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February 15, 2022 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 15 February 2022

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General Debate

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NeverMindTheBollocks

I went down to the protest last night. What a party – way better than the Newtown Fair! Pumping music, friendly people, food trucks, mud & a mosh pit. Jacinda is keen on the summer festivals; you’d think she’d be pleased.

And it’s a bit hypocritical for the Council to be moaning about the parked up vehicles – it’s been the biggest increase in pedestrianisation since the Cuba Mall.
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February 15, 2022 8:00am
- Stellaboxer
  
  Ardern said it was unlike any other protest we have seen in NZ before. She said that it looked “imported”. I would suggest if it is imported it’s because it’s combating imported politics the likes of which NZ has never seen before.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:30am
  - Yabster
    
    Yep cindy has imported the WEF point of view not to mention a bit of Schwab and Xi…
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:34am
  - lastmanstanding
    
    Supporters of the Nats and ACT should think carefully about the actions of their Party and its Leaders.
    Rather than meet and welcome the protesters to the grounds of The House of Representatives ( think on that) listen respectfully to what they said, tell them the Parties didnt agree but respected their right to an alternative view and their right to protest, the Parties and their Leaders have condemned outright the subject of the protest.
    
    I ask was this ignorance on the part of the Party Leaders and their Parties or deliberate. Its not the subject of the protest thats important in this case its the right and freedom to protest thats the nub of the issue.
    
    We know Labour Greens Maori only agree with a protest when they agree with the subject of the protest but thats because their ignorant Socialists/Communists who dont believe in individual freedom.
    
    But are the Nats and ACT now of the same mind. They only believe in protest when they believe in the subject of the protest because thats what their behaviour has demonstrated,
    
    BTW before the down ticking brigade swing into action I suggest they think on what Voltaire said and decide if they really believe in freedom or only their version of freedom no one elses.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:36am
    - slightlyrighty
      
      When the protestors arrived, some were waving Trump 2024 flags.
      
      There were parts of that protest that no party would want to acknowledge, and as such, all parties stayed away.
      
      In the last week, the protests have developed a leadership which has eliminated or downplayed the more extreme views in the group. The removal of swastikas, the removal of Far Right Rhetoric and Q-Anon support, the Mad Anti-Vax element, has been done to filter down to a simple main message. The removal of Mandates.
      
      However, I feel the damage has been done.
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:55am
      - Nickc2
        
        I heard this morning that John Minto was going to join in the protest. Should they admit him, they’ve lost my support (such as it is).
        With him in the tent, he’ll appoint himself as the spokesman for the protest, make speeches, etc and that will give the politicians even more ammunition to be used against them and thus their removal.
        BTW, I’m surprised Sue Bradford hasn’t joined the protest. She’s not one to let a protest go by without prodding the thing.
        
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        February 15, 2022 12:30pm
    - Surely Knott
      
      “This isn’t just about the protestors at parliament – there are hundreds of thousands of everyday kiwis who are fed up with the totalitarian self-serving nature which these mandates have been enforced.” Rt Hon. Winston Peters.
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:56am
      - Surely Knott
        
        Quebec Premier François Legault opposes a (federal) state of emergency in Quebec saying:
        “We do not wish to have a state of emergency in Quebec. It’s not necessary and it’s time to bring together not divide.”
        
        So why is it not necessary in Quebec but it is in NZ. Omicron is not a significantly different or new respiratory disease . Covid is 2 years old and many mutations on, and should be dealt with like other respiratory viruses. There is no basis for the totalitarian divisive hateful controlling emergency powers, the only justification is governments enjoying the power and control.
        
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        February 15, 2022 10:13am
      - lastmanstanding
        
        It would appear the vast majority of the protesters are peaceful.
        By refusing to engage with them the Political Elite are showing themselves up to not be representatives of the people.
        #notmyrepresentatives.
        
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        February 15, 2022 12:27pm
      - Sarkozygroupie
        
        Yes WP is correct.
        
        He is also the man that handed us this Labour Govt on a platter.
        
        Never forget that.
        
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        February 15, 2022 12:36pm
      - RightFirstTime
        
        And there are hundreds of thousands of everyday Kiwis who are fed up with the totalitarian self-serving nature of the Rt. Hon. Winston Peters.
        
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        February 15, 2022 12:41pm
      - Liberty
        
        Great post until you did plug for some has-been charlatan.
        
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        February 15, 2022 1:58pm
      - covfefe
        
        Hasn’t covid made strange bedfellows? For me, totally pro-vaccine, I find myself sympathising with anti-vaccers and admiring Winston – arrggh !!!
        
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        February 15, 2022 6:59pm
    - All_on_Red
      
      Voltaire didnt have to deal with a Green activist sneaking up behind Luxon or Seymour, holding up a Swastika, and the Media taking the photo they would run over and over again.
      
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      February 15, 2022 10:00am
      - Colville
        
        Yip.
        If Luxon visits the protest and gets asked if he supports it he will have to say he generally supports it.
        Susie the Pink Hair says they are White Supremacists.
        Headline is “Luxon supports Nazis” with supporting quotes from a mate of the repeater who wasnt even there.
        
        Nat/ACT are on a hiding to nothing, just leave it as a huge festering sore for the peoples princess to sort out along with her thug mate the Duck.
        
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        February 15, 2022 10:36am
      - Rodion Raskolnikov
        
        Trump won two elections with the entire corporate media and allied against him. This idea that “whatever we do, we mustn’t upset the media” is a non-starter. It’s a hinderance. Why are the MSM deemed the arbiters of acceptable political discourse? Pandering to your enemy is never a good strategy. Only the chronically bewildered watch or listen to corporate media anymore (hence the necessity to prop them up artificially). The media love a spectacle, so a full-on conflict would be guaranteed to receive very widespread coverage and, as was the case with Trump, it will actually help not hinder.
        
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        February 15, 2022 12:06pm
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      The problem is there is the Tamiki element, no point supporting them when those fools are infiltrating
      
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      February 15, 2022 10:05am
      - Sean OConnor
        
        Why not? Since when was a peaceful protest judged entirely by the most fringe element?
        
        If the mandates had an end date, 90% of the protestors would be gone.
        
        TBH, Brian Tamaki was right about this and has shown better judgement than our “sensible” right wing politicians.
        
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        February 15, 2022 1:10pm
    - Rodion Raskolnikov
      
      “Its not the subject of the protest thats important in this case its the right and freedom to protest thats the nub of the issue.”
      
      Wrong. The subject of the protest is of immense importance, and given that it is about coerced medical procedures and the unjust segregation of society, severe human rights violations that are both of without any evidential or logical foundation, then it’s probably the most pressing subject of any protest in the country’s history.
      
      Yes, we have a right to protest and air our views. But it doesn’t end there: action must be taken as a consequence. Lawmakers, aside from not having protestors arrested, also have an obligation to genuinely listen to grievances in good faith, and if the protesters have a better case than their own (which they do), to act accordingly and change policy course. It’s no good simply being allowed to remain there, for politicians to feign concern and pretend to listen, and then ultimately say “thanks for coming” and change nothing at all.
      
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      February 15, 2022 11:12am
      - G the giant from Dunedin
        
        There is only one party trying to impinge on the rights too protest, , and we s know who that is
        
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        February 15, 2022 1:01pm
    - Westie Bob
      
      I think the Nats and ACT were more wary about how the media would have spun any interaction with the protesters. With good reason imo.
      
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      February 15, 2022 4:30pm
  - rouppe
    
    She’s just looking for any excuse to deflect legitimacy.
    
    Personally I think some of the components of the protest are diluting its message. The Trump references, Tiro Rangatiratanga, Destiny Church, don’t help the message.
    
    I do admire the fortitude.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:40am
    - ClanMcleod
      
      Protests are what they are. You dint get to vet and interview people for these things. There is no right wing element. No more than there is a Trumper standing at the end of the bar when you go in for a drink. It’s a media construct supporting Arderns narrative.
      
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      February 15, 2022 4:55pm
  - Ruawai
    
    It is not the right sort of protest as it is against her and her government.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:49am
  - Lee C
    
    Agreed, Stella.
    
    Was thinking about the irony of one who is in the International Socialist Youth, who is implementing a global ‘Big pharma’ agenda, under Schwab’s tutelage to promote a new world order, commenting on how grass-roots kiwis protesting about the implementation of the above, are ‘imported’.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:59am
  - banksie
    
    It is interesting she said that. After all she went down to meet and greet the Black Lives Matter protest which is definitely an imported cause too.
    
    This is just a further attempt by her to claim it isn’t a genuine sentiment from a chunk of the NZ population.
    
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    February 15, 2022 4:29pm
  - Jim
    
    I strongly suspect Ardern is far more concerned with her international reputation than NZ citizens.
    
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    February 15, 2022 6:13pm
- lastmanstanding
  
  Heh Trev Victorian Police used rubber bullets on their anti vax protesters. Way to go eh Trev. Come on you know you want to.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:45am
  - lastmanstanding
    
    Heh Trev. That balcony outside your office would make a great gun platform. Think about it.
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:05am
    - gravedodger
      
      Bit like a book depository window in fact.
      
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      February 15, 2022 10:24am
- Justitia
  
  The effete, university “educated” Left now find with the protest they are confronted by an authentic Working Class movement including many Maori that is beyond their control or ability to influence. They have deliberately turned these people into pariahs and created “two classes of people (yip,yip)” through their mandates and now discover their whole worldview based on Leftist theory seriously challenged. No wonder they bluster that the protest has to be “imported” or the work of “white supremacists” . Their critical theory-based intellectual framework has been exposed as fetid mush.
  
  If Luxon or Seymour had any nous let alone courage they would have seized this opportunity as their “Red Wall” moment. I despair for the quality of our political leadership and for the future of this country.
  
  Go the protesters, your rights have been violated at the direction of the State – do not give up until these meaningless and coercive mandates are trashed.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:14am
  - crackle
    
    All they really need to say is when you deliberately create two classes of people dont be suprised when the deplorables decide not to follow the rules. Nicely puts the whole thing on Ardens shoulders.
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:34am
    - maggiemay
      
      I wonder if the pm has had her Hillary Clinton deplorable moment.
      
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      February 15, 2022 11:30am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        You mean throwing empty vodka bottles at the walls?
        
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        February 15, 2022 1:37pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      There’s always been two classes of people of NZ..and clearly Labour has lost the ability to communicate with ordinary working folk, let alone the “ferals” and those hanging out on struggle street.
      
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      February 15, 2022 2:25pm
  - Observer of Life
    
    Just: “ Go the protesters, your rights have been violated..” No OUR rights have been violated. This protest is for every single kiwi’s freedoms.
    
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    February 15, 2022 2:05pm
    - Justitia
      
      Fair point. And they continue to be.
      
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      February 15, 2022 4:52pm
  - banksie
    
    Sadly Luxon has shown no spine and is going to purely chase polling data – he has supported the government not meeting with the protestors and is saying no one in National will either.
    
    Don’t think I’ll be voting National next election.
    
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    February 15, 2022 4:32pm
- Overworked
  
  And now that more money is in the works the media are largely swinging in behind Ardern.
  
  The contemptuous spin they are putting on some of their remarks is clearly biased by their personal views. Simon Wilson for instance has written a disgracefully unprofessional opinion piece for this morning’s Herald. I know it’s opinion but the man is either socially biased or thick or both. Low-income people mostly not on benefits: eww.
  
  Likewise the tone of some of the questions in yesterday’s standup – about the “death threats” in particular clearly showed that the nice girls with the rounded vowels who were asking the questions were operating on disgust that the plebs are getting out of line.
  
  Death threat my backside. Saying someone should be hung is a pretty standard expression of disapproval. It’s rhetorical hyperbole and should be seen as such.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:47am
  - nathie
    
    There are photos about of when National were last in govt and protesters at the time did a mock beheading of JK, BE and JC (using photos of them with their heads chopped off).
    
    Did we hear National back then trying to paint the entire protest as people issuing “death threats”, with a sympathetic media supporting the govt line (like what Labour are doing now)? No of course not!
    
    Labour’s current approach (of using the “death threat” excuse), supported by left-wing Twitter activists and some MSM journos, have something in common with Sprinkler Mallard – despicable!
    
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    February 15, 2022 12:18pm
- Viva Christo Rey
  
  Talking to several people who have been to the protests and all say the same thing: everything the government and the media are saying about the protests is an utter lie.
  
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  February 15, 2022 5:30pm
- wilderbeast
  
  100%. Equally rich for the government and MSM to cry “destruction of businesses” and “obstruction of people going about their lives” after a few days of protest when government servants have deserted the central city (“working from home”) over two years – following the lead of government policy and weak bosses who have forgotten what public service means.
  
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  February 15, 2022 6:18pm
- lastmanstanding
  
  Sadly I dont think this will ned well. Treating the protestors like terrorists or hostage takers and refusing to enter into a dialogue will prove to be a big mistake. As will leaving this long. As Lance Burdett ( an expert ) said after 2 or 3 days to let them vent a dialogue should have opened after asking them to nominate a couple of spokespeople and this dialogue should have take place on neutral ground to keep the temperature low as possible,
  
  The Muppet Coster is now talking about bringing the military in to move the vehicles. Gee. That going to keep things calm as the HVs crash and bash thru to retrieve the protestors vehicles.
  
  This is about Politicians Officals Police who are out of touch with the people. Who inhabit ivory towers far removed from the folk. This a about Elites who dont care that their actions cause harm and misery. This is about Elites who only care about power for the sake of power.
  
  May God defend the protestors and their right to protest. The Politicians Officials and Police wont.
  
  #notmyrepresentatives.
  
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  February 15, 2022 7:01pm
Frank the tank

LOCK HER UP, LOCK HER UP, LOCK HER UP

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dni-ratcliffe-durham-intelligence-indictments-fbi-trump-russia-probe

Be funny if Crooked went to jail and Trumpy didn’t
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February 15, 2022 8:04am
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  Oh look, media lied for 4 years, and turns out the actual criminals were the ‘good guys’ of the left. Of course there is deathly silence on the matter from legacy media.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:01am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Why would Trumpy go to jail, Muljer has only ever found Thad links to crocked Hilary
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:09am
- virtualmark
  
  This is just the well-discussed Alfa Bank DNS lookup question re-packaged for a Fox News audience.
  
  “Spying on Trump” is, in real life, examining the DNS logs, which were publicly available.
  https://www.justsecurity.org/72262/the-trump-alfa-bank-server-mystery-resurfaces/
  https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/09/lawsuits-indictments-revive-trump-alfa-bank-story/
  
  Curiously, no one so far has offered any explanation for why Trump’s servers were contacting Alfa Bank’s …
  
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  February 15, 2022 4:17pm
  - Graeme Hall
    
    Be curious no longer.
    
    By Rowan Scarborough – The Washington Times – Thursday, October 21, 2021 “Special counsel John Durham has obtained the complete FBI investigative file on the bureau’s conclusion that there was no secret internet communication channel in 2016 between then-candidate Donald Trump and Alfa Bank, a large Russian lender controlled by Kremlin-tied billionaire oligarchs.”
    
    https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/oct/21/fbi-file-disproves-trump-alfa-bank-link/
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:40pm
Opie

Here is all that needs to be known for mandates to end immediately.

They dont release these stats (obviously) but you can calculate it.

Over the last 2 days there have been 1741 new cases.

Of these, just 55 have been in unvaccinated people (3.1%).

1416 cases have occurred in fully vaccinated people (whatever that means – 2 shots I guess) for 81%.

194 in partially vaccinated (11.1%)

76 cases in under 12s for 4.5%. Of note, there were no additional hospitalisations in the under 12 category.

Given that this is exactly what was seen overseas no one should be suprised, yet we appear to ignore this in favour of segregation. Its moved beyond not getting vaccinated for personal reasons, it’s now obvious it doesnt do much of what its supposed to do.

The answer? Take more shots of the same thing that doesnt work..

Surely no one is still defending the use of a vaccine pass faced with this?

Time for Luxon, Seymour, Soper or anyone with a pair to make these numbers known and pull the whole thing to pieces. Only problem is so many are still terrified and think the pass protects them. They wont want to hear it…
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February 15, 2022 8:05am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Surely no one is still defending the use of a vaccine pass faced with this?
  
  You know damn well that in a couple of weeks, it will be the unboosted who will be blamed for spreading the virus.
  
  We will all have to be boosted for the vax pass to be valid.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:16am
  - Jimbo666
    
    Unless they issue new passes, who would know what one’s status is?
    
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    February 15, 2022 8:28am
    - Random T Person
      
      We should do what the Africans in the 1980s did. Get together and burn the dompas.
      
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      February 15, 2022 10:03am
  - Opie
    
    I cant see them winding back the 4 million passes that expire June 1st, there would be more than 1000 people on the lawn of parliament if that were the case.
    
    If this hasn’t blown over by June then I agree, will be a booster to renew.
    
    Let’s hope it’s done a lot sooner than that.
    
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    February 15, 2022 8:35am
    - UrbanNeocolonialist
      
      There’s no chance that Covid won’t be over by June. Everyone will have had it by end of April. Only question is how long the govt will insist on pushing the pointless and destructive mitigation measures – they haven’t syet shown any signs of being able to manage changing circumstances in a rational or timely manner (just another strong indicator of low intelligence).
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:56am
      - Doc Holliday
        
        “There’s no chance that Covid won’t be over by June.”
        
        Which century?
        
        Are you the person who claimed atmospheric methane wasn’t increasing, or would go down again, or something?
        
        Nearly a threefold increase since industrialisation.
        
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        February 15, 2022 4:48pm
  - Geoff1
    
    Not until 1 June 2022 when the vax pass expires.
    
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    February 15, 2022 8:43am
    - cmm
      
      Passes expire whenever the government decides to revoke them.
      
      There were a few thousand people with E-Cat firearms licenses that were current for 5 years. Those were revoked.
      
      There were hundreds of thousands of people with pre-photo drivers licenses that were current for many years. Those were all revoked when the new photo drivers licenses were introduced.
      
      So exactly the same can happen here. They could decide to revoke all Vax passes tomorrow if they so choose.
      
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      February 15, 2022 10:49am
      - curry4me
        
        Also those ‘lifetime’ drivers licenses back in the late 90s that Shipley nixed.
        
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        February 15, 2022 10:56am
  - Raphael
    
    my brother just got boosted…..his “fully vaxed” status is only good for 3.5 months compared to the second jab “fully vaxed” status being good for 6 months.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:01am
    - DeepBlue
      
      Could be that even the boosted passes all expire on 1 June as the last date in the system. Can you check your brother’s actual date?
      
      They’re going to have to come up with a new measure of ‘up to date’ well before 1 June, which will annoy a lot of the people who stepped up to be boosted in January and February.
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:38am
    - riffer
      
      Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
      Probably because at the time it was based on knowledge of Alpha variant. With Delta and Omicron, things changed. They acted differently. There may yet be another variant which changes things again.
      I struggle to see why people do not understand this. It’s almost like they expect a virus to act in a linear, predictable way. Spoilers; it doesn’t.
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:46am
      - UrbanNeocolonialist
        
        If you are under 80 you have more chance of dying in a car crash this year than of Omicron and about 2-3 times as many people die of respiratory illnesses over cold months in a normal year as will dies this year from Omicron. Why should we bother with boosters? (aside from high risk individuals)
        
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        February 15, 2022 10:00am
      - ClanMcleod
        
        Riffer – so you are at least admitting they have absolutely no idea what they are doing. That’s a start.
        This virus is doing nothing different to any other virus in history. The mistake has been politicians and technocrats trying to play God. They were told many times, you cannot eliminate a virus. Ardern said she could. They were told you should not attempt to vaccinate your way out of a pandemic. They have doubled and tripled (jabbed) down.
        They are boosting people with a jab for delta when the new variant is omicron. What is the logic in that?
        This has never been about health. This is the biggest policy disaster in history. Unless the “conspiracy theorists” are right and it’s got something to do with Herr Schwab and the “great reset”. The evidence is starting to support those crazy views more and more.
        Popcorn please.
        
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        February 15, 2022 10:32am
      - Local Miller
        
        What’s that woooosh noise riffer just heard? Oh, it’s the sound made as the point goes over his head and he misses in completely.
        Those of us who have done our own investigative journalism have known for a log time that the virus doesn’t behave in a linear fashion, but it does behave predictably, that is it escapes a leaky vaccine and a leaky vaccine encourages less dangerous but more virulent viruses to evolve. This is a well established pattern for viruses, particularly seen in the Covid range of viruses.
        Raphael’s point however is as gain something that has been discussed ad nauseum; The “valid period” for the vaccine pass will have to decrease because the vaccine is actually pretty useless at sterilizing the virus. As a result, booster shots will be required at shorter and shorter intervals.
        At this rate in a year or so you won’t be allowed out in the morning without taking another booster.
        
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        February 15, 2022 11:29am
    - Jim
      
      Can anyone consider the possibility of a truly dystopian future of being mandated (to get a haircut and go to the library ffs let alone work) to have vaccines every 3-4 months for life?
      The scientific data just doesn’t support the booster unless you are considered medically vulnerable.
      
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      February 15, 2022 6:21pm
  - Deane Jessep
    
    A friend of mine just posted this on her Facebook page, she’s not wrong on any count:
    
    Yesterday I lost the pharmacy job I was one week into. I have been fully vaccinated for three months and i am now legally required to have my third vaccine.
    
    If I come to work they will receive a substantial fine.
    
    The vaccine doesn’t stop you from transmitting Omicron or catching it, and offers little protection against delta after three months so I get it.
    
    But what is getting the jab every three months going to do to my body? Is it safe to get it that regularly? No one knows.
    
    Do i want to find out 2-3 years down the line my perfect health has been negatively affected by these regulations?
    
    No. Its been a blast working with you all at xxx Pharmacy, you are all honestly the coolest people ever!!! You guys rock!!!!! I hope soon you will have the choice to get vaccinated or not, and not be coerced and threatened with your livelihoods because NONE OF YOU deserve this kind of treatment.
    
    You’re just good people. Love you ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:13am
    - bronny1
      
      surprised they didn’t make her get the booster before giving her the job.
      
      The longer Jaxxie holds out the more people there will be in this situation, joining in on the parliament grounds.
      
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      February 15, 2022 10:46am
      - Deane Jessep
        
        Yup, I fully expect to see her head to Wellington this week.
        
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        February 15, 2022 12:08pm
    - Jim
      
      Good on you having the courage to do what you think is right. I’ll even consider leaving NZ if this apartheid continues.
      
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      February 15, 2022 6:23pm
      - Jim
        
        Maybe it’s Ardern’s plan to solve the NZ housing crisis.
        
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        February 15, 2022 6:24pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    ” not only will there be no forced vaccinations, but those who choose to opt-out won’t face any penalties at all.”
    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/09/coronavirus-jacinda-ardern-confident-enough-kiwis-will-get-covid-19-vaccine-for-herd-immunity-without-being-forced-to.html
    
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    February 15, 2022 1:43pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      And we BELIEVED her!
      
      Oh, did OUR DEAR PM mean that no-one will be tied down to a hospital chair and forcibly jabbed?
      
      https://cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/compulsory-vaccination
      
      Well, then she was right after all….
      what a dear, dear leader.
      
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      February 15, 2022 2:49pm
      - curry4me
        
        I didn’t. I always assume she, and the team of $55 million are either wrong, or lying.
        
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        February 15, 2022 3:56pm
- Yabster
  
  Hi Opie
  
  where are you getting the stat that only 55 people or 3.1% of the 1741 cases are unvaccinated?
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:24am
- R
  
  Hi Opie
  
  Can you supply links to source of figures, even if they have to be worked out. Thanks
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:25am
  - Opie
    
    Link to stats here: https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-case-demographics#aug-2021
    
    Every day they update the total cases and the totals of unvacc/vacc. So you subtract yesterday’s total from today’s to give the increase for that group.
    On Saturday, the total unvaxxed cases (since august) was 4443. As of yesterday (2 days worth) the total unvaxxed cases were 4498.
    4498 – 4443 = 55
    Total case increase for the 2 days = 1741
    55/1741 x 100 = 3.16% of the cases are in unvaxxed.
    
    Do I get extra credit for showing my workings?
    
    Seriously this whole thing is a scam and the numbers now prove it, just like they do around the world, where they are admitting they were wrong and removing mandates and passes.
    
    Dont get me wrong I wish the vaccine worked and this all would go away but it doesnt and the cold hard facts are that the virus has weakened so much we must remove all restrictions immediately and get back to doing what kiwis do, just getting on with it.
    
    Unfortunately there are 4 million arms with a non proven medication in them and to suddenly admit that was the wrong thing to do will result in more fear and more anger.
    
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    February 15, 2022 8:49am
    - Batman
      
      Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
      Your workings, while mathematically correct, ignore the 85% of ages 5+ who are vaccinated.
      
      Of course the vast bulk of cases are the vaccinated. And they’re experiencing milder symptoms because they protected themselves.
      
      As this thing grows, the unvaccinated will have a less comfortable ride through it.
      
      But probably no point explaining that since it is likely falling on deaf ears.
      
      The wrong thing to do is openly advocate for mass sickness and more deaths, which is what removing all measures will do.
      
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      February 15, 2022 8:55am
      - Yabster
        
        Hate to sort of agree with Batty but as the bulk of the population are vacinated then they will be the bulk who get covid – the real stat is how many that are hospitialised are vacced vs unvacced ie get seriously sick- then its also about co-morbidity ie be great to have a stat that tells us how mainly otherwise healthy people are in hospital and have that split btwn vac/unvacced.
        
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        February 15, 2022 9:04am
      - Don Beckett
        
        Batman – that is your opinion, and not backed up by facts. Overseas experience is telling us that with Omicron, the vast majority of cases are like a mild cold or ‘flu – for unvaxxed as well.
        Unless you can produce facts to back up your claim……………(crickets)
        
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        February 15, 2022 9:08am
      - Stellaboxer
        
        Hey Batman !You don’t think that maybe those vaccinated people are getting milder symptoms because Omicron causes less severe symptoms and children aren’t getting sick because they very rarely did under any of the variants? If you’re correct then regardless of the percentages the unvaccinated should almost exclusively be the ones in hospital suffering dreadful symptoms from a variant that doesn’t cause them. International stats from bona fide sources such as government health ministries are such a nuisance .
        
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        February 15, 2022 9:11am
      - westernScientest
        
        here are the university of Queensland numbers for deaths based on their aus outbreak
        
        https://www.immunisationcoalition.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022_01_25_Covid-risk-chart_logos_included.pdf
        
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        February 15, 2022 9:18am
      - surfing
        
        Prevailing theory on kiwiblog is that the covid vaccine doesn’t work, doesn’t stop transmissibility or severity of disease … also , according to krazykiwi, taking the vaccine makes it more likely to catch covid and die.
        
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        February 15, 2022 9:19am
      - alloytoo
        
        If you are 17 or under Omicron doesn’t appear to care about your Vaccination status.
        
        It’s tricky that way.
        
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        February 15, 2022 9:32am
      - Opie
        
        You are missing the point Batman.
        
        The case stats roughly mirror the population stats of vaccination. This shows that the vaccine does nothing to protect from infection – therefore rendering the mandates and use of vaccine passes unnecessary. Do you feel otherwise?
        
        This is something they have accepted overseas and removed the use of passes accordingly.
        
        Remember that when the vaccine first came out you all said you needed to take it so you wouldnt get infected?
        
        Now you say you have to take it (and at least 3 times) to stop getting badly sick.
        
        I suspect the fullness of time will show a range of seriousness of illness across all age groups, regardless of “vaccination” status.
        
        But for the jab lovers that will be a bit to hard to swallow for now.
        
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        February 15, 2022 10:51am
      - Local Miller
        
        westernScientest – I’m not sure why you say those University of Queensland numbers are based on the Aus Outbreak. If you actually read the PDF you would see it gives “Risk of Dying” and “Estimated Deaths”. It’s a model, not based on real numbers.
        
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        February 15, 2022 11:42am
      - Fuzzysnuggleduck
        
        Surfing,
        prevailing opinion to me seems to be the the vaccine reduces the most severe symptoms, but is less effective against Omicron.
        Also that Omicron is not as severe as previous variants.
        And that vaccinated people can catch and transmit Covid.
        I don’t think these should even be called opinions, really. It is actually what health leaders and politicians are telling us, if you pay attention.
        Don’t mistake volumes of posts from a select number of people as meaning that everyone here has to think the same.
        I don’t think there is any ‘blog-orthodoxy’ here, even if there are themes to opinions.
        
        I wouldn’t say that consensus here is that the vaccine makes you more at risk, but only that over time it has shown to be a very short term protection, and not really as effective on 2022 variants than the previous years.
        ….That is pretty much like you don’t take a flu jab for the seasons strains from a year or two back.
        
        Also, from my position, I am a bit sceptical around taking jabs 4 times a year or so, the way things are tracking.
        This seems to be about making government targets, rather than based on health or efficacy.
        
        Vaccines would have done their thing if we had them a bit sooner, and we ‘flattened the curve’ but with elimination, we have not yet have any wave or curve.
        So we are still waiting for it to hit.
        Luckily, Omicron IS a variety that can be more reasonably compared to the flu in terms of real risk – and it is time to stop hiding under the bed.
        
        Whether the vaccine is harmful in a significant way remains to be seen.
        I do know that it is odd that we trust big-pharma to have our best interests at heart all of a sudden, and that mRNA is truly a ‘novel-vaccine’/new technology.
        People who assert the vaccine is killing masses of people are as tedious to me as the people who say Covid has killed masses of people. Pick your statistics.
        And the conversion becomes more like arguing religion. No place for nuance. Yawn.
        Only thing I can say is that in the context of Omicron, we can more seriously talk about ‘living with it’, and the government giving us a little personal space.
        
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        February 15, 2022 12:19pm
      - westernScientest
        
        @Local Miller
        You are partially right, I worded that poorly. For those interested here is the breakdown of the data sources used to generate the pdf above. Yes technically it is generated from a model – a conglomeration of data fitted with a statistical model to provide the ability for extraction of useful information, which would not be available from raw data. The model is called Corical and a break down of raw data sources is available here:
        
        https://corical.immunisationcoalition.org.au/docs/pfizer_assumptions.pdf
        
        and here:
        https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X21014286?via=ihub
        
        Raw data can not be used to work out these risks etc. there are too many confounding factors. Raw data can not be used to compare a vax and unvaxed population, the populations are too different.
        
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        February 15, 2022 12:25pm
      - Show me the evidence
        
        The rates of infection is higher in the vaxxed actually. Look at these graphs: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/450874/covid-19-data-visualisations-nz-in-numbers
        The graph Vaccination status of population and 7 day rolling average of new cases and hospitalisations shows 77% eligible fully vaxxed based on Stats NZ numbers which is more accurate than what MOH is using, whereas 80% new cases fully vaxxed. 7% of pop completely unvaxxed representing only 3% of new cases. The hospitalisation rate is higher in unvaxxed though. However with a lower base group of unvaxxed, it only takes 1 person to change the % hopsitalised by a large amount. For instance the 48 hours over the weekend two unvaxxed people went to hospital but if it was 1 person, this makes a massive difference in the hospitalisation rate. The rate for hospitalisation of unvaxxed in NZ at the moment is still really low at about 1 person per 100000 people every 48 hours. Also bear in mind anyone who goes to hospital for any reason and incidentally tests positive counts as a covid hospital case ( like the deaths are recorded) which does make the whole thing a bit hard to tease out the truth. And South Africa saw much milder cases even though they have less than 30% vaxxed, so it’s pretty clear Omicron is milder for everyone. It appears to be much milder than the flu and we don’t have traffic lights for that???
        
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        February 15, 2022 12:47pm
      - Sean OConnor
        
        You do understand cases are doubling every 3 days, right? Do you not understand exponential growth? The mandates, particularly the vaccine mandates, aren’t going to make a bean of difference.
        
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        February 15, 2022 1:13pm
      - UrbanNeocolonialist
        
        westernScientist: Interesting report, and nice to see tabulated risks, BUT the fine print says:
        “Case fatality rates for Omicron based on reported cases & deaths in Australia during Omicron circulation, but true case numbers are unknown because of limited testing. Chart will be updated as more data become available”
        
        recorded cases in Australia peaked at 0.4% of population per day, when the reality was likely 10x that given almost every caught it in a month. So this table will be massively exaggerating the real risk.
        
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        February 15, 2022 1:46pm
      - krazykiwi
        
        Prevailing theory on kiwiblog is that the covid vaccine doesn’t work, doesn’t stop transmissibility or severity of disease … also , according to krazykiwi, taking the vaccine makes it more likely to catch covid and die.
        
        Fact 1: The vaccine does not work as promised.
        
        Fact 2: The vaccine is non-sterilising and protection from infection, severe illness (including death) attenuates thereby necessitating indefinite boosters, the danger of which is becoming very apparent. Tell me surfing, are you happy to be jabbed multiple times every year for the rest of your life? Are you?
        
        Fact 3: There are now multiple, high quality studies and publicly available datasets showing attenuating protection resulting in negative efficacy. A couple of references here , here , and here. You can make like an Ostrich for all I care. It’s your body. Jab away.
        
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        February 15, 2022 2:39pm
      - Alan Wilkinson
        
        That comment makes no sense. If 85% are vaccinated and 98% of new cases are vaccinated then it is crystal clear vaccination gives no protection against infection and probably none against infectivity.
        
        Then the only case for vax passes is to protect the unvaxed from the vaxed. The only case for the vax mandates is to protect the ICU’s from the vaxed but there are zero Covid cases in ICU.
        
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        February 15, 2022 3:03pm
      - westernScientest
        
        @UrbanNeocolonialist
        True, all of the data is going to be like though. At some point its really fussing over spilt milk. I mean look at the rates, if its a fatality rate of less than 1 in 100000, and the true value is 10 times that, its less than 1 in 1000000. Say 1 million people in the country fit into those >0.1 in 10000 risk buckets, a 10x difference is somewhere between 0 and 1 deaths and somewhere between 0 and 10 deaths. Its in the ballpark of who was going to die anyway, because they got hit by a car and happened to test positive. Even at the opposite end of the risk spectrum with the 75+ it doesn’t make a massive difference.
        
        We would be far better ignoring it and putting this much time and treasure into things like cancers, heart disease, diabetes and metal health.
        
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        February 15, 2022 3:03pm
      - UrbanNeocolonialist
        
        @ WesternScientist, absolutely, the colossal mismanagement and misallocation of limited financial resources (including borrowing and destruction of economic activity) is the greatest failing of this incompetent govt. There are far more pressing issues and long-term destructive problems than their covid monomania to address. If you want to spend money on health, then spend it where it will do the most good. Eg what could 60 billion dollars have done to lift the performance of poor performing kids from shit families
        
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        February 15, 2022 5:18pm
      - Pineapple Lumps
        
        What I just don’t understand is why the Ministry of Health is promoting the COVID-19 vaccine for COVID-21. Does anyone here understand this?
        
        Pfizer are now furiously developing COVID-21 vaccine, by the time it is ready, tested, approved, and NZ (at the front of the queue) has sufficient supply to mass vax, will it still work on the COVID-22 variant?
        
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        February 15, 2022 7:44pm
    - Raphael
      
      What’s missing in your calcs is yes, only 3.16% of those with Omicron are unvaccinated,
      but what percentage of the unvaccinated have caught it vs what percentage of the vaccinated have caught it.
      
      The vaccine would appear to still beneficial in reducing your chances of getting whatever flavour of C19. So if you are in a higher risk category should you get C19, I would still recommend getting it.
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:08am
      - RightNow
        
        I do hope you find a source to tell you what percentage of each group have “caught it”, I also would be interested to know.
        So if I (or say my children) are not in a higher risk category should we get C19 then the vaccine is a bit pointless, and as having the vaccine is not zero-risk, then for some categories it’s actually riskier than being unvaccinated?
        
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        February 15, 2022 9:34am
      - alloytoo
        
        In the UK vaccination status appeared to make little difference to transmissibility.
        
        Given that very mild symptoms will make data collection difficult, it’s probably not something we will ever know.
        
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        February 15, 2022 9:36am
      - rouppe
        
        We are at 96% vaccinated (12+).
        
        While getting the “vaccine” (which seems to be more of a prophylactic than a vaccine given the regular dosing required) might be advisable we are at a point where sufficient numbers have been dosed that continuing with the mandates can no longer be about safety or health.
        
        Those that don’t want to, fine. Those that can’t, there are sufficient personal measures available. Forcing everyone to the lowest common denominator is tyranny.
        
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        February 15, 2022 9:47am
      - ClanMcleod
        
        “appear to be” – that sums up the whole response to covid. Guesswork, but of course, we’re following “the science”. Not.
        
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        February 15, 2022 10:46am
      - Opie
        
        The case stats now mirror the vax stats, eg the vaccine does little to prevent transmission therefore rendering the passes and mandates ridiculous.
        
        Take it if you think it might stop you from getting really sick, that’s your choice but dont prevent someone that has made a different choice to you from doing things when those that have been “vaccinated” are the true cause of transmission.
        
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        February 15, 2022 10:55am
      - Raphael
        
        @ClanMcleod yeah, I did word it that way on purpose. I was very hesitant to get vaccinated and only did after a lot of personal research (and the decision was influenced by my own medical history).
        I am not convinced that the booster is worthwhile apart from ticking the fully vaccinated box if I need to travel internationally once the borders are open again (and I do have to travel occasionally for work).
        
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        February 15, 2022 11:16am
      - Raphael
        
        @RightNow
        then for some categories it’s actually riskier than being unvaccinated
        
        There was some data a while back (can’t find it right now) that in some demographics having had the vaccine resulted in you being in more danger from C19 after 6 months.
        
        Additionally, I have friends who already have a history of myocarditis for whom having the vaccine would prove more dangerous and are medically exempt.
        
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        February 15, 2022 1:09pm
      - Alan Wilkinson
        
        That makes no mathmatical sense because the fraction of the population who have had the virus is so small. It is simply wrong and if it was true it would indicate herd immunity in the unvaxed and therefore zero need for any comstraints on them.
        
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        February 15, 2022 3:09pm
    - phobius
      
      Hi Opie, this is an explanation of why more infections will be for vaccinated people.
      
      Lets take 100 people.
      
      90 are vaccinated
      10 are unvaccinated
      
      There are 20 cases of Covid
      
      15 of them are in the vaccinated group
      5 of them are in the unvaccinated group
      
      15/90 = 17% of vaccinated people were infected
      5/10 = 50% of unvaccinated people were infected
      
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      February 15, 2022 1:16pm
      - Alan Wilkinson
        
        That’s daft. Vaxed are 85%. If more than 85% of those being infected are vaxed then vax is not protecting. 98% of those being infected are vaxed, qed vax is not protecting.
        
        The only wriggle room is if vaxed people are disproportionately likely to be infected for some other reason. I don’t see one.
        
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        February 15, 2022 3:18pm
    - Ra Henare
      
      I really do wish that reference to “”cases”” is dropped.
      What is actually reported is number of positive tests.
      It is not a “case” medically speaking until some medical intervention is required.
      
      The current hysteria about cases whether they are vaxed or not, is a waste of time, space and energy.
      
      To really measure the impact surely the measurement should be true cases? ie Hospitalisations.
      
      For those with a long memory (March 2020) NZ and most other countries were concentrating on flattening the curve to ameliorate impacts on hospitals.
      
      The arrogance of Jacinda’s medical advisors convinced her that we could eliminate the Virus from NZ. So no need to spend money upgrading Hospital facilities etc.
      
      Then politics took over as Jacinda/NZ were feted internationally as being so wunderful. (PEP supply screwups etc. being totally ignored)
      
      Subsequently, the focus has been on political decisions in maintaining the façade that NZ could keep it out, stamp it out.
      
      It would be interesting to see what % of those who test positive feel sick after 5 days of the test.
      
      Have a number of friends overseas who have tested positive (pre flying) and not known they were infected. ie no symptoms. Some who have had a mild form ie feeling exhausted and a sore throat for a few days. etc etc. Only one guy has had Medical care and he had some serious heart/lung problems pre covid. But he didnt have to go to hospital got treatment at home and recovered fine
      
      So leave off the “cases”” hysteria. Its a meaningless number in reality.
      
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      February 15, 2022 4:42pm
- MCōs
  
  Of course the figures are released.
  https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-case-demographics
  It stands to reason that if more than 90% of those eligible have had two shots that’s where most of the know cases will come from. Nobody says being vaccinated will prevent infection, but hopefully it will be much milder.
  The interesting table shows the comparison between vaxxed & unvaxxed for hospitalizations.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:49am
  - Simon
    
    “Nobody says being vaccinated will prevent infection”
    
    Lol- programming is so easy look at this.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:12am
    - Frank the tank
      
      LOL. Cults and cultists struggle to move on from the denial phase
      
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      February 15, 2022 10:49am
  - Stellaboxer
    
    I beg to differ MCos. The government are spending a fortune on Covid ads telling parents to get their children immunised. Not vaccinated but immunised.
    Immunised to make ( a person or animal) immune to infection, typically by inoculation. “ the vaccine is used to immunise children against measles “.
    So the government is most certainly making claims for the vaccine that are demonstrably not true. A choice of language I doubt is accidental.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:25am
    - bronny1
      
      they need to change the definition of Immunise! There is a precedent for doing this….
      
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      February 15, 2022 10:51am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      All done with smoke and mirrors – and chinese whispers
      
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      February 15, 2022 1:55pm
  - RightNow
    
    “Nobody says being vaccinated will prevent infection, but hopefully it will be much milder.”
    
    That right there people is the actual justification for mandating people to have repeated injections of a substance that is still in trial phase until 2023.
    
    Next up… “Nobody says the vaccines don’t cause side effects but hopefully overall they cause less harm than Covid.”
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:27am
  - judith8409121
    
    hopefully?| the government and mandated, forced, abused and reviled NZers so the “hopefully” it will be much milder – are you really stating that ‘hopefully’ is enough to run an two tier abuse system? ‘hopefully’ – is not science, ‘hopefully’ is not enough to coerce. I’m assuming you are not stating that would be enough to do what the government is doing – but if the government game is now down to ‘hopefully’ this all has to end
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:31am
  - Alan Wilkinson
    
    It is crystal clear that vaccinations make so little difference to infections that there is no case for vaccine passes. And the hospitalisations of unvaccinated depend so much on the age and health factors that there is no case for the universal vaccine mandates.
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:06am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      A vaccine that makes so little difference to infections is not a vaccine, it is experimental medication
      
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      February 15, 2022 1:56pm
  - Rodion Raskolnikov
    
    “It stands to reason that if more than 90% of those eligible have had two shots that’s where most of the know cases will come from. Nobody says being vaccinated will prevent infection, but hopefully it will be much milder.”
    
    OK, so it clearly doesn’t prevent infection, symptoms or spread. You accept this, and we can deduce this from the fact vaccinated people are getting Covid and passing it among themselves. Therefore, this demonstrates that it has no containment values whatsoever, so people may as well be unvaccinated in this regard. But it “hopefully” will result in milder symptoms? Hopefully a lot of things are the case. The best approach then is simply treating symptoms as (and if) they arise. The argument for vaccines seems to be similar to taking codeine everyday just on the off chance that one day you might get a toothache.
    
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    February 15, 2022 11:29am
  - ClanMcleod
    
    And there ladies and gentlemen ^^^^^^^^
    is the best example of cognitive dissonance you are likely to ever see.
    
    From “3 weeks to flatten the curve” to “short sharp lockdown” to “the jabs will set us free” to “you’ll need a booster THEN you’ll be safe” to OK, “we might need a 4th shot” to “you need to do this to save me”.
    
    “Nobody says being vaccinated will prevent infection”
    Not now they aren’t – but we were repeatedly told that this was our way out of pandemic. That lockdowns were only needed to give us time until the “miracle” got here. Do not try and twist that around now. The evidence is there and easily found. Do NOT do this.
    
    This thing is over. The jabs do nothing like what we were told they would. Evidence is mounting of the damage they are wreaking. They were experimental when they were “approved”. They are even more experimental now that we are introducing boosters, and reducing the time before the “boosters” are needed. This narrative has collapsed completely.
    The modelers got every aspect of this wrong and continue to get it wrong. The virus spreads as much through jabbed as unjabbed and they catch it at least as much as unjabbed. There is clear empirical evidence now proving this.
    There are still people repeating the lie that the unjabbed are “spreading 20 x more” than the jabbed. This is completely untrue.
    
    It’s over. It was a disaster. Stop doubling down and have a real conversation about how we navigate out of this unmitigated disaster.
    Start by talking to the brave people at parliament who are NOT conspiracy theroists, are NOT spitting on people, are NOT going to hang MPS.
    
    Stop this thing now. Get some honest conversation going. Fix this before it is too late if it isn’t already too late. Stop with the tribal support of everything Ardern does “just because”.
    Both parties – stop this. It is madness.
    
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    February 15, 2022 11:29am
    - covfefe
      
      Sorry reported by accident – darn!
      
      The problem is that everyone is too scared to speak up. Today at work a senior nurse approached about the masks – I telephoned one of the junior doctor unions (that I do not belong to) to ask their views – they think masks are just great. So then I sent a snarky email to DHB management outlining my concerns about the stupidity of the masks, queues, badge checking, etc. They are wasting $$ and time that could be spent on providing medical care – not helping a fascist government. But I can afford to be fired – and most people can’t.
      
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      February 15, 2022 7:18pm
  - RichardF
    
    Look at the fatality rate between vaxed and unbaked overseas. Very little difference.
    
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    February 15, 2022 12:09pm
    - RichardF
      
      *unvaxed!
      
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      February 15, 2022 12:41pm
      - Raphael
        
        Well there was that one bit of research suggesting maurijuana could if you’re infected C19….. ?
        
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        February 15, 2022 1:12pm
- Stellaboxer
  
  Looks like the virus is hunting down the wrong people. Mind you it is a tricky virus.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:56am
  - RightNow
    
    If there’s one thing I’m sure of about this virus it’s that it’s smarter than Kelvin Davis
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:13am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    No, it’s hitting the largest part of population, the vaxed, it’s pretty simple when you think 95% are vaxed
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:13am
    - ClanMcleod
      
      95% are not vaxxed. That’s Brenda narrative control.
      The real number is closer to 77%. If you don’t get the booster then you are no longer jabbed. Many will not get the booster. You are supporting Brenda with false information.
      
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      February 15, 2022 11:34am
      - G the giant from Dunedin
        
        Its not our fault if she is telling us lies on numbers
        
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        February 15, 2022 4:09pm
  - riffer
    
    Nah, not really. 5% of 95% is always gonna be more than 25% of 5%. Basic maths.
    Not that I am claiming any relationship to actual infection figures here, before y’all start the dogpile…
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:48am
- Simon
  
  “Only problem is so many are still terrified and think the pass protects them”
  
  The cattle can be reprogrammed easy. Breaking story on the Telly News, MSM its up to the clowns in Wellington.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:11am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  That’s the problem, the people that have been scared because of Rotten Ardern, if Luxon starts spout it’s onlrhe vaxed, then guess what will happen? When you think about it, with 95% of population vaxed, snd we know it can get through vaxed, then of course the vaxed are going to men the majority of cases
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:12am
- pdm
  
  What Vaccine Pass?
  
  It is completely useless in Hastings as no one outside of the Library asks to see it.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:21am
  - alloytoo
    
    It’s complete useless in the Library as virus’s don’t tend to read or use smart phones.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:37am
  - bronny1
    
    its completely useless in Christchurch too – for me anyway – as i wouldn’t want to go anywhere its required.
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:53am
- Old.Mickey.Blue.Eyes
  
  from the team at Planet B media “You have to ask yourself which nation has a superior medical task force and expertise, New Zealand or Denmark? The latter having a population of 5.8 million people spread out over a smaller area, Denmark being 6 times smaller than New Zealand. But still a very good country to compare apples with apples, of sorts. Even if theirs are layer upon layer upon layer
  
  Here’s a clue on the medical question as to who may have a better educated medical fraternity.
  
  The University of Copenhagen is ranked 15th in biology and Biochemistry, 23rd in microbiology, 33rd in Infectious diseases, 34th in public health and 55th in immunology. This is out of all medical schools globally. It is ranked 8th in the world in pharmacology and toxicology and the highest ranking it has is it is number 2 in endocrinology and metabolism. There are three schools of medicine in Denmark and more on the other two shortly.
  
  Contrasting the University of Denmarks ranking as the best medical school in Denmark, Auckland is the highest ranking medical school in New Zealand. It is tied at 181st place for Biology and Biochemistry, 106th in public health, 349th in molecular biology, its highest ranking is 86th for Pharmacology and Toxicology.
  
  Michael Bakers Otago is our only other medical school and is ranked 145th in Immunology, 147th in Microbiology, 271st in Biology and Biochemistry, 346th in Molecular Biology and 101st in public health. Its highest ranking is 51st for Psychiatry/Psychology.
  
  Safe to say the university of Copenhagen is a big player globally in medicine when it comes to educating its medical professionals.
  
  Denmarks Aarhus University also ranks above Auckland and Otago for most subjects being 130th in Biology and Biochemistry, 118th in Microbiology, 69th in public health and only being slightly lower ranked at 151st in immunology
  
  Even the Technical University of Denmark ranks well in Microbiology at 89th and 38th in Biology and Biochemistry.
  
  So the point of these comparisons is that with its education in medicine, Denmark has declared that COVID no longer poses a threat to society. What the F, I hear you say!
  
  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-26/denmark-to-end-covid-curbs-as-premier-deems-critical-phase-over
  
  Yes the Pandemic is over in Denmark and the only requirement is you need a negative test to get in to the country if you are an unvaccinated traveller.
  
  Oh what a stark difference that is to the continuation of the fear mongering we are experiencing at the podium of truth in New Zealand. Watching Ardern continue with the fear porn and talking about how wonderful she is at keeping us safe as long as we keep doing what we are told is painful to watch
  
  It almost seems like the advisors here have buried their head in the sand and are assuming that intelligent Kiwis have done the same and won’t bother checking what’s going on in the rest of the world. to be fair many have. 5 minutes on social media is all you need to hold your head in shame.
  
  I can hear the keyboard warriors tapping away now searching for how many Danes perished in the past two years. I’ll save you the time, the official stats are 4,068.
  
  However we now know that the recording of these are not an accurate depiction of the Infection Fatality Rate (IFR), as the recording of deaths are for those who were infected, or suspected of being infected at the time of death. regardless of if the virus was the cause of death.
  
  What we do know is that Denmark has been having 20,000 to 50,000 daily infections for over a month now, and over 10,000 daily for close to two months. In this time they have 924 people die according to the official COVID death counter. But to get an understanding of the real issue, in this time there has been a maxim requirement of 160 ICU beds throughout the entire pandemic. As of today they have the requirement of 76 ICU beds, with the total with COVID currently at 25. 25 of their 579,645 Active cases are currently in ICU. 25!
  
  https://covid19.healthdata.org/denmark?view=resource-use&tab=trend&resource=icu_beds
  
  New Zealand currently has 0 (zero) ICU cases.
  
  But let’s say we go down the same road as Denmark and get to 40,000 cases per day in one month from now. It took Denmark 1 month to go from 1,000 to 37,000 cases per day. They are more densely populated than NZ so therefore it will likely take a little longer to spread in NZ. But you can see why Denmark has made the call that it is no longer a health threat with statistics like that.
  
  25 in ICU out of well over half a million cases.
  
  In NZ everyone would have to be self quarantining if that happened under our current settings. And make no mistake it will happen.
  
  So while everyone is calling the protestors loonies, have a think about who are the loonies with a 4.3 per 100,000 infections ending up in ICU with the Omicron II variant.
  
  The medical profession are calling Omicron, “the vaccine that we failed to develop.”
  
  And in NZ we are being told to avoid it. Granted there may be some Delta left circulating, but we know Omicron will dominate the field and the disease is definitely endemic now. The world beating elimination strategy is as valid as needing a typewriter to label your Audio Cassettes while you drop your Kodak film off to the developers. You get the picture. For those of you under the age of 30 it’s like an iPod
  
  The sad thing is many people will never recover from the psychological damage from this politically motivated response. Even with Otago University ranked at 51st in this field of psychology, there will be no saving some people from the fear that has been propagandised onto the unsuspecting population.
  
  Every day we get closer to the politicians having to admit that once again, a respiratory virus became endemic and herd immunity was developed from infections and not vaccines.
  
  Those who want to (or are at greater risk) can take their annual jab which will be about 50% effective – just like life was like pre SARS COVI 2.
  
  Yes we sound like a broken record, but someone has to say it. Given the questions asked after the podium of truth today. Only Barry Super asked real questions.”
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:24am
  - Cinematic
    
    Brilliant.
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:26am
  - Trev
    
    Excellent post. Thank you.
    
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    February 15, 2022 11:17am
  - mawm
    
    Very good. You only failed to mention that it is winter in the northern hemisphere – a time of increased respiratory infections and lower Vit D levels, and it’s summer here with fewer respiratory infections and higher Vit D levels.
    
    Omicron is certainly behaving like a live attenuated virus…. and having come from a strain that hasn’t been seen in the wild for nearly 2 years, it does give one pause to think about who may have passed it through a number of lab animals to make it less lethal and then released it.
    
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    February 15, 2022 12:11pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Someone is waiting for the winter Influenza, calling it Covid, and say “See? I told you so!”
      Who do you think that may be? Hint, one of the fear porn addicts
      
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      February 15, 2022 2:05pm
  - Jim
    
    Boom! Any Stuff reporters reading kiwiblog? If so OMBE has just presented your homework on a plate, now get on with seeking and reporting the truth.
    
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    February 15, 2022 8:36pm
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  It’s got to the point when Parliament itself should be charged with dereliction of duty along with most of the country’s “journalists”.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:01am
  - Old.Mickey.Blue.Eyes
    
    hard to charge jounalists with dereliction as they are just publishing what they have been paid for – unless you think there are standards that journalists need to follow ? Certainly seen no evidence of those in last 20 years.
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:37am
- NZisledbyaCommunist
  
  Well tbf your numbers do actually suggest being fully vaccinated does work a little bit as 94% of NZ is fully vaccinated, but 14% of those not fully vaccinated have covid. This figure should be closer to 6% if the vaccine was ineffective.
  
  However there is no need to lock NZ up or keep mandates as the chances of dying from a bad cold are now more than this so called ‘omnicrom’
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:16am
  - RightNow
    
    I’m not sure that logic holds up. The percentage of people vaccinated has no direct relationship to the percentage of unvaccinated that get covid…
    A logical comparison would be the percentage of vaccinated that get covid versus the percentage of unvaccinated that get covid.
    
    I agree with your last paragraph though 🙂
    
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    February 15, 2022 12:14pm
Yabster

Lets not forget (the Government would like us all to be distractcted) the other undemocratic, divisive b/s this hopeless mob are doing: From Hobsons choice.

Independent polling by Curia Market Research, commissioned by Hobson’s Pledge, shows that 72 percent of voters say our country is more divided today than 12 months ago.

This is a damning indictment on this Government’s separatist agenda.

Claims that the He Puapua Report – which recommends radical policy based on race – was a separatist agenda were denounced by Prime Minister Ardern when she assured the public that the Report did not reflect Government policy

But despite this assurance it is clear that the reality is very different.

“The divisiveness perceived by the public is striking and should give the Government pause concerning the breakneck pace with which it is upending the foundations of democracy in New Zealand,” said Don Brash.

A copy of the polling report can be found at: https://www.hobsonspledge.nz/polling_report

Since the report’s reluctant release after the election in late 2020 the attacks on democracy and equality before the law have continued unabated, and indeed have accelerated.

But, as explained by Jacinta Ruru, one of the authors of the He Puapua report, there is more to come.

In this article Ruru quotes directly from the report and concludes “But if Te Tiriti is to constrain the supremacy of parliament to make law, in order to better protect the rights of our country’s first inhabitants, new structures are required.”

Dr Claire Charters, another of the He Puapua authors, confirms this when she describes New Zealand as having a lopsided understanding of democracy explaining it as a tyranny of the majority.

It is clear the initiatives that seek to differentiate the treatment of New Zealanders based upon when our ancestors arrived in this country are still being implemented, with demands for decolonisation at the fore.

Karl du Fresne ponders the reality of the end game in this move to decolonisation in his article published on 5 February 2022.

“One last thought. It’s probably too late to suggest it now, but I’d be happy to speak to the wananga about my own imagining of decolonisation. I would invite the participants to visualise a country where there’s no rule of law, no democratic government or accountability on the part of leaders, no wheel or internal combustion engine, no printed word, no science or literature, no Western music, clothing, art or entertainment, no cities, no schools or universities, no social welfare or government subsidies and no economic development. I mean, if we’re serious about decolonisation, let’s go the whole hog.”

There has been very little political opposition to this push for separate political identities and demands for “self-determination”.

In Christopher Luxon’s Waitangi Day address, he did little to provide an assurance that National would defend the rights of all New Zealanders to be treated equally before the law.

David Seymour’s State of the Nation address, by contrast, did provide an assurance of the value of all New Zealanders. He stated:

“Democracy means one person, one vote. It’s the basis of New Zealand’s one globally significant political achievement, realising the idea that every adult New Zealander should have the vote.

“The opposite of that principle is being rolled out in healthcare, with two systems. It is being rolled out in infrastructure, with co-governance of Three Waters. It is being put into resource management law. The three bills replacing the Resource Management Act will be filled with co-governance provisions. The history curriculum is being designed to tell the next generation that everything in New Zealand is about colonisation and most of the students are guilty before they open their textbook.”

Government should be even-handed

Shortly before mailing this newsletter, we saw the following statement from Groundswell NZ:

Groundswell NZ is a volunteer group of farmers and rural professionals advocating for our Grass Roots farmers and rural communities.

Groundswell NZ’s main focus continues to be on the unworkable regulations impacting the rural sector. Like increasing numbers of New Zealanders, farmers have felt badly maligned by this current government and its policies. Like the protestors in Wellington we also have been ignored by the Government and called denigrating names. We can empathize with their frustration.

Whether you agree or not with the people protesting on parliament grounds is not the debate anymore. What this government, that proclaimed it would govern for all New Zealanders, has done is turn its back on a good number of its people.

How hard can it be to at least front up and talk to the people assembled on parliament grounds?

The final straw for me, and what prompted me to go public, is the way government is treating these people – turning the sprinklers on them knowing there was a storm coming, and playing loud music at night so as to not let them sleep and make them feel miserable. No farmer would treat animals like that!

Although this protest has a different focus to Groundswell NZ, we support their right to be heard and cannot understand or agree with the Government’s actions. What is becoming of our once united and proud country?

Bryce McKenzie is a west Otago farmer who, along with Laurie Paterson founded Groundswell New Zealand

What has struck us observing the way in which the Government and the Police are harassing the protestors at Parliament is how very differently they treated the protestors who illegally occupied the privately-owned land at Ihumatao, or the privately-owned land at Shelley Bay.

Perpetuating the Cultural Con

The justification for the expansion of separatism is the claims that Maori are being denied opportunity or thwarted by a system that conspires against collective success.

We know logically that the success of a great many Maori in politics, academia, arts, business, medicine and sport proves this to be untrue. The perpetuation of a victimhood narrative is promoted to justify the agenda.

The property development success of Ngati Whatua Orakei, reported in the Herald here, is one such example that evaporates the myth that Maori are a special needs group. But rather than create an aspirational framework, New Zealanders continue to be conned in order to justify Government policy.
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February 15, 2022 8:08am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Luxon has stated there will be no separatist agenda on his watch, he also wants money that is given to Māori to be targeted, targeted at the poor to educate, and give these kids a chance, instead of handing wheel barrow loads of to gigs Māori elite
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:17am
  - oldfella
    
    G, not sure Luxon has been that explicit on the separatist agenda thing. I could be wrong.
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:50am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Yes he has, in different interviews he has, but the one about investing Māori money was quite a long interview, he was at pains to say we must invest, and not just hand out like lollies, education was one area he thought he could help nostril with that money, and that’s what we want is it not? Targeted money, not wasted, same with the dole, it should be targeted, he and his party are going around putting up bill boards saying they will cancel 3 waters, he said anything in He pua pua that is separatist is a no, he said there will not be any special systems for a few, do yes, if you do listen to all of his interviews, and speeches, he does say all of the above, why the right odd centre don’t listen is beyond me
      
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      February 15, 2022 1:25pm
    - Jim
      
      Who’s Luxon?
      
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      February 15, 2022 8:39pm
      - marcw
        
        Pretty much the same as Ardern, but with more actual business experience to fill out his CV.
        
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        February 15, 2022 9:39pm
  - curry4me
    
    John Key said the Waitangi claims would be over by 2010. How did that work out?
    
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    February 15, 2022 12:38pm
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Don’t think so, he only got sworn in November 08, I think it was 2020, snd they got a bulk of them done
      
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      February 15, 2022 1:26pm
- Suze Wainwright
  
  Well, Cindy doesn’t call her Govt’s policy division, she calls it partnership
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:21am
kowtow

Prediction ,not forecast .

Her polling is going to be so bad , post the Omi peak , they’ll start dismantling restrictions quick fast .
It’ll be not so much traffic lights , but full on brake failure.
It’s never been about the science , always the politics.
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February 15, 2022 8:08am
- Frank the tank
  
  You would think so but alas this is the Republic of New Zimbabwe and 35% are eager to receive the Koolaid.
  
  When the economy tanks however………
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:16am
  - bjools
    
    “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
    Joseph Goebbels
    
    It is becoming more obvious, this is the MO of this govt.
    Now unraveling?
    
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    February 15, 2022 8:33am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    35% will not be enough
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:21am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Oh I think internal polls will be showing they are way worse already, look at the resigned look on Robertsons face lately, I would say a Curia poll is about to drop, I note polling on smother issue has been released, she will not get support from dropping her mandates, she will be getting attacked by the only demographic she has left, the scared witless brigade
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:21am
- bronny1
  
  nah because the same stupid people who believe these measures are required will think those measures saved them. Why would they look overseas when its all over if they were too lazy to do so when its happening?
  
  she will say ” I saved you” and the masses will gush over how marvellous she is.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:57am
In Vino Veritas

Tick tock.

“Durham said in a new court filing that lawyers for the Clinton campaign paid a tech company to “infiltrate” servers belonging to Trump Tower and the Trump White House in an effort to establish a “narrative” linking President Donald Trump to Russia”.

Well, well. It appears that the Clinton campaign spied on Trump from WITHIN the Whitehouse. You might remember that when Mueller breathed, CNN, MSNBC, NYT, Wapo etc reported breathlessly on Trump collusion. To date, bugger all on the Clinton campaign.

You also might recall Trump saying he was spied upon. And CNN, MSNBC, NYT, Wapo AND the Democrats treated that with derision. He was a conspiracy theorist.
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February 15, 2022 8:10am
- Tricati
  
  So True. I listened to an interview with Jim Jordon (Rep for Ohio 4th District) on this yesterday and it appears the 1st attempt to impeach Trump was to distract from the original investigation into the FBI use of bogus info to get FISA warrants to investigate Trump. Now this. Jordon’s main concern was the Statute of Limitations in the USA may prevent charges being laid against Clinton.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:30am
  - Batman
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    Hahaha. Gym Jordan should know a thing or two about statutes of limitations.
    
    No charges will ever come of these claims, they won’t even get past a Grand Jury.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:01am
    - Libertarians are right
      
      Meanwhile mostly innocent “tourists” from Jan 6 were held without bail for months (yes, I know there were some violent dickheads but the majority were just walking around taking selfies).
      
      What Hillary’s people did was far worse than what any of the Jan 6 people did AND far more dangerous to Democracy.
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:12am
    - RightNow
      
      Which we understand you have no qualms about, since it’s someone you don’t like.
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:38am
    - All_on_Red
      
      A Grand Jury has been working for months already…
      For years you claimed that Trump had a link to Banks in Russia and this is how Trump talked to Putin.
      Well, you were WRONG.
      It was a hack and a set up to spy on Trump and ruin his Election chances.
      And they continued the spying when he was President!
      
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      February 15, 2022 10:10am
    - Frank the tank
      
      Oh Bat. If the GOP does re-take the house there are going to be some worried people in the Clinton/Obama/Biden camp.
      
      The narrative is falling apart.
      
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      February 15, 2022 10:16am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        re-takes the House.
        Fixed it for you
        
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        February 15, 2022 2:14pm
  - Stellaboxer
    
    Sorry Tricati typing with thumb lead to a down tick in error. It would be so useful if we could correct these blunders.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:44am
- Vory v zakone
  
  While the FBI can whine it was “fooled” by Clinton’s private operatives and their fake Trump/Russia Steele Dossier into filing for a legal warrant to spy on Carter Page [and by extension the entire Trump campaign & presidency], and that warrant, while tainted, was still ‘legal’… Tech Executive -1 (Rodney Joffe) and his cronies had no warrant from any court or Law Enforcement Agency to spy on Trump inside the White House.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:37am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  I were like have thought spying on the Whitehouse it would be treason, do they not still have the death penalty for treason in the states?
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:24am
Tony Stuart

It’s a bit of a worry, but I am agreeing with Martyn “Bomber” Bradbury on an increasingly frequent basis. Then again, that’s because his views seem to be changing; here are some of his thoughts with regards to the Left’s continued defence of Trevor Mallard:

Watching Woke Twitter cheer his provocation and senseless radicalization of this is jaw dropping!

Remember – on NZ Tribal Left Twitter – IT IS NEVER TREV’S FAULT!

Trev could order the Police to taser children and set dogs on old people right now and NZ Tribal Left Twitter would blame the protestors for having children and knowing old people!

I never thought I’d ever get to the stage in NZ politics where I was holding back the Left from calling on the the State to smash their fellow citizen – I always thought that was a threat from the Right!

If you are on the Left and see no issues with what Trev’s actions are creating, you are part of the problem!

https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/02/14/wow-hasnt-middle-class-nz-left-glee-for-state-violence-at-parliament-been-surprising/

Bradbury is dead right, however much it pains me to say it. The Left, politically those who inhabit Twitter, are defending Trevor Mallard to the hilt. Some, including our old mate “Hey Clint” Smith, are even calling for the army to be deployed against what is essentially a peaceful protest.

https://twitter.com/ClintVSmith/status/1493149723594981377

Can you imagine the frothing at the mouth of the Left if National had been in power, and John Key had called in the army to break up a protest?
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February 15, 2022 8:10am
- alex Masterley
  
  We live in a mixed up world.
  Bradbury will be sent to a re-education camp because of his heretical views.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:28am
- bartybart
  
  you’ve got to respect Bomber for having his own line and sticking to it. Every other leftie is bending over to take whatever labour says.
  then again. must suck if your party only gets to power every 10 years or so. ex commys like Darien Fenton must dream of those limos
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:37am
- 70andstilllearning
  
  Different guy but same sort of theme – Mike Williams on the am show this morning re gov’t handling of protest – really looked like he didn’t want to be there at all, and the word salad coming out of him was worse than the PM’s. Never seen him like that before.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:38am
- cmm
  
  “I never thought I’d ever get to the stage in NZ politics where I was holding back the Left from calling on the the State to smash their fellow citizen – I always thought that was a threat from the Right!”
  
  Where has his brain been? He clearly has never read a history book.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:42am
- rouppe
  
  I never thought I’d ever get to the stage in NZ politics where I was holding back the Left from calling on the the State to smash their fellow citizen – I always thought that was a threat from the Right!
  
  Violent responses from government usually come from the Left.
  Mussolini, Stalin, Pol Pot, Ho Chi Minh. All from the political Left.
  I still maintain that the Nazi movement is born from Socialism. They formed the National Socialist German Workers Party. They were proponents of fascism which sprang from Socialism (a la Mussolini and Giovanni Gentile). Authoritarian. Centralised control enforced by military and para-military force.
  
  And looking at Labour, the similarities are striking.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:42am
  - leoj
    
    …and Saint Cindy’s immediate background is?
    Why did the media overlook her being President of International Socialist Youth?
    Why did voters not research that fact for themselves?
    As Hosking said this morning: We’re an “oh, well” country.
    Oh, well, apathy rules among the morons of the left.
    
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    February 15, 2022 11:17am
    - yossarian
      
      She didn’t even resign from her presidency once becoming a MP for New Zealand. Does that not show where her priorities lie?
      
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      February 15, 2022 12:14pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Go back to 2009. Ardern, President of the International Union of Socialist Youth. I thought at the time there will be serious trouble if this person gets in power.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9rsxFaq6Ig
    
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    February 15, 2022 2:24pm
- kowtow
  
  I went to the dailyblog via , karl du fresne ( again well worth the visit ) where he gives a serve to a few , including that Christian Socialist , Chris Trotter .
  
  KDF calls Trotter out for his wanting the full force of the state down on the protesters , and more again where he doubles down and calls them “lumpenproletariat” , that’s such a Marxist term of derision to be used , and quite frankly is “imported” ideology that should be rejected by all kind , thinking and sensible folk .
  
  But KDF , well worth the visit .
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:13am
- Suze Wainwright
  
  Martin Bradbury about to be cancelled… Well, I never!
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:26am
- alloytoo
  
  Why do people ignore a century of Fascist Socialism when considering whether the left or the right are more likely to abuse their citizenry.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:40am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Because they did it wrong – this time we will do it right//
    
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    February 15, 2022 2:26pm
All_on_Red

The Truckers have won in Ontario
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/02/14/ontario-end-covid-19-vaccine-passport-system-march-1/6783275001/

Looks like the Provinces are ignoring Trudeau
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February 15, 2022 8:11am
- rouppe
  
  Citing a 92% Ontario vaccination rate of people 12 and up, Moore said the mandate “served its purpose,” but that “as of March 1, it will no longer be necessary.”
  
  Here in nz we are up to 96% of 12 and overs
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:45am
  - Batman
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    And only about 85% of 5+, so waiting for the kids to get protected makes sense for a little while longer.
    
    They should be ditched once we’re 95% of 5+
    
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    February 15, 2022 8:56am
    - Frank the tank
      
      Why?
      
      Vaccination doesn’t stop Wokebola’s spread and those with heathy immune systems would be better off with natural immunity that is being slowly but surely proven to last longer.
      
      Why not leave it to choice?
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:03am
      - UrbanNeocolonialist
        
        Because allowing the public to have choice would diminish the power and influence of the denizens of wellington. Growth of their power through laws and regulations is their unspoken raison d’etre
        
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        February 15, 2022 10:09am
    - Libertarians are right
      
      No. The kids are not getting “protected”. The kids are being used to protect others.
      
      That’s not their job.
      
      They will never get to 95% – not without massive penalties against children for not getting vaccinated.
      
      So you are basically advocating staying under these mandates etc for the foreseeable future.
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:18am
      - UrbanNeocolonialist
        
        Batman is cool with sacrificing kids health (known and unknown long term risks from vax) to save near death geriatrics (which vax will not do, as it has almost no impact on rate of spread). Hard to comprehend how people can have such appalling ethical grounding.
        
        29 1
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        February 15, 2022 10:14am
    - Cinematic
      
      Abject nonsense. Children are at basically zero risk from Omicron. You can stay hiding under your bed, the rest of us want Jacinda et al to fark off.
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:30am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Zero risk from Omicron, but 100% risk from socialist indoctrination
        
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        February 15, 2022 2:32pm
    - alloytoo
      
      Vaccinating the kids is more dangerously than simply exposing them to Omicron.
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:41am
    - rouppe
      
      They said, when the vaccine was for 12+ only, that 90% will secure “freedom”.
      
      We are at 96%. We are in a tyranny. Every day you hear of people calling out that they are going to the wall. Can’t even get any plasterboard ffs.
      
      I just don’t believe anyone who says “oh 95% of 5+” and ditch them. Because that promise was made for 90% of 12+, and broken.
      
      I have next to zero confidence that in a couple of months the Labour and Green government won’t have found some other excuse to not eliminate the tyranny
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:54am
    - Random T Person
      
      The kids to get protected? Protected from catching a cold? Fuck off, you aren’t medicating my children.
      
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      February 15, 2022 10:30am
    - ClanMcleod
      
      You want to threaten children with an experimental drug when they are at statistically zero risk from the virus. That sums up the left’s approach to this.
      Madness. Irrational madness.
      
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      February 15, 2022 12:10pm
      - Clownworld
        
        Rationalised evil.
        
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        February 16, 2022 6:11am
  - Jim
    
    International data ever more strongly supporting Omicron blowing quickly through populations with ‘relatively’ little consequence to healthy people (my 70 year old mother in law, 45kg and serious smoker has just recovered from Omicron, having experienced a typical cold for 3 days, all ok now).
    Ardern (Jab to the Max) can’t possibly be planning another Pfizer jab for everyone in NZ, can she?
    I’ve been expecting the 5-12 year cohort to become part of this government’s ‘eligible population’ group. Heather DA covered tonight a story of children facing discrimination in sports and other social activities…..what a crazy authoritarian science world.
    
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    February 15, 2022 8:21pm
- Local Miller
  
  You have to love the spin they put on this. “In spite of not because of” the protests, and “the planning was long in the works”. Another one “because it is safe to do so”.
  It was always safe to not have the mandates and Jab-passports. What’s the bet in the next few days the PM is going to tell us the science has come back and it’s now safe to remove all restrictions starting 1 March or such.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:19am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  All_on_Red, I wonder if Jaspinda is taking notice of this, or is she too power hungry and just ignore it?
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:33pm
- krazykiwi
  
  Trudeau is getting desperate
  
  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked the Emergencies Act to crack down on Freedom Convoy protests against vaccine mandates and Government overreach over COVID-19. It is the first time the extreme legislation has been triggered since it was enacted in 1988, and it empowers banks to freeze the personal accounts of protestors without the permission of a court. The Government is also extending “terrorist financing” rules to cover the protestors
  
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  February 15, 2022 3:29pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    That’s outrageous
    
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    February 15, 2022 8:03pm
Sean OConnor

The Canadian government is preparing to violently remove protestors, using the same powers they used against the Quebec terrorists in the 1970s.

Ardern and co will follow suit.
Time for the protestors to get ready for it to turn ugly:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/461520/canada-protest-trudeau-to-invoke-rarely-used-emergency-powers-media
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February 15, 2022 8:11am
- fightingtemeraire
  
  Sean
  
  Jacinda wont. She knows if she declares a SoE and brings in the NZDF she will be toast.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:44am
  - kowtow
    
    She’s actually in a slow cooker at the moment , stewing in her own juices .
    
    But unlike those who flipped when she flopped Angry , and even worse the others who thought she was the best thing since sliced bread over her crazy wuflu reactions ,I could always tell that taking a bite of her serving would result in a very bad case of food poisoning.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:17am
    - bythesea
      
      Interview with owner of backbencher pub by Sean Plunket today
      https://twitter.com/theplatform_nz/status/1493399359370657792
      
      with a message to Jacinda in part 2
      
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      February 15, 2022 3:24pm
  - Cinematic
    
    As will Trudeau. The citizens will fill the streets.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:31am
  - rouppe
    
    Isn’t NZDF already there?
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:56am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Transponders on the Air Force 757s, C130s and Orions have been turned off. Who is hiding what?
    
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    February 15, 2022 2:37pm
    - Ian Boag
      
      Yer what? Can you back this up?
      
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      February 15, 2022 8:10pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Go to flightradar24 and see if you can find them
        
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        February 16, 2022 7:41am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Jaspinda will not follow suit. She is power mad. Socialists never relinquish control without a fight – History tells us that
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:35pm
Russ the Muss

Dawned a beautiful day in Wellington. Will pop down to support the protest after work, do a bit of volunteering, talk to a few kiwis and generally show solidarity with the brave souls down there. Interesting last night a section of cops walked through the crowd and were treated like celebritie! They were all very friendly and engaging. Including selfies and jokes. Most eldowed rather than shook hands but a couple did and their body language and comments were very interesting. It’s taking on a very surreal scene with generators, gas heaters, more porta loos, BBQs popping up. Free tents, clothes, boots and camping gear including sun block, that’s optimistic, lol. Rostered rubbish collection, security and food serving. Semi permanent structures going up in the grounds! I don’t know how this thing happened and who is funding it but logistically it is very impressive and reminds me of a large school fair or AMP show in terms of the efficiency and the rhythm of the operations. Whatever one thinks, this appears to be a historical moment. How big, time will tell
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February 15, 2022 8:12am
- Benedict Yu
  
  Yes agree. I was totally wrong. I thought the weekend weather would have ended it.
  
  If the protest becomes indefinite, what will be the response? It would require several hundred police to remove them. I think Jacinda and Trevor are stuck. Are they going to order the police to use force and tear gas? Television pictures of bloodied people?
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:44am
  - KiwiSapper
    
    “…….If the protest becomes indefinite, what will be the response? It would require several hundred police to remove them…..”
    
    Perhaps a replay of Bastion Point, but this time in Wellington?
    
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    February 15, 2022 8:55am
  - westernScientest
    
    or they could just end the mandates, that would get rid of most of them. With that whole spin team, I am sure they can come up with a reason why the protesters still lost.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:23am
    - ClanMcleod
      
      Get rid of the passports and mandates forever and I will get the jab tomorrow. Even though I don’t need it and don’t want it. But as a gesture of goodwill.
      
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      February 15, 2022 12:20pm
  - rouppe
    
    Two options.
    
    1. Go and talk to the mandate organisers (forget the 5G, 1080, Tiro Rangatira crowd). Negotiate their leaving on a public announcement that mandates will be rolled back on a specific date. Which had better be soon, like March 1.
    The mandate protesters leave, leaving behind the 5G, 1080, etc crowd. Then you can start to use force.
    
    2. Double down. The optics will be catastrophic. I would actually hope that if the army were called, that they would refuse to attack their own people, who have (largely) shown they are not a threat.
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:00am
  - Suze Wainwright
    
    It’s turned into this Govt’s very own Moutoa Gardens incident.
    
    I reckon Cindy should call Ken Mair in – or at least ask him what to do…
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:29am
  - bronny1
    
    several hundred?
    they had that many last Thursday and how well did that go?
    More protesters now too.
    
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    February 15, 2022 11:01am
- Tauhei Notts
  
  Is an AMP show a place where life insurance salesmen show off their wares?
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:50am
  - peterwn
    
    Poster meant A&P. AMP is that useless company who sold whole of life and endowment insurance policies which were trashed by inflation. It then de-mutualised and succeeded in trashing shareholder value. Then it sold off the remaining traditional insurance policies to some other crowd and now merely runs Kiwisaver and other managed funds.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:47am
    - Paulus
      
      AMP cost me a fortune from my pension I invested through them some years ago.
      
      10 0
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      February 15, 2022 1:11pm
    - gravedodger
      
      Not a bad deal for those of us who abandoned ship north of $20 a share soon after the demutualisation.
      
      5 0
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      February 15, 2022 5:46pm
- Random T Person
  
  I’m coming on Thursday. Where’s Mikenmild, who seemed to think I was wrong to prioritise my 7-year old’s birthday on Saturday. Well, Mike, I guess I will see you at Parliament.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:59am
  - ClanMcleod
    
    See you there.
    
    15 1
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    February 15, 2022 12:23pm
- artemisia
  
  Went down yesterday with supplies and solidarity. Very chill, organisation a bit chaotic but actually working fine in practice. Good will all round.
  
  I see on ThePlatform.kiwi (Ani O’Brien’s item) that the police are on the record that they have not observed far right groups in the protest.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:06am
  - curry4me
    
    Being pro-freedom is ‘far right’. /sarc
    
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    February 15, 2022 4:14pm
- curry4me
  
  They’ve been getting lots of small donations from all over NZ. They even asked people to stop donating temporarily. I guess they haven’t got any from George $oros. /sarc
  
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  February 15, 2022 1:03pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Hey, if you see some jerk with a swastika, blow their lights out for me
  
  7 1
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  February 15, 2022 2:39pm
  - PHC
    
    It was a Tibetan peace symbol
    
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    February 15, 2022 4:24pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Not the way the scum use it
      
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      February 16, 2022 7:42am
Matt Long

https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/02/14/prince-charles-wife-camilla-tests-positive-for-covid-19/
Tragically it has been announced that future Queen Camilla has contracted COVID, probably from her husband Charles.
The tragedy is further compounded by the fact both royals have done the right thing and been triple vaxed but have obviously been infected by a deluded anti vaxxer who lives in Ahipara.
It is deeply disturbing to know that these innocent victims may now experience sneezing and tiredness as the result of someone else’s selfishness. //
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February 15, 2022 8:12am
G152

Gone right off all political parties (and left too).
They are now so similar its creepy…
Is there a take over now they’ve bought and taken control of the media?
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February 15, 2022 8:13am
- Random T Person
  
  Yes, as have I. The ‘party for freedom’, ACT, is just another statist institution. Screw them, from a longstanding former member. I will vote for none of these cowards.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:00am
  - bronny1
    
    ACT are so incompetent that even after lots of strongly worded requests, and more recently abuse, to get me off their mailing list, they are still sending me their propaganda mail out.
    
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    February 15, 2022 11:03am
  - Surely Knott
    
    The only way ACT will get me back is if they roll Seymour and bring back Hide who has been resolute in his stand for democracy.
    
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    February 15, 2022 1:00pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Hear hear, what shirley said
      
      11 1
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      February 15, 2022 2:44pm
    - Ian Boag
      
      bring back Hide who has been resolute in his pursuit of perks and super city ballsup …
      
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      February 15, 2022 8:15pm
  - curry4me
    
    Whereas the New Conservatives are there with the protesters. Ofcourse, they’re not in parliament yet.
    
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    February 15, 2022 1:05pm
- Local Miller
  
  The only party standing up for the protestors and the people is the New Conservatives.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:38am
  - RightNow
    
    And the Outdoors Party!
    I love a good outdoors party 🙂
    
    16 0
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    February 15, 2022 9:46am
Tomtoddy

I have just driven Auckland to Wellington and a number of SI roads before returning home a different route. Done it many times over the years. Some observations:
# the condition of our roads is getting worse. Never been this bad.
# seal breaking up, ruts holding water, cracking, poor patching up work
# On 8 occasions we encountered cones, red lights, one way traffic, 30KPH but absolutely nothing happening, no one in sight and not recent reseal
# cones forever mostly unnecessary.
# illogical speed restrictions – Typical spot was Nelson to Blenheim – long straights at 80 and 90 KPH.
# very few cops and only two cameras.

We are descending into third world status. I have seen better roads in many “poorer” countries.
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February 15, 2022 8:18am
- Benedict Yu
  
  I drove yesterday from Wellington to Taranaki. SH1 from Otaki through to Samson is in poor condition,especially for the very high traffic volumes.
  
  This is what happens when the massive petrol excise you pay gets diverted to build cycleways and to subsidise public transport. Petrol excise should be used to pay for State Highways. Yet another policy where National could come out firmly and say that. But all they will do is partially wind back the madness and waste less money.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:50am
  - 70andstilllearning
    
    See your getting closer to the north BY – haven’t done the Horowhenua/Himitangi run since just before the covid era but even then that section was like running on city street hotmix compare to whats up here – SH or local. Hope your not running on city street “low profiles”. 🙂
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:13am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      No I have No I have Michelin Primacy tyres on an immaculate twenty year old Toyota Celica. 280,000 km and runs perfectly. ? Oil is cheap. Engines are expensive. So I change the oil and filter every 6,000 km.
      
      Just about to leave Taranaki to head to Orewa. Then to Ahipara and then Doubtless Bay for a couple of days fishing.
      
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      February 15, 2022 9:38am
      - 70andstilllearning
        
        “…. twenty year old Toyota Celica. 280,000 km…..”
        ROFL – PERFECT choice – no one will recognise your’e a “southern tourist”, not a local, and hassle you as I’ve seen some suggest here in earlier posts.
        
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        February 15, 2022 9:51am
      - Alan Wilkinson
        
        Beautiful day today up here, Benedict. Have a great trip.
        
        8 0
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        February 15, 2022 10:12am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        I’ve owned it since I arrived in New Zealand. Had 60,000 km on when I bought it. Replace the oil every 6,000 km and the transmission fluid every 50,000 km.
        
        Rumour is that the odometer freezes at 299,999 km. I guess I’ll find out.
        
        12 1
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        February 15, 2022 11:16am
      - All_on_Red
        
        That Celica is becoming quite collectible
        
        8 0
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        February 15, 2022 11:37am
      - 1920x1080p
        
        Scotty would be proud of you!
        
        3 0
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        February 15, 2022 2:50pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Pretty hard to blow them up. The car will rust before the engine dies
        
        5 1
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        February 15, 2022 2:53pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Did you get your Passport stamped and change you cash to North Island money?
    
    7 0
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    February 15, 2022 2:55pm
- Jade Warrior
  
  Having recently done a road trip of the South Island, I also drove on a number of roads that were overdue for some maintenance. However, my most frustrating experience was driving the main highway from Nelson to Blenheim.
  
  In the past the speed was 100km/h for the entire stretch (except of course for urban areas where the speed was 50). It was easy to remember what the speed limit was and it was up to you to judge the road and weather conditions and decide for yourself whether you should drive at the open road speed limit or slow down.
  
  But thanks to NZTA (who apparently went ahead and changed everything despite the fact that most submitters preferred the status quo) driving this highway proved to be an ordeal. With the speed limit changing every few kilometres I found myself constantly wondering what the speed limit actually was. It proved to be an annoying distraction when all I wanted to do was just focus on my driving.
  
  But then there was the fact I had to pull over five times during that drive to let all the traffic that had banked up behind me to pass. I was doing the signposted speed limits (at least I’m sure I was) but you could almost feel the frustration from the drivers behind me (two of which flashed their lights at me to allow them to overtake).
  
  I’ve always enjoyed the drive from Nelson to Blenheim but this time around it was a painful experience and it was such a relief to leave that stretch of road. Well done NZTA – thanks to your new policy, I think most drivers on that road now find it a frustrating, painful experience. Have any of your policy staff stopped to consider that frustration can cause crashes too?
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:56am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    You can blame Julie Ann Genter for the reduced speed limits madness.
    
    As I was driving past the otaki motorway construction I was reflecting that if this government remained in office, there would literally be no further constructions of motorways in New Zealand.
    
    This is despite New Zealand having the shortest distance of motorways by any metric of OECD country and many middle income countries.
    
    New Zealand has the highest per capita ownership of cars in the world. Literally. Higher than the USA. And we put up with the worse roads. For what reason? Because despite the public love of cars, the ruling socialists hate cars. And the public vote for the socialists
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:45am
    - leoj
      
      …the same Julie Ann Genter responsible for The Parade cycle ways of Island Bay?
      Surely, as a Canadian, she should be back there supporting Trudeau’s nonsense.
      I have $10 towards her fare.
      
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      February 15, 2022 11:35am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        She is not Canadian. She is was born in Minnesota USA.
        
        10 0
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        February 15, 2022 12:30pm
      - Nickc2
        
        Julie Anne Genter MP is an American-born New Zealand politician who is a member of the House of Representatives representing the Green Party.
        Canadian, NOT!
        
        9 1
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        February 15, 2022 12:45pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Thought the birthplace was Rochester, NY?
        Never mind, crazy people all over the World
        
        5 1
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        February 15, 2022 2:57pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Just think, if she left, she may not be allowed back (MIQ) //
        
        6 1
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        February 15, 2022 2:58pm
    - Ruawai
      
      and the new zero road toll ads on tv.
      
      5 0
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      February 15, 2022 2:22pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Can’t even take the scenic Queen Charlotte route either, since that one remains unfixed.
    
    Can’t imagine many other countries would be so slack.
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:02am
  - 70andstilllearning
    
    ….”Nelson to Blenheim…”
    No different to what they’re doing with the Napier to Taupo road currently – pure stupidity.
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:03am
- KiwiSapper
  
  Stage 1 of the “Return To Pre-Colonialism” mistress plan.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:58am
  - Yabster
    
    Given there was no wheel or horses what was the speed limit pre colonisation- waka speed….
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:38am
    - KiwiSapper
      
      Not too sure as I wasn’t around then, but I seem to recall that in 1823, (before the dreaded colonisation, which is now deprecated as being worse than death, ‘tho not then ) Ngapuhi managed to set a local speed record for it but it was measured in days, (12) not mph or kph.
      They had done a bit of “cross country dragging” with their wakas and popped in unexpectedly on Te Arawa for a cannibal barbeque which was so successful that only finger food was left over, even ‘tho the Te Arawa had kept an eye out for them.
      .
      Nowadays, we don’t seem to see any waka on our Queens’ Highways which is strange as we have an enormous and costly government department named and dedicated to serving ” a gathering of waka” on the highways………..Wonder what they are there for and what happened to all of the money taxed from us to maintain the Highways?
      
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      February 15, 2022 1:18pm
    - alloytoo
      
      Waka speed?
      
      Transplant a LS motor into a jet boat and swamp those damn Waka
      
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      February 15, 2022 1:22pm
- cas
  
  We can’t spend money on roads!!!!!!!!! We have to spend it on TV ads for the zero road toll and lowering speed limits instead.
  The potholes on the state highway here that I drove yesterday are getting bigger and bigger. They will never get to zero because people’s cars will get trapped in the potholes and they will die of starvation.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:00am
- judith8409121
  
  I drove Blenheim to Havelock – the speed limits are ludicrous. The signage goes 80 and 90 (90 – WTF is this speed?). And there is signage on both sides of the road every 2.5kms or so. So at the speed of 80kms you see a sign every 2 minutes. It completely ruins a beautiful drive with signage. The number of signs is OTT aggressive and a sad reflection on the game being played from the government to the people
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:38am
- The Feed
  
  I have the noticed the same.
  
  I often drive the Wellington/Wanganui route. I have never had to dodge so many potholes.
  
  This is over and above the goat track that is SH1, the epic collection of road cones and surface flooding.
  
  Third world. Labour government.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:25am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Well the road cones have to be stored somewhere, and warehouse space is expensive. Just store them on the side of the road – then watch the morons with their two brain cells going at double speed
    
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    February 15, 2022 3:03pm
- Ruawai
  
  And I think there is a lot more rubbish on the side of the roads not being cleaned up by local councils.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:30am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  You must have driven through National territory.
  Labour territory seems to be fine in most places – and it buys votes
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:49pm
Rodney Hide

The Prime Minister is now full on conspiracy theorist: “It feels like an imported protest to me…. I’ve seen Trump flags on the forecourt, I’ve seen Canadian flags on the forecourt.”

She can feel that from the 9th floor.

The PM is so out of touch that aling with the media she does not know what is happening on the front lawn.

Rodney Hide
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February 15, 2022 8:20am
- pdm
  
  Actually Rodney she has proved over the last four years plus that she does not know much and definitely nothing that is beneficial to New Zealand and New Zealanders.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:36am
  - Blog-aholic
    
    She knows how to benefit a certain percentage of the population just not the team of 5 million or ‘all New Zealanders’.
    
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    February 15, 2022 8:40am
- Frank the tank
  
  The tide is going out Rod – she knows it, we know it, the media know it. Hence there will be plenty of overseas trips later in the year.
  
  I’m still confident poor man’s Gordon Brown will be our PM by 31/12/2022
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:58am
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    yep time to start the distraction campaign, and spend less time in front of pesky journos, who might finally start asking hard questions
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:20am
    - curry4me
      
      Yes, the ‘wedding of the millenium’ would have been a good diversion. Followed by the pregnancy, Christening teething, and potty training of the millenium. Perhaps she’s busy revising the wedding plans for renewal?
      
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      February 15, 2022 1:11pm
- Crazy Ivan
  
  Jacinda on the BLM Protests in NZ
  “I absolutely understand the sentiment behind them, what they are standing for and what they are standing against”
  
  Jacinda on the Greta school protests in NZ
  “Don’t underestimate the power of your voice”
  
  Jacinda on the NZ Protests
  “feels imported”
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:02am
- nathie
  
  Throwing around the phrase “conspiracy theory” is one of Labour’s desperate tactics they employ when they are caught out (and have nothing to counter the argument or question with), hoping their media friends will then ridicule the person questioning them.
  
  A good example of this Labour playbook tactic occurred pretty much one year ago when Peter Williams, interviewing Grant Robertson on his MagicTalk Mornings show asked the following, innocent question, for clarification:
  
  Peter Williams: “Grant, what’s your understanding of the phrase – the movement – called “the Great Reset”, and is New Zealand going to be part of it?”
  
  So a broadcaster/journalist asks a Labour politician, Grant Robertson, what is their understanding of the phrase and does NZ have anything to do with it.
  
  Robertson’s response instead was to attack Peter Williams’s “credibility” by in essence linking Peter Williams to “conspiracy theories”, which was a disgusting deflection tactic by Robertson as he smeared Peter Williams’ reputation.
  
  (Full account here:
  https://pointofordernz.wordpress.com/2021/02/22/the-great-reset-deputy-pm-pulls-the-plug-on-magic-talk-audience-after-reacting-badly-to-questions-about-a-conspiracy/
  and here (including audio):
  https://thebfd.co.nz/2022/01/19/peter-williams-hits-a-nerve-with-grant-robertson-over-great-reset-2/ )
  
  It was yet another despicable tactic by Robertson and is clearly a Labour tactic if Ardern is now doing the same.
  
  (They only get away with it because most of the MSM take these Labour fools at their word).
  
  But as a tactic it actually backfires on Labour because anyone sensible can see what they are doing. And the more Labour does it, the more it is “on the record” and like evidence against them (Labour) it builds and builds up to the point when it is thrown back at Labour, it reinforces the fact that the likes of Robertson and Ardern are not trustworthy people.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:13am
  - bronny1
    
    i made the mistake of listening to the political commentary on 9 to noon yesterday. That Neale guy got stuck in straight away talking about how the people at the protests are all conspiracy theorists due to spending 5 mins reading something on FB, and how they were far right extremists. The useless “from the right” woman was incredulous but unable to get a word in as he talked over her and Kathryn Ryan, though she tried a couple of times to reason with him, ended up just letting him go.
    
    Just disgusting.
    
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    February 15, 2022 11:08am
    - DeepBlue
      
      First time I’ve heard Kathryn get riled by a leftees’ fixation.
      
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      February 15, 2022 11:46am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      So you learnt a lesson yesterday?
      
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      February 15, 2022 3:07pm
- 70andstilllearning
  
  “The PM is so out of touch that…”
  
  Nah Rodney – she knows this is terminal – just in that stage of grief where denial of the reality is all consuming.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:27am
  - Paulus
    
    But think of the irreparable damage she can still do in the next 18 months.
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:06am
- judith8409121
  
  Hi Rodney
  I also thought she has now completely out of touch with the general NZer and their lives. The stating ““It feels like an imported protest to me” makes her sound like she cannot in anyway empathise with the torment she has put the working small business NZers through. I watched that and felt as if she has gone crazy. The MPs (act and National) need to go down to their front lawn and just talk with the people and find out the pain they are in.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:42am
- 103PapPap
  
  I think it’s called ‘Framing the narrative”. People will believe her before they believe the ‘Anti vaxers’ and the ‘far right’.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:35am
- Random T Person
  
  Sean Plunket asked if the PM can explain what a Trump flag looks like, and what the issue is with a Canadian flag. PM seems to have forgotten that half of New Zealand’s people are recent imports from all over the world.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:37am
- alloytoo
  
  It never occurred to that the protestors might have solidarity with the Canadians because they are protesting the same thing?
  
  I thought socialists loved this sort of “Solidatity”
  
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  February 15, 2022 1:24pm
- Ruawai
  
  She actually saw all that from Auckland where she went for the weekend.
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:25pm
Give a Man a Fish

Has Labour’s Mallard through his actions of drenching protestors with water sprinklers given the greenlight for the “tiny group of misguided people” (Parker’s description) to be able to reply in kind by squirting water at any politican anytime in the future if they feel their way of life has been threatened , harassed and disrupted?
If it’s good enough for Mallard and the PM seems Ok with his actions given she was unable to make a comment when asked, then surely it’s good enough for others squirting a bit of water around for a joke!
If Labour’s rules and policies make people feel threatened, harassed and disrupted, then per Robertson’s logic, politicians lose the right to not be squirted with water.
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February 15, 2022 8:25am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Songkran!
  
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  February 15, 2022 3:21pm
TripeWryter

I was reading on Stuff this morning – I know, I shall go to confession later and clatter out a few Hail Marys in repentance – their hatchet job on Cowboy Paradise, a venue on the West Coast near Hokitika.
It’s evident that a Coaster of an individualistic bent who displays Confederate flags, and has posters on the wall admiring Donald Trump, and who is not bullied by hand-wringing, woke, lycra-wearing easily-offended cyclists is going to butt heads with them.
It’s also evident the holier-than-thous who person Stuff’s newsrooms are going to report him and his business in the same vein.
A cyclist said he felt unsafe. Why? He doesn’t appear to explain and Stuff doesn’t ask.
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February 15, 2022 8:30am
- surfing
  
  It was an odd story…. Stuff portray it as a serious crime to have a Trump poster on the wall.
  
  This so called ‘news’ makes me feel like putting up a trump poster, not to endorse Trump but to exercise my political freedom… those woke hipster clowns at Stuff can scoot.
  
  But, in saying that, many kiwibloggers are just as bad. They abuse people for supporting Jacinda…which is equivalent to abusing people for supporting Trump. Complain about Jacinda/Trump, not against the people who vote for them.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:27am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Serious crime. Those woke wankers have not seen the rear window of my Landcruiser.
    Trump2024
    Hillary for prison 2022
    Make America Great Again
    Stop Labour’s car Tax
    Then ‘The Alaska Life’ on the side
    
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    February 15, 2022 3:26pm
  - Fuzzysnuggleduck
    
    Accidental up tick. Should have read your last sentence.
    If the media ever ran stories about the horror and trauma of a Jacinda poster being displayed, or made out that it did harm or made someone feel unsafe – you would have a point.
    But Jacinda does not make me feel physically unsafe, in terms of just her appearance…or an image on display, or even the children’s books written about her.
    I do think she is awful – and leader a party that is uniformly harmful for NZ, whatever their intentions might be.
    But no critics of Jacinda would pretend to be so brittle.
    (And Trump I thought conducted himself too often as a fool – but he offended the right people at least…..including Stuff journalists and social justice warriors on bicycles).
    
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    February 15, 2022 4:34pm
- yobi
  
  Of course the cyclists felt unsafe, he’s a cyclists. And ironically his surname is Robertson, willing to bet he has a cousin who is a politician.
  But seriously, we want to thank the cyclist and stuffed for bring this to our attention, we are so going there on our next South Island trip.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:03am
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  Stuff is just a vile lefty propaganda rag. As I noted yesterday they called a blog written by two ex senior Cabinet Ministers and an ex Leader of the Opposition “far right”.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:17am
- bronny1
  
  actually, ive been there and the man is gross. He employs young german and french woofers, makes sexually suggestive remarks to any female and has a strip pole in his bar. I’m not easily offended and I didn’t feel unsafe. But i’d not have wanted to be staying there if I wasn’t with a bunch of friends, and its downright seedy.
  (Disclaimer: I’ve not read the article as i don’t have time to do pennance).
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:11am
- Trev
  
  I read that too. What a woke snowflake, where has he been all his life. I’ve been to that place a few times and had no problems what so ever. About the only thing I could agree with is that the service can be a bit haphazard at times but it is very hard to get labour in the hospitality field at the moment. Feeling unsafe when the power went off, what are ya? This is in rural Westland not the city!
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:48am
Yvette

Mallard’s behaviour has wide internationally coverage.
For example, from French media –
Quote – ”Not only are Mallard’s antics immature, not only are they ineffective, they have made a serious situation much worse. His petty behaviour has only encouraged the protesters further.”

So at 2pm this afternoon, does Trevor Mallard, internationally renowned idiot, morph into Mr ~~Speaker~~ Sprinkler, who will conduct the matters of Parliament with transparency, honesty and integrity – as was claimed by the ruling Labour Party, of which he is of course still a Member?
In praying – “Laying aside all personal interests …” – can he do that?
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February 15, 2022 8:30am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Saw the title yesterday. ‘Sprinkler of the House’ very fitting – spray and walk away
  
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  February 15, 2022 3:29pm
Graham Sharpe

So a bunch of “rappers” with a string of criminal convictions for violence and drugs are featured at the Superbowl. These are the same crowd who “sing” songs calling for people to kill the police, who refer to women as “bitches”, and glorify drugs and violence. But they are multimillionaires so I suppose that’s OK.
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February 15, 2022 8:36am
- Batman
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Hello 1990, your parents are calling.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:59am
  - Frank the tank
    
    Not many masks on celebrities at the Superbowl Bat.
    
    Laws for thee and not for me……..
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:06am
    - Batman
      
      Frankie you’ll have to forgive me for my lack of interest in:
      1) American Football
      2) celebrity attendance
      3) mask requirements at events in California.
      
      I haven’t a clue if they’re currently meant to wear them or not. A very quick google image search tells me that the crowd wasn’t wearing masks so I assume they weren’t required. Which rather upends your off-topic claim.
      
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      February 15, 2022 11:28am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Batman, 70 thousand and who will stop them from nor wearing a mask?
        National Guard? Not a chance, they like Superbowl
        
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        February 15, 2022 3:40pm
  - graham
    
    Sorry Batman, I genuinely don’t understand what point you are trying to make here.
    
    Are you implying that Graham Sharpe complaining about rappers who rap about killing the police, misogyny and violence, is somehow just SO-O-OO old-fashioned?
    
    I happen to think he has a point, but feel free to tell us why he and I are both old fuddy-duddies for being less than impressed about the glorification of such behaviour.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:19am
    - UrbanNeocolonialist
      
      Only intellectually weak woke sheep don’t see the massive problems with rap culture. Normalising abhorrent behaviour and beliefs and coaching children into shitty life choices. Not advocating bans, but it is nothing to celebrate.
      
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      February 15, 2022 10:24am
      - Batman
        
        This assumes that everyone listening to music is somehow then going to copy everything in that music and the actions of the artist.
        
        How many boomers automatically went and did LSD and heroin after listening to The Doors? Or is that different?
        
        The stupid theories about the influence of hip hop on young people have never been borne out as true. There’s not a single piece of evidence to suggest there is a causality.
        
        As with every generation, the older ones simply don’t like new musical forms. One generation called Elvis perverted and satanic, one called rock music anarchy, and another calls hip-hop a bad influence which leads to bad life choices.
        
        You’re entitled to the view, no matter the lack of evidence to support it.
        
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        February 15, 2022 11:32am
      - graham
        
        Oh, you mean like portraying racial stereotypes in TV is actually fine, because nobody is actually influenced by it?
        
        Right-o.
        
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        February 15, 2022 12:00pm
      - Libertarians are right
        
        Batman – I agree. The issue however is that they can say that stuff while people that disagree with the woke narrative (Rogan etc) are attacked.
        
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        February 15, 2022 1:13pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Batman, comparing crappers with The Doors is out of the park.
        Your 1990 parents are calling
        
        6 1
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        February 15, 2022 3:44pm
    - wilderbeast
      
      Reading Batman’s reply it occurs to me: if we shouldn’t be worried about the example set by mysoginist rappers then why should the government be concerned about the example set by a “tiny minority” on parliament grounds?
      
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      February 15, 2022 6:37pm
  - Libertarians are right
    
    Hello 2022, Joe Rogan is being attacked for doing far less than any of those people ever did.
    
    Not that they don’t have a right to say what they want of course.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:39am
- MCōs
  
  I would say that ‘bunch of rappers’ would be highly skeptical if you said you liked their music.
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:19am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Yer MCos. you are supposed to hate their music, then get angry and go out to do bad shit. That is what most (not always) of the Rap shit is about.
    Some Rap is ok, but what grabs the attention is violent lyrics
    
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    February 15, 2022 3:48pm
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    Check out antiwoke Tom MacDonald https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCElGBUWDCa05jRzc2PfmGqQ. A rapper with some interesting things to say, even if the style of music doesn’t appeal to you.
    
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    February 15, 2022 5:34pm
- marcw
  
  For the first time of my watching Superbowl I went away and did something else during the halftime ‘show’. The lineup had nothing of interest for me, and apart from their captive audience, I suspect I am in the majority. Is anyone humming their tunes on the way to work today? No-one dare publicly say this out loud of course – cancel culture and BLM is just waiting to pounce.
  
  I haven’t read much about the show today, so assume it was a bit of a flop – apart from the headline that Eminem did the narcissistic posturing knee thing. What a prat.
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:31am
  - Batman
    
    Every millennial and Gen Xer (remember we are the new generations with money and consumer influence) enjoyed it as a retro throwback to our youth.
    
    I don’t think it was really aimed at other groups ?
    
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    February 15, 2022 11:36am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Nah, they wrote down the lyrics, for future insults. There is no way the low IQ could remember them unless played 100 times
    
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    February 15, 2022 3:50pm
pdm

`Has Labour’s Mallard……………….’

There is the problem!!!

The Despicable Mallard should not be considered as above. He is supposed to be politically neutral as holder of the third highest office in New Zealand.

Mind you eveyone knew this would happen before he was even appointed as Speaker.

Labour traditions die hard in Despicable people like Mallard so no surprises with his actions as Speaker.
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February 15, 2022 8:42am
- riffer
  
  TBH he’s just as much a dickhead as the last speaker was. With luck he’ll bugger off like Goff is…
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:54am
  - Paulus
    
    Mallard will only bugger of like Goff and Dalziell with the top inducements like Overseas Ambasadorites.
    Arise Sir Trevor , Sir Phil, and Dame Lianne as well !
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:10am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      UN. Arise Doctor Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern
      
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      February 15, 2022 3:53pm
  - Yabster
    
    TBH thats b/s from you no way David Carter was as bigger ahole as the Duck
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:14am
- PeeJay
  
  Mallards performance during this protest is as appalling as his performances as speaker, where he regularly is seen to show favouritism to his Labour mates, protect Ardern (and Kelvin!!) and regularly throw tantrums.
  
  While not having the solution to hand, due to the behaviour of the current incumbent of the speakers role, is it not past time to review this role and see if this being elected/selected by the governing party, is truly in the best interests of democracy?
  
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  February 15, 2022 12:30pm
Tomtoddy

Silly old Simon Wilson has written yet another scurrilous, despicably biased article this time covering the protest. Trying to excuse Mallard’s dirty tricks, making out the protesters are dangerous, extreme right etc. He is a stupid old goat who should be put out to graze. Tuck the blanket in under your knees Simon and nod off.
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February 15, 2022 8:44am
- TripeWryter
  
  [defamatory, deleted by Mod]
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:00am
- Random T Person
  
  You can bet your ass Simon hasn’t been anywhere near the protest.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:04am
- cmm
  
  Society works when people of all types do their jobs to add value, be they CEOs or the guy mowing lawns or pushing trolleys in supermarket parking lots.
  
  A journalist’s job is to be the eyes and ears of society. It is for this important role that they are afforded special protections (Press freedoms etc).
  
  Their job is not activism, cheer leading and running interference for an incompetent government.
  
  When a journalist becomes partisan it is really no different than a CEO embezzling instead of serving a company or a mower guy planting weeds instead of mowing the grass. Society loses value and breaks down.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:04am
- Frank the tank
  
  Simon has a direct line to the PM’s handlers. Take anything he says with an eighth of a grain of salt.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:07am
- kowtow
  
  I read it and apart from telling us there’s 2 right wing factions trying to take control of the protest , the article was risible .
  
  He even credited Mallard with lightening the mood there by playing Manilow . When any idiot knows that was far from his intention.
  
  Again , for such an “indepth” report on Camp Molesworth, no mention of their right to be there being at least partly established by the case law re Mallards own arrest and acquital for same .
  
  But then calling him the rank hypocrite he is would only draw the ire of Wilson’s real paymaster .Ardern and Co.
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:58am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Manilow is punishment – and the Sprinkler of the House will do it. Meanwhile there is a protected space in the bowels of Parliarment.
    Nuclear protected I think.
    Why not just wear a tin foil hat – Sprinkler of the House?
    
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    February 15, 2022 4:01pm
cmm

I just got off a conf call with some people in the USA.
One had just come back from a week in Dominican Republic and another is heading off overseas on Friday.

No MIQ, no worries, just travel.
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February 15, 2022 8:58am
Rusty

I wonder what Barry Manilow thinks about a Govt using his music to disturb a political protest because they think his songs are off putting to protesters?

Trevor Mallard could get sued by Manilows record company for politicising his music negatively!
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February 15, 2022 8:58am
- pdm
  
  Trevor Mallard could get sued by Manilows record company for politicising his music negatively!
  
  As long as he pays from his own pocket – no worries.
  
  Ooopswas that a pig or an elephant flying past my window.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:28am
  - riffer
    
    Nah, I’m sure it’s all pretty legal.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:56am
- riffer
  
  TBH he’s probably quite pleased for the royalties.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:56am
Maggie Pie

I see some dag on Twitter has already had over 1200 ‘likes’ this morning…..for suggesting someone should hold a lighter up to the Fire Sprinkler System on Lv1 of the Beehive while Trevs still in bed.

LOL!!
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February 15, 2022 8:59am
- Frank the tank
  
  What’s with this Mags?
  
  Son I get but I thought Dad was a little bit smarter than this!
  
  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/stonewood-key-capital-john-and-max-key-join-chows-for-new-100-million-500-home-funder/MKDTDZO2HSKMAKIA2G2W6QLNDE/
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:16am
  - marcw
    
    What’s the chance they build more ‘affordable’ homes than Labour manage in 2 terms at government? I wouldn’t bet against it.
    
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    February 15, 2022 11:37am
    - Frank the tank
      
      The entity formally known as Housing NZ will probably buy them at list price complete with a stripper pole in the lounge.
      
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      February 15, 2022 12:07pm
Tomtoddy

Gosh, the ninth floor is working overtime making sure any of its “bought and paid for” media are attacking the protesters. Some guy, Jones writing absolute drivel gets pride of place in the Ferald.

It is not that the journos do not understand the protest. The dont want to understand it or write anything accurate and sensible about it. That isnt what their masters want.

Comments about the Trump flags show how nasty and leftie our journos and media really are. They sure do not know what freedom means.
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February 15, 2022 9:04am
- graham
  
  Just curious, when they talk about “Trump” flags are they referring to MAGA flags? Do they not know what MAGA actually stands for in this context??
  
  28 2
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  February 15, 2022 9:21am
  - cmm
    
    It’s their “Let’s go Brandon” moment.
    
    They know what MAGA means, but there are 105M reasons to pretend they don’t.
    
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    February 15, 2022 10:41am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    MAGA. Make Ardern Go Away
    
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    February 15, 2022 4:04pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Bwhahahaha, Neale Jones was Arderns top pimp at the beginning, hardly credible
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:49am
- bronny1
  
  probably the Neal Jones from my comment above. Revolting, vile man.
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:14am
Random T Person

What a banger from Kiwi Dan this morning:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10511693/DAN-WOOTTON-Canada-shows-end-Covid-going-bring-long-overdue-reckoning.html
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February 15, 2022 9:05am
Jack5

John Key and his son, Max, have gone into partnership with the Chow brothers, who made their mark in New Zealand as brothel owners.

The Keys’ property development company, MTK Capital, has formed a partnership with the Chow brothers’ Stonewood Group.

The joint venture, Stonewood Key Capital, will raise capital from wholesale investors, with a goal of reaching $100 million within 18 months.

John Key is a member of the parent Australian board of New Zealand’s biggest bank, the ANZ, as well as a former Prime Minister

The Chow brothers’ rise to riches in the NZ sex industry:

https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/chow-brothers-penthouse

Abd their joint venture with the Keys:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/real-estate/127773569/sir-john-key-joins-forces-with-the-chow-brothers-in-property-venture
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February 15, 2022 9:06am
- surfing
  
  Any point to this?
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:46am
  - Jack5
    
    Anywhere in the democratic world, when a former Prime Minister or former President goes into partnership with folk famed for running brothels it is of interest and is news.
    
    What’s your point in disputing that it is of interest?
    
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    February 15, 2022 12:08pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Got any links to the workers?//
      
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      February 15, 2022 4:06pm
  - PeeJay
    
    Ha! Maybe it’s a new feature where we all just spout some random facts? Maybe tomorrow we give updates on what we had for meals etc?
    
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    February 15, 2022 12:33pm
- crikey
  
  @Jack5: Your point being?
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:46am
bythesea

Sean Plunket / Ani O’Brien and others have launched a new independent media platform.

There are a few interesting articles to read here, several about the protest:
https://theplatform.kiwi/opinions

Refreshing difference to the usual stuff govt propaganda. I hope they make a good go of it.
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February 15, 2022 9:22am
- kowtow
  
  if they have any advertisers , and I don’t know if they do or don’t , the twitter fascists will be getting onto them to cancel ’em.
  
  We saw that with his radio stn that dropped so many decent hosts .
  
  Same thing happened with Andrew Bolt , but he said their advertisers stuck with them , to their credit.
  
  Now wouldn’t that be a worthy news story , just who are thesde fascists and wot’s their agenda.
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:11am
- curry4me
  
  Yes, they’re real journalists.
  
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  February 15, 2022 1:31pm
Tauhei Notts

I originally thought the protest was rather silly.
Then I saw the huge support they had as they passed under bridges crammed with supporters. Then I read how the protesters had been embarrassed by the level of support (food etc) that the locals had offered them. Our politicians, of all persuasions, have misread the level of support. It is so widespread it is chilling.
This protest will appear in our country’s bi-centennial history in 2040 as one of the most significant political protests in our country’s history.
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February 15, 2022 9:23am
- alex Masterley
  
  I was out and about last evening.
  As I drove from St Lukes road to the motorway on-ramp there were 100 or so supporters of the protest giving it their all outside Motat. The number was quite surprising. More than I thought there would be.
  I wonder if they will do the same outside the office of the MP for Mt Albert in the next day or so.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:46am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  I am the other way, the protesters had the right idea when they left home, but they have been infiltrated by Tamikis lot, and Māori activist, and also general anti vax, there is no point saying there is no anti vax there, because the signs say other eise
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:52am
  - Rodion Raskolnikov
    
    Who cares if they are anti-vax? The designation is just a lazy term used to dismiss without argument. You can’t just use a word and then, ipso facto, expect the target to be discredited and wrong about everything. They are really pro-choice as to what they want in their bodies, as opposed to anti-anything. The latter has better rhetorical value and negative connotations (hence, “anti-mandate protest” rather than “pro-rights protest” – the latter is much harder to reasonably denounce, but it comes down to a framing issue rather than addressing the substance).
    
    “Tamaki’s lot, and Māori activists, and also general anti vax” are as equally justified in their being against vaccine mandates as anyone else is. Focus on the argument rather than on identities, because the former is relevant while the latter is irrelevant.
    
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    February 15, 2022 2:16pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    G, got hit hard there. Same as infiltrators in Washington DC?
    Yep, the rent a mob have nothing better to do
    
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    February 15, 2022 4:11pm
- Local Miller
  
  From what I’m seeing I must agree that this is a lot bigger than the pollies thought, and Jacinda & Mallard have seriously misread the mood of the room. I’m looking forward to the next set of polls that will cover the time since the convoy started. I suspect that except for the core, die hard left, there’s going to be a big swing to the right.
  I also think National (Luxon particularly) and Act (Seymour) have also totally misread the situation, and a significant number of people are going to be looking for another right of center party.
  While the Greens and Maori parties have largely remained silent, they will essentially be seen as complicit, and I suspect their support is going to drop off marginally as well.
  I also think any action now from any of these parties and leaders will be seen as too little, too late and they will struggle to regain lost ground.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:01am
  - 70andstilllearning
    
    “…and a significant number of people are going to be looking for another right of center party.”
    
    Asked the question in our house on the weekend – “Who do we vote for now?” when I saw the Matt King articles. Quick as a flash the. 2 word answer came back – “Matt King” ( the Herald article had this. “King said he was “exploring my options” when asked if he would still run in the Northland electorate.”)
    In reality however I don’t see a new right leaning party, even if it was something like the rights version of the Alliance Party, gaining enough traction before an election. Further, three right leaning political parties of significance would only create an unholy mess for the voters and could let the left slide through. ( Think current left AKL Mayoralty situation.) There’s still also the chance that Cinder’s (Labour) could really panic and pull a Trudeau which would reduce the time frame even further. With their absolute majority however that would be totally irrational but with recent history anything is of course possible.
    In my view the right parties need to do two simple things:
    1) – the representatives need to wake up and read the room outside and stop sniffing the roses in their own little room – Parliament ( both the institution & buildings) like they have been for the last 10 days odd.
    2) – one of them (or both in concert) need to come up with a strategy/policy that puts the appalling MSM on notice and breaks the gov’ts strangle hold on them.
    It’s not rocket science that’s needed!
    
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    February 15, 2022 11:08am
- wilderbeast
  
  Correct
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:28pm
TripeWryter

Crikey! A first! I’ve been deleted here because a comment I made about a columnist was deemed to be defamatory.
Well, OK, but everything I said about him was true. I knew him at university in 1972. I don’t think he’s changed much since.
Anyway …
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February 15, 2022 9:24am
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  Has Simon ever met a bureaucracy he didn’t like?
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:28am
- marcw
  
  I can’t know what it was you said that needed deleting, but have you taken into account that this is not your blog, and what is posted here is under the name of host David Farrar. So whatever was deleted as defamatory would be on his account if published, not you the anonymous poster.
  
  You really should apologise, not double down here – and perhaps post your opinion in your own name on your Facebook or Twitter account or similar. See how that works out.
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:58am
  - TripeWryter
    
    marcw: I still do have a rough working knowledge of defamation, which I learned a few life-times ago in various newsrooms and newspaper subberies.
    If you’d read what I said you’d see that I wasn’t objecting to its being deleted – just that I was surprised because what I’d said about this person was true.
    When I knew him at university in 1972 he was proud of his beliefs, which lay in a certain direction.
    The world has changed since then. We’re both old men. I know I don’t hold to a lot of what I held back then. But as I read his stuff sometimes I’m not sure he’s changed much.
    And to answer your question: I know whose blog this is. I am always grateful to be able occasionally to write on it.
    I did not and do not contest the deletion. Blog owners, like editors, have the right to exercise their discretion.
    
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    February 15, 2022 1:17pm
  - ClanMcleod
    
    Without knowing the content your comment makes zero sense.
    I had a comment deleted by a mod as “bs misinformation”. It wasn’t it was verifiable fact. I wrote to DPF to explain this and gave the links to confirm the post was accurate. He responded appropriately which I respect.
    I respect the mods, but people can and do make mistakes. I’m not saying they did in this case, but I don’t know because I can’t see the comment.
    
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    February 15, 2022 1:39pm
    - ClanMcleod
      
      To the downticker, sorry you don’t like my message even though it is 100% accurate and truthful. Can’t please everone!
      
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      February 15, 2022 2:10pm
DeepBlue

Hey cops, why don’t you try and meet in the middle? Reclaim the Molesworth eastern footpath for residents to exit out each block to Murphy Street.
10 1
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February 15, 2022 9:32am
kevn

@Tom… Amazing how remote and detached arden is.
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February 15, 2022 9:40am
- alloytoo
  
  History is not going to be kind to either her or Trudeau.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:50am
Agricola

In a weak moment, I agreed to take part in the University of Auckland psych school’s “NZ Attitudes and Values Study”.

While I never imagined the survey would be the result of much scholarship (having briefly been exposed to the social sciences at university in the 70s before throwing it in, convinced it was a kind of academic sheltered workshop), there are questions that make the NZAVS questionable to the point of invalidation, though its authors no doubt intend it as be the ex cathedra statement on Kiwi mores.

Clearly the survey is fishing for evidence of Islamophobia – that neologism used to shut down criticism – by examining how one must feel about immigration, religion and ethnicity.

The most glaring example of the faults in the survey, which rates how strongly the subject agrees or disagrees with each statement, is the question (which I charitably attribute to stupidity than to deceit) No 34, page 5: “People who hold opinions that are harmful or offensive to minority groups should be banned from expressing those views publicly”.

What is one to say? What is deemed offensive is not necessarily harmful, yet in strongly disagreeing with that statement – because freedom of speech, like it or not, includes the freedom to offend – marks the subject as a bigot. That of course plays into the hands of a “minority group” marked by a history of violent intolerance and an insistence on the right to be above any criticism. And, clearly, different rules must apply to those of the majority who might be “offended” or “harmed”.

In conflating “harm” and “offence” the “researchers” couldn’t care less that anyone might strenuously condemn harmful attacks on minority groups while at the same time striving to uphold treasured principles of free speech.

While one need no further examples of how tertiary institutions are undermining – wilfully or casually – an essential legacy of the Enlightenment, this survey is particularly obnoxious .

I binned it. I suggest others do likewise.
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February 15, 2022 9:42am
Nickc2

I listened to an interview this morning between Mike Hosking and Efeso Collins an Akld Mayoral candidate (a Labour one). I could swear Efeso Collins was reading from a Labour Party prepared script, such was his over-egging of Labour achievements (albeit imagined).
I fear for Aucklanders should this brain dead nutter take up the baubles of Mayoral Authority.
If we thought Pants-Down Brown and Goff were no-hopers, we ain’t seen nothing yet IMO.
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February 15, 2022 9:46am
Libertarians are right

Jacinda is stupid.

The protest is not “imported”. The issue being protested is very real in this country. People have lost their rights due to actions of this Government. They have a right to protest against this Government.

On the other hand, the BLM protests were an imported protest. They had no relevance here. Our Police don’t randomly murder minorities (not that they do in the US either but you can’t fudge stats here to pretend they do like you can in the US).
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February 15, 2022 9:49am
- kowtow
  
  Yer , I never saw the Media get their knickers in such a twist over Occupy Wall St when the left wing rent a mod did the same thing.
  
  The student movement and other lefties were more than sympathetic to that foreign imported far left crap.
  
  Where they now?
  
  ( No doubt Fraser House was very busy on the phones pulling in all sorts of favours to ensure max villification of the so called “lumpenprolerariat” )
  
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  February 15, 2022 12:31pm
G the giant from Dunedin

Where is Cuddles Coster?
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February 15, 2022 9:52am
- kowtow
  
  Everyone knows the official handling of this has become a total shit show and the best thing to do is to keep well away .
  
  Afterall what are subordinates for ?
  
  That’s why the cartoonists have turned on Thugard , takes the heat orf Glorious Leader .
  
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  February 15, 2022 12:27pm
Lee C

In my opinion, as things stand right now, centre-right anti-mandate political party will hold the balance of power after the next election.

And it won’t be National or ACT.
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February 15, 2022 10:14am
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  Winston has timed his play well as usual.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:21am
  - curry4me
    
    If any of the protestors, or their supporters beleive WP will do anything but abandon them post election; they’re as dumb ad Mallard and Seymor claim they are.
    
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    February 15, 2022 1:38pm
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Peters has never been mentioned by any protesters, only King, Peters is being parroted by blowhard Slater, and he is the only one
      
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      February 15, 2022 4:18pm
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Bullshit, what has he done?, mumbled a few FB posts, if he was sincere he would have gone to Wellington on Wednesday last week, but of course, he would have to pay for himself, he can take a hike, this worst government in history was all done to his hatred and arrogance FUCK PETERS
    
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    February 15, 2022 4:17pm
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  ACT wll be the big loser from this debacle. Seymour will crash from his core support and Winston will gain.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:24am
- Russ the Muss
  
  Mandates will be gone, so nope. But competency or lack of it of the current govt will certainly be on the ballot!!!!
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:56am
  - Surely Knott
    
    “Mandates will be gone, so nope. ” You think that the mandates (people forced out of their jobs, study at uni, couldn’t attend events) won’t be an election issue because they’re gone and the people who have lived under these restrictions and scapegoating by the media and politicians will quickly forget and move on. They won’t. This will influence their voting for decades.
    
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    February 15, 2022 1:10pm
- Colville
  
  Mandates will be gone in 3 months and all the other problems will take over in peoples minds.
  
  Interest rates, inflation, gangs, racial separatism, house prices, education, health. There is plenty there to keep people worried and those are where the work is going to need to be done over the next 10 years to fix the mess made by Jacinda and Robbo.
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:05am
- 70andstilllearning
  
  Sorry Lee ( no dt) – another mess/version of Labour/Greens/ Winnie but on the right? – {insert your own deity} help us.
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:25am
- PeeJay
  
  This really shouldn’t need repeating but it evidently does.
  
  For any of you absolutely stupid enough to vote for Winston first, for whatever reason you convince yourself of, just THINK, just for one second, and remember what happened last time you thought Winston was the answer.
  
  If you ever get to the point where you think Winston is the answer then you have seriously misunderstood the bloody question!
  
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  February 15, 2022 12:37pm
  - ClanMcleod
    
    PJ well that’s the tragedy, when nobody is speaking for you then you will go for anything to get rid of what you don’t want rather than what you do want.
    If Winston plays this right he could hit 15%. He would be king/queen maker yet again. Like it or not.
    Luxon and Seymour need to talk and come up with a strategy.
    
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    February 15, 2022 1:44pm
RichardF

Why is Bloomfield etc still talking about flattening the curve? He is stuck in 2021 with the Delta and Alpha varients. Baker said the traffic light system is not designed to slow spread. Maybe he hasn’t seen the graphs, the line is going vertical.

Dr Bryan Betty, Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners medical director and Porirua GP, said for most people Omicron will be a mild head cold and sore throat, that will be “very safe” to manage at home with paracetamol and fluids.

Why are they segregating people for this? Will any journalists challenge the govt on the severity of omicron and need for mandates?
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February 15, 2022 10:16am
Frank the tank

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/02/covid-19-ex-labour-president-mike-williams-says-anti-mandate-protest-will-solve-itself-because-crowds-are-unvaxxed-not-wearing-masks.html

LOL. Yeah nah. It’s 2022 Mike not 2020. Omicron is a mild flu for 99% of the population.

3/10 trolling effort – must try harder
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February 15, 2022 10:29am
- kevn
  
  @Frank…. plus of course the fact that lots of the people at the rally are vaxxed, not that it makes any difference.
  What a feeble argument from Williams.
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:51am
- Lee C
  
  So Frank Mike Williams fantasises about mass death of undesirables.
  
  What was it they were saying about over-reacting to Naxi-references?
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:57am
Surely Knott

I am removing the covid app from my phone today. I will sign in if needed. Enough.
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February 15, 2022 10:41am
- kevn
  
  @Surely… Just wave your phone at the QR. Lots of folk do that.
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:48am
  - bronny1
    
    no, don’t even pretend kevn. I have never signed in. Its not mandatory AFAIK. At least, nobody has ever asked me to stop and sign in.
    
    20 1
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    February 15, 2022 12:16pm
    - cmm
      
      While it might not be mandatory, a shop/whatever may make signing in a condition of entry. Their choice. Of course you can also choose to take your biz elsewhere.
      
      12 0
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      February 15, 2022 1:24pm
    - alloytoo
      
      Pimply youths have from time to time asked me to sign in.
      
      I always put “J Ardern”, “C/O Beehive” and an invalid overseas telephone number.
      
      Given that no pimply youth has asked me in quite some time, I suspect I wasn’t the only one.
      
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      February 15, 2022 1:38pm
- MCōs
  
  “I am removing the covid app from my phone today”
  
  Radical
  
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  February 15, 2022 12:18pm
- PeeJay
  
  Wouldn’t bother. Wave it harmlessly at the screen so both you and the owner can feign compliance. They’ve all but admitted they aren’t even going to use it anymore as they’ve all but given up on contact tracing now – and that’s before we hit 1000/day.
  
  This is the end game now – they know it, we all know it, it’s just a question of getting through the next month or two and watching all the covid restrictions come crumbling down.
  
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  February 15, 2022 12:40pm
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  Went to kids afterschool sports yesterday. Many warnings about covid behaviour (where to walk, maintaining distance, masking, not touching etc) maybe 1 in 10 were bothering with masks. NZ population has clearly moved on, only govt is still invested in mitigation.
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:09pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Donald Duck.
  Phone? Ducks don’t have phones
  Time? All the Time
  Date, well it is today’s date right?
  
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  February 15, 2022 4:21pm
103PapPap

I see the ‘Graphical comment’ on Stuff this morning has a go at a Labour politician.
Quite a change from their usual attacks on the National Party.
I refuse to call them cartoons – Stuff hasn’t had a non-political graphic commentator since the days of Eric Heath (Dominion) and Neville Ledge (Evening Post)
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February 15, 2022 10:42am
Lee C

Here is David Seymour’s ‘Free Press’ outreach for this week:
“There are some good people in the protest, but they’ve been let down by the ugly. So have those who sympathise with some of their views if not their behaviour. In fact, the extreme elements of the protest have put back the very debate we need to have about our policy response right now.”

Un-f88n-believable myopia.
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February 15, 2022 10:46am
- Frank the tank
  
  Seymour is dancing on a pin and playing the politics. Only when the polls start turning will Luxon, him and the rest of the right move their position.
  
  It is important to note this was the position of right-leaning parties in the west with the notable exception of the GOP. They are all starting to flip flop – expect our bunch to as well by the end of March as the stupidity of our position on Wokebola becomes more pronounced.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:55am
  - westernScientest
    
    you can see both of them starting to flip flop now, they are softening the public and media up for it so the hit jobs are not as successful. Starting with the “we need a firm date or criteria for the end of mandates” that they are doing now, it will be followed by a reducing of the time/criteria of the end of mandates occurring, then a “no longer needed” stance, and finally a ‘we were always against them’.
    
    Its basically the same script they followed with MIQ.
    
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    February 15, 2022 11:22am
- Rodion Raskolnikov
  
  What “extreme” elements is he referring to? Without concrete examples, he’s just waffling. The extremists are in the political class: lockdowns, coerced mass vaccination and social credit IDs are far more extreme than anything I’ve seen or heard from the protestors.
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:52am
  - mawm
    
    I have been looking hard for all these “extreme elements” but still haven’t found any. Possibly taking away a person’s freedom and their not wanting to comply (imagine that!) is extreme to a politician.
    
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    February 15, 2022 1:02pm
- curry4me
  
  Too little, too late! He had his chance, and blew it!
  
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  February 15, 2022 1:42pm
Tauhei Notts

David Seymour’s State of the Nation statement released about 3rd February was totally brilliant.
Isn’t it mind boggling how a politician can go from Hero to far quit in just 12 days.
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February 15, 2022 11:00am
- Rodion Raskolnikov
  
  It’s easy to write a speech that goes against the tide. Acting in that way is another matter. Perhaps the party name “ACT” is a misnomer? Maybe “SIT,” or even the addition of another consonant would be better.
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:49am
  - Lee C
    
    Yup Rodion another +10
    
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    February 15, 2022 11:55am
kevn

@Lee and Tauhei… He needs to get down there, mix and mingle. I’m certain it would be a revelation for him. In a good way.
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February 15, 2022 11:07am
- Lee C
  
  It’s incredible to see how a politician can allow the chance of a lifetime to pass him by like this.
  
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  February 15, 2022 11:09am
  - Rodion Raskolnikov
    
    “The statesman’s task is to hear God’s footsteps marching through history, and to try and catch on to His coattails as He marches past.” – Otto von Bismarck
    
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    February 15, 2022 12:10pm
- Pineapple Lumps
  
  I agree that should be his role as leader of an opposition party.
  
  What you are missing is his constituency are pro-vax. His old school, Auckland Grammar, had VACCINATE VACCINATE all over the school publicly facing notice boards and 98%+ of students vaccinated. Epsom a heavily Asian demographic who have the highest rates of vaccination.
  
  Luxon faces a similar situation in his electorate too.
  
  What they are both missing is that they are the leaders and need to be connecting to grassroots NZ not just a Epsom and Botany.
  
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  February 16, 2022 12:21am
Lee C

David. Before CIndy locks you down – get on a plane and go and see this for yourself.

Talk to people – ordinary kiwis.

Wean yourself off the kool-aid.

Carpe diem.
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February 15, 2022 11:11am
Biscuit

Okay, it’s late but this was the best Valentine’s Day rhyme I saw this year:

Benjamin Button
Started off dead
Violets are blue
Roses are red
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February 15, 2022 11:13am
- Loddenthinks
  
  I see your reverse and raise you the perverse:
  
  Roses are red
  Violets are glorious
  Never sneak up
  On Oscar Pistorius
  
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  February 15, 2022 12:58pm
  - Biscuit
    
    Good one, Loddenthinks,..
    
    Now, how to rectify things … i.e. get myself ahead in the Upticks standings?
    
    Blatant bribery? I has EEESTER EGGIESS!
    Posting of a few nude pics of yours truly? Though this would have had more chance of success way way back in 1970 or so…
    A ‘hit job’ on Loddenthinks? Maybe I can borrow Trevor M’s sprinklers…
    
    Suggestions welcome!
    
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    February 15, 2022 4:06pm
graham

Oops … another “unintended consequence” of vaccine passes? How do homeless people cope in Jacinda’s (“Be kind!”) brave new world?

Not very well, writes this gentleman.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/rohan-macmahon-we-need-to-talk-about-digital-equity-and-vaccine-passes/FSB5QRQ5SPT3RGX72PA24MKNNA/
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February 15, 2022 11:28am
I remember when

Ex-Labour President says protest will “solve itself” because crowds are unvaxxed, not wearing masks.
We are in the middle of a pandemic, if what is going on in front of Parliament is not a super spreader event I don’t know what is,” Williams told the AM Show.

1. It is very doubtful if Mike has a better knowledge of what a super spreader event is than anyone else. So at best it is biased political opinion.
2. He obviously isn’t aware of how the unvaxxed get their immunity.
3. If they get covid/omicron are the protesters allowed to leave?
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February 15, 2022 12:12pm
- ClanMcleod
  
  Over 90% of current omicron cases were spread by and among the unjabbed. Fact.
  
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  February 15, 2022 1:54pm
Lee C

It’s not a conspiracy. there is no plan to ‘go cashless’, or control people by limiting access their reources.

But if there were, would it look a little like this?

https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trudeau-announces-unprecedented-action-freezing-bank-accounts-of-freedom-convoy-protesters?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mattwalsh
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February 15, 2022 12:16pm
- ClanMcleod
  
  Nah, bloody conspiracy theories……what a see you next you know the day.
  
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  February 15, 2022 1:55pm
I remember when

Are we about to see the great food shortage.
If you have to isolate because you have omicron your family will need to isolate too.
So how many days of stockpile does everyone need.
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February 15, 2022 12:18pm
curry4me

https://www.bitchute.com/video/LQSNskWp1wg/

Freedom Convoy in Israel.
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February 15, 2022 12:32pm
curry4me

https://theaspenbeat.com/2022/02/12/putin-is-not-foolish-enough-to-invade-ukraine/

Putin Won’t Invade Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin is not afraid of Joe Biden, the newly-woke U.S. military, the Keystone Kops at the NSA, CIA or sundry other alphabet organizations right down to BIPOC and LGBTQ, or his speechwriter “doctor” Jill, or the yes-men (er, persons) in the White House. The Kamala Kackle gives him pause, but he has people to handle her.
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February 15, 2022 12:32pm
Lee C

This kind of thing emerging..https://nnparty.co.nz/our-policies/?fbclid=IwAR1WhrUmVJ0zhn-jlboFIGe2vmxnpeE_QtxHWJ3ymGPUxwVnuViOUstboOk
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February 15, 2022 12:39pm
- westernScientest
  
  their website though 🙁 close to donating to them just so they can make it faster
  
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  February 15, 2022 12:43pm
kowtow

First it was villify the so called unvaxxed, now it’s the unboosted .

“I’m amazed that there’s more than a million New Zealanders who are eligible for the booster dose who have not yet taken up that opportunity. This is crazy.

“I think it’s time we stopped talking about people being fully vaccinated if they’ve only had two doses.”

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/461525/omicron-spread-shortfall-in-booster-numbers-worries-top-covid-19-adviser
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February 15, 2022 12:55pm
- Rodion Raskolnikov
  
  The idea is that nobody will ever be “fully vaccinated.” More and more will be expected. That’s the gimmick, and that’s why nobody should participate.
  
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  February 15, 2022 1:57pm
  - surfing
    
    I suppose they should stop the flu jab on that basis.
    
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    February 15, 2022 2:28pm
    - Rodion Raskolnikov
      
      No one’s being coerced to get repeated flu shots in order to retain employment or to freely transact with hospitality proprietors and the like, so there is no comparison. I can’t think of a penalty attached to not receiving a flu shot.
      
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      February 15, 2022 6:03pm
  - krazykiwi
    
    The objective isn’t protection.
    
    The objective is compliance.
    
    The public are waking up.
    
    Finally.
    
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    February 15, 2022 3:20pm
- ClanMcleod
  
  As was said in a meme a few months ago, I can’t wait until the triple jabbed start blaming the double jabbed for their problems. I need more popcorn.
  Good God! When the virtue signaling Kens and Karens get their 4th jab they’re going to be a pain!!
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:00pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Be careful, Clan, I hear that popcorn, when consumed in quantity, can be unhealthy.
    
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    February 15, 2022 8:38pm
- mandk
  
  More to the point, I think it’s time we stopped talking about people being protected from omicron, on the basis that they are fully vaccinated and have had a booster.
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:12pm
- Cinematic
  
  Two is enough for me thanks. Omicron is a mild flu.
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:50pm
Maggie Pie

Just caught up with my partners mum for a quik bite.
Ma was saying she finds it hard to understand why the Key’s would want to get involved with ex-brothel owners, the Chow Brothers.

She reckons if past experience is anything to go by, it may not be long until cracks begin to appear.

https://eyeofthefish.org/chow-leaves-bad-taste/
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February 15, 2022 1:04pm
70andstilllearning

Sigh – bita Labour, bita Green, bita National, bita ACT, bita everything really. Thought I’d follow a policy icon to see the written policy – bit bigger picture – Sigh
Haven’t we got enough of these dreamers already?
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February 15, 2022 1:09pm
Benedict Yu

Jacinda says the vaccine pass system “has kept us alive”.

???? ? ? ? ? ????????
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February 15, 2022 1:27pm
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  Straight out lies now.
  
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  February 15, 2022 1:52pm
- Libertarians are right
  
  She’s potentially got a point.
  
  If not for the mandates there would probably be more people in hospital and they could be overrun.
  
  Of course, the issue is her ineptness in ensuring the health system can handle the increased load (despite 2 years to do it).
  
  Therefore, any lives saved by the mandates would have been killed by her Government incompetence, not the unvaccinated.
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:24pm
- Cinematic
  
  Jacinda is entering blathering idiot territory. Must be the anxiety disorder.
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:49pm
- krazykiwi
  
  The longer she doubles down, the harder she’ll fall.
  
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  February 15, 2022 3:15pm
kglm

Report from the front line.

I wanted to be able to say I did my bit to be on the right side of history and support the protest, so I went in today to man the barricades, even if only briefly. I was amazed by the size of the thing. It will be immovable now by the police. Tents on every bit of spare space, and trucks, vans and cars parked up as far as the eye could see. I was also surprised by how well organised it is now. Areas for kids to be supervised and entertained, awesome kitchens in Molesworth Street with many volunteers serving up free food and drink. It has now dried out and straw and matting are everywhere. It was a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. There was even a barber shop operating on the lawn. Clearly it is also now well funded with donations in cash and kind.

I cant see it ending soon. Good luck to them.
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February 15, 2022 1:28pm
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  Well done those folk. They are shaming a lot of people who should know better.
  
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  February 15, 2022 1:50pm
- Lee C
  
  but meanwhile, away from the public glare- https://www.facebook.com/549184832/videos/974024960198670
  
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  February 15, 2022 1:51pm
- leoj
  
  They’re heroes.
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:41pm
  - krazykiwi
    
    Yes, they are. And this is a veritable army of volunteers sourcing, cooking, distributing and serving food. Think it was ~600 meals last night, all freshly cooked including meals for kids. I’ve been helping out with some of the logistics, and purchasing … with the support of a few Kiwibloggers. You know who you are. Kudos!
    
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    February 15, 2022 4:15pm
    - Its only I
      
      Perhaps a few placards with that information in front of the camera stuff have over the protest. Stuff have been seeding the idea the protesters including children are at risk from these “deplorables” unhygienic conditions.
      In Fact someone replying to the steady stream of lies coming from stuff “opinion” pieces using placards would be funny as long as they were witty.
      
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      February 15, 2022 6:50pm
BAM

If you vote Luxon and National, you’re just getting Labour in drag
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-convoy-parliament-protests-national-leader-christopher-luxon-gets-extra-security-backs-pms-call-to-ignore-protesters/MV2H3WOMY73ASTADBIV5STA2KY/

What a wanker, I’d rather have Collins any day than this corporate weasel.
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February 15, 2022 1:47pm
- leoj
  
  Question time today: Luxon is a sap. No fire. Cindy was way more passionate in her responses to his weakly delivered questions.
  If you think Luxon is the Nats’ saviour, you are deaf, dumb and blind. He’s not the guy.
  Get ready for the traitor, Winston, to mop up a huge number of votes.
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:45pm
  - Its only I
    
    Every new leader brings out these comments by the bucket load.
    Labours trolls do that on stuff as well.
    Seeding doubt I guess?
    
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    February 15, 2022 6:57pm
- Cinematic
  
  Why endorse anything Jacinda wants or says? You’re the opposition Chris, it pays to offer an alternative view.
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:47pm
  - curry4me
    
    They’re not the opposition. They’re Labour lite. They have been for decades.
    
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    February 15, 2022 4:34pm
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  However when you look at Labour’s agenda there is no doubt they intend tremendous damage and must be stopped asap. Inevitably National is the alernative.
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:50pm
- Yabster
  
  hey Bam instead of putting dickhead comments about National constantly, how about you suggest a better alternative to the Labour/Greens shit storm – nothing comes to mind then stfu
  
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  February 15, 2022 3:54pm
Master Mariner

https://www.flyingmag.com/iata-to-governments-do-away-with-travel-restrictions/
Couldnt agree more.
Why the hell are we even discussing Covid and Mandates beats me.
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February 15, 2022 1:54pm
I remember when

Telegraph Group:
Germany: Activist Jennifer Morgan, is stepping down as director of GreenPeace International to become a special envoy on climate policy for the German government.
The 57-year-old American is to take German citizenship.
Morgan’s appointment is the initiative of Annalena Baerbock, the new German foreign minister – who, as a leader of the German Green Party, intends to prioritise the climate.
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February 15, 2022 1:55pm
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  They’ve already prioritized the climate by shutting their nuclear power plants and building a new gas pipeline from Russia. They obviously believe in climate change and want more faster.
  
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  February 15, 2022 3:23pm
- ClanMcleod
  
  Isn’t Jennifer Morgan also Greta’s handler?
  
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  February 16, 2022 8:02am
70andstilllearning

Saw a couple of comments yesterday querying what the phase 2 ,3 steps of the gov’ts Omicron response meant for people. Didn’t know , went looking, figured it out.
Theorem Postulated: Captain (Govt) and crew (MOH) are abandoning ship, all passengers fend for yourself now.
Theorem Proof ( by way of example).
Northland’s had 178 cases Sunday plus another 50+ since then yet not a single location of interest to indicate where new local epicentres might be.
Proof Check:
Find a Northland suburb/town /city in the filters or map at:
https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/contact-tracing-covid-19/covid-19-contact-tracing-locations-interest

zippo – yep it’s everyone for themselves now.
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February 15, 2022 1:59pm
- surfing
  
  Naturally. They said they were entering phase 2, which is this. The whole country is an epicenter now.
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:07pm
- 70andstilllearning
  
  PS: Forgot to add the bit about the life jackets they flogged from some passengers that they’re handing out to the 1st class elites so they can jump off with them and be safe ……….
  
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  February 15, 2022 2:16pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  I have a feeling that it will be the lumpenproletariat looking after most of us if we get a severe case of the lurgie.
  
  Our leaders have requisitioned all the goodies for themselves.
  
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  February 15, 2022 3:13pm
  - 70andstilllearning
    
    They’ll never abandon a successful MO Maggy – if you can’t plan/do/control something yourself make someone else responsible for it – businesses => mandate compliance springs to mind.
    
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    February 15, 2022 3:55pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      Indeed
      
      Look how our Dear PM side-steps the issue of mandated vaccinations in Question Time today.
      
      The Government has only mandated vaccinations for a few essential occupations….Health, Education, Police, Defence)…
      All the other mandating has been done by private businesses…
      
      Otherwise, many of the mandates that I’ve heard raised by those externally who take issue with them are often referencing a decision made by an employer—a private employer—rather than a Government mandate.
      
      Oral Q 9
      https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20220215_20220215_16/tab/video?page=2
      
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      February 15, 2022 4:25pm
  - kowtow
    
    The lumpens are the ones growing our food.
    
    marx’s theory was the revolution of the industrial working classes , the ag ones were not part of his philosophy .
    
    Thus many dedicated marxists were confounded by the fact it didn’t work in Germany but did in agricultural Mother Russia.
    
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    February 15, 2022 5:34pm
- Blog-aholic
  
  Paracetamol and strepcils to the rescue. The regime has abonded ship. The only problem is they’ve left it burning and its full of their shit.
  
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  February 15, 2022 4:01pm
I remember when

If a large chunk of the younger, lower risk, population get strongly ‘anti vax’ the Government may have to make a quick passport decision.
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February 15, 2022 2:08pm
- Its only I
  
  Or simply promise drop fees, promise drugs or wipe student loans.
  Kids will be back under the blanket in no time.
  
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  February 15, 2022 7:00pm
Lee C

Mallard breaks his silence:
https://www.facebook.com/100016190027544/videos/1089680064943719
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February 15, 2022 2:20pm
- nathie
  
  Jeepers please don’t give him ideas!
  
  He might decide to order the setting up of large tv screens to “broadcast himself” (1984 like) onto the unsuspecting protesters to “torture” them with his singing!
  
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  February 15, 2022 4:17pm
kowtow

‘vaccines’ and ‘boosters’.

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice …….
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February 15, 2022 2:21pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Strike three…and you’re OUT.
  
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  February 15, 2022 3:14pm
  - krazykiwi
    
    Some people don’t make it that far. The extent of the suppression of data concerning vaccine injuries and deaths is criminal.
    
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    February 15, 2022 3:58pm
    - UrbanNeocolonialist
      
      and basically no-one is aware (Govt/medical/tech practicing Omerta on this) of how the risk from the vaccines appears to be increasing exponentially with each subsequent dose (Dr John Campbell presents some info on a high profile study that shows this):
      https://youtu.be/Hb1Xm1uaedU?t=497
      
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      February 15, 2022 5:25pm
Inandout

Walked through a mall today at midday and expected the cafes to be chokka with oldies but no, heaps of spare tables. In fact the mall foot traffic was light, even in the big stores. Are people staying at home or eating on the run from servos?
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February 15, 2022 3:28pm
- Cinematic
  
  Staying at home. My gym just closed down at 2pm today. Outstanding business that hasn’t been able to get the numbers they need back working out due to the extreme fear porn of this Labour Greens government.
  
  Businesses are being decimated. Businesses are people and families. It’s criminal.
  
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  February 15, 2022 3:42pm
- graham
  
  Yep. I’m working from home and my wife isn’t going out; speaking to neighbours yesterday they commented how empty the local shops were when they went out yesterday. A close relative in her thirties is pretty much house-bound by choice, such is her fear of catching Covid. She has food delivered most of the time.
  
  The Government and the media have instilled fear and dread into a very large number of the population. I know that “bad news sells”, but the media seem to have little sense of societal responsibility. I do hope that someone in the media will have the good sense one day to briefly step away from their computer and wander outside, look at the empty streets and scared people, and suddenly come to the realisation that maybe – just maybe – they’ve pushed the fear, doom and gloom message a little too far this time.
  
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  February 15, 2022 4:02pm
  - MCōs
    
    Why are you working from home?
    
    2 0
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    February 15, 2022 9:59pm
    - graham
      
      Because my employer has mandated it.
      
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      February 16, 2022 7:43am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Definitely staying at home.
  
  Gisborne’s shops and cafes are pretty dead. (More staff than customers)
  
  Very few folk at the pool this morning…and usually only one or two others at the Library when I call in.
  
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  February 15, 2022 4:28pm
- kowtow
  
  A survey, HDPA and Mike Hosking talked of it, up to 50 % of people have significantly altered their activities so’s not be be done in by Omi or some such .
  
  Another thought . How many cities’ and towns’ council staff are still allowed to “work” from home ?
  
  That’ll knacker lots of town centres .
  
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  February 15, 2022 4:39pm
Alan Wilkinson

It’s a long time since I agreed with John Minto at all but quite a bit of this is correct:
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/127777534/the-government-must-engage-the-protesters-and-help-to-regulate-social-media
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February 15, 2022 3:46pm
- dcrane
  
  Sorry, that one loses me with the stilted languange about “misinformation” and “rabbit holes”. Far too many officially disparaged theories have ended up becoming the truth lately for this government to be given any power to regulate online discussion.
  
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  February 15, 2022 4:20pm
- All_on_Red
  
  This part clearly isn’t right.
  Quite alarming in fact.
  ‘For this reason Facebook and other social media outlets have become an existential threat to democracy and must be heavily regulated.
  
  Secondly, the Government should provide all citizens with “information credits” to use online to purchase the news services they want, with clear guidelines to prevent them being used for fake news sites or conspiracy-focused news producers.’
  
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  February 15, 2022 4:34pm
  - curry4me
    
    The first half was alright. The ‘information credits’ would doubtless only be for such trusted outfits as $tuff, CNN, and FakeNewsHub.
    
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    February 15, 2022 4:44pm
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    to use online to purchase the news services they want, with clear guidelines to prevent them being used for fake news sites or conspiracy-focused news producers.’
    
    It would be so much easier if we just had one channel to which our TV and radios were permanently tuned…and a prescribed approved reading list.
    
    It would also help if our Government trained up Blockleiter agents in each suburb to check that we were not unwittingly being exposed to wrong think.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feindsender
    
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    February 15, 2022 5:15pm
- Show me the evidence
  
  Except I don’t get why why pro vax, media and politicians (including people on this blog) believe that peoples hesitancy/adversion to covid vaccinate has come from social media – that is the biggest piece of misinformation right there. In Dec 2020 all of Big Tech (FB, Twitter, You Tube etc) signed up to the Trusted Media Network Initiative which means they delete any links to covid “misinformation”, including peoples own personal adverse experiences with the vax. If you want to say how wonderful the jab is and how it just gave you a sore arm, you will not be deleted, but if you say that you have had a serious reaction then it just gets deleted. Although, it is a bit random as sometimes they will leave the video if the person is discussing their situation with a “permitted” (pro covid vax) scientist/journalist. If scientists and doctors want to present any information that is deemed “misinformation” e.g. “I used Invermectin on 1000 patients and they all survived and had no long term problems” then you will generally be deleted. All the scientists/doctors even vaccinologists/immunologists , once they say something that gets them classified as “anti-vax” they are banned from these platforms.
  
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  February 15, 2022 5:19pm
Tauhei Notts

I am concerned that Trudeau’s silly actions in Canada confiscating people’s bank accounts could spark a run on banks here.
Grab a cup of coffee, a couple of biscuits and stare into space thinking of the consequences of a run on banks. It is frightening.
My brother-in-law saw a run on banks in Piraeus several years ago. He said it was terrible.
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February 15, 2022 4:35pm
- fightingtemeraire
  
  A run on the Banks is terrible and it means that peoples saving are disappearing faster than a puddle in summer.
  
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  February 15, 2022 4:57pm
- krazykiwi
  
  As bad as that was (and I know someone who was in Greece at the time), the Cypriot government’s bank raid was worse. Fancy this…. the state just wading into your account and helping themselves.
  
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  February 15, 2022 5:57pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Tyrant, Here we go NZ.
https://rumble.com/vuy4xg-tyrant-trudeau-invokes-emergencies-act-to-derail-freedom-convoy.html?
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February 15, 2022 4:45pm
- Don Beckett
  
  Also, has this been put up before now? A highly trained Kiwi ex military who calls out our govt. for North Korean psychlogical abuse:
  https://rumble.com/vuvjth-are-we-in-north-korea-already-here-in-new-zealand.html
  
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  February 15, 2022 7:43pm
CAKE FACE1

Sir Robert Jones didn’t like my opinion. I disagree with his view of the protests. He seems like a fake libertarian to me. Here is what I posted:

Martin Luther King was imprisoned 29 times. What would he say?

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”

Correct. Sometimes, you need to break bad laws, to be a good citizen.

CAKE is vaccinated. Nonetheless, it’s right to oppose the vaccine mandates, vaccine passports, border controls, and other such nonsense.

“The cost of Freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.” [JFK]

The cost of freedom is high. Now is not the time for surrender and submission.

Alas, Sir Robert is on the wrong side of history…
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February 15, 2022 6:27pm
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  He doesn’t like being contradicted by strangers on the internet. Very normal in that, he writes his blog to entertain himself and stroke his own ego, and could probably not care less about what you want to say, and I agree he is clearly wrong about vaccines mandates etc.
  
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  February 15, 2022 10:52pm
Southern Raider

Coster has come out of witless protection and now threatening to impound protester vehicles. Issue is his grandstanding isn’t backed up by facts as he had to admit they can’t find any tow companies willing to work with the Police on this.

Then there is Luxon who was talking a good game a few days ago and now climbed under Jacinda’s skirt and done a complete back flip. Spineless
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February 15, 2022 6:52pm
Maggie Pie

Can you believe this sh*t?

Cuddles is now threatening VIOLENCE against the protestors!

Says…. “If the Police have to move in – PEOPLE WILL GET HURT!!”

Here he is saying it while hiding behind Cindy’s skirt…..

https://twitter.com/NewshubNZ/status/1493462348647993347
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February 15, 2022 7:22pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  You think it is possible to remove the traffic obstructions with no possibility of injuries?
  
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  February 15, 2022 7:44pm
Jack5

Moves to remove Tamaki’s Destiny Church from charity status are more evidence the whole charity status should be scrapped.

Registered charity status brings company-tax exemption to organisations like Sanitarium’s owner, the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and to a swathe of businesses owned by Ngai Tahu.

Then there NZ charities like Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand Incorporated. which have diverged from their original international goals and seem to be led by politically activists.

True charities shouldn’t be in business, and shouldn’t need shelter from taxes.

It looks as though Ardernists are going to remove charity status from groups they disagree with.

So, let’s scrap the whole status and stop politicians turning charity status into a political weapon.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/127784607/destiny-church-charities-removed-from-register-for-failure-to-file-annual-returns
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February 15, 2022 8:17pm
- MCōs
  
  I would suggest the rules around tax exemptions for charities and who constitutes a charity have been around a lot longer than the present government.
  Destiny has had trouble for a few years now getting its books in order.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:56pm
fernglas

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300518052/covid19-aucklanders-who-dont-need-swabs-being-turned-away-from-testing-centres

70% of those turning up to get tested have no symptoms. It’s tempting to blame this on the stupidity of the general population, but that is too easy. The politicians and health officials were happy to use fear to ensure compliance, and now they have no idea how to dispel that fear in order to manage the process of living with this virus. Jacinda and Ashley, you created the mess. Do something to fix it.
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February 15, 2022 8:27pm
- kowtow
  
  Well way back when she did say the way to beat the bug was “test , test , test”.
  
  Now they say , stay away.
  
  But then her expert also said swimming int swimming.
  
  They’re all over the place and get away with it cos the media Pardy.
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:10pm
- MCōs
  
  As I recall the MOH advice has been to get tested if you have symptoms.
  There’s 5mil people in NZ & maybe 10K are infected, so unless you’ve been with someone known to be the chances of having the bug are mighty small. 1:500
  
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  February 15, 2022 9:41pm
ecco

Went for a walk through Parliament at dusk tonight. Pretty incredible sights in these tumultuous times. Seeing the steps up to the Beehive written all over with chalk messages.

Camping on that site with the rain Wellington had over the weekend would have been truly nasty.

To me the people camping out there did look very alternative. The maori seemed to be overly represented as well. It will be interesting to see how the next election plays out and whether these protesting maori vote for Ardern and the 5 race based seats that Labour holds. I’m guessing there’s going to be -more- fairly big bribes going out to hold up that area of Ardern’s vote. Let’s hope they can’t be bought out that easily.

I support what these people are doing, not neccessarily just the anti the vaccine mandates (NB I am triple vaxxed) but in all areas in NZ life where Ardern and her administration have overreached and are controlling its citizens.

The polls showing support for Ardern and Labour cannot possibly be correct after seeing these scenes and just about every person you talk to is unhappy with her covid response.
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February 15, 2022 8:39pm
- ecco
  
  One other thing, I feel truly sorry for the Wellington business owners affected by the disruption of this protest. Ardern needs to provide some support for these businesses the longer this goes on.
  
  These business owners have already been hammered by all the conflicting and changing rules and regulations. And now people are avoiding going to town because the roads are totally gridlocked near the Beehive. There are so many cars and so many people in that area, it would be beyond the resources of the local police force to bring that quickly and easily back to a normal state.
  
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  February 15, 2022 8:44pm
  - MCōs
    
    The businesses could try taking civil action against either the vehicle owners or the WCC. It’s most certainly not the responsibility of the taxpayers to compensate them for losses due to illegal activity.
    
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    February 15, 2022 9:33pm
    - ecco
      
      You’ve obviously never owned a business eh cossie?. I’m presuming you are an OAP judging from the number of posts of yours on KB.
      
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      February 16, 2022 7:12am

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