General Debate 28 December 2019

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Yvette

TV1 news at six yesterday evening featured Roan Milk using a portable milking truck towed right onto the paddock, and a system that allows calves to wean naturally, rather than separating them from mothers shortly after birth.
Ethical dairying – “the model aligns with the Government’s new vision for the farming sector unveiled this month”.

Response has blown the farming couple away
“We pretty well got rid of our 300 litres for the week in the first day”
“The couple are now keen to move into ethical cream, butter, dairy yoghurt and even flavoured milks – showing dairy no longer has to be dirty and can make for both happy customers and happy calves”

It was the subtle but assertive: “showing dairy no longer has to be dirty”
TV-1 News doing its part for Labour’s “dirty dairy” dirty politics campaign?

And they are looking at combining RNZ and TVNZ?
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December 28, 2019 8:01am
- MCos
  
  What it probably means is TV1 News is scratching around for content while all and sundry are on holiday and there’s no road deaths to report.
  
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  December 28, 2019 8:27am
- Humble Capitalist
  
  Yes I saw that on Evening Report as well
  
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  December 28, 2019 8:37am
- dog_eat_dog
  
  Fits in well with the Grey Lynn aesthetic. Dairy doesn’t have to about export quantity earning offshore receipts underpinning the entire rural economy! It can be mobile and web 2.0 and clean and natural and clean and not dirty and clean and then everyone can move to the cities and sit in gridlock all day while civil servants in Wellington play grab-ass with transport proposals.
  
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  December 28, 2019 8:52am
- fernglas
  
  300 litres per week is not a good return. They sell it for $4.50 per litre, so $1350 per week gross return. If that’s the future of dairy, it will be a fairly impoverished one.
  
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  December 28, 2019 9:00am
  - Paulus Gnome
    
    Tsk tsk tsk, those inconvenient facts getting in the way with a punch at ‘dirty dairying’
    
    How dare you!
    
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    December 28, 2019 9:42am
  - In Vino Veritas
    
    Fern, I’d say that the “farmers” in question are cherry picked, pretend dairy farmers. The tofu eating, tie-died kaftan, roman sandal wearing lot, who a green-sustainable farming eco warrior nuts.
    
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    December 28, 2019 9:52am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    On their face-book site they had priced their milk at $4.99 /litre….. perhaps they have dropped the price.
    
    They’ve only been selling their milk since September….still a bit early to see how successful their model is.
    (It proved uneconomic for them to deliver to Ashburton)
    
    If the average NZ dairy cow produces 40-50 litres milk/day (and that’s pretty low)…. then with 10 cows they should be getting about 3000 litres/week.
    
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    December 28, 2019 10:13am
    - Tall Man
      
      They’re “sharing” it with the calves…..
      
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      December 28, 2019 10:42am
      - GoVege
        
        And so they should, TM, so they should ! 🙂
        
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        December 28, 2019 1:23pm
  - Tall Man
    
    When we started buying fresh milk from the farm years ago we paid $2 per litre.
    
    Local places around here that sell from the farmgate are now charging $2.50 per litre.
    
    So, not only are they greenies they’re greedy.
    
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    December 28, 2019 10:43am
  - GoVege
    
    I’d happily pay $10 a litre if I knew I wasn’t pinching ALL the cow’s milk and her baby got a share too… 🙂
    
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    December 28, 2019 12:44pm
    - Tall Man
      
      And what do you plan to do with the babies?
      
      You won’t eat them so…………….
      
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      December 28, 2019 1:47pm
      - GoVege
        
        TM: I personally think they should give the cows something to miscarry their calf foetuses, but still get the cows to come into milk.
        Apparently they used to do this but some touchy individuals got upset about a few aborted cow foetuses around the farms.
        (Infinitely more preferable IMHO than putting them through calfbirth then taking the calves off them.)
        Or in this case the calves stay with their mums until weaned.
        What happens next?
        They get killed and eaten of course, hopefully as humanely as possible, for the many non-vegequarians amongst us.
        If by an incredible miracle we all turned vege I’m sure we could put the bulls to work pulling ploughs until they have earned a comfortable retirement. 🙂
        
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        December 28, 2019 3:31pm
      - Tall Man
        
        Oh dear vege… that’s a lot of ploughing to be done.
        
        Pretty sure we’d be fairly hungry though.
        
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        December 28, 2019 4:53pm
      - GoVege
        
        Cows have many uses, TM, besides after they’ve been deprived of their lives.
        I recall some clever entrepreneur in the US recently was charging people $50 an hour to come and cuddle a cow. 🙂 🙂
        
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        December 28, 2019 7:09pm
    - GoVege
      
      Seem to be a lot of grumpy downtickers here today….. did you poor grumps choke on your turkey or ham?? 🙂 🙂
      
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      December 28, 2019 7:12pm
- Inandout
  
  Yvette, when the TV news comes on it is a signal I must vacuum the swimming pool. They are like Stuff which refuses to discuss the climate argument; closed minds.
  
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  December 28, 2019 9:02am
  - Paulus Gnome
    
    We have the cleanest hair free shower traps and lint free under bed spaces in christiandom in our house . . .
    
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    December 28, 2019 9:44am
- Liberty
  
  Ethical dairying
  Hippy farmers with lefty cows that don’t shit on the grass.
  The leftist can have a warm fussy when they buy their ethical milk with their ethical coffee. Then get on their ethical bike and ride home on their ethical bike lane.
  
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  December 28, 2019 9:13am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  What happens to their bobby calves when they are weaned?
  
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  December 28, 2019 9:38am
  - Tall Man
    
    Transported to a magical place where every tree has an udder and there are no electric fences……………..
    
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    December 28, 2019 10:41am
  - GoVege
    
    Im sure they end up on someone’s dinner plate, Maggie, but at least they lived free in the fields and weren’t torn from their mummies when they were little babies….
    
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    December 28, 2019 12:39pm
    - GoVege
      
      Talking of tearing bubbas from their mummies, I saw the most terrible thing on a nature programme recently.
      (When are they going to put a warning at the start of some of these shows…”this may contain scenes distressing to the more sensitive viewer..”).
      There was a mummy seagull trying to move her chicks to the safety of the sea while a great big brute of a black-backed gull was following them.
      Suddenly the bast*rd reaches under her feathers and drags out one of her chicks.
      The poor mum fights desperately to hang onto her precious chick while trying to also protect her other babies, against this bird twice her size.
      Eventually she loses the battle and this total pr*ck of a gull grabs her chick off her and gulps it down.
      I know nature is red in tooth and claw, but surely showing this atrocity was beyond the pale….
      
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      December 28, 2019 1:33pm
  - KevO'Brien
    
    Who weans bobby calves?
    
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    December 28, 2019 4:34pm
- Tall Man
  
  https://www.roansdairy.co.uk/
  
  Is there a connection?
  
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  December 28, 2019 10:05am
- david
  
  While the dumbass who wrote the story for the talking head laid the claim that they were “reaping the rewards”, the cows were belly deep in grass (and weeds) and the calves were mature enough to be riding their mothers. Perhaps that was the subliminal message – play incest, the family game.
  
  I seriously doubt that the farming family in question will have a tax problem. Processing and selling (delivering too) 300litres of milk, cleaning and sterilising the bottles, paying rates on twice the acreage needed, running the irrigation system seen in the background, running the tractor needed to tow the mobile milking shed, buying red bands etc wouldn’t leave enough to buy the groceries.
  
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  December 28, 2019 10:24am
- GoVege
  
  I was glued to the screen watching that, and also found the “dirty dairying” comment somewhat gratuitous.
  
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  December 28, 2019 12:29pm
mark15

‘the model aligns with the Government’s new vision’
That is scary.
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December 28, 2019 8:35am
- RightFirstTime
  
  No need to be afraid Comrade. The government knows what is best for you.
  
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  December 28, 2019 12:13pm
cmm

Herald out-Heralding themselves again…

Our grim toll: Drowning deaths reach four in three days.

Headline picture: 3 lads going surfing.

People that drowned: A crabber in Northland, someone snorkeling in a lake; a swimmer out of their depth at a beach and someone in a harbour.

WTF have surfers got to do with any of that?
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December 28, 2019 8:37am
- cmm
  
  Oh, and where the hell is Hugzilla?
  
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  December 28, 2019 8:37am
  - Humble Capitalist
    
    I hear 8 weeks holiday in Oz but I cant believe its true……..Ive thought about it now and its totally believable for the PM select.
    In fact I dont todally reject that because its udderly true. The whole communidee is talking about it when they wonder what the kids living in poverdee are doing for the next 8 weeks
    
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    December 28, 2019 8:46am
    - Paulus Gnome
      
      Where are the school children eating now the City Mission has done its Christmas bash?
      
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      December 28, 2019 9:46am
      - Jules99
        
        My local pool will be providing free stuff for kids, including a lunch, during Jan, so I’m guessing that’s where they will be dropped off for the day.
        
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        December 28, 2019 10:19am
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      Yesterday’s Gizzy Herald reported that Jacinda Ardern had NOT been confirmed as a visitor to Rhythm & Vines…
      
      Perhaps she is confident of those 22,000 votes.
      (or maybe she just can’t bear another “music” festival)
      
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      December 28, 2019 10:21am
      - Tall Man
        
        Worried about the quality of the untested “goods”?
        
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        December 28, 2019 10:39am
- Komata
  
  cmm
  
  ‘Stereotypes’ old chap, stereotypes!
  
  Nothing whatsoever to do with the actual event, but merely to make the ‘association’ with water and ‘recreation’, especially in summer in NZ.
  
  Nothing new; it’s easier to use a ‘stock’ (on file) image than to actually have to search for something relevant to the narrative.
  
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  December 28, 2019 8:48am
- chaos
  
  Well if you bothered or read the article instead of launching into your usual unhinged rant you would first see under the photo of the boys with the surfboards.
  
  “ Surfboards belong at the beach, inflatable toys don’t”
  
  It’s part of a message they are pushing because of incidents at the beach the past week that surfboards belong at the ocean, not pool toys. But hey, why not let the article get in the way of your usual unhinged rant
  
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  December 28, 2019 9:11am
  - Tall Man
    
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sYK7lm3UKg
    
    😉
    
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    December 28, 2019 10:25am
- In Vino Veritas
  
  Um, yep cmm, and in my experience, surfers are strong swimmers. And know about water and water conditions. Typical Herald. Some wet behind the ears reporter reporting on something they dont understand using a stock picture.
  
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  December 28, 2019 10:18am
- Stephieboy2
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  cmm, there’s always your old favourites like the Daily Mail , Infowars etc to keep you titilated
  
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  December 28, 2019 10:42am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Children in control while the adults are on holiday
  
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  December 28, 2019 11:28am
- Greg Ettridge
  
  A photo of some recent arrivals would be more truthful, but very hurtful in many eyes.
  Don’t ever let the truth interfere with a good story.
  Have a son that has to retrieve the corpses as part of his job, he encounters more particular immigrants on a regular basis trying their luck for Salmon off slippery rocks and with king waves.
  “Shit happens”, they will not learn. If a dozen of your colleagues are swept away, surely the penny would drop.
  Might take another dozen to drive message home.
  
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  December 28, 2019 11:49am
Captain Mainwaring

Two is better than one.
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December 28, 2019 8:42am
- Tall Man
  
  Not when you are talking “divorce”……
  
  I always said that the bloke that says ” a bird in the hand is worth more that 2 in the bush” has never been in the bush with 2 birds 😉
  
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  December 28, 2019 10:47am
namron

Probably holidaying with the Gayfords at the bach at Mahia. Maybe preparing herself for a “look at me” appearance at “Rhythm and vines” next week.
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December 28, 2019 8:42am
- Greg Ettridge
  
  Won’t be a “look at me” like before last election with Rhythm and vines, with Julie Ann, Richie, and Jacinda as best buds. Lot of water has gone under the bridge since then. Not sure why this photo was removed from insta? Lucky you can de buddy on insta! Thought she may have just photoshopped Richie out of existence.
  
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  December 28, 2019 12:03pm
- Paulus
  
  Haven’t they gone to Sydney yesterday for an incognito holiday in NSW as they are unable to get any privacy in New Zealand.
  Gone to cuddle the firemen too.
  
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  December 28, 2019 2:11pm
info@cruzpro.com

Opinion piece on Stuff this morning. Gun ownership is a privilege not a right. I’m pretty sure that at one point gun ownership was a right. When did it become a privilege?

What next? Home ownership? Automobile ownership?
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December 28, 2019 9:02am
- slightlyrighty
  
  Actually, you need a licence to buy a car, or a firearm. I do believe that owning either is a responsibility. I know, and see evidence daily that there are some people who should not own a car. The same is true for firearms.
  
  That being said, the attitude of this government towards firearms is just stupid. We have had 71 people die this year because of drugged out drivers, and this government has done nothing for 2 years, and now wants to legalize pot?
  
  51 people were executed by a visitor to our country, and they banned guns in 6 days.
  
  Does anyone seriously think that a person hell bent on carrying out a mass shooting would be deterred from using an MSSA weapon because they are now illegal?
  
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  December 28, 2019 9:54am
  - theoldbloke
    
    Eveyone seems to forget that Tarrant originally considered a bomb. But changed to firearms to get more media exposure….
    Are but I forget. You were not allowed to read his rant(manefesto) because the gummint decided you eere not an adult and able to read it and make your own judgement.
    
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    December 28, 2019 11:22am
  - Chuck Bird
    
    Yes, Cindy.
    
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    December 28, 2019 12:39pm
- Wayne Mapp
  
  Gun ownership became a privilege when you had to have a licence to own one. In the same way having a drivers licence is a privilege. In both cases they require an examination before you can get one, and in the case of a gun licence character references. In both cases they can be taken off you for all sorts of reasons.
  
  Unlike owning a house or most portable property. Even if you are a criminal you can own a house and all sorts of other things. The government can’t easily take them off you. Only if they can directly prove you used actual proceeds of crime to acquire them.
  
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  December 28, 2019 10:25am
  - Jack5
    
    The distinction of “right” v. “privilege” in firearms ownership is more relevant to the United States than to New Zealand, especially in relation to gun ownership.
    
    According to the source below:
    
    The text of the [United States] Constitution refers to both privileges and rights, and uses “privileges” as a term of art denoting a class of rights that may be invoked defensively, to excuse one from a legal restraint or obligation. In another usage, privileges have both an inferior status to and a less permanent existence than rights, being subject to revocation by the government or to the imposition of conditions on their exercise.
    
    The source adds: “There is no foundation in the Constitution for the latter distinction.”
    
    https://www.encyclopedia.com/politics/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/right-privilege-distinction
    
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    December 28, 2019 1:20pm
  - Rodney Hide
    
    But Wayne that means simply that Parliament decides what is a right and what is a privilege. So free speech is a right until Parliament declares it a privilege. Or keeping slaves is okay until Parliament says its not? There surely have to be rights independent of Parliament which a Parliament or government might deny but not remove? For example, I believe we have a right to free speech irrespective of what government says. I also believe we have a right to be free despite government!
    
    Rodney Hide
    
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    December 28, 2019 1:39pm
- Sydney Alvarado
  
  You may say that in jest but I can see car ownership being stifled and made more expensive. In the event of a Labour Green government I am certain that there will be an announced ban on petroleum powered cars.
  
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  December 28, 2019 10:52am
  - Stephieboy2
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    Sydney Alvarado, silly things amuse silly people!
    
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    December 28, 2019 11:05am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    I don’t think they will ban petroleum powered cars, they need revenue. So the answer is to slap a huge levy on your registration if you are petrol powered.
    Maybe I should shut up before the leftie trolls pass that on to the COL
    
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    December 28, 2019 11:34am
    - sooty
      
      Are they going to give all bennies electric cars?
      
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      December 28, 2019 12:30pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        As long as they don’t give them to our cops…
        
        https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/24/police-spend-1500000-electric-cars-slow-catch-criminals-11956349/
        
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        December 28, 2019 1:50pm
      - Stephieboy2
        
        MW, you seem to selecthe msot repuatble of links,
        
        https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/27/man-batters-dead-fox-animal-rights-activists-car-boxing-day-hunt-11965241/ t
        
        And the BMW 3 top speed,
        
        93 mph
        
        The BMW i3 has a 130 kW (170 hp) electric motor mounted on the rear axle to drive the rear wheels and the top speed is limited to 150 km/h (93 mph).
        
        BMW i3 – Wikipedia
        
        Not bad in built-up and most other areas!
        
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        December 28, 2019 3:04pm
  - Ruawai
    
    The Government will probably increase the cost of registration for petrol/diesel cars while electric cars get free registration.
    
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    December 29, 2019 9:04am
Happychappy

When is the taxpayer going to say enough is enough you have had 36 million and you want more so you ca pull a rabbit before the Election to help you get a advantage in the race with National from the voters .
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/118186494/government-may-need-to-top-up-pike-river-mine-reentry-funds. Andrew Little is playing games with taxpayers money in the hope he can embarrass National and make a scene to grab the vote in 2020.
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December 28, 2019 9:18am
- JackRabbit
  
  Andrew Little is a crusader. He could have easily been a die hard religious nut in a previous life. A priests dog collar would suit him well, completing the picture of a sanctimonious preacher. The type that spends their entire waking moment convincing others to believe in God, while living a completely godless life himself.
  
  It would appear Little’s sole job is vote buying to win the next election, so they can continue buying votes for the following election and so on.
  
  Since they have no successes to report, all PR has to be about “fixing the mess made by National”, and the “nine years of neglect”. All the while racking up debt, and restricting civil liberties.
  
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  December 28, 2019 3:46pm
sooty

9.30 and only 4 posts?
Must be held up in moderation?
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December 28, 2019 9:34am
- John Warren
  
  Inefficient moderation is a real problem on Kiwiblog now.
  
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  December 28, 2019 9:48am
  - Sydney Alvarado
    
    Yes I agree. YSB is looking good.
    
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    December 28, 2019 10:04am
  - Tall Man
    
    Having had a vexatious relationship with moderators and moderation here I have been left extremely confused by the whole thing.
    
    There is an extreme lack of consistency and what seems like a bit of tit for tat as well.
    
    For example, moderation was introduced after 15 March ostensibly to eliminate some level of “hate” speech that could impact negatively on our host and his blog. I have no issue with that and we all know there were a couple of posters that had issues with one race/religion or another.
    
    I also fell victim to “moderation” over my description of ardern as a liar. No how that could be a negative impact on this blog was and still is a mystery to me as prior to 15 March it was not an issue yet post 15 March it was.
    
    Over the past few days, perhaps last week, a mod advised that “avoidance of litigation” was a driver of moderation so I’d like to know why calling out ardern for her dishonesty, not mine or our host’s, could result in litigation.
    
    I have seen many posters make reference to ardern’s dishonesty but me doing it was a problem… why? Because I did it so frequently. That puzzles me because if by doing so wouldn’t it reflect on me not the blog.
    
    I humourously suggested that I’d stop when she did but from memory that post got scrubbed.
    
    This week a mod referred to my “rants”. Isn’t the point of a blog to allow those that need a good rant the opportunity to do so?
    
    So yep, I’m confused about the whole thing and yes, in short, it completely fucks the discussion on a thread when a question is posed or a discussion is generating replies or comments and we hit a 3 hour pause.
    
    So, was this a rant?
    
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    December 28, 2019 10:37am
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      A couple of years ago I realised the way I interpreted the rules for KB were not the way they were enforced, so I was left with 2 alternatives …quit KB or suck it up.
      
      It’s like any relationship … it’s never perfect (from your own point-of-view).. so make it work for yourself if you think it’s worth commenting here.
      
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      December 28, 2019 11:38am
      - Tall Man
        
        Come on Maggy, any relationship that I’m a part of will always be perfect… Just ask my first wife if you don’t believe me ?
        
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        December 28, 2019 11:46am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Yes it is a rant – so rant on. I am convinced that some comments are held back so they don’t become part of the current subject being debated. By the time they are posted the topic has changed
      
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      December 28, 2019 11:39am
      - Batman
        
        I’ll enter this conversation to provide a bit of context, and not have a crack at anyone.
        
        Steve, your comment about holding back comments is not correct, though I can see how it might appear that way. Because of the way the comment queue works, the most recent comments are first. So, if a mod goes to clear a couple of pages of comments (20 per page) and gets distracted by something in real life, they might approve half and some older ones get left a bit longer.
        
        I can definitely say that no comments are held back to change the discussion. To be honest that would be too much work given we would have to go and read all the comments connected to it in a new tab, then go back and approve. There are simply too many to try and do that.
        
        It’s just one of the quirks of the WordPress system that the platform uses.
        
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        December 28, 2019 12:04pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Batman, I understand it is a huge job, but it does appear that way. The debating threads are lost – like having a conversation with yourself in an empty building
        
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        December 28, 2019 12:52pm
      - alloytoo
        
        @Batman
        
        Wouldn’t it facilitate the whole processes if Kiwiblog Pre-approved commentators (perhaps on request) who’s post have generally not required moderation.
        
        The request could include providing adequate proof of identity to Kiwiblog in respect of those who wish to continue posting under a pseudonym.
        
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        December 28, 2019 4:53pm
      - Michael
        
        yes, i think you are correct steve.
        it is dpf allowing the mods to deplatform people.
        
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        December 28, 2019 11:30pm
    - Paulus Gnome
      
      I am also out of sorts with the moderation here.
      
      I like this blog and recognise the skill, wit and intelligence of many of the commentators and, some not so much.
      
      If one or two of those commentators followed the lead of others that include WG, I will go as well.
      
      I don’t think for a minute that I will pass the hand in the bucket of water test. I would love to see my core affiliation group of other ex Island Bayites and Northshore commentators move as well (aside from Mr Bean whom I can most definitely do without) but, as with free speech, that is their prerogative.
      
      Batman, as a moderator, has got to be the worst choice although, slightly better than Morrisey and any of the Sboy’s.
      
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      December 28, 2019 11:46am
      - Batman
        
        Gnome, you should know that my comments as a commenter are completely separate from moderation.
        
        I do that kind of separation professionally. Keeping my private views separated from my work and advice as a former political staffer and currently as an official.
        
        So while I might throw a few barbs that you guys don’t like, it’s part of the nature of the blog. It’s fairly open and free.
        
        Needless to say, I get A LOT of shit thrown at me and called all sorts of insults, simply for presenting the facts as I see them. But they all get allowed by other mods and me because otherwise we would be abusing our positions and putting ourselves above criticism.
        
        What I’m saying is that you should trust that my moderation (which is 99% approving comments without any edits) is totally separate from comments I make under my username. I will never use moderation as a way you win an argument or something.
        
        I am totally confident that I can either hold my own, or let someone ‘win’ an argument I can’t be bothered with.
        
        And by the way, I am a Nat/Act voter through and through. I am socially liberal like DPF but am totally allergic to left wing rubbish.
        
        And before anyone says it, yes I would probably be a red state Democrat in the US. The Republican party is far too broken and religious for my liking.
        
        5 9
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        December 28, 2019 12:59pm
      - Paulus Gnome
        
        Yeah nah Bat, there are comments in your moderation that should best be left in your mind.
        
        You sometimes overreach your moderator objectivity and it is noticeable leaving the perception of bias and, the reason perhaps, some of us, Tallman included, feel agrieved with your technique and extremely piss poor timing in putting any contributions up.
        
        9 2
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        December 28, 2019 2:36pm
    - Batman
      
      Tall Man, so a couple of things to cover in your comment.
      
      Regarding pre and post March 15 in terms of defamation and deleting such comments: before March 15 it was extremely hard to track such stuff, as it had to be reported to DPF and he had to manually review and either take no action, punish, strike and manually put a ban in place.
      
      Post 15 March that still happens, but now the blog has far more eyes on every comment, so that detection can be enforced more easily. It’s not due to 15 March but is a side effect of the changes made.
      
      Second, regarding your references to Ardern being a liar: you may notice that far more of your references get through these days, that is because you have actually done what was needed and tied the references to examples that in your view make the claim true.
      
      What DPF and the Mods wanted to stop was the batches of comments, sometimes a dozen or more, that were simply replying to multiple commenters that Ardern is a liar, without a lot of evidence or argument behind them. Basically we wanted you to tone it down and you’ve done that.
      
      Yes the point of General Debate is to have a bit of a rant but there’s a point at which it becomes unhelpful for moderators and other commenters who want their comments approved. We are way more lenient with GD so if you want to construct an essay on all the examples of Ardern telling fibs then by all means type it up for GD. Going through other threads and bringing up the same thing, which can be connected but is not the actual point of the post, isn’t helpful for discussion of that topic.
      
      We appreciate that gaps in moderation aren’t ideal and can be really annoying. The reality is that the people who have volunteered to be mods are all relatively busy folks who don’t have moderation as a main hobby. It would seem that the most frequent commenters have not volunteered to moderate.
      
      Now, I am not having a go at anyone who hasn’t volunteered. Everyone has reasons, whether it be identity protection, time, simply not wanting to, or knowing they wouldn’t be a good fit for it. That’s absolutely fine. The thing to remember is that we are all volunteers wading through thousands of comments a month on top of jobs, babies, family and all that stuff. Obviously commenters have those factors as well!
      
      Finally, you said that “That puzzles me because if by doing so wouldn’t it reflect on me not the blog.”
      
      The unfortunate reality is that the blog owner is responsible for all of the comments. So when people put up stuff that is getting close to slander of public figures, it has to be tamped down a bit.
      
      Same goes for the really objectionable stuff that isn’t illegal, this blog does not exist to give those people a platform for espousing their racial purity theories or anti-Semitism.
      
      Ok I think that covers it!
      
      Have a good one! 🙂
      
      10 7
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      December 28, 2019 12:39pm
      - Jack5
        
        ? You have been eavesdropping on Batman chatting to his neighbours as he polishes the Batmobile. ?
        
        0 3
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        December 28, 2019 1:25pm
      - Batman
        
        Haha if only I was in such wealthy company ?
        
        3 2
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        December 28, 2019 1:29pm
      - Tall Man
        
        I get the basic gist but………… I have never knowingly defamed anyone and I truly believe calling ardern a liar is neither defamatory nor untrue.
        
        You may also remember back in the golden days before March 15 my “ardern is a liar” comment was primarily directed at steffy girl. I still find her rantings tedious and you may also remember that my constant badgering did tone her down a tad eventually but I now no longer reply to her as I belief there is a missing sandwich in that particular picnic basket and baiting was a potential for harm.
        
        It may also interest you to know that YSB also deleted a bunch of my comments when I got particularly sick of a poster whose usage of free speech was tantamount to being malicious to an innocent person.
        
        I don’t like bullies and abuse of those that cannot respond just for kicks.
        
        You are most welcome to read and delete as my comments aren’t particularly relevant to the general discussion or of interest to others but more of a comment directed at you guys.
        
        9 1
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        December 28, 2019 1:58pm
      - JackRabbit
        
        @Tall Man
        
        Sorry accidentally ticked report instead of reply.!
        
        3 1
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        December 28, 2019 3:48pm
      - JackRabbit
        
        @Tall Man
        
        It is not only Ardern that is a liar. The entire Labour party leadership team lie, obfuscate the truth, or promise things they know they cannot possibly deliver on. This is an indicator of hidden contrary agendas, i.e. tyranny, and we should be very afraid.
        
        12 1
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        December 28, 2019 3:57pm
Paulus Gnome

How many over $100k work in local government and how many over $250k work in national government and, how many Stephen Town’s are there on $600k appearance money as the town clerk?

No pun intended.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/117257165/data-shows-there-are-185000-new-zealanders-whove-hit-international-millionaire-status
12 1
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December 28, 2019 9:39am
- MCos
  
  If you’re worried about other people’s ‘inflated’ incomes don’t look at the salaries forked out by the failing Fonterra.
  Around 6000/21000 staff paid more than $100,000 including 24 more than a million dollars p.a.
  
  6 1
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  December 28, 2019 11:33am
G152

I see fake news is maintaining its output for the slaving masses who BELIEVE.
5 3
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December 28, 2019 9:54am
- Stephieboy2
  
  “..its output for the slaving masses..”
  
  ????
  
  Joe and Jane Public are not as stupid as you might wish to believe.
  
  0 18
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  December 28, 2019 11:07am
Sydney Alvarado

I am in Tasmania visiting family. The place is heaving with tourists. Great restaurants and vineyards.

I notice that Tasmania has a “Department of State Growth” . Its sole job is to drive policies that promote growth. I was driving past a new road construction yesterday sponsored by this government agency. There was a sign “Roads for our Future “.

I was thinking this place would be the Green Party’s worse nightmare. I’m having a great time.
35 2
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December 28, 2019 10:02am
- Tall Man
  
  From memory the green party movement is quite strong in Tasmania, they are just balanced out by normal people.
  
  Unfortunately, the coalition here is a little light on “normal” people.
  
  20 2
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  December 28, 2019 11:06am
  - Sydney Alvarado
    
    Yes but there is no MMP so the Greens have no power. The government here are not environmental vandals but they are pro growth and pro roads. It is great.
    
    21 2
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    December 28, 2019 12:11pm
    - Steve Todd
      
      “Yes but there is no MMP so the Greens have no power.”
      
      Not quite right, Sydney. The Tazzies have something much better than MMP; it’s called STV.
      
      The 25-member Tasmanian House of Assembly is elected by PR/STV (known in Tasmania as Hare-Clark), from five 5-member divisions. Currently, the Greens have two seats and yes, have no power. But that is because the Liberals have an absolute majority of 13 seats (on 50.26% of the vote), not because “there is no MMP.”
      
      It wasn’t always the case. Following the 2010 election, Labor and the Liberals had 10 seats each (on 36.88% and 38.99% of the vote, respectively), and the Greens five (on 21.61% of the vote). Not only is that near perfect proportionality, but Labor and the Liberals each won two seats in each division, and the Greens won one seat in each division.
      
      Labor and the Greens eventually formed a coalition government.
      
      3 1
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      December 28, 2019 3:22pm
      - Sydney Alvarado
        
        Thank you for that correction..
        
        2 0
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        December 28, 2019 6:56pm
      - Steve Todd
        
        You’re welcome.
        
        0 0
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        December 29, 2019 9:28am
- Stephieboy2
  
  Do they still have loose metal roads in Tassie?
  
  3 26
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  December 28, 2019 11:14am
  - Paulus Gnome
    
    They do! Just like in rated to sphincter clenching level, Rodney.
    
    5 2
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    December 28, 2019 11:49am
  - Sydney Alvarado
    
    Why are you such a dick?
    
    15 4
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    December 28, 2019 12:12pm
- Inandout
  
  Hobart airport is now full sized for planes so why haven’t the direct fights from NZ resumed?
  
  3 1
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  December 28, 2019 3:12pm
  - Sydney Alvarado
    
    Because the routes would not be profitable.
    
    2 0
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    December 28, 2019 6:58pm
Stephieboy2

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Interesting!

Something for Climate Change deniers to mull over before they reach out for their selection of Xmas nuts like “Watts Up With That?“ , Joanne Nova, Judith Curry, Christopher Monckton etc

“Marine heatwave pushes temperatures 5C above normal”

“A marine heatwave measuring almost one million square kilometres has been detected off the east coast of New Zealand.

The heatwave has pushed the ocean temperature up by about 5C above the normal temperature of 15C.

The large blob was identified by thermal imaging from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Victoria University Professor of Physical Geography James Renwick said the heatwave was likely to be caused by warm northerly winds and extended periods of sunshine.

Dr Renwick said, while heatwaves were not unusual, they were happening more often due to the global warming.

He also said marine life was likely to be affected….”

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/406304/marine-heatwave-pushes-temperatures-5c-above-normal
2 39
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December 28, 2019 10:51am
- Jules99
  
  Interesting. As reported in NewsHub:
  
  The warm spot is “just one of the things that happens quite naturally”, he said.
  
  Despite the warm temperature of the blob, Renwick said this is NOT a product of climate change.
  
  “The oceans have warmed up, there’s a small component of climate change in everything but most of this warming is natural variability.”
  
  https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/12/massive-warm-blob-forms-off-new-zealand-coast-what-it-means-for-kiwis.html
  
  My emphasis
  
  20 2
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  December 28, 2019 1:04pm
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Yep,
    The MSM have been running with varying clips of what Renwick said.
    
    11 2
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    December 28, 2019 1:29pm
    - Stephieboy2
      
      Id tend to run with what RNZ has reporterd. Not our local version of the Daily Mail!
      
      1 10
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      December 28, 2019 3:09pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        More fool you
        
        An longer version was published in The Guardian… a real bastion of Climate-change Alarmism.
        
        A spike in water temperature of up to 6C above average across a massive patch of ocean east of New Zealand is likely to have been caused by an “anti-cyclone” weather system, a leading scientist says.
        
        Renwick said the blob could be linked to rising atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions, as a result of climate change, but he expected it was overwhelmingly due to natural variability – a strong high pressure system and a lack of wind.
        
        “It’s not uncommon to see patches of warmer water off New Zealand but this magnitude of four, five, up to six degrees is pretty unusual,” Renwick said.
        
        “It’s probably a very thin layer of ocean that has warmed up and there hasn’t been any wind to cool it for several weeks.”
        https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/27/hot-blob-vast-and-unusual-patch-of-warm-water-off-new-zealand-coast-puzzles-scientists
        
        8 1
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        December 28, 2019 4:55pm
  - JackRabbit
    
    Maybe KB could put up a graphic of its own, a BS meter to track the honesty of statements made by politicians. 0-100 with 0 being true (blue) and 100 being downright false (red). Greta would be constantly in the red section.
    
    5 2
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    December 28, 2019 4:03pm
- JackRabbit
  
  Yep, and its all complete with doctored images that show the elevated temperature in red.
  
  4 2
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  December 28, 2019 4:00pm
Maggie Pie

HONESTLY – last night was as funny as a fart! 😀
My partner suggested I go and get some Thai takeaways for dinner and we have them on the boat. So we motor just around the corner by Big Manly cliff and drop anchor. Anyway, he gives me his rod to hold while he’s warming up the duck curries, and suddenly i get this huge bite! Ten minutes later I’ve landed a 4kg GT all by myself.
The funniest thing is he’d been miles out earlier on and hadn’t even had a sniff.

LOL!!
25 4
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December 28, 2019 11:04am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  My Goodness, do we get GTs in NZ Waters?
  
  Do you think they’ve come down in Stephieboy’s hot blob of water?
  
  11 1
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  December 28, 2019 1:16pm
  - Maggie Pie
    
    Not ‘Gin & Tonics’ silly!
    TREVS 😀
    
    8 2
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    December 28, 2019 1:39pm
- Inandout
  
  Maggie, the fish suddenly cottoned on to the smell of your Christmas perfume and it jumped for joy.
  
  3 1
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  December 28, 2019 3:16pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Good eating, good strip baits
  
  2 2
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  December 28, 2019 6:33pm
  - Maggie Pie
    
    YUP – the poor thing has already been cut up for bait.
    [And it seems i might have misled the group with the weight – looks like my partners old pulley thing is in LBS.]
    
    2 0
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    December 28, 2019 7:03pm
JibberJabber

?
https://twitter.com/AlsBoy/status/1210565301475131393
4 1
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December 28, 2019 11:05am
curry4me

The geopolitics of the South China Sea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcFiJwpvmq0&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1T5ewu3qcurCuhpD2OTiWJtSotn3GA6bLAI-fEfc00VuZ20lq5fHAKBM8
2 3
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December 28, 2019 11:20am
- Stephieboy2
  
  There appears to be good one about the Congo Holocaust too,
  ‘
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alg33ey4ejo
  
  2 8
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  December 28, 2019 3:12pm
curry4me

The BBC could be for sale by next Christmas. If it was up to me, I’d just close the whole thing down tomorrow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqxjxLnVIGo
14 2
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December 28, 2019 11:21am
- DigNap15
  
  And I’d sell TVNZ
  
  5 2
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  December 28, 2019 5:34pm
Maggie Pie

THIS JUST IN….

If you’re not ALREADY following my twitter bestie ‘Sofia’ – i suggest you do so NOW
if for no other reason 😀

https://twitter.com/pulpyfictorious/status/1210684558875779072
5 3
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December 28, 2019 12:23pm
- sooty
  
  T
  
  0 1
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  December 28, 2019 3:11pm
Jack5

Dutch ditch official use of the name “Holland”.

From now on it’s all and only “the Netherlands”.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/holland-no-more-dutch-government-officially-drops-nickname-20191227-p53n2p.html
7 5
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December 28, 2019 12:57pm
- Jack5
  
  WTF would you down-tick the Dutch ditching the name “Holland”, which is for only part of the country, for “the Netherlands”?
  
  Down ticker, surely you don’t think it’s the end of windmills, clogs, and dykes (the farming type)?
  
  7 6
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  December 28, 2019 1:29pm
  - Tall Man
    
    I think she may be worried about the loss of the dykes.
    
    8 3
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    December 28, 2019 2:02pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Missed by many
      
      2 2
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      December 28, 2019 6:35pm
  - G152
    
    Holland is the English word for Netherlands
    
    3 4
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    December 28, 2019 2:26pm
    - lifesgood
      
      Just as well they didn’t call it the Netherregions.
      
      3 3
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      December 28, 2019 4:08pm
      - Jack5
        
        Saturday night trivia…
        
        Dutch people don’t call themselves “Dutch”. They describe themselves as Nederlanders.
        
        Here’s an explanation at the web site Quora, from Linda van den Berg, a ~~Dutchess~~ Dutch woman:
        
        Dutch is the anglicised version of Diets.
        
        Diets means “(the language) of the people” in older Dutch. It has the same origin of the German word for German: Deutsch, and the Dutch word for German: Duits.
        
        Like many people all over the world, the West Germanic people too referred to themselves as “the people”.
        
        The Dutch call themselves not Diets anymore these days and it has become an archaic word in the Dutch language. We use the word Nederlands, which means “(language) of the lowlands”.
        
        The English language kept the word Dutch in use, rather than adopting “Netherlandish”.
        
        3 0
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        December 28, 2019 7:01pm
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Bollocks. Holland is only part of the Netherlands.
      
      0 0
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      December 28, 2019 8:10pm
Maggie Pie

My partners out on his paddleboard and i’m watching him from the deck – glass of Bol in hand 😀
Just got this FAB pic from Mills on Insta – sent her ‘Loving Wishes’ from all at KB in return.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6l2fpmnhPm/
5 5
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December 28, 2019 1:31pm
- Tall Man
  
  Her dad would be so proud………………..
  
  11 2
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  December 28, 2019 2:01pm
  - sooty
    
    The dog looks like a good mate to have!
    
    3 1
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    December 28, 2019 3:16pm
  - Sydney Alvarado
    
    It looks hideous.
    
    11 1
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    December 28, 2019 3:17pm
- lifesgood
  
  That’s revolting. Just wait till she’s old and saggy.
  
  8 2
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  December 28, 2019 4:09pm
- fightingtemeraire
  
  What amazes me is that you see a lovely looking young “lady” walking down the street and as you get closer they are covered in tattoos. They think that this makes them more “beautiful”. It doesn’t.
  
  I have been told that people who are tattooed have ended up being operated for cancer on and the surgeons have found that area are full of tattooers ink
  
  9 3
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  December 28, 2019 5:05pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  What job does she have now?
  
  4 2
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  December 28, 2019 6:37pm
  - Maggie Pie
    
    Social Media Influencer.
    
    3 0
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    December 28, 2019 6:48pm
- hookerphil
  
  I bags to do the tattoos.
  
  3 0
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  December 28, 2019 8:59pm
Jack5

Bank branch closures in Australia are speeding up, as customers immerse in “digital banking”.

Surely the same will happen to those banks’ branches in New Zealand?

https://www.theage.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/shutting-the-door-bank-branches-close-at-faster-rate-than-ever-before-20191211-p53j12.html
7 2
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December 28, 2019 1:47pm
- Sydney Alvarado
  
  Yes and Shane Jones will condemn the closures.
  
  5 1
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  December 28, 2019 3:16pm
  - Tall Man
    
    Unless the “foundation” has been “rewarded”.
    
    5 2
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    December 28, 2019 4:56pm
Biscuit

Hmmm, two General Debates today?

Which to join, heh heh…

Am having fun here, chortling at our Minister of Sport, Grant Robertson, sitting at the MCG watching New Zealnad batsmen fall over themselves even more convincingly than Liverpool’s so-called ‘chasers’ in the 2019/20 EPL are.
9 2
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December 28, 2019 3:58pm
Tall Man

Draw your own conclusions.

https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/top-baby-surname-reflects-new-zealands-changing-demographics/
6 5
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December 28, 2019 5:00pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Well my surname is unique.
  DILIGAF
  
  4 2
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  December 28, 2019 6:41pm
Inandout

Obama was donkey deep.

https://thefederalist.com/2019/10/28/how-the-obama-administration-set-in-motion-democrats-coup-against-trump/
6 4
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December 28, 2019 5:13pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Both Barry and Mike donkey deep into each other
  
  6 4
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  Report
  December 28, 2019 6:43pm

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