017.

Previously on Sunday, Biden in Nevada apparently confused François Mitterrand, the former French president who died in 1996, for France’s current president, Emmanuel Macron, while recounting a similar anecdote about the events of 6 January and European fears over them.

It may be unfair, but the upshot people will take from this is Biden was not prosecuted as he was unfit to stand trial. It is false, but you can;’t ignore his multiple memory failings that go beyond gaffes.

Unless the Democrats wants Trump to be re-elected President, they need to convince Biden to stand down.

The Herald reports:

There is no evidence cultural reports reduce reoffending and cutting funding for them will save money, the Justice Minister says.

The Government confirmed Wednesday that it was scrapping the target to reduce prison populations and would no longer fund the cultural reports used in sentencing.

Asked whether the reports might actually save money by avoiding prison sentences and stopping people from committing further crimes, Paul Goldsmith said there was no evidence of that.

This would be an interesting research project. What is the average reoffending rate (and time until reoffending) for those who got a reduced sentence due to a cultural report, compared to those who did not?

Wouldn’t it be fascinating if in fact the offenders reoffended more quickly, when they get a reduced sentence?

“We don’t think spending $7.5m producing reports like this is a good use of the money,” Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said.

Goldsmith said people could still give a cultural report orally in court, or in writing, but it would no longer be funded through the legal aid system.

The cost of these reports has increased over 15000% since 2017. It has become an industry of its own.

A guest post by Josh Brown:

Aid to UNRWA could jeopardise a role for New Zealand as an impartial mediator in the Middle East.

Palestinian refugees are different from all other refugees. The granddaughter of a Palestinian who has lived her entire life in Jordan can be a refugee. Mohamed Hadid, the celebrity Palestinian real estate developer and the father to models Bella and Gigi, who is a successful citizen of the USA, is considered a Palestinian refugee. Most Palestinians in New Zealand, no matter their residency status, are classified as refugees. To this day, all Palestinians displaced as a result of the 1948 Arab/Israeli conflict, including their descendants, no matter where they are, are refugees according to the UN. This criterion does not apply to any other group of displaced people.

No wonder then that the UN agency (UNRWA) –  originally set up for a three-year term in 1949 by the UN General Assembly to provide relief to refugees displaced as a result of the 1948 conflict – has become a politicised and entrenched institution. It exists not to resettle refugees, but to perpetuate the conflict by promising Palestinians that they will one day be able to return to what is now Israel. This false promise remains the cornerstone of the Palestinian political movement. It is also the single most important reason why all peace negotiations have inevitably failed. It is why you hear the controversial chant ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ even in New Zealand.

70 years after its establishment, UNRWA continues to operate in five different regions, providing education, healthcare, and social services. It serves only Palestinian refugees; refugees from the countless other conflicts in the world are served by UNHCR, the agency that actually works to end the status of refugees.  UNRWA receives annual funding of $1.1 billion USD from a mix of United Nations member states and charitable organisations, which amounts to roughly twice the per capita funding received by the UNHCR (approximately $220 per refugee vs $121 per refugee). Most of the budget is allocated to paying salaries.

UNRWA was established with good intentions – to provide relief to displaced Palestinians. However, corruption and political interference over decades has decayed its neutrality. In fact, according to some analysts, UNRWA in Gaza has become the de facto ‘above ground’ welfare arm of Hamas.

Thus, the recent news that New Zealand will review payments to UNRWA until more is known about the involvement of their staff in the atrocities of October 7th, is a sensible decision. It follows similar pronouncements by Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Iceland and other Western nations.

Advocacy groups have, for years, called on Governments around the world to suspend their funding of UNRWA. We have known for decades that their schools have taught children to glorify terror, that their staff have been members of terrorist groups, and that their facilities have been used by these groups. Frustratingly, when presented with the evidence, UN officials have typically denied them, and only taken meagre action when pushed.

Sadly, it took UNRWA staff’s involvement in the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history – brutal rape, murder, torture, and kidnapping – for the spotlight to shine on the organisation. Predictably, UNRWA denied the allegations, attacked the messengers, and expressed disbelief. Now the UN is brushing away the charges by saying that the 12 UNRWA staff accused of being complicit in the attacks are merely ‘a few bad apples.’ Decades of evidence indicate that these bad apples, in fact, fill the whole barrel.

For example, in March last year, UN Watch in partnership with IMPACT-se released a comprehensive report exposing the pervasive presence of incitement to hatred within the UNRWA school system. They provided evidence of Gazan children being indoctrinated with the belief that they must use violence to regain their homes lost during the ‘Nakba’ or the 1948 conflict.

Another recent report by UN Watch finds widespread support for the October 7th atrocities among UNRWA Teachers in Gaza. Screenshots of 249,000 Telegram messages show murderers and rapists being praised as “heroes,” the glorifying of the “education” the terrorists received in UNRWA, the gleeful sharing photos of dead or captured Israelis, and the exhortation of their execution.

On the 29th of January, the Wall Street Journal reported that out of 12,000 UNRWA employees, 1,200 (10%; 23% of all male employed) are ‘operatives’ of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and about half have close relatives who belong to these militant groups. These statistics may be unsurprising to those who read the reports of UNRWA staff hiding Israeli hostages and weaponry within their homes. In fact, claims of infiltration by Islamic terrorist groups into UNRWA have been circulating for over a decade, with evidence suggesting that UNRWA is now significantly entwined in these groups’ sinister operations.

Knowing this, the continued funding of this compromised organisation presents a moral dilemma for New Zealand. While there’s an inclination to demonstrate our commitment to humanitarian values as a conscientious member of the UN, we must not forget that Hamas aims to annihilate Israel, turning anything associated with it into an obstacle for peace. Ignoring this reality is bad faith and risks New Zealand’s reputation as a neutral party in Middle Eastern affairs, potentially excluding us from playing a constructive role in future peace negotiations as an unbiased mediator.

With the heart-wrenching devastation of Gaza, our humanity compels us to rally behind its reconstruction and recovery in the years ahead. Numerous aid organisations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross – ICRC , UNOPS and the WFP, are poised to undertake this vital role and we must support them. What is clear, however, is that UNRWA should not play a role, and we cannot continue to fund it if we are truly committed to a final status peace agreement.

The Herald reports:

Commerce Minister Andrew Bayly will soon get advice on dropping New Zealand’s few remaining tariffs, allowing vastly more goods to enter the country without paying a fee. …

These tariffs earned the Government $180 million last year, meaning that getting rid of them would cost the Government roughly that amount of money.

However, the BIM said the cost to the total economy was greater than what the Government earned in revenue.

“Costs include the administrative costs for government in maintaining the system and compliance costs for businesses in demonstrating that their imported goods come from a country that qualifies for lower tariffs under a Free Trade Agreement. A recent study estimated these add another $90-260 million in costs to consumers, businesses, and government,” the BIM said.

Tariffs are a tax on imports. They are bad for consumers and also bad for producers and manufacturers as they encourage investment in areas where we do not have a competitive advantage.

It would be great if the Government announced in their first budget, that all of them will go.

I am pretty much astounded in an ongoing way that an MP like Chloe Swarbrick can say what she likes to media and is rarely, if ever, questioned on her assertions.

This statement she made to the NZ Herald when announcing her leadership bid is pretty much answered below in an open letter I published last year. She could not see past my disagreement on the marijuana referendum and refused to support 480 children in their education in central Auckland.

“More than any other party we understand that there is far greater leadership out there in the community than there is in the so-called halls of power. I am here to serve my communities.”

For those Auckland families looking for more help with some of their children – Chloe stood directly in the way.

Given her leading “from the river to the sea” chant and then claiming to not really know what it means she is hardly the “well researched radical” she claims either.

Dear Chloe (published November 2023)

I found this article interesting as it is about the type of student I have dedicated my life to working with. Highlights for me were:

[Chlöe Swarbrick] the MP, known for tackling prickly topics in Parliament, brought the same energy last month when she first shared her adult ADHD diagnosis. In doing so, she used her platform to highlight the issues many with neurodiversity face in getting a diagnosis.

Swarbrick speaks in the New Zealand Herald about her ADHD journey and why things need to change. This began after years of grappling with depression, when she says it felt as though something was coming unstuck and had to give.

Retrospectively, she puts this down to her “masking” her symptoms. This concept is common with women who have ADHD and describes when neurodiverse people try to cover up their symptoms by copying the behaviour of neurotypical people to fit into the “neurotypical” world.

“If, as a younger woman like myself, you were sat in a corner trying to read something but you were reading the page 100 times over and absorbing none of that information. You fit the bill of someone that looks studious but, you know, nobody’s necessarily seeing the things that are going through your brain.”

Throughout her first few years at school, Swarbrick says she was relatively decent, but she says the wheels “fell off” in her later years. Had she known more about ADHD back then she says she would have arranged things differently and had a higher level of wellbeing.

Getting a diagnosis can end up becoming a “really expensive” process … “That lack of formal diagnosis then stands in the way of, and is a barrier to, what for some people is massively helpful medication.”

Part of the reason she decided to participate in the conversation surrounding ADHD is because of the privilege she holds as an MP. “I have a job to do as a representative that I take really seriously.

“Not only are her solutions quite different, she’s quite focused on them as well, so I think it helps make her a politician of the future. She’s not a normal politician.” “Having a role model like that is just massive. Oh goodness, it’s a little bit emotional when you think how brave Chlöe is, full stop. I think having a role model who isn’t the stereotype also really shakes it up in a useful way.”

“There’s a big conversation to be had about how we can recognise it in a way that’s helpful and how we can validate people’s experience in a useful way. I think Chlöe’s probably done a great job of starting that in a really positive way.”

ADHD affects 2 to 5 per cent of all children.

Here is the kicker though!

As you are aware, Chlöe, I have twice been involved in applications for Designated Character Schools (non-zoned) for Neuro-Diverse learners in or near your electorate but available to Year 7 – 13 students from across Auckland. Many of the students who come to the school with be Maori and Pasifika and low decile.

I have shown significant demand and the ability to deliver in our applications. A previous school I established, Mt Hobson Middle School, has deeply cared for all learners and students have gone on to NCEA Level 1 at 96%, UE at 69% and many have found their adult niche – like you have.

In turning us down the Minister/Ministry had tried to say that neuro-diverse are fully cared for in ordinary State schools. During the last few years, Parliament has been told that there are as many as 80,000 children with needs being under-cared for in our education system.

Your article notes there could be as many as 5% of children with ADHD. Add to this children with high anxiety, dyslexia, FAS, experiences of violence and other trauma in the home.

You have stated to me that you are hesitant to help as I had been critical of some Green Party policies! It is not about me. Please see your way past that.

This type of school is desperately needed and I believe the new government are more likely to make it happen – but please get behind such measures – especially for Auckland Central. Turn your informed sympathy to practical empathy.

Alwyn Poole
Innovative Education Consultants
www.innovativeeducation.co.nz
www.alwynpoole.substack.com
www.linkedin.com/in/alwyn-poole-16b02151/

Nayib Bukele just won re-election as President off El Salvador with 85% of the vote!

How?

He cracked down on gangs. Around 75,000 people got jailed – that is more than 1% of the population. Not all of them got trials, so this is no model for civil liberties. They built a new 40,000 capacity prison in seven months!

But El Salvador has gone from the highest murder rate in the world to a 95% drop in murders. Outwards migrations has halved as it has become safer. That is a drop of over 5,000 murders a year. El Salvador now has a lower murder rate than some US cities. It used to be over 6,000 and in 2023 it looks to have dropped to 154 homicides.

The WSJ reported:

But more than 60% of Salvadorans said they didn’t care if their government was democratic as long as it solved their day-to-day problems, according to a survey by Chile-based regional pollster Latinobarometro in 2021. 

I’m a big fan of democracy, but democratic governments have to actually perform their core roles well, the most critical being keep the country safe. If you fail at that, you fail.

1 News reports:

Lonely Planet’s revealed its top beaches to visit in its new travel guide book, Best Beaches.

Among the list is Te Whanganui-A-Hei/Cathedral Cove in the Coromandel Peninsula. The beach boasts a naturally formed rock archway, perfect for taking in the picturesque surrounds of the peninsula. …

Cathedral Cove and Awaroa Beach joined the likes of The Pass in Cape Byron, Australia; Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Sugar Beach in St Lucia on the list.

So our most iconic beach is rated one of the best in the world, yet DOC plans to do nothing about restoring access to it for a further year, at least.

What other country would allow one of their top tourist attractions to remain closed for years, while a government department consults on what to do?

The Herald reports:

There are nearly 60,000 New Zealanders overdue for a first appointment with a health specialist.

That’s a 67 per cent increase in 12 months, and health officials admit: “Referrals for first specialist assessments are greater than our capacity to treat.”

Amazing that Labour could increase spending by so much, yet have almost every indicator get far worse.

The Herald reports:

A plumbing industry body is calling for independent commissioners to look into Wellington City Council amid a tsunami of leaks in the capital.

The Wellington region is in level 2 water restrictions, meaning a ban on household garden sprinklers and irrigation systems, with a possible move to level 3 restrictions.

But at the same time, Wellington Water said the region had thousands of water leaks and estimated 45 per cent of the region’s water was being lost, prompting some residents to reroute the leaks to water their garden.

Master Plumbers chief executive Greg Wallace told Checkpoint Wellingtonians were fed up. …

Wallace said the council needed to stop doing band-aid patch jobs and move forward with a real replacement strategy. In the meantime, he said the isolation valves and tobies (a water shut-off valve) in all houses needed to be fixed.

“We need to stop bandaging the problem. What we’re doing is we’re digging up the road, fixing one leak, and 200m down the road that pipe that needed repair 40 years ago is going to leak again.

“We’re advocating for independent commissioners to go into the council … this problem has been around for decades. We’re still investing into cycleways, a new Town Hall and libraries, when we potentially could run out of water,” he said.

“It’s nothing else than financial mismanagement from this council.”

This is what the Council has chosen to spend money on, instead:

• Town Hall music venue $340 million
• Rebuild central library rather than use existing ones – $189 million
• A $13 million carpark building
• Cycleways $226 million
• Convention Centre $169 million
• $32 million corporate welfare for Reading Cinemas
• $139 million on the Golden Mile (removing cars)
• $236 million on food recycling

We need to hold those responsible accountable.

NBC reports:

WASHINGTON — The United States launched attacks against Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria on Friday, its first retaliatory strikes for the killing of three American soldiers in Jordan last weekend, according to an official at the Department of Defense.

U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, hitting facilities such as command and control operations, intelligence centers, rockets and missiles, and drone storage sites, according to the U.S. Central Command.

“Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world. But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.”

This seems like a proportionate response.

Radio NZ reports:

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the pandemic response last year delayed hearing public submissions until 2024 while the National-led coalition government reviewed its scope.

Public consultation will begin this month on expanding the inquiry’s scope to include:

• Use of multiple lockdowns
• Vaccine procurement and efficacy
• The social and economic impacts on both regional and national levels
• Whether the decisions made, and steps taken, were justified
• The cost-effectiveness of the government’s policies, and whether the rules set by the government appropriately balanced Covid-19 elimination with other goals
• The government’s utilisation of partnerships with business and professional groups
• The extent of disruption to New Zealanders’ health, education, and business as a result of the government’s policies
• If the government’s response was consistent with the rule of law
• How New Zealand’s pandemic preparedness compared to other countries

All these proposed additions are common sense. What is outrageous is they were not included in the first place by the Labour Government.