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March 2, 2022 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 02 March 2022

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General Debate

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mikenmildagain

Celebrating the launch, fifty years ago today, of Pioneer 10, the first space probe to leave our solar system. Also well known for the iconic plaque carried in case the spacecraft was ever found by extraterrestrials.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_plaque
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March 2, 2022 8:00am
- alloytoo
  
  Iconic plaque that says snacks on planet 3 😉
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:28am
- Biscuit
  
  Ah, you have made my day, mike!
  
  I just went into my bookshelves to retrieve a long-forgotten brilliant book, ‘Murmurs of Earth’, that was written by (amongst others) the wonderful Carl Sagan.
  
  That book – in 270 pages – goes into great detail of the plaque you cite and carries every single one of the 118 pictures in the record along with an explanation of just why each of them was chosen.
  
  Dunno if you knew, but the record also has about 90 minutes of ‘the world’s greatest music’ (though, curiously and shockingly, Liverpool FC’s ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ is omitted)…
  
  Carl used to annoy me intensely, ha, with his insistence on calling us lot the ‘yuman’ race.
  Mind, David Attenborough’s voice also pees me off, greatly, too…
  
  Nobody’s perfect, eh?
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:42am
  - Loddenthinks
    
    Liverpool FC’s song, you say? Funny I thought it was a Rodgers and Hammerstein song from the musical Carousel.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:52am
    - Biscuit
      
      Grrrr!
      
      I know that you know I already know but some out there won’t so – cue Wikipedia :
      
      “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings “You’ll Never Walk Alone” to comfort and encourage Julie when her husband, Billy Bigelow, the male lead, accidentally falls on to his knife whilst trying to run away after attempting a robbery with his mate Jigger and dies in her arms. The song is reprised in the final scene to encourage a graduation class of which Louise (Billy and Julie’s daughter) is a member. The now invisible Billy, who has been granted the chance to return to Earth for one day in order to redeem himself, watches the ceremony and is able to silently motivate Louise and Julie to join in with the song.
      
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      March 2, 2022 11:17am
      - pdm
        
        I didn’t know that.
        
        Do you owe royalties Biscuit?
        
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        March 2, 2022 6:06pm
  - ClanMcleod
    
    They could have put Pink Floyd’s “Fearless” in there. It starts with a bit of the Kop singing and signs out with the refrains again at the end of the song.
    Great tune!
    
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    March 2, 2022 12:58pm
  - Over Taxed Worker
    
    “You will know hate speech when you see it”. Liverpool FC’s ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ – fits what I call hate speech. From all Man. Utd. fans
    
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    March 2, 2022 5:58pm
- Rusty
  
  Also on this day 2 March 1972, 50 years ago:
  
  Dictator Jean-Bedel Bokasso 1 appoints “himself” president for life of Central African Republic.
  
  Hope that doesn’t give our PM any ideas!
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:06am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    He went all Napoleonic after that and declared himself Emperor, too.
    
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    March 2, 2022 11:16am
  - bjools
    
    Was the decade for it.
    Idi Amin
    His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hajj Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of all the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular.
    
    VC – Victory Cross. (NOT Victoria.)
    
    DSO – Distinguished Service Order.
    
    MC – Military Cross.
    
    Doctor – Doctor of Laws from Makerere University.
    
    It’s important to note that the British didn’t give him the titles. He assumed them. And conferred upon himself the honorary Dr of laws from Makerere.
    
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    March 2, 2022 11:54am
    - yossarian
      
      Fishes of the Sea! Haha.. From land locked Uganda.
      
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      March 2, 2022 5:23pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Jaspinda will be here forever – unless UN phones her//
    
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    March 2, 2022 2:31pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    I think he did the yards too, didn’t he.
    
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    March 2, 2022 7:23pm
- rangitoto
  
  No spacecraft have left the solar system. They have a long way to go for that. The Oort cloud extends as far as 100,000AU. Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft is a bit less than 156 AU distant.
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:31am
- Lance
  
  It’s nuclear powered… sort of.
  All hail decaying nuclear isotopes.
  
  (If this doesn’t get a rise from Mike… nothing will)
  
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  March 2, 2022 2:47pm
Warren

With all the Omicron cases in Auckland the Covid modelers are still making stupid predictions like Auckland ahead of the curve , cases could peak early from Covid-19 Modeler Professor Micheal Plank and yesterday’s 20,000 positive cases in community may not necessarily show a jump in actual infections.
You only have to look at Health Director Ashley Bloomfields admission he woefully underestimated the ability of testing for Omicron with tests results over a week behind and rightfully is getting Mutch criticism for his blunder.
But the worst problem really is the confiscation of the RATs taken from Busnesses that had foreseen this problem happening which would and could have saved this Government from them embarrassing situations they now face.
So now we have panic buying from the public for the RATs testing kits with Grocery Stoes and Chemist s, sold out within a couple of hours of being advertised.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-auckland-ahead-of-the-curve-cases-could-peak-early/V2UBQAOOFMD5725OZZ3Z27EHW M/
The Ministry and Prime Minister creating more own goals than they can score.
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March 2, 2022 8:04am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  They are still saying 2 more weeks for peak, they have been saying it for a month, NZ first case mid Jan
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:49am
  - Jim
    
    SA and UK populations had omicron blow through in 6-8 weeks from start to finish.
    
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    March 2, 2022 7:03pm
- Loddenthinks
  
  St Ash of the Pestilence thrown under the bus, no Labour MPs or Ministers or (heaven forfend) the Prime fricken Minister there to support him and share the blame.
  
  Ha! What was I thinking? Even Luke Malpass noticed and mentioned it this morning on $1uffed.
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:57am
  - Sir Cullen's Sidekick
    
    If Luke Labour Malpass is noticing it, may be end of Labour is nigh.
    
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    March 2, 2022 1:05pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    I think Ashley Bloomfield has NOT been thown under the bus but rather STOOD in front of the bus when it was 100 metres away and didnt undertsand it would drive over him.
    
    A perfect example of the Peter Principle.
    
    I hate to keep repeating this (first comment re Bloomfield’s incompetence in April 2020)
    
    He should NOT be DG Health. !! and shouldn’t have been since pre Covid times.
    
    Great TV personna, but that’s about it.
    
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    March 2, 2022 1:42pm
- Mr_Blobby
  
  If this was a rugby match we would be talking about cricket scores.
  
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  March 2, 2022 12:21pm
- curry4me
  
  If I had kids, I wouldn’t buy a pet rat for them. And I won’t be taking a RAT test for wokebola. I don’t need or want either.
  
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  March 2, 2022 12:37pm
Colville

MOH website for ordering RATs has crashed…..
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March 2, 2022 8:06am
- Loddenthinks
  
  The Warehouse is selling them cheap, apparently
  
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  March 2, 2022 12:36pm
  - Colville
    
    I got a couple of boxes.
    At 930 this morning the chemist in Napier that the MOH tells you to go to were down to 7 boxes and no idea when they were getting more.
    The chemist is unable to process business tests as no one cant get a ref number from MOH as the site is crashed.
    The system was working perfectly yesterday then the MOH “updated it” and now its crashed and NOTHING works.
    
    The Jacinda effect in action again.
    
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    March 2, 2022 2:57pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Goodness me….

“Stuff” finally realises that our Dear PM is just a good news Show Pony

This Government – and in particular Jacinda Ardern – is happy to take curtain calls and credit for the Ministry of Health’s good work – of which there has been plenty. But when there is a stuff-up the prime minister is very often absent, leaving a junior minister or just officials. Either way, when things go wrong it suddenly seems to be the ministry’s fault. Bloomfield, she said, had “acknowledged what’s gone wrong”.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/127921253/covid19-ashley-bloomfield-fronts-over-failure-no-minister-to-be-seen
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March 2, 2022 8:07am
- Yvette
  
  Maggy Wassilieff
  The article you link to ends –
  That the ministry failed to sufficiently do this is just mind-boggling. It behoves the Government to closely consider if it has been asking Bloomfield’s team the right questions.
  Because the testing fail was right before the switch to rapid antigen tests its effect was not massive.
  But it is good that this very powerful ministry is back answering questions regularly – while reassuring for many, it will also provide a daily dose of transparency.
  
  Is there “transparency” on the issue that prompts this article?
  
  From October 14 last year –
  Ministry of Health slips below ‘gold standard’ for COVID test result turnaround
  The Government has slipped below its “gold standard” benchmark of turning around COVID-19 test results – and no one’s alerted the minister who set this target.
  Eighty percent of results from nasal tests are supposed to come back within 24 hours to stay on top of the current outbreak.
  
  Before Dr Ayesha Verrall became the current associate Minister of Health, she set this standard for the turnaround time. She believes this gold standard, albeit outdated, is still being maintained.
  “It has not been less than 80 percent for some time,” she says.
  When asked if she was sure about that, she said that’s what she’d been advised. But it seems Dr Verrall was advised wrong.
  
  This outbreak, the number of tests returned within 24 hours is 78 percent. Over the past week it dropped to 73 percent, meaning of the 152,763 tests taken last week, 41,246 came back late.
  “Some of the recommendations of my report around the timeliness of certain measures wouldn’t be suitable for Delta,” Dr Verrall says.
  So there should actually be more tests that are done faster.
  https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/10/coronavirus-ministry-of-health-slips-below-gold-standard-for-covid-test-result-turnaround.html
  
  Hard and fast
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:22am
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  So Ardern, Hipkins and Little throw Bloomfield under the bus. What’s new?
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:26am
  - Blog-aholic
    
    All I can say is his salary must be comensurate with the number of tyre marks he has taken to the body.
    
    He has been thrown under the bus SO many times, but in saying that he has also leapt under the base at their insistance too…..
    
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    March 2, 2022 8:36am
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    He’s paid more than $10k a week to be the empress’s whipping boy, so I don’t think he’s sufferings too much
    
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    March 2, 2022 8:54am
    - mawm
      
      Sometimes the money is never enough to cover for the personal humiliation. I suppose the only reason he has stayed is to see it through – jumping ship in the middle of a pandemic doesn’t look too good on a CV. He too must have aspirations of extending his career internationally.
      
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      March 2, 2022 11:02am
      - Sir Cullen's Sidekick
        
        Mark my words, he will be the health minister in Labour gummit after 2026 election.
        
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        March 2, 2022 1:07pm
  - RoboRob
    
    I don’t feel sorry for him it the least. He has failed majorly on a number of fronts, especially around his distaste for RATs and shunning of Rako. His management of contact tracing and testing has been a joke. He has ignored offers of help from industry and technologies that could have massively improved both contact tracing and testing.
    
    He has been lucky that JA and the compliant media have covered for him on many, many occasions. So stiff shit Ashley.
    
    All that said. His boss is JA / Labour and they should be the ultimate recipient of the blame. Was JA really so stupid that she believed the obviously exaggerated testing capabilities? I am sure Labour knowingly asked what the absolute best case scenario for testing capabilities was and then told the compliant and equally thick media that this was the actual real world capacity.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:33am
    - Tricati
      
      They cocked up shutting down the border at the original onset of Covid, only to be pressured to do so by astute business folk. They lied about availability of PPE at the onset of Covid, only to be rescued by astute business folks chartering flights to China to obtain enough. They cocked up the Covid tracing system and dismissed out of hand the offer from Sam Morgan to help. They dismissed out of hand the value of RAT testing, only to now confiscate those ordered by enlightened businesses to cover their ineptitude. We have had so many ‘experts/modellers espouse all sorts of numbers, with little accuracy, yet used to instill a ‘fear’ culture across the country.
      The whole covid exercise has been a total cock-up from day one, with many businesses/families being negatively impacted, the economy damaged for years to come.
      Under the cover of covid we have seen changes to the fabric of our society that where not publicized prior to the last election , so expect all sorts of crap to come out over the next few months to deflect attention from this shambles and more public servants to be thrown under the bus – lets face it, Labour has increased the pool so there are plenty available.
      
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      March 2, 2022 11:33am
    - septic skeptic
      
      My impression is that Bloomfield is a PR specialist and not at all the type of hands on CEO you would want heading a pandemic response. He doesn’t seem to be informed and across what his department is actually doing. Instead happy to manage the narrative, work in a bit of Maori into his press conferences, and generally spin like a top.
      
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      March 2, 2022 12:32pm
    - ClanMcleod
      
      He’s still lying about the efficacy of masks. They do nothing to stop a virus, but Ash still dribbling on that we need to keep wearing them.
      Omicron is here. Great. Drop the idiotic mandates, drop the passes and drop the mask wearing, virtue signaling nonsense immediately.
      
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      March 2, 2022 1:05pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    He was not thrown under the bus, but stood in front of it and let himself be mown down.
    
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    March 2, 2022 1:43pm
  - pdm
    
    Capt – I bet Robbo was in the thick of the throwing too.
    
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    March 2, 2022 6:09pm
- alex Masterley
  
  The Health Minister is noticeable by his absence in this shambles. Likewise the PM
  Leadership means not only basking in the lime-light when things go well or there is a successful outcome, but also fronting up when things go wrong bad or is a complete shambles.
  Neither the Prime Minister or Mr Little have deonstrated the spine to do that. My regard for them which is low at the best of times has further declined.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:26am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Not sure what’s happening with Little, he adds pears to be sidelined on all things health, Verral appears to be going all the talking, but she has gone to ground too, a very strange way these fools run a cabinet
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:10am
    - greybeard
      
      I’ll have another go: “he appears to be sidelined…”.
      G, do you Southern people speak a different language down there ?
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:43am
      - G the giant from Dunedin
        
        It’s predictive texting, sometimes I send before checking, sorry for the inconvenience
        
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        March 2, 2022 11:50am
    - Jim
      
      Yep why is our minister of health during a pandemic…….invisible ?
      
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      March 2, 2022 7:07pm
- Tricati
  
  You have to wonder if all the noise from the protesters over biased media is having an effect. The above has been Ardern’s ‘go to strategy’ since she was appointed PM by Peters, but maybe there are just too many cock-ups to hide now.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:26am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Peters tried to call the media out over being bribed, one he had the dollars completely wrong, and two he was fine with it when he was letting it go unchecked as dep pm, such a hypocrite
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:12am
- Pavel
  
  Now she is throwing Ashley under the bus. Shameless.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:28am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    He may just spill something soon
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:12am
    - RoboRob
      
      He already did when he publicly stated that the MOH had ‘centralised’ all the RATs in NZ for distribution. Labour have worked very hard since then to lie that they did not take businesses orders, when the obviously (and as admitted by lord Ashley of Bloomfield) did.
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:37am
      - G the giant from Dunedin
        
        Those words weee designed for the sheeple
        
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        March 2, 2022 11:51am
- 70andstilllearning
  
  Malpass”
  “But it is good that this very powerful ministry is back answering questions regularly – while reassuring for many, it will also provide a daily dose of transparency.”
  “transparency”? – “misdirection” more like !
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:30am
- kowtow
  
  The number of promises this regime has made over these two grinding ,lost years over how they could beat the Lab Lurg , and yet the Media Pardy refuse to hold them to account ( now had that been their fav hate figure Mr Trump , the so called fact checking would be off the dial )
  
  Test , test , test .
  
  Gold Standard
  
  World beating
  
  And yet , every time there’s even a small hurdle they fall .
  
  Never mind zero carbon , these fools are zero delivery .
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:34am
- covfefe
  
  I am not sure that I can agree re any MOH good work – my limited experience of them is that they are mediocre woke ineffective people. The good work comes from the people at the coal face.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:38am
- bjools
  
  Learned that from Helen Clark.
  She used to send out Trevor Mallard….Is he getting too old for this?
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:44am
- Biscuit
  
  I udderly refude that, Ms Wassilieff, and am happy to transparently confirm that I will front for any bad news releases.
  
  Provided that:
  * I’m not too busy chatting to kids at, say, the East Coast Early Days kindergarten
  * My hair looks nice
  * My staff have been able to circulate my tame hacks oops the distinguished journalists with a list of the questions they may ask me
  * The day in question doesn’t have any ‘y’ in its spelling
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:57am
krazykiwi

Looks like police in riot gear have moved in to remove food and toilet facilities. This aggression is designed to spark violence, which the police will use as a justification for state-sanctioned violence against the protestors.
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March 2, 2022 8:09am
- mikenmildagain
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Alternative view: the police are removing obstructions from the area to allow residents and businesses to get on with their normal use of public roads and facilities blocked by protestors. Their are doing this in strength to counter the opposition (possibly violent) expected from a crowd of people who cannot be expected to follow lawful instructions to move,
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:19am
  - Inandout
    
    m&m, how many Wellington businesses have been affected by protestors compared with the devastation caused by covid fear? Thanks to 0800 Terrorline the cafes around NZ are devoid of elderly customers and one owner told me he can’t survive when that sector stays at home.
    
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    March 2, 2022 9:18am
  - Libertarians are right
    
    But the “lawful instructions” aren’t really lawful. Just untested in court (this time). Legal precedent (and Police precedent from previous protests) actually comes down in favor of the protesters.
    
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    March 2, 2022 9:41am
  - Stellaboxer
    
    Yeah but why turn up in riot gear supported by helicopters when there isn’t a riot? Unless of course you’re expecting one.
    
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    March 2, 2022 9:50am
    - UrbanNeocolonialist
      
      Unless of course you’re ~~expecting~~ aiming to start one.
      
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      March 2, 2022 11:12am
    - mawm
      
      Are these the same thugs used by Andrews in Melbourne and Trudeau in Ottawa? Has Ardern been waiting for them to arrive from Canada so she can also suppress those who won’t obey?
      
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      March 2, 2022 11:12am
    - I remember when
      
      What do the Air Force charge for the hire of their helicopters.
      Is this an exercise to make certain they are ‘combat ready.’
      
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      March 2, 2022 1:55pm
- RRM
  
  The message is clear.
  
  Disobey Jacinda Ardern and you will get bashed and pepper sprayed by the police.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:21am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Remember, be kind ?
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:31am
  - ClanMcleod
    
    “Kind and caring”. – obnoxious excuse for a human being and worst PM in NZ history by a very large margin.
    
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    March 2, 2022 1:11pm
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Totally agree, that’s why i put a vomit fueled emoji in the post.
      
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      March 2, 2022 8:24pm
- Mr_Blobby
  
  Yes “absolutely ” disgusting behavior by police and the government,
  
  They are seriously deluded if they think their problems will go away by evicting a few protesters.
  
  The protests will just move somewhere else.
  
  The government is losing ground, so what is their answer, double down on the stupid.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:22am
  - alex Masterley
    
    If the protest is as organised as I think it is then I suspect lawyers numbers will already be on speed dial and imagery will already be on file.
    What ever happens today will rumble through the court system for some time to come.
    It also occurs to me that wellington based judges may not be able to hear the matters due to concious or unconcious bias (having been affected by the protest) so others will need to be brought in to hear any defended prosecutions.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:38am
  - Rich Prick
    
    It’s 5.35 and I can’t listen to Cindy anymore. She blames everyone but herself. Disgusting.
    
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    March 2, 2022 5:36pm
- Roona
  
  What a sad day in NZ history.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:23am
- Nickc2
  
  Police action? Has Cindy appointed a new Police Commissioner?
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:28am
- Jim
  
  It had to happen. Social media footage is the only defence to expose any state sponsored violence to a peaceful political protest and achieve international condemnation.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:29am
- surfing
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Great to finally see some action, move these crims on…I was doubting they were going to do anything.
  
  Cuddles Coster / The Lantern should be sacked for gross ineptitude. His approach to policing is incompatible with fighting crime .
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:33am
  - leoj
    
    If protesting is a crime, where was the action in Ihumato and Shelly Bay.
    
    Where was the action over the Burn, Loot, Murder protests in Auckland?
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:13am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    The lanterness does not sack
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:33am
- kevn
  
  @kk… There is a live feed on NZ Herald of all places. From Chantelle Baker.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:34am
  - Charmaine Hawke
    
    KK it is good to see the protesters are standing with their backs to the police and not fighting back. The police have really lived up to their derogatory title of New Zealand’s largest gang today. The damage they have caused to their image will take longer to repair then their actions in 1981.
    To those applauding them and laughing, just remember you have a line as well and when the police cross it who will be there to speak for you?
    
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    March 2, 2022 8:43am
    - surfing
      
      Not what I’m seeing on the live feed. Violent thug protestors punching at the police, throwing missiles at them… disgraceful! Many of the protestor thugs look like gang members.
      
      I’m against mandates for sure, but this is not the way.
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:14am
  - kevn
    
    Well the live feed didn’t last long… You need to go to fb if you want up to date info.
    
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    March 2, 2022 9:09am
    - RightNow
      
      There’s a live feed from Chantelle Baker at The BFD
      
      19 1
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      March 2, 2022 10:19am
- Simon
  
  “This aggression is designed to spark violence,”
  
  No, government is force. Its not designed to spark violence its the natural state of government to use force against the population.
  
  Surprised at the naivety of people. If you take on some armored cop and you expect to have “rights” You will instead get beaten to the ground and arrested. This is the nature of government.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:45am
- Dead Earnest
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Sadly KK this protest has lost all respect with the vast majority of Wellingtonians including many who do not agree in principle with mandates and don’t -and never will – vote Labour. It has become a cesspit of disease and tinfoil hat wearers who are showing contempt for the rule of law and are occupying the citadel of our democracy. I for one am cheering the Police.
  KK; would you like 50 of these souls camped on your front lawn because they disagreed with something in an employment contract you had written. I guess you would call the Police!
  At times on this blog you have to disagree with the prevailing opinion and say it like it is.
  Over and Out
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:56am
  - alloytoo
    
    “Over and Out”
    
    Are you only contracted for a single message?
    
    or is it one message per blog?
    
    ….asking for a friend.
    
    Oh and BTW, according to polling conducted on the ground by our host a significant chunk of these protestors did vote labour.
    
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    March 2, 2022 9:35am
  - Scott
    
    Dead Earnest – I could not disagree with you more. The protesters are the authentic voice of the people who have lost their jobs because of the mandates and to this day still cannot go into a café and sit down and have a cup of coffee or even borrow a book in the local public library. The protesters are practical people who set up toilets and shower facilities to keep everything clean and tidy, only to have those facilities smashed by the police in the dead of night.
    
    The protesters represent the authentic New Zealanders that have woken up to the fact that we are governed by a socialist control freak. If you cannot see that the overwhelming overreach of government is the problem then there is no help for you. Right now the government has intense messaging every day on every platform telling you what to do and how to do it.
    
    These protesters value their freedom. The hard-won freedom handed down to us from our ancestors. I fully support the protesters.
    
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    March 2, 2022 9:52am
    - Dead Earnest
      
      Scott, There is an election in 2023, they are welcome to vote with the rest of us in getting rid of Jacinda, but if you are suggesting that illegal occupations are the way to change government’s minds I completely disagree. I would think they are actually hindering the removal of the mandates (which under Omicron are totally unnecessary) because it would seem like the are giving into illegal occupiers.
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:24am
      - Scott
        
        Dead Earnest – what would you suggest? You know that the person in charge is a socialist control freak right? That she is in a very comfortable position with all of these covid controls and mandates in place. She is not going to give them up any time soon!! I am shouting at you now!! You need to understand she is not giving them up!
        
        The protest is the way to get the voice of the people heard. I am heartened that Kiwis are finally waking up and protesting this totalitarian regime.
        
        Now it may be that when the protests are cleared by the police, which it seems they are doing, the government can then, after a suitable interval, get rid of the mandates. It may be they can save face.
        
        But without the protests the mandates would stay for the foreseeable future.
        
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        March 2, 2022 11:00am
      - ClanMcleod
        
        The mandates would never have gone without the protests. I agree, Ardern couldn’t be seen to drop them while the protest continued. If they manage to clear the protest fully I predict we’ll hit the “peak” of omicron very soon and then she can abandon them while claiming not to have caved to the protest.
        If she doesn’t drop them and the passes, the one thing I can guarantee is that these people will be back. Maybe not with the same tactics, but they will be back. They have nothing else to do other than plot against the woman and her government who destroyed their lives.
        
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        March 2, 2022 1:25pm
    - Dead Earnest
      
      Sorry Scott, accidently reported you while trying to reply to your second reply.
      My answer is: if illegal occupation of city streets for 3 weeks is the way to get political change and gain support for a cause, will it sure aint working.
      Anyone with half a brain can see that Omicron has made most mandates obsolete. But my guess is half the participants left at the protest now have been funded weekly by you and me for years.
      
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      March 2, 2022 12:16pm
    - Jim
      
      Hell yes Scott, on point.
      
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      March 2, 2022 7:18pm
  - Libertarians are right
    
    Over means “I’m finished and expect a response”. Out means “I’m finished and don’t expect a response”. Over and Out means “I have no idea what I’m talking about”.
    
    That pretty much sums up your entire argument.
    They aren’t occupying the “citadel of our democracy” – they’re standing in front of it, protesting a wrong done against them personally (well, 75% of them).
    It’s not a disagreement with a piece of law. It’s anger against law that has removed people’s fundamental rights. That’s a huge difference and you know it. If people can’t protest against a Government removing their rights (many of these people face losing their homes and livelihoods), should we ban all protests?
    
    Out.
    
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    March 2, 2022 9:56am
    - ClanMcleod
      
      It’s not fair, it might have inconvenienced Dead Earnest while trying to get their morning coffee.
      What is wrong with these people who expect protests to be “nice”??? “Oh yes, you can protest, just do it quietly, at an approved time and an approved place. Of course we’ll listen to you. There’s a nice protester, well done, now piss off pleb.
      
      No, it doesn’t work that way. The more you treat people like that the harder the protests will become. Guaranteed.
      
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      March 2, 2022 1:30pm
  - leoj
    
    If a protest were to assemble on my front lawn, the first thing I’d do is talk with them.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:17am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Have you had a stranger on your front lawn? I have, this guy was walking around in broad day light on my back lawn, and a woman was walking around the front lawn, I went out to this guy, asked what the F does he want, and he tried to ask if I knew a certain person, gave him a round of Fs and said piss off, no sooner the woman on the front lawn rang the door bell and asked for a person, (different name) gave her a round of Fs, they high tailed it, they were looking for day turia or poppies
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:41am
      - cmm
        
        How are NZers on government land “strangers on your front lawn”?
        
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        March 2, 2022 12:36pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        The woman was supposed to distract you at the front door while the guy went in the back and nicked what he could…
        
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        March 2, 2022 12:48pm
  - 70andstilllearning
    
    ” vast majority of Wellingtonians” +”would you like 50 of these souls camped on your front lawn because they disagreed”
    yep – talked to a couple of them a while ago – live ~30 km away from protest action, hadn’t been ( or had the need ) to go anywhere near the action – but “it’s such a nuisance to us”. Simple NIM(F)Y syndrome – Welly’s got pretty big front lawns you know!
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:25am
  - surfing
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    The loudest and most frequent posters (albeit the minority) are the anti-vaxxers — the majority are sensible and intelligent enough to see we need more than sunshine and vitamins.
    
    No need to engage with anti-vaxxers just as there is no need to engage in an argument with someone over whether 2+2=4. They’re wrong, and too far down the rabbit hole to see they are even in a rabbit hole.
    
    The protestors (now criminals) have had their say, should have cleared off a long time ago. I daresay their original message has been obscured anyway.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:28am
    - bronny1
      
      You just keep listening to the government propaganda honey. And don’t ask for our help when this government does something that’s against your rights.
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:55am
    - UrbanNeocolonialist
      
      Hi surfing; given you are so confident in ‘the science’ can you explain to me why 2000 more kiwis died (higher excess deaths) during the vaccination program of may-october 2021 than did during the same period in 2020, when respiratory viruses and covid were largely non-existent both years. See the actual science (ie the data rather than govt spin) for yourself:
      https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&time=2020-03-01..latest&facet=none&pickerSort=asc&pickerMetric=location&Metric=Excess+mortality+%28%25%29&Interval=Weekly&Relative+to+Population=true&Color+by+test+positivity=false&country=~NZL
      
      Hopefully there is a benign explanation, but I haven’t seen one yet.
      
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      March 2, 2022 11:21am
      - krazykiwi
        
        Don’t expect anything sensible, reasoned or evidence-based from surfing on this topic. He/she slings the ‘anti-vax’ pejorative around like it’s some kind of magic weapon. Pretty sad, really. But that the best some can manage.
        
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        March 2, 2022 1:47pm
    - Rodion Raskolnikov
      
      “No need to engage with anti-vaxxers just as there is no need to engage in an argument with someone over whether 2 2=4. They’re wrong, and too far down the rabbit hole to see they are even in a rabbit hole.”
      
      How convenient for you. Refusal to engage indicates the absence of argument on your part. Go on, show us anti-vaxx tinfoil hatters what’s what. After all, isn’t the science and the opinions of all sensible, decent and unselfish people on your side?
      
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      March 2, 2022 12:00pm
      - surfing
        
        Because at this stage to argue against anti-vaxxers is akin to arguing against flat-earthers. This is faith vs science rather than science vs science.
        
        Show me new evidence to the contrary and I might be interested.
        
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        March 2, 2022 1:30pm
      - krazykiwi
        
        Not worth it. I’ve given surfing loads of papers on mask efficacy. Radio silence. I think they may have been a bit complicated. Fluid dynamics and confidence intervals aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.
        
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        March 2, 2022 1:50pm
    - waikatosinger
      
      What is the crime.
      
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      March 2, 2022 12:51pm
    - ClanMcleod
      
      The one thing for sure about the protesters is that they are absolutely right. The fact you are blind and don’t see it doesn’t change that fact.
      
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      March 2, 2022 1:41pm
    - krazykiwi
      
      The loudest and most frequent posters (albeit the minority) are the anti-vaxxers — the majority are sensible and intelligent enough to see we need more than sunshine and vitamins.
      
      Everyone does need sunshine, vitamins and exercise. It’s part of sensible prophylaxis.
      
      Some people will benefit from simple, proven treatment protocols.
      
      A few people will benefit from vaccination.
      
      Whether it’s due innate or feigned ignorance, what you fail to acknowledge is that there is no such thing as an ‘average person’ against which a one-size-fits-all protocol should be fitted.
      
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      March 2, 2022 1:58pm
      - waikatosinger
        
        So you do you, and I’ll do me. Why are we excluding people from society for their choice of medical treatment. None of the VFF people want to ban vaccines. Heck a lot of uis are vaccinated. We just want the unjustified persecution of the unvaccinated to stop.
        
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        March 2, 2022 5:49pm
    - Surely Knott
      
      This is it and sadly there are a scary number of people out there who think just like surfing.
      Today is a terrible stain on NZ history. The people on the lawn will be removed . These are the underclass. People who have no voice with the government, are not represented by any party, and no party will speak to them or with them. The political, media class ignores them or sneers at them. Anyone of the political leaders could have healed that rift. They could have listened and consulted. They didn’t – they took their rights, and then removed them off the lawn with violence. They will go away but they won’t go away. Removing the mandates now won’t fix it. You have created a group that is treated like dirt in NZ society. Not just all the people on the lawn but the 90,000 on the convoy page and 56,000 on the health forum page, and the 90,000 who get their live news from the Bakers not Hillary Barry as just a few examples. Today we saw the split in society and the heart ache felt by those of us who are your second class citizens will not be easily healed. But we walk away knowing we were right. Right about the vaccine and certain that what’s been done to us is a gross violation of the bill of rights.
      
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      March 2, 2022 5:00pm
      - Batman
        
        What a load of shit.
        
        They’re a bunch of people who have been drinking the social media KoolAid and believe a whole lot of bullshit peddled by grifters and conspiracy theorists.
        
        They have no evidence or policy proposals, only abuse and lies which they’ve swallowed whole.
        
        Of course they have no political representation, at least our parties live in the real world for the most part, unlike the deranged shit these people believe.
        
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        March 2, 2022 5:23pm
      - waikatosinger
        
        On the protest lines today a bunch of us were discussing setting up a VFF political party to contest the next election. We’d probably get in excess of 100,000 members right off the bat if we did that. How many members does the Labour party have? Maybe that might make the politicians wake up and pay attention.
        
        We were also discussing setting up our own media organisation. None of us trust or watch the MSM any more. Perhaps the mainstream media might wake up and pay attention if we did that too.
        
        Functioning toilets are not the only things we can build. Jacinda messed with the wrong group.
        
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        March 2, 2022 5:54pm
      - Batman
        
        Building a political party is an admirable thing to do.
        
        Far, far, far more preferable to criminal acts.
        
        I hope you got away unscathed!
        
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        March 2, 2022 5:58pm
      - Surely Knott
        
        Batman every single one of the conspiracies has come true. The fake news is now with your lot. Safe and effective, won’t be any penalties at all, will create herd immunity, effective be like the measles vaccine, will protect your family and community, came from a wet market…
        
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        March 2, 2022 7:14pm
  - waikatosinger
    
    Perhaps Wellington shouldn’t be the capital city then if its people are so out of touch.
    
    Move the capital to Hamilton!
    
    22 2
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    March 2, 2022 10:33am
    - artemisia
      
      I vote for Bulls as capital. Think of the cartoons.
      
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      March 2, 2022 11:04am
  - The Housekeeper
    
    Why do they have to go to jail to protect OUR freedoms?
    
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    March 2, 2022 12:22pm
  - polemic
    
    Even though I don’t agree with with anti-mandates that Dead Earnest refers I am pro-Govt irrespective of political leanings…
    No Govt = Anarchy and these protestors are representing anarchists.
    I am completely supporting the GOVT AND THE POLICE to uphold the rule of law and sorry protestors but I am not allowed to park up or camp up wherever I like and nor are you
    
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    March 2, 2022 6:49pm
- Pavel
  
  I notice all these police confrontations take place in the early hours of the morning. I thought this government was anti “dawn raids”, looked down on them and apologized for such actions done by previous governments.
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:25am
  - curry4me
    
    They only apologize to people in their perceived voting base.
    
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    March 2, 2022 12:52pm
- WaynelSexton
  
  One more week of shitting in the street and the mandates would definitely be over….
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:45am
- ecco
  
  Agree with you on the whole. Although some of the people protesting look pretty marginal. I also heard that homeless people were gravitating towards the camp to get the free food. Wonder what the breakdown is of the demographics of the camp now. ie genuine people who have lost their jobs through the mandate vs those who are on benefits.
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:12am
  - waikatosinger
    
    OMG – homeless people are getting free food! Give them the bash. So when can we expect the police raid on the salvation army,
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:35am
  - The Housekeeper
    
    Many of Wellington’s homeless have drug and alcohol dependencies. No alcohol or drugs at the protest so I doubt they hang around past a free feed.
    
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    March 2, 2022 12:24pm
- cjn
  
  KK you know
  “Mown down, it is a feud. Their sons appear,
  Stiff with weapons, fighting back over the same ground.”
  Ted Hughes
  There is no way that the police action will destroy the protest movement.
  
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  March 2, 2022 4:15pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Our Dear PM cannot answer specific questions from David Seymour

David Seymour: Does the Prime Minister accept that every time I’ve put down a specific question to her on notice this Parliament, she has transferred it to another Minister to answer, and, regardless of her answer to that question, will she commit to answer questions put to her in future?

SPEAKER: Order! No, that question is ironic.

David Seymour: Point of order. Mr Speaker—

SPEAKER: The Prime Minister has no option but to answer questions which are put to her in this House. That is an obligation of the Prime Minister. For the member to suggest that she doesn’t is wrong. The member knows it’s wrong and he’s being deliberately disorderly. If he continues this, I will regard him as being grossly disorderly.

David Seymour: Point of order. Mr Speaker, if I can clarify—I have no intention to be disorderly. The point I’m making is that the Prime Minister—and you accepted the answer—criticised me for not putting a more specific question on notice. I was simply asking her if in the future, if I put specific questions on notice, will she not transfer them to other Ministers, as she always has? I think people have—

https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20220301_20220301_20/tab/video?page=7&mode=form
(From 7:06 minutes)
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March 2, 2022 8:12am
- mikenmildagain
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  It has never been a requirement for ministers to answer questions in a manner specified by the questioner. Mr Seymour should take his idea to change this to the Standing Orders Committee.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:22am
  - Libertarians are right
    
    True, but she has taken it to extremes which suggests either laziness or incompetence. Surely we deserve to know if that’s the case?
    
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    March 2, 2022 9:59am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    It is for the PM, she is the only one that refuses yo do her bloody job
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:44am
- Gravelroad
  
  Yep, this Prime Minister is a weak, woke shadow of a leader – but most people outside Wellington don’t know or care about what goes on inside the parliamentary debating chamber, especially when it relates to petty point scoring.
  I suggest to Mr Seymour that he reflects on his own weak response to the questions posed by protesters outside the locked doors of the House of Representatives.
  People (voters) will remember that long after this little “insider” exchange.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:23am
  - surfing
    
    Your problem is that you don’t understand Jacinda. A weak person would not win 2 elections.
    
    If the right continue to write her off as weak then she will win another election. I think Luxon might understand this.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:31am
    - bronny1
      
      Hmm. You saying Biden isn’t weak?
      The whole lot of them are weak, woke, puppets. If she had a brain it might help but unfortunately she is too thick to even know what GDP is.
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:57am
      - mawm
        
        The whole bunch of WEF “Future Leaders” are weak as leaders – Macron, Trudeau, Morrison and Ardern. They were probably chosen because they’ll follow orders without question.
        
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        March 2, 2022 11:32am
      - surfing
        
        I think Biden is a different situation. He is actually senile.
        
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        March 2, 2022 12:55pm
    - Gravelroad
      
      She didn’t win the first election in 2017, surfing. She was appointed as PM and her party as the “winner” by Mr Winston Peters.
      But you are correct that I don’t understand Jacinda.
      Who does?
      I don’t believe a word she says and have no trust in her as a professional politician governing with honesty and intelligence.
      Her only skill seems to be manipulating the media – as all wannabe celebrities strive to do.
      
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      March 2, 2022 11:33am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      She only won one election, an election she would have lost if not for COVID
      
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      March 2, 2022 12:43pm
    - Jim
      
      That would certainly seal the economic destruction of NZ.
      
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      March 2, 2022 7:53pm
    - Clownworld
      
      I kind of agree. Underestimate the globalists that put her in power at your peril. Still note the pattern of Bolger, Clark, Key, Ardern…all globalists singing same tune. Luxon or Ardern same-same.
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:09pm
- Mr_Blobby
  
  Not sure if Seymour is up to the job. luxon is in the same boat.
  
  Seems a bit of a lightweight.
  
  That is saying a lot when you compare it to Cindy’s kindy, with most of her cabinet in witless protection.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:30am
  - lastmanstanding
    
    I first voted in the 1972 election and have voted in every subsequent election. At this point I will be spoiling my ballot paper at Election 23 as none of the Parties or their Leaders meet my standards of governance or have a plan and vision for the future of New Zealand that I can agree with.
    It will be with a heavy heart if I spoil my paper as I am a fervent democrat and believer in freedom of the individual.
    Sadly over the past 50 years IMHO the standard of those who have put themselves forward to govern has diminished with each generation.
    
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    March 2, 2022 9:43am
    - Captain Mainwaring
      
      Come on lastman. If you spoil your ballot paper you are gifting your vote to Spindy. National or ACT will never give you 100% of what you want but they are preferable to the alternative.
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:00am
    - leoj
      
      MMP is the real reason for such degradation.
      Not having to front up to an electorate paves the way for the party to promote the unqualified rabble.
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:23am
    - surfing
      
      You’ve already lost…. when the response to someone dying in a skateboard accident is to hire a security guard for 15 hours a day to make sure people are skating properly.
      
      Freedom of the individual is long gone, the state keeps a watchful eye over the land to make sure people are safe from themselves.
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:34am
    - waikatosinger
      
      Sure you are. But most likely you are a desperate Labour supporter trying to spread a false narrative.
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:41am
    - curry4me
      
      The New Conservatives have convinced the polling organizations to include them separately in future polls. Not under ‘Other’. And both leaders have been there all the time. The protestors have about 30% support among the public. They might break the 5% barrier in 2023.
      
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      March 2, 2022 12:57pm
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Oh FFS, here we go again, enjoy another term of Cindy
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:45am
    - Surely Knott
      
      If that’s the case then you can blame the Nats who didn’t treat the 30% with any respect.
      
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      March 2, 2022 5:06pm
      - G the giant from Dunedin
        
        30%? if you think for some reason that the polls are going to show a 30% lift in some new party, some new direction , you are deluded
        
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        March 2, 2022 8:27pm
  - coge
    
    Laurel and Hardy there eagerly backed segregation of the NZ people. So I’ll be unable to vote for either of them. Or any others who did.
    
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    March 2, 2022 12:37pm
- pdm
  
  Interesting – but usual defence from The Despicable Mallard.
  
  BTW was the no confidence motion in Mallard put yesterday?
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:34am
  - Mr_Blobby
    
    If it was then it was just making a point.
    
    The people who get stuff done are out front protesting.
    
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    March 2, 2022 8:44am
- artemisia
  
  Clearly the Prime Minister needs more staff to help her answer Questions. They would also be able to brief her for the revived 1 pm transparency sessions.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:37am
Rusty

The Russians (sorry I meant the Police) are moving in on the Ukrainians (sorry I meant the Protesters) in Wellington.
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March 2, 2022 8:14am
- DeepBlue
  
  This is not an appropriate comparison.
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:17am
- Dead Earnest
  
  Reality check. If you think there is any similarity I suggest you put your tinfoil hat on.
  One is a barbaric attack on a sovereign county, the other one of the world’s most gentle police forces gingerly moving to reinstate the rule of law on city streets.
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:22am
  - ClanMcleod
    
    Which part of the CIA/Obama backed Maidan coup in 2014 which burned opponents alive in a building in Odessa makes Ukraine a sovereign country?
    It’s another US backed puppet regime.
    No, I don’t support the invasion, but the sudden jump to the “I stand with Ukraine” by people who have zero idea of the history or the politics is nauseating. Yet another example of the current woke generation who’s idea of protesting is a Facebook poll. It was the same with the idiots who used to comment on the conflict in Northern Ireland. It’s all so simple when it’s on the TV.
    
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    March 2, 2022 2:32pm
I remember when

Is this the big push to remove the Anti Mandate Protesters from Parliament.
So does it prove once again, that our Parliamentarians aren’t interested in what many people think and will not or can not debate their issues.
Do you get the idea that many in Parliament have no idea what is happening outside of their own little world.
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March 2, 2022 8:14am
- Rodion Raskolnikov
  
  It only helps the protest and general dissent against Covid tyranny if the Police remove them. The power of the image is too great, and the images will only help one side, and it’s not the State. It will be further evidence that rather than convince through rational argument (or even engage in any way) – which we can only conclude they cannot do –the government will use force to deal with dissent. That is another open admission that our system is ultimately based on and held together by the application of state force, and not on the consent of the governed.
  
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  March 2, 2022 12:12pm
  - Stellaboxer
    
    Raskolnikov I agree but with the failure to engage with the protesters on a political level and their generally bad publicity and dismissal as having any legitimacy by the media we may be wittinessing the seeds of our very own domestic terrorist problem. I lived through the troubles in Northern Ireland and can vouch for the ingredients. I do not support such actions in anyway but it generally follows when you disenfranchise a large minority. Another great own goal from the government of unintended consequences.
    
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    March 2, 2022 4:46pm
    - curry4me
      
      Fairly unlikely. I think Matt King’s new party will make it to parliament. Or NC will.
      
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      March 2, 2022 7:21pm
    - Clownworld
      
      Northern Ireland is a different beast than this with a legacy of atrocities committed by two sides. The criminal elements there and minds/ hearts are still ar war.
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:33pm
mandk

Coster is the ultimate hypocrite.

He has spent a couple of weeks telling everyone how worried he is about the sanitary conditions at the protest, but he has used his stormtroopers to prevent the portaloos from being emptied, and to vandalise and remove the sanitary facilities the protesters installed.

Nice work by a man who is a church elder at a prominent Wellington place of worship.

I wonder if he has read Matthew 7: 3-5?
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March 2, 2022 8:16am
Maggie Pie

When a bestie just tweeted about our Mayoral candidate Leo Molloy’s campaign manager, Matt McCarten ….I ran a quik google check,

Seems he has quite an extensive involvement with left-wing politics and the Union movement. One even describing him as…. ‘Labor Royalty’.

What Strange Bedfellows.

https://twitter.com/SikotiHamiltonR/status/1498514017152745474
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March 2, 2022 8:21am
- mikenmildagain
  
  I think you will find that Matt McCartern’s antics over very many years are well known to Kiwibloggers.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:23am
- krazykiwi
  
  Back in 2011, IRD went after him for $150k of unpaid tax related to Unite Union. I wouldn’t this man anywhere near my money.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:34am
- k1w1
  
  When you’re paid, you can work any shade. Kind of like pornstars can be ‘gay for pay’.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:34am
- Nickc2
  
  Matt McCarten’s involved with Leo Molloy eh? Strange bedfellows indeed. Leo Molloy’s lost my vote if that’s true.
  IMO, McCarten’s a nasty vindictive piece of work. His politics are Cindy’s politics. Comrades in a pod.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:44am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Don’t be silky, there will be a reason, perhaps M’Carten has had a guts full of Goff and the Labour Party.
    
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    March 2, 2022 11:08am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Yes, … [Snipped. Say it on your own blog. mod.] I just wonder if he has had enough, remember him, he got the blame for the unpaid Labour interns
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:06am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    [You’re welcome to – on your own blog. Not here. mod.]
    
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    March 2, 2022 12:11pm
Cassandra

There’s recent Swedish research (Lund) which shows that the Pfizer vaccine enters liver cells and alters DNA. The significance of this is unknown but it is unexpected. The company states that there is no DNA change. The point is not to be scared but to note that every action has a reaction – sometimes good and sometimes not. And that we must weigh up pros and cons. As far as we know vaccines are better than not but there are consequences.
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March 2, 2022 8:24am
- surfing
  
  Just like the smallpox vaccine you mean….
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_cow_pock.jpg
  
  Yep, people thought that the smallpox vaccine would turn them into cows.
  
  You are the spreading similar hysteria as those people did 220 years ago.
  
  Didn’t they use immortal cancer cells in that Lund study? I’m no scientist, but what is the affect on normal cells, which presumably behave very differently.
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:57am
  - rangitoto
    
    There is an actual mechanism for converting RNA into DNA.
    https://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/44/3/73
    
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    March 2, 2022 11:45am
- mawm
  
  Cassandra – this was only an “in vitro” observation in a human liver cell line. The next step is to show if it is happening “in vivo”. It’s hardly unexpected as there is aa reverse transcriptase enzyme in humans that does precisely that. As far as I’m aware the Pfizer research never look into that.
  
  Don’t you just love it when someone who hasn’t read the paper tells you that you are spreading hysteria.
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:42am
  - rangitoto
    
    The issue of reverse transcriptase incorporating the Pfizer MRNA into the genome in DNA form was poo-pooed by various experts when raised last year. Now it is demonstrated to occur in vitro in certain cell lines. How much would you bet against the in vivo possibility.
    
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    March 2, 2022 11:55am
    - mawm
      
      I wouldn’t.
      
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      March 2, 2022 4:27pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Presumably you are referring to this recent paper – an in vitro study
  
  Intracellular Reverse Transcription of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 In Vitro in Human Liver Cell Line
  https://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/44/3/73
  
  If not, could you please put up a link?
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:46am
chukar

The new police assault on the protesters today is totally unnecessary.
It is ironic that Police do not have to abide by the mandate legislation, and in fact the high court has ruled illegal applying mandates for Defence staff and Police!
The state is abusing these protesters using helicopters, pepper spray in a violent attempt to remove them.
This is absolutely shameful as all that was needed is the same law applied to all!
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March 2, 2022 8:25am
- coge
  
  Absolutely, utterly futile and pointless at this stage. Police destroying their reputation (again) for what?
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:03am
- artemisia
  
  The protesters will at some stage go home as ordered. They will take their anger with them. It may head underground but it won’t disappear even once the mandates are cancelled. A winter of discontent is going to be worse than ‘discount tents’.
  
  Good chance Labour will be quietly chuffed to be on the opposition benches. Sharpen up the sniping while someone else attempts to mitigate the problems. Though the state of the nation will be so dire that austerity will be accepted. The well off created by Labour will be fine.
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:45am
  - bronny1
    
    They won’t go home. They may move somewhere else. The gov will wish they had kept their enemies close.
    
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    March 2, 2022 11:01am
Cassandra

PM Ardern shows up for TV when it’s a plus (strong, caring leader – “I care about you” – all smoke and mirrors) but when it’s bad news then Ashley can do it – “It’s all his fault”. She’s actually a politician not a saint.
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March 2, 2022 8:27am
- Nickc2
  
  She’s actually a politician and a lying, conniving and incompetent one at that.
  Most certainly the worst PM in NZ’s history IMO.
  Unfortunately, her legacy will remain with us, our kin and our kin’s kin for some time to come.
  Robertson’s created inflation only serves to hide the size of the debt being handed down, not the debt itself.
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:51am
- curry4me
  
  Compare this to when Richard Prebble was Minister of SOEs in the 80s. He’d appear on TV to take the blame for botch ups, and have a minion announce successes. He even copped an egg from a protestor.
  
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  March 2, 2022 1:04pm
I remember when

A top disease modeller thinks the outbreak in Auckland may peak sooner than previously expected.
Except that a look at Australia and other countries should have allowed them to predict almost exactly what is happening.
Attempts at introducing too many moving parts in models fudges the answers.
Perhaps they have been too close to the PR that we are slowing down the progress of Omicron.
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March 2, 2022 8:28am
- bythesea
  
  if you look at ourworldindata with cases for australia and argentina, you can see them perfectly aligned in time with just different peak value – maybe related to testing maxing out.
  
  looking at the 1000 cases / million it takes about 4-5 weeks to go up and back down. This value for NZ would be about 5000 cases / day, which we had maybe Feb 23/24
  
  You could expect the same curve within each big city. So that would be my guess for Auckland – at peak with another 3 weeks to go to back down to where it was
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:25am
- Joely Doe
  
  top disease modeller
  
  LOL!
  Pretty damn sure we don’t have any ‘top disease modellers’ in NZ.
  We have a bunch of hacks, who like to play on their Sinclair ZX Spectrums, producing pretty coloured charts.
  I can get more accurate results from the 3 legged cat next door, by checking which area of the garden it decided to shit in.
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:28am
- ClanMcleod
  
  Paul the Octopus would do a better job of predicting the movements of omicron than Plank or any of the other morons at Te Punaha Matitini.
  Frauds and charlatans, like Ardern.
  
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  March 2, 2022 2:41pm
Random T Person

Today is a day of infamy. Police and media coordinated arms of the Labour government coming together against the peaceful protesters outside Parliament. What has New Zealand become. A sad shadow of its former glory. And meanwhile, we see the fear narrative works, with all manner of gullible idiots, including the asymptomatic, stampeding to get RAT tests. What a fucking joke this country has become.
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March 2, 2022 8:30am
- Rodney Hide
  
  Hi Random
  
  But we can’t be tribal over this. It’s the Labour govt backed by the national, act, green and Maori party.
  
  If the opposition had opposed this tyranny or spoken to the protesters we would not be in this hole. All parties sadly are culpable. I dont know how parliament, the police and the Media can repair respect. I despise them for what they have and continue doing. Disgraceful. Luxon is not a leader.
  
  He does not have to agree with the proters. He just has to talk to them. Or the Greens. Or Act.
  
  Why can’t they talk? They show themselves to be precious and out of touch.
  
  Rodney Hide
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:07am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Sorry Rodney, but voting any other way than Natact will simply guarantee another term of Ardern, Matt King is a good man, and I have traversed his page and talked to him a lot, but we need rid of this rotten dictatorship. saying Luxon is no leader when you are in the process of setting up an opposing party says more about you than him, from what I have seen lately of Luxon he is a leader, he is giving clear ideas that I want to see, he has made Ardern look like boot sole crap lately, so sorry, but you may have received my party vote, but not now, I simply can not take the risk of another Ardern term, Gary
    
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    March 2, 2022 11:16am
    - ClanMcleod
      
      You mean like Biden is better than Trump, ergo Biden is good……..righto.
      
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      March 2, 2022 2:43pm
  - Random T Person
    
    Unfortunately I agree and am aware Rodney. Ditched my ACT membership and will never vote for these corrupt, venal chair warmers again. Beyond disgusted.
    
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    March 2, 2022 11:29am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Then your wasted vote will see Ardern scrap back in
      
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      March 2, 2022 12:12pm
    - curry4me
      
      So have I. Seymour’s comments and attachment to wokebola hysteria have been like a big FU to long term supporters. I didn’t leave them. They left me. I wonder how long it’ll be before the New Conservatives start registering in the polls? They’ve been at the protest a lot. The pollsters have agreed to list them separately now. Ditto for Matt King’s new party.
      
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      March 2, 2022 1:10pm
      - G the giant from Dunedin
        
        If you look at the polls further , you can always find the breakdown of the smaller parties, 1.5% is the max for NC in a very long time, Matt King does not even have a bloody party yet, let alone named it, he will also have to get the legal numbers required to have a party in the poll, and you may well look at the silly New Nation party which appears to have completely disappeared before it began, it is still not registered, and does not get mentioned in a poll, because of not being registered
        
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        March 2, 2022 4:12pm
  - coolas
    
    Rodney ‘perk buster’ Hide is an elevated position to speak of respect, because that’s what he lost for his hypocrisy, caught with his snout in the trough.
    
    Now he talks of the Labour ‘tyranny’ being unopposed by Opposition parties
    
    Dah! That’s because there is no tyranny.
    
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    March 2, 2022 11:53am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Don’t get me wrong, I did give my party vote in the past when he was ACT leader, but splitting the vote now will not see us get rid of the worst government and Pm in history, so sorry, but new party will not get my vote
      
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      March 2, 2022 12:14pm
    - Rodney Hide
      
      Hi Coolas
      
      Mrry Christmas to you too. A leader talks to people. Everyone. Sir Robert Muldoon would meet with the gangs 40 years ago.
      
      Leaders also bring people together, not divide them. And the calm people, not full them with fear.
      
      I am not comparing them to me or anything. But I have an opinion and a right to vote and I shared it.
      
      Happy New Year.
      
      Rodney Hide
      
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      March 2, 2022 12:46pm
      - coolas
        
        Rodney. Did Muldoon meet with protesters at Bastion Point before sending 800 police to destroy their camp?
        
        You did say he met ‘everyone’.
        
        And if you seriously think Ardern is a leader who has divided the country by filling the people with fear, you and I, are living a very different reality.
        
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        March 2, 2022 1:33pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Does anyone think Andrew Little gives a stuff about the shambles he is creating in our health system?

https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2203/S00013/waiting-789-days-to-see-a-specialist.htm
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March 2, 2022 8:32am
- Simon
  
  “Does anyone think Andrew Little gives a stuff”
  
  What makes you think Little is in charge? You keep making these mistakes.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:37am
- surfing
  
  Depends on your skin colour really. I notice the article doesn’t delve into the explicit racism.
  
  Government keeps things very quiet too — they don’t want white people/asians to know that they are now second class citizens when it comes to health.
  
  I wonder why Luxon doesn’t push for more transparency around race and health??? He has a lot on his plate I suppose. Probably doesn’t want to get bogged down in race issues, as Judith tended to do.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:39am
  - Warren
    
    Know the enemy and when to ask the question, you only have to look at the backstabbing Chris Luxon gets on here and shows how careful he has to be.
    He knows the media won’t help him .
    
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    March 2, 2022 9:23am
    - Loddenthinks
      
      Backstabbing? Many of us are quite happy to stab him in the front. Here’s a thought, see if he’ll write a Guest Post, as other current and former MPs have done from time to time.
      
      Happy to give him the opportunity to set out his agenda, tell us who he is and what his values are, and what he’d do in the first 100 days and the first term if he wins the next election.
      
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      March 2, 2022 11:06am
      - mawm
        
        He should probably speak out about the changes that the WEF wants to bring about that will curtail our freedoms beyond repair and how Jacinda is spearheading it in NZ. He can’t be unaware of the drive for digital biometric ID’s that will be used in social credit scoring, the advanced moves toward a digital currency and hence a control over the population (as Justin and Freeland showed) by allowing or disallowing people access to their money. Is he aware of Herr Schwab’s plans to deny people ownership of properties, cars, etc? That we’ll have to rent everything (another level of control)? His silence is signalling that he is supporting them.
        
        What about our libertarian; is also keen on all this? Maybe he should also write a column instead of his lofty words that mean nothing.
        
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        March 2, 2022 12:27pm
    - curry4me
      
      Frankly, if he took a stand, it’d go from justified criticism to those ‘King in the North’ scenes from Game of Thrones. Ditto for Seymour.
      
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      March 2, 2022 1:13pm
- covfefe
  
  No but I do wonder where he is going to go for any healthcare that he may need…?
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:40am
  - Ehlana
    
    On his pay? He can afford private healthcare, in New Zealand or overseas.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:13am
- Mr_Blobby
  
  Collateral damage.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:46am
PaulDunmore

Overnight I installed DuckDuckGo’s new App Tracking Protection on my Samsung phone (the feature is in beta, and for now is only available by invitation).

Not many surprises so far, except for the extent of the tracking (206 tracks from 5 tracking companies in the Washington Post, 86 from 5 different companies in Stuff).

But I was startled that the Government’s Covid app sends tracking information – not to the Ministry, but to Microsoft. Information sent is encrypted, of course, so there is no way to know what is actually sent, but according to DuckDuckGo this tracker is known to collect 17 different items of data, including Android Advertising ID, Country, City, GPS coordinates, App Name and (Microsoft-issued) Unique Identifier.

As usual with the Ministry of Health, it is a stuff-up, not a conspiracy. The app developer used Microsoft’s Visual Studio App Center to supply some function for the app, without knowing (or caring) that Microsoft had built an advertising tracker into it.

The good news is that no trackers have been detected from KiwiBlog.
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March 2, 2022 8:35am
- Pavel
  
  DDG has been my browser of choice for about 3 years now, I’ve disabled Google and removed the others. I often hear of people complaining about ads yet I haven’t seen one for years. Interesting to be next to someone and we go to the same site and I’m amazed at how many ads they have compared me seeing none. Only drawback is remembering passwords but for me it’s like the 90s when we used to remember phone numbers so not too difficult.
  All these people complaining about Google and filtered searches and tracking etc and they really go on about it and how bad it is. There are many other browsers and search engines that don’t do that and I often wonder why people use Google and Microsoft at all. Google are censoring themselves into oblivion, their really a joke search engine nowadays as can be seen when comparing their search results to other, uncensored search engines. As I often say “is that a fact or did you read it on google”.
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:05am
  - Jack5
    
    DDG – you mean the search engine DuckDuckGo.
    
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    March 2, 2022 12:29pm
    - Weetbix3ways
      
      There is a DDG browser as well.
      
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      March 2, 2022 2:52pm
      - Jack5
        
        ?Whoops! My mistake. Pavel, I apologise.
        
        I’ll have a look at the DDG browser and see if it’s as good as Brave.
        
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        March 2, 2022 4:29pm
Simon

The West badly needs a Churchill. Instead there is dementia man, Trudeau the fascist, Boris the Clown, & Marcon the mad vaxxhole.

No more Churchills they were cancelled long time ago. The West has changed greatly over the last 20 years. It is no longer “the West.”
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March 2, 2022 8:35am
- yossarian
  
  Sorry, I don’t hold Churchill in the same high regard. One of the best orators I agree, but dearly loved the sound of his own voice (as Roosevelt often noted), only went back into Europe (after getting his ass kicked) when supported by the Canadians and the USA might, left the real dirty work to the Russians and then claimed how great he was…and I won’t mention Gallipoli.
  
  Give me a Truman, the owner of the “The Buck Stops Here” plaque, any day.
  
  I’ll prepare for the down ticks…
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:25am
  - Nukuleka
    
    Happy to be the first to oblige, yossarian.
    
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    March 2, 2022 9:43am
  - Tom Hunter
    
    Well I’d certainly take Truman over the current occupant of the White House – and his predecessors going back to Clinton – any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
    
    However, he cried poor when he wasn’t in his post-presidential career, and he could be a nasty, partisan little demagogue too, as shown by the news clipping at the bottom of this post where he compared his 1948 GOP opponent, Dewey, to Hitler and said that if the GOP “bigots” won it would “threaten US liberty”.
    
    it’s good to know that some things in US politics have not changed. “Bigots” is an especially nice touch of chutzpah when you consider that at the time Truman was utterly reliant on the votes of Southern Democrat segregationists.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:46am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Ah, but which past presidents would you rate below Biden, Trump, Obama, and G W Bush?
      This is a hard thing to do, as perspectives change markedly over time. There seems little doubt that people will continue to regard Lincoln, Washington, both Roosevelts, Jefferson and Wilson as among the very best, and Buchanan, Harding, and Andrew Johnson as among the very worst.
      
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      March 2, 2022 1:17pm
      - NeverMindTheBollocks
        
        Wilson? Not sure that he belongs on that list.
        
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        March 2, 2022 7:43pm
  - kowtow
    
    Yep that would have been a great idea .
    
    Britain invading Fortress Europe on its own.
    
    As to leaving the “real work” to the ‘Russians ‘. They made their bed when they signed that pact with the Nazis , and co invaded Poland .Innit .
    
    Gallipoli was not a failure of strategy , it was a failure of local tactics . Great idea letting the Ottomans know you’re coming .
    
    ps The Turks genocided the Greeks on the peninsula , but don’t mention the war.
    
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    March 2, 2022 11:53am
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Not to mention Pontus ie around the south coast of the Black Sea.
      
      Post 1918 there was a massive ‘population transfer’ (you know what that means) between Turkey & Greece. In the same way as the population transfer on Indian Partition.
      
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      March 2, 2022 7:47pm
- Aunty
  
  And you don’t possibly think that Russia or China has had anything to do with that? That Woke wankerisms, cancel culture and the politico-media cult of inequality is entirely of the West’s own making; made here, funded here, and supported here by the West and the West alone with no outside interference at all?
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:43am
I remember when

So nearly 20,000 positive states Dr. Ashley, only 2,000 were PCR tests.
RATs, “We are well supplied, the problem is distribution.”
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March 2, 2022 8:39am
- Ehlana
  
  A problem the private sector solved long before Dr Ashley was born. I wonder if he knows anyone who works there and could point him in the right direction.
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:14am
Matt Long

https://www.foxnews.com/media/ukranian-parliament-take-up-arms-kyiv
Ukraine parliamentarians take up arms against invaders, meanwhile Aotearoan Parliamentarians huddle in ivory towers looking with glee as deplorable protesters are monstered by riot police.
Commenting on the Ukrainian crisis government spokesman River of Filth says “Aotearoan MPs have already formulated plans to join invaders against the people should an invasion occur here. “
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March 2, 2022 8:41am
covfefe

Question:
If this government somehow pulls off a win at next election, where will people head to? Australia? They are almost as crazy as here although wealthier. USA hard to get a green card and their IRS is vicious. Thoughts?
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March 2, 2022 8:42am
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  Oz or USA is my preference
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:10am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  They will only pull off a win if we stupidly vote against the Nats cause Labour lite
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:22am
  - mawm
    
    Don’t blame the Tory voters for not wanting to vote Nat. Blame the Nats. It’s an old trick in politics (sarc) – if you want to be in power listen to the people and implement policies they like. This negativity that we have to vote Nat to prevent Jacinda winning is unappealing. And so is the we are keeping our powder dry by doing nothing as the country disintegrates. There is a sea change in politics/democracy in the liberal Western world and we have Humpty Dumpty just sitting on his wall. He’ll fall.
    
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    March 2, 2022 12:43pm
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      As i said, don’t vote Nats, enjoy your Marxist regime, the very bloody people that gave you the mandates
      fFS
      
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      March 2, 2022 4:14pm
- curry4me
  
  Oz is one of the least difficult choices for anyone under 40. They need to get their own super, etc. Taking out citizenship would be a good idea. The USA is a harder nut to crack. Don’t forget the Green Card Lottery though. Or maybe a friendly Congress critter.
  
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  March 2, 2022 1:23pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Ireland
  
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  March 2, 2022 7:47pm
I remember when

NZ Farmer: 28/2/22: Kingfish farm plan for Hauraki Gulf – for and against make their case:
A multi-million dollar fin fish farm off the Coromandel coast proposed.
Strong opposition from the likes of environmental groups and yachties, while DOC and MPI are raising questions but not opposed.
Supporters include aquaculture interests, Maori interests, the multi-agency Hauraki Gulf Forum and Hauraki District Council.
‘$110m iwi fin fish farming push for Coromandel wins Council support: 26/1/22:
DOC, “The Hauraki Gulf is a biodiversity hotspot which can accommodate growth in the aquaculture industry, as long as it is done in an environmentally sensitive and sustainable way.”
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March 2, 2022 8:49am
I remember when

Why do we need the media?
Just reading some letters to the Editor about the Protest.
If they have been to the site and moved amongst the protesters they are almost as ‘one voice’ complimentary about the behaviour of the protesters.
Those who have obviously not been there, on the other hand, know they are a bunch of extreme right wing, overseas funded, rude, threatening, and ‘simple minded’ rabble.
Still they have always said that ‘travel broadens the mind.’
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March 2, 2022 8:59am
Maggie Pie

We heard Chippy on the AM Show saying he had a ‘ring-side view’ of the protesters from his office, and there were hundreds of police moving in on them.

My partner was just telling me he was Jacinda’s companion at the International Union of Socialist Youth.

Hmmm….
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March 2, 2022 9:01am
- kevn
  
  @Maggie… Wet dream time for them both.
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:16am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  They both worked in Mallards office before going into parliament
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:24am
Yvette

Is the daily covid case numbers buggered?
From yesterday’s official figures –
19,566 community cases of COVID-19
Number of PCR tests total (last 24 hours): 16,314
– that there are 3252 cases more than the number of tests they supposedly come from, would indicate to your smarter six-year-old that there is a screw up

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has apologised for the delay of 32,000 Covid-19 test results.

The point here perhaps is that although you would think the number of new cases a day should be a simple factual statement, the actual number may be wildly and randomly different to what is officially given. So when media say, Today’s figure is down from yesterday’s, or whatever, it may all be utter rubbish.

A more reliable figure may be to note the number of people in hospital.
That might be a more accurate gauge of the outbreak’s trend or severity, although there too a lag exists between infection and any consequent hospitalisation (but t may not be as great as getting a bloody test result).
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March 2, 2022 9:03am
- Phronesis
  
  It’s never actually been new infections per day, it’s always been samples tested positive in the last 24 hours. Those samples could be a week old, and the person sampled could have been sick for days already. The media don’t really understand what they are reporting but then they are solely there to sell advertising.
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:57am
  - surfing
    
    Stop it with the actual thinking.
    
    Do they include Rat tests in the figures too?
    
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    March 2, 2022 11:00am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Yes, 80% of yesterdays figures were rats
      
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      March 2, 2022 11:26am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Go to the global counter, it said we had a total of 17000 cases yesterday, they also have not added the 7 cases to the deaths last week
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:25am
- ClanMcleod
  
  As with all covid numbers from the very beginning, they are massaged and manipulated to fit the current narrative. The deaths “with” versus “from” covid being the simplest example.
  
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  March 2, 2022 2:57pm
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  yep, testing is subject to a lot of variability due to policy and access issues, but hospital admissions will be a true reflection of cases. Australia maxed out at about 210 per million. (For NZ that would be 1100), we are currently at about 400 (80 per million), and if we follow Australian trajectory will hit peak hospitalization in about 2 weeks
  https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&time=2022-01-06..latest&facet=none&uniformYAxis=0&pickerSort=asc&pickerMetric=location&Metric=Hospital+patients&Interval=Weekly&Relative+to+Population=true&Color+by+test+positivity=false&country=NZL~AUS
  
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  March 2, 2022 3:51pm
Tony Stuart

Why is Trevor Mallard on the loudspeakers at Parliament telling people to pack up their tents and leave? There is an active, highly visible Police operation going on, and by convention, politicians stay out of active Police operations. Mallard has been around long enough to know this, but it seems his narcissism knows no bounds #MallardMustGo
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March 2, 2022 9:05am
Dead Earnest

Matt, Reality check. These sad protestors are not being “monstered” by the police. The restraint shown by NZ Police to this occupation, that has infringed on the rights of all NZers, has been the butt of jokes all around the world.
My guess is that at least 75% of those on site at the protest would have voted Labour in 2020. They will have a chance in 2023 to join the rest of us in getting rid of them – democratically.
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March 2, 2022 9:08am
- Matt Long
  
  Umm… the Government has infringed on the rights of all New Zealanders, the protesters have infringed on a handful of Wellington residents.
  The Government could have ended the protests weeks ago by a respectful dialogue, and a logical timetable for ending mandates.
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:08am
- bronny1
  
  Market research showed that 45% voted labour or greens. The rest Nats, act and maori party.
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:08am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    I reckon that’s bullshit, look at most the people, they are Māori, young people, and woman, how has that been answered, how would antitrust the figure
    
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    March 2, 2022 11:28am
- ClanMcleod
  
  You obviously haven’t been there. The police actions against peaceful protesters with a valid cause have been gross in the extreme. I saw them in action up close and personally on at least 3 occasions. A lot looked as though they really didn’t want to be there, but befehl ist befehl was never acceptable as a reason for behaving like an animal previously. It still isn’t a valid excuse now.
  
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  March 2, 2022 3:01pm
Maggie Pie

And have you noticed how fat & puffy Vlad’s face has become lately?
Definitely on Steroids.

https://twitter.com/newscomauHQ/status/1498744437379600384
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March 2, 2022 9:11am
- Inandout
  
  Maggie, try vodka over consumption.
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:32am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Yes, very worrying, he maybe about to take us all out, like if I’m going, you are all going, he needs to be prised out, even his generals have been shocked with some of his antics
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:29am
Black with a Vengeance

I’ve never gone running to the doctors to get a test to find out if I had the flu when I got a runny nose, achy joints, low energy and an upset stomach or got annual flu jabs

I’m not about to go running off to get a test for OMNICRON with the same symptoms. I think I’ll just stay in bed, rest up, drink lots and eat toast til I come right.

Save myself some money on doctors fees and energy hauling my sick ass outta the house. If things get worse I’ll deal with that later. There is a contingency plan…111

I’m appreciative of the efforts JA put in to limit the early spread of C-19 and the time she bought to allow vaccination rates to get high enough to reduce hospitalization and death.

Now though what with Covid ripping through the country, it’s time to let herd and natural immunity do its thing and let nature select for the fittest.

If thats me, great, if not, great. No regrets. I’ll not die wondering what if…
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March 2, 2022 9:31am
- Ehlana
  
  I’d have thought at this point that would be the key message. If you’re sick, stay home. If you experience any of the following (symptoms of serious illness), call your doctor or Healthline for advice. In an emergency, including if you are having trouble breathing, call 111.
  
  Otherwise, keep warm, get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and eat food, mostly plants, not too much.
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:20am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  That’s pretty much what I’ve always done when I’ve had a cold or felt sick.
  
  I’m not in the habit of racing about spreading my bugs to the great unwashed.
  
  And now that I’m double vaxxed and have the QR code to prove it, I seem to be in exactly the same position as I was 2 years ago…
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:50am
- ClanMcleod
  
  The vaccines don’t work. Never did and never will, no matter how many boosters you have. As for the long term effects? We’ll find out eventually. Good luck.
  
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  March 2, 2022 3:04pm
Aunty

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
I’m pleased to see that the Police have finally moved in to remove the illegitimate protesting junk from the grounds of our Parliament. Every wrong thinking whackjob and illiterate ignorant weirdo is allowed their day, but their day has well and truly passed.

The people have had enough.
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March 2, 2022 9:32am
- kevn
  
  Never mind, they are/were there for you and your family.
  Plus the thousands of NZers taken out by the mandates.
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:57am
  - Aunty
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    Nope, they were there for themelves. Because fundamentally they are very selfish people who wouldn’t (and won’t) pull their weight for the greater good of their community. They want everything their own way and to hell with the consequences that that might have on anyone else.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:09am
    - Tom Hunter
      
      In case you haven’t noticed Aunty the official government response on vaccine mandates for kids is that they’ll cease on March 15, irrespective of whether enough kids have pulled “their weight for the greater good of their community.”
      
      So much for that argument for vaccine mandates.
      
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      March 2, 2022 11:00am
    - Don Beckett
      
      Take a look in the mirror Aunty – I think the selfish accusation is most apt for you. And what have you done, pray tell, to pull your weight in the community?
      
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      March 2, 2022 12:02pm
      - Tom Hunter
        
        She’s most likely snitched on anybody not complying with the rules of the State.
        
        The East German term for it was Inoffizieller Mitarbeiter.
        
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        March 2, 2022 12:09pm
    - bjools
      
      “There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families.”
      Margaret Thatcher
      Smart lady
      
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      March 2, 2022 12:09pm
      - Odakyu-sen
        
        “Society” is a construct.
        
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        March 2, 2022 12:53pm
    - ClanMcleod
      
      It is people like you who make me utterly despair for the world our children are growing up in.
      Many of the people at that protest are jabbed, but at least they understand that forcing people to take an untested medical intervention and demanding papers to partake in society is fascism, plain and simple.
      You took a jab that doesn’t remotely do what you were told it would do. The long term implications for damage to your innate immune system are very concerning. There is no safety data around the impact of long term effects of repeated boosters but you are going to need them to maintain any of the rapidly waning “benefit” the jab gives you.
      
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      March 2, 2022 3:10pm
- coolas
  
  But Aunty the Government turned down the opportunity to negotiate with the protesters.
  
  Yes, a leader finally emerged, none other than His Holiness, the Immaculate Bishop, Brian Tamaki.
  
  If only Ardern had been humble and kissed the Bishop’s ring all this violence might’ve been avoided.
  
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  March 2, 2022 1:53pm
Pineapple Lumps

DISCRIMINATION ENDS FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS WITHOUT VACCINE PASS

Very pleased to see the discrimination against participation in sports and cultural activities is going to end on 15 March.

https://bulletins.education.govt.nz/bulletin/he-pitopito-korero/issue/covid-19-update-1-march/date/2022-03-01

Changes to requirements for school activities
As indicated by Minister Hipkins, all children and young people will soon be able to participate in all school-organised teams and groups regardless of their vaccination status.
An amendment to the Health Order will now be needed and we anticipate these changes will take effect no later than Tuesday 15 March.
This will apply to onsite and offsite activities for both curriculum-related (including offsite education outside the classroom) and extra-curricular activities offered by a registered school.
This change will apply to intra-school and inter-school competitions/activities as well as competitions/activities where school teams/groups compete against other teams/groups which are not from a school. For example, the school’s First XI competing in a local senior club competition or the school kapa haka group competing against adult groups in a regional competition.
We will advise you when these changes to the Health Order occur and will update our website information to reflect the above information and advice at that time.
For now, the existing requirements/permissions under the Health Order remain in place.
What will this mean for children and young people?
This change will mean that after that date, children and young people who are in a school-organised team or group cannot be asked for a vaccine pass.
Activities held offsite will still be able to have up to 100 participants in any defined space when at Red, as long as spectators and adult participants (coaches, referees etc) are required to provide vaccine passes.
There is no change to the vaccine requirements for staff and volunteers supporting any school activity involving children and young people – they must be vaccinated and may be asked by venue staff to provide evidence of their vaccination.
This change will support all children to participate fully in school life, regardless of their vaccination status.
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March 2, 2022 9:33am
- kevn
  
  Fine and dandy, but drop the vax pass rubbish and the mask up crap.
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:59am
- Loddenthinks
  
  Thank goodness for the “he pitopito korero”!
  
  Another mandate bites the dust, the rest of them are doomed. Come on Jacinda, you know it’s going to happen sooner or later. Why not make it sooner, and show that you can in fact follow the science?
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:02am
CAKE FACE1

Will Cindy do a little dance when we hit 20k Covid cases a day?

The Zero Covid elimination strategy doesn’t seem to be going so well.

Remember the more than three month Auckland lockdown, for one case of delta?

The government will always point to one metric (deaths with the Covid cold), and claim that their strategy was correct all along. Don’t be fooled. The economy has been burnt to the ground. The health effects will end up being broadly similar to zero restrictions, but we have vandalised our society and burnt our economy to the ground, for nothing.

I came back to NZ at the end of 2018. The country has completely changed since then – for the worse.

New Zealand is now unrecognisable from the country that we were, after a four year orgy of vandalism.

Never has New Zealand been so divided. We are huddled over the abyss of a huge recession.

Putin shows us the dangers of authoritarianism.

Cindy is a monster. Her great talent is her fear mongering. This enabled her assault on the Bill of Rights. This should never be forgotten. Future safeguards need to be put in place, to stop this ever happening again.

I feel a sense of sadness. So many people collaborated with the government. New Zealanders will pay a heavy price for the mass hysteria around Covid. The debt will still be being paid by your grandchildren.

Woe is me…
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March 2, 2022 9:35am
- Black with a Vengeance
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  I came back to NZ at the end of 2018. The country has completely changed since then – for the worse
  _______________
  
  Well you can always bugger off again…
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:00am
  - skyblue
    
    Someone needs to pay the taxes for your benefit.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:17am
  - CAKE FACE1
    
    Fanatical, hard core socialists such as yourself are typically extremely soft and fragile when it comes to criticism.
    
    Nonetheless, you may get your wish. Only family keeps me here. However, if I leave, you might find out that you need to be careful about what you wished for.
    
    Probably, you are on welfare or work for the government. Either way, it is people like CAKE that fund your life. Taxpayers. Obviously, you should be thanking me, rather than biting the hand that feeds you.
    
    No doubt you have spent your life holding out your hand to the taxpayer. This is the socialist way.
    
    When people like me with get up and go, actually get up and leave, the government has no money to pay scroungers like you.
    
    Get a job. And get a haircut. It will help with your self esteem problems. Your begging way of life is terrible for your mental health.
    
    I would like to see you try to improve your life. The first baby step is to try to take personal responsibility for yourself. If you commit yourself to doing this, I think that you would have a chance.
    
    You are letting yourself down.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:22am
    - Loddenthinks
      
      He’s not a fanatical hard-core socialist, he’s a stupid little boy who thinks it’s clever to troll KB. Nothing clever, best to ignore.
      
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      March 2, 2022 11:03am
      - Tom Hunter
        
        Nothing clever, best to ignore.
        
        Well…. we had a lot of fun with BWAV back in 2011 in a post on the uselessness of Goff in an election debate with Key.
        
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        March 2, 2022 12:13pm
  - RightNow
    
    But then who will be left to pay your benefit?
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:25am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    What, are you suggesting the country is in a better state? With 1000s without a roof, 10s of 1000s in poverty, lies s as no broken laws to get Cindy’s way, corruption across the government, perhaps you should bugger off then
    
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    March 2, 2022 11:37am
I remember when

I did not know that.
‘Newshub: St John urges people not to call 111 unless there’s an emergency:’
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March 2, 2022 9:42am
- Ehlana
  
  Apparently, some people with not serious illnesses who have clogged up the emergency department waiting rooms for hours have taken to going home, then calling the ambulance in the hope of getting priority treatment. I’ve also heard that going to the emergency room is seen as a way to bypass the wait for a specialist appointment.
  
  The simple solution would be that anyone reporting to a hospital emergency room who is not an actual emergency case is not seen, but told to go home and make an appointment to see their doctor.
  
  And perhaps alongside those prominent statements of patients rights we need equally prominent statements of patients responsibilities.
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:25am
  - kevn
    
    Can be very difficult to see a doc face to face, they like the phone caper. Just part of the induced parked-up tsunami of health issues.
    Hospitals have stopped the elective surgeries awaiting the influx of Omicron that won’t happen. More deferred health issues there.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:49am
BananaLlama

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
We should stop sending financial and material aid to Ukraine, they are going to lose and lose very badly all it is doing is getting more of their civilians killed. Promote Neutrality like the Finns and provide Russia with the security guarantees it needs before we all end up glowing from radioactive fallout.
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March 2, 2022 9:43am
- tknorriss
  
  Stop talking nonsense.
  
  The Russian army is inept:
  
  https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/02/no-youre-not-imagining-it-russias-army-is-inept.html
  
  They might eventually capture some cities. But if they do, it will end up being a guerilla war for them like Afganistan.
  
  This is a war that Russia loses in the longterm.
  
  And the threats from Putin are empty. Have you never heard of the doctrine of mutually assured destruction?
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:06am
  - BananaLlama
    
    [Deleted https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/comments_policy : Personal Abuse]
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:10am
    - BananaLlama
      
      Stop talking nonsense
      
      Mods having a cry
      
      [ Mod : Leave the mods out or you will be on holiday ]
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:31am
      - BananaLlama
        
        [Don’t argue. Take a week break. mod.]
        
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        March 2, 2022 11:10am
  - tknorriss
    
    Here is another good article explaining why Russia, and Putin in particular, has already lost the war, but just doesn’t realise it yet.
    
    https://newrepublic.com/article/165484/russia-already-lost-ukraine-war
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:17am
    - BananaLlama
      
      Oh so Russia has lost but they haven’t realised it because American Journalists say so. Well if the reputable American journalists say so then it must be true.
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:34am
    - Philview
      
      The 60 km artillery convoy suggests that Putin will chose genocide rather than defeat. The only means of stopping it appears to be the US Airforce but that will open up a whole new can of worms.
      
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      March 2, 2022 10:52am
      - tknorriss
        
        Not so sure. From what I understand the convoy has stalled, and so is more of a traffic jam rather than a convey.
        
        I understand, that due to the cold weather, they have to keep their vehicles running. So, they may well run out of gas before they get to Kiev.
        
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        March 2, 2022 11:54am
      - Odakyu-sen
        
        A 60-km convoy would be a tempting target for the Ukrainians.
        
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        March 2, 2022 12:55pm
      - rangitoto
        
        The Turkish TB2 drones seem effective against these convoys. They can remain lurking airborne for up to 24hrs and unleash a variety of precision missiles. I’m not sure how many of these Ukraine have.
        
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        March 2, 2022 12:59pm
- Aunty
  
  Are you being paid by Moscow to write that?
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:15am
  - BananaLlama
    
    Does everyone who disagrees with you need to be paid?
    You watch, Ukraine is going to agree to Russian demands and there is nothing anyone can do.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:40am
    - cjn
      
      John Mearsheimer gives an interesting lecture providing historical background to the Russian stance and invasion and the connection to US foreign policy. He also provides good maps. His theme is “Why is Ukraine the West’s fault?” This approach may put some Kiwibloggers off but I would recommend this talk. It’s on Youtube.
      
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      March 2, 2022 12:19pm
- Ehlana
  
  Why does Russia, a nuclear armed nation, need security guarantees?
  
  How many other countries have invaded Russia since the end of the second World War?
  
  How many other countries has it invaded?
  
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  March 2, 2022 10:29am
  - BananaLlama
    
    Because Ukraine has stupid corrupt leaders that wanted to put NATO missiles within 5 minutes launch time of down town Moscow. 2 minutes if America ever develops hyper sonic missiles.
    How can you tell me you don’t see the problem with this.
    
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    March 2, 2022 10:41am
    - Gerrit
      
      So instead of in the Ukraine, the missiles will be placed in Poland instead. Same time frames. Will Putin take on NATO member Poland and by default all off NATO? Remember NATO is one for all and all for one.
      
      Will Russia have enough forces left, after maintaining occupation battalions to control 38 million Ukrainians, to attack Poland and NATO?
      
      Strawman argument the missile (or nuclear bombs) location.
      
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      March 2, 2022 11:55am
      - All_on_Red
        
        The nearest NATO missiles are in Estonia and they are only Patriots for self defense.
        Oh and Zelensky is one of the good guys. He is anti corruption.
        
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        March 2, 2022 1:04pm
      - Nickc2
        
        All_on_Red @11:04PM
        If he’s anti-corruption, I wish he’d hand over all documentation concerning Hunter Biden to some trusted person in the US.
        Such a person in current politics would be hard to find though. Perhaps he’ll have to find a Journalist instead? Oops, same problem.
        
        Rather like NZ really.
        
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        March 2, 2022 1:27pm
    - rangitoto
      
      Putin’s actions appear to have pushed Finland and Sweden to seriously consider joining NATO. Both countries have considerable military capability.
      
      Hypersonic missiles have been around for > 50 years. Every ICBM is hypersonic as are the US Aegis defensive missiles SM3 (mach 16-18) and SM6 (mach 3.5). US have various other boost-glide type hypersonic missiles in development.
      
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      March 2, 2022 1:10pm
    - Ehlana
      
      And how many minutes launch time away from down town Kyiv are Russian missiles?
      
      How can you tell me that you don’t see the problem with this?
      
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      March 2, 2022 1:15pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Meanwhile, Russian submarines can park themselves 12 miles from New York & LA with impunity.
      
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      March 2, 2022 7:57pm
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  How about announcing a $10 billion bounty on killing Putin if he doesn’t withdraw immediately? $100 million for each of his close associates.
  Something similar to Kim and Xi if they don’t stop their human rights abuses. Maybe we could crowd fund it to eliminate targets for Putin to go after.
  
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  March 2, 2022 3:59pm
I remember when

The ‘Felicity Ace’ has sunk about 400 kms off the Azores Island.
The fire had been extinguished and the vessel was under tow.
European carmakers have declined to answer questions on number and model of vehicles.
A case of a salt and battery?
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March 2, 2022 9:57am
- krazykiwi
  
  I’d put money on this being a lithium-based battery fire. There were ~4000 vehicles on board, including 1100 Porsches, and 189 Bentleys
  
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  March 2, 2022 12:59pm
  - Nickc2
    
    Where’s all the noise and hand wringing from the Greens about poisoning fish through burning/burnt EV Batteries?
    That’s right, we can’t have that, all EVs arrive in NZ via Sea Transport eh?
    
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    March 2, 2022 1:17pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    But no Bugattis. They all travel by air.
    
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    March 2, 2022 7:58pm
My

Sad day, Police State reaction to what has largely been a peaceful protest. A government way out of their depth.
They had a easy out last week when the mandates were declared illegal. JA and co should have just said we will abide by the court ruling and its all over.
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March 2, 2022 10:02am
Maggie Pie

I see where Auckland Mayoral Candidate Fa’anana Efeso Collins was always very much ‘anti-gay’ and originally vehemently against the Gay Marriage Bill.

https://tpplus.co.nz/entertainment/the-gay-marriage-bill/

Well, that was then….not so much today it would seem.

“those are my principles, and if you don’t like them, I have others”

– Groucho Marx.

The one thing about Leo Molloy – at least he’s consistent!
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March 2, 2022 10:37am
- H. Upmann
  
  Collins is a hard left socialist, enthusiastic spender of other people’s money hypocrite. He will therefore probably win.
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:06am
bronny1

My nieces student flat of 6 all have covid. Five of them sick in bed. The unvaxxed one with type 1 diabetes just has a slight sore throat.
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March 2, 2022 11:13am
- ClanMcleod
  
  I might have it. Itchy throat, a bit tired and achy. Usual cold symptoms. Test? Hahahahahahahahaha!!!
  
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  March 2, 2022 3:26pm
C-Town

Due to everything else that is happening in the world at the moment, this isn’t getting a lot of attention but I’ve just been reminded by my electricity provider that from 1st of April Electricity prices are going up because of the Government’s decision to force electric companies to phase out their low fixed charge tariffs.

According to my provider (and this is probably the same for everyone else), my electric bills are going to go up a bout 30 cents per day. That’s about 9 dollars per month. And this will increase every year for the next 5 years. So in 2027, (if I’m still alive) I’ll be paying about an extra 45 dollars per month on electricity, an increase of about 50% for me. And I won’t be the only one.

This is supposedly because low income people with large families don’t get the discount. Maybe they don’t, but this new pricing system doesn’t help them either, and it removes incentives for them to be more electricity-efficient. All it does is punish people who are efficient with their electricity. Even if I was to go away for a month and I used very little electricity, I would still get a big bill.

On top of rising food and housing and petrol costs, we’ll also have to be paying a lot more for our electricity as well. Thanks Labour.
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March 2, 2022 11:33am
- Littletramp
  
  Just received an email from Mercury – from 1st April the daily supply rate goes up 100% -i.e. doubles from 33c per day to 66c per day.
  Wait til the new oil prices kick in to our inflate fuel prices. They will blame covid, world war, the maori fishing calendar, shipping congestion etc, etc, etc.
  The real cause is simply the govt policies and reactions, implemented to hide the theft of taxpayer funds by these thieves.
  
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  March 2, 2022 12:15pm
- krazykiwi
  
  Mine have just increased 28%.
  
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  March 2, 2022 12:57pm
- Inandout
  
  A lot of retired couples would be low user and going by how my neighbour speaks are Jacindaphiles. Can Labour voters be that dumb?
  
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  March 2, 2022 3:05pm
- Hard Cheese
  
  Maybe they don’t, but this new pricing system doesn’t help them either, and it removes incentives for them to be more electricity-efficient. All it does is punish people who are efficient with their electricity.
  
  My new pricing has the daily charge double, but the usage rate go down slightly, so if you’re a high user of electricity (I’m not), your bill actually goes down. And there’s little incentive to go solar any more, a higher daily rate is only going to increase the system’s payback time – solar cells having a finite lifetime, and the daily rate increasing from here on, it may not even be possible.
  
  Only a Labour Government could do something so stupid during their “CLIMATE CHANGE EMERGENCY”. Probably won’t hear anything about it from the Greens though, they’re dead from the neck up.
  
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  March 2, 2022 6:09pm
Maggie Pie

A lot of people twittering that Jacinda is a ‘Freemason’

Can women actually be one?

Asking for a friend.
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March 2, 2022 11:36am
- peterwn
  
  You have an awful lot of friends seeking advice from you. 😀
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:41am
  - Maggie Pie
    
    Over 7000 worldwide. It cuts both ways of course.
    
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    March 2, 2022 12:08pm
- Paul Marsden
  
  Try and keep up..Haven’t you heard that womin’ can be whatever they want these days..??
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:44am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Well, there was a photo yo appear yesterday that showed the young freemasonry on the four court at parliament, Ardern was in the photo, and the sign said Freemasons
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:46am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  It’s a boys’ club.
  
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  March 2, 2022 11:53am
- mandk
  
  Don’t know if they can, but it’s probably not relevant.
  
  Ardern’s devotion is directed purely towards Klaus Schwab.
  
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  March 2, 2022 12:07pm
- Manu-Rau
  
  Maggie, females can’t be Freemasons, but they can join the female equivalent, The Order of the Eastern Star. It is quite common for Freemasons’ wives to belong.
  
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  March 2, 2022 12:31pm
- Maggie Pie
  
  Been doing some research as well and came across this vid which is very very interesting……..(just scroll down)
  
  “The Ties go deep. Jacinda exposed!” – David Putnam MA
  
  https://quora.com/What-are-Jacinda-Arderns-ties-to-Freemasonry
  
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  March 2, 2022 1:15pm
- Inandout
  
  Maggie, Prince Philip was a Freemason and so was Keith Holyoake. Told by a friend.
  
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  March 2, 2022 3:00pm
  - Maggie Pie
    
    And I’ll tell you something else that’s interesting….
    
    The famous British scientist Edward Jenner, known as ‘The Father Of Immunology’, was himself a Freemason.
    
    Anyone else smelling a RAT here?
    
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    March 2, 2022 3:37pm
I remember when

Stuff NZ: Give us back our beds: Hamilton wants MIQ hotels back as New Zealand borders reopen:

So the question now is what is going to happen to the ‘homeless’ motel accommodation.
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March 2, 2022 11:43am
- Inandout
  
  I know of one Hamilton motel owner who never buckled to WINZ and as a consequence has kept his good name. The ones that did in most cases have tarnished their name for years.
  
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  March 2, 2022 2:53pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Back to where they came from, of course.
  
  Brace yourself for screeds of media pimping of the poor …
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:02pm
CAKE FACE1

The Courts ruled that the police and army mandates were illegal.

The government should have taken this opportunity to remove mandates and vaccine passes for everyone.

They could have then ordered the protestors to go home, and I suspect that they would have. The mandates were contrary to the Bill of Rights. The protestors were on the right side of history. They should have won, and gone home peacefully.

The reason the government didn’t remove mandates is simply because of foolish pride. They thought that they could divide and rule with impunity. They believed that if they scapegoated a small minority, they would get away with their numerous Covid failures.

Pride is the deadliest of the seven deadly sins, because pride is the source of all the other sins.

Every day, New Zealand becomes a more divided country.

Cindy’s government is a horror show, run on a foundation of foolish pride.

Cindy needs to swallow her pride. Alas, she is gaunt – it is questionable whether she can even swallow food at the moment.

Cindy is hiding in her fortress, incapable of logic, terrified of her own shadow.

Weak people can dig in their heels, and become dangerously obdurate. Cindy has always been about dithering and hiding. This is not acceptable in these times.

New Zealand needs leadership. Cindy is like the pied piper; a clown in funny outfits leading us off the cliff.

The Labour Party should remove her now. Cindy is not fit to govern. She looks very unwell.

Even Cindy’s goober deputy couldn’t be this bad.

Cindy should resign, for the good of the country. She is the worst Prime Minister in our history.

It is time for her to go.
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March 2, 2022 11:56am
- krazykiwi
  
  +10 Cake.
  
  Justice Cook’s judgement simply reflects reality across the globe. The novice tyrants on their giddy power trips are done, Ardern included.
  
  Go, Ardern. In the name of God, go.
  
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  March 2, 2022 12:55pm
  - CAKE FACE1
    
    Thank you very much for organising the Kiwiblog resistance to the governments trashing of the Bill of Rights.
    
    Perhaps history will record that not everyone collaborated with these authoritarians. There was resistance. This is important.
    
    Ideally, there would be consequences for those that continue to ride roughshod over our human rights. I certainly hope so.
    
    Personally, CAKE is proud to be able to say that I stood up for the Bill of Rights, against our fear mongering government.
    
    In the end, we are on the right side of history.
    
    “Welcome back to the fight. This time, I know our side will win.” – [Victor Laszlo, Casablanca]
    
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    March 2, 2022 1:27pm
    - krazykiwi
      
      You are welcome, Cake. Thank you for your 3 generous donations.
      
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      March 2, 2022 2:53pm
Lee C

Thi from Wellington
https://www.facebook.com/102009549085491/videos/912206702778714
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March 2, 2022 11:58am
nathie

Stuff’s seasoned and professional photographers have captured some great imagery from today’s protest take down.

This one looks like something from the “dark days of 1981”!
https://images.scribblelive.com/2022/3/1/c7208565-ca5e-43b8-9ff1-3fa29e856ab0_800.jpg

The contrasts are ironic (or should that be iconic)?
https://images.scribblelive.com/2022/3/1/90cd9188-671a-4ed5-82b6-9033f1f45fb5_800.jpg
Welcome to your New Cindyland future, dear citizens?!! 😉
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March 2, 2022 12:06pm
- Suze Wainwright
  
  Sleeping Dogs…? But I think that one was meant to be anti ‘right’ wing govts
  
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  March 2, 2022 1:08pm
curry4me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF4R2SPgI4c

US Freedom Convoys Grows By The Minute!

Dang! It’s that fringe minority with unacceptable views again. I wonder if they invited Fidel Trudope along for a spin?
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March 2, 2022 12:32pm
curry4me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1svQFHRwSYQ

McBLOG: ‘Meat’ Critical Theory.

In a hilarious (meant to be serious) speech at a recent Oxford Union debate, vegan feminist, author & animal rights advocate Carol Adams used Critical Theory to make meat eaters feel really really bad. Do you feel bad now? (BBQ at our place to discuss further) [This video will either make you laugh your tits off, or throw up. Possibly both.]
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March 2, 2022 12:33pm
- Blog-aholic
  
  It is described in psychology as delusional.
  
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  March 2, 2022 1:32pm
- Rich Prick
  
  I found myself fetching back my lunch. She’s either completely self-unaware or is mental. Those are the only explanations for standing and publicly spouting that nonsense.
  
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  March 2, 2022 2:14pm
  - curry4me
    
    Probably both.
    
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    March 2, 2022 7:33pm
- Prince
  
  If you think this is funny, try going to your local university sometime.
  
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  March 2, 2022 3:21pm
curry4me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFmzkIl05cY

US Freedom Convoy is 2000 Trucks Long.

Just another fringe minority with unacceptable views. / sarc [It doesn’t say which state it was filmed in. ]
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March 2, 2022 12:33pm
- cmm
  
  There are more than one convoy on the road.
  
  There is one in Eastern California (probably now in Nevada) and another in the Missouri/Illinois area and, quite likely more.
  
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  March 2, 2022 1:28pm
  - curry4me
    
    Yes, you’re right. Pretty impressive pictures all the same.
    
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    March 2, 2022 1:39pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Putin’s convoy is longer
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:04pm
curry4me

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

Putin’s Clash of Civilizations, and the Rise of Civilizational States.

More and more pundits are indeed recognizing that Ukraine is the center of a very real clash of civilizations! In this video, we’re going to look at the Clash of Civilizations thesis has to do with Ukraine, we’re going to see how Russia is changing in accordance with a new world rising, and stick with me to the very end of this video when I’ll show you may be the ultimate beneficiary in all of this, let’s see if you can guess which nation that is. [11:01]
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March 2, 2022 12:34pm
waikatosinger

Covid tracker app – deleted.

If someone asks me to check in somewhere from now on I’ll just take a picture with my camera.
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March 2, 2022 12:45pm
- Rich Prick
  
  Delete your vaccine pass while you’re at it. They serve no health purpose, just a political one.
  
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  March 2, 2022 3:16pm
Prince

Hipkins announced today that 2,390,659 (a) people had received boosters, which was 72% of the eligible population.
Now to be eligible, you would need to have had two ‘jabs’ by 1st December.
As at midnight 1 December, according to DoH stats, 3,632,748 (b) people had two shots.
Now (a) divided by (b) is 65.8%, not 72%.
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March 2, 2022 1:15pm
cmm

So we now have 0ver 100,000 confirmed positive cases in NZ.

Based on the assumption (supported by both Andy Little and Baker) that there are 5x that many really infected, there are 500,000 positives.

Based on the bed count, NZ has approx 2 people per 1000 in hospital at any time for all causes (ie. just being alive).

ie. take 500,000 random NZers and you’d expect to have 1000 of them in hospital.

So why are there only 400 positives in hospital then (and, btw, most of those are in hospital for other reasons and only incidentally have tested positive).

It’s looking like Omicron is keeping people out of hospital – not putting them in hospital!

Weird, but what is very clear is that this is by no means a pandemic to be worried about.
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March 2, 2022 1:19pm
- septic skeptic
  
  Well one fairly obvious answer is that hospitalizations lag behind case numbers by about 1-2 weeks. That’s been evident from overseas data for the last couple of years.
  
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  March 2, 2022 1:32pm
- surfing
  
  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-tauranga-hospital-at-93-per-cent-capacity-as-omicron-surges/W4GPWKINNPWHK5BMHTS6VA3FZQ/
  
  Your numbers are flawed. Omicron has barely yet begun, I think it is likely we will run out of hospital beds in some hospitals. Tauranga for sure.
  
  Hopefully I’m wrong though, vaccination rates are high, omicron is less severe by all accounts (although, from the experience of some people we know I certainly don’t wish to catch it).
  
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  March 2, 2022 1:47pm
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    13000 hospital beds in NZ, Australia saw peak of 210 per million (1100 NZ equivalent) in hospital for omicron and 16 per million (80 NZ equivlalent) in ICU.
    
    Doesn’t seem like we should be at all worried about overstretched hospital system.
    
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    March 2, 2022 4:05pm
rangitoto

Anyone know the point of Skippy’s press conference?
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March 2, 2022 1:30pm
Maggie Pie

ZBNEWS: Andrew Coster gives stern warning to protesters…

“The occupation must end!”

😀 😀 😀
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March 2, 2022 1:36pm
- curry4me
  
  Wot? No cuddles, and guitars. Oops… I forgot. Wrong kind of protestors.
  
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  March 2, 2022 1:40pm
- Inandout
  
  Maggie, meanwhile in Coster’s ‘don’t touch’ domain:
  
  ‘The ongoing occupation at Shelly Bay, where a $500 million development is planned on the Miramar peninsula in Wellington, started 474 days ago after the Wellington City Council agreed to sell and lease land there to developers. The protest is mainly around the sale of other parcels of land that belonged to local iwi Taranaki Whānui.
  
  She confirmed some occupiers from Parliament grounds had tried to move to Shelly Bay but had moved on after talking to some there’.
  
  [Please add your source of the quote. mod.]
  
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  March 2, 2022 2:35pm
cmm

The erosion of language is terrible, especially when it comes from journalists who should be wordsmiths.

Eat My Lunch are putting together an “Isolation Wellness Pack” containing a few treats and a whole lot of packaging.

According to Herald, this is “designing”.

I remember the old days when designing was considered a skillful activity undertaken by engineers etc. Now you too can be a designer by grabbing some lollies off a shelf and putting them in a box!

The major creative act here seems to be the spin and chutzpah required to charge $40 a box for something worth less than $10.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/eat-my-lunch-isolation-gift-boxes-from-the-boss-a-sweet-treat-for-isolating-staff-and-a-kid-in-need-gets-a-free-lunch/DA3CBMYSA5HHRELPDSQIUEWZLM/
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March 2, 2022 1:53pm
- alex Masterley
  
  I really hate the word “wellness”. Why people can’t just use the good old word “health” is beyond me.
  On the plus side the writer of the article did not use the word “curated”.
  The word “learnings” is also another source of annoyance…
  
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  March 2, 2022 2:07pm
Nickc2

Megan Woods is out of her depth again:
Woods agreed to contribute to a voluntary release of 60 million barrels of oil from global emergency stocks held by IEA members to ease uncertainty in the market. A process is now underway to determine what voluntary contributions member countries can make.

Most other members of the IEA have their emergency stocks of Petroleum onshore, we don’t (Cindy killed our refining and failed to build a larger storage capability). Our current and emergency supply of Petroleum products are fully dependent on Sea Transportation (provided by foreign countries).
IMO, Megan Woods’s actions won’t stabilise let alone reduce NZ’s Petroleum Product prices. If she is insistent on lowering or stabilising our Petroleum Product prices, she should reduce or abolish the fucking taxes on it! She won’t of course.
If she wants to give something meaningful away, she should start with the Russian Ambassador.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-zealand-supports-global-action-ease-pressure-global-fuel-prices
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March 2, 2022 2:13pm
- Benedict Yu
  
  “If she is insistent on lowering or stabilising our Petroleum Product prices, she should reduce or abolish the fucking taxes on it! ”
  
  The “taxes” are:
  
  GST – that is not going anywhere
  ACC Levy – ditto
  ETS levy – they are not going to abolish the ETS – it is the only rational climate change policy.
  Petrol excise – all hypothecated to transport spending. If you abolish petrol excise, you would need to raise other taxes to fund transport or introduce universal road user charges. The transport priorities are all wrong IMO but that is a different debate.
  
  IMO we should abolish fuel excise and have universal road user charges fore ALL vehicles including electric vehicles. That would ONLY be used to fund highways. Public transport and cycleways can be funded from general revenue.
  
  My point is you can’t just advocate for “abolishing petrol taxes” without offering an alternative system for funding transport.
  
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  March 2, 2022 4:15pm
I remember when

NZ to contribute to global oil stock release.
Energy Minister Megan Wood [Woods] has announced.
So no fears of a sharp cost increase and shortage at the beginning of winter?
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March 2, 2022 2:15pm
Its only I

So the police are resorting “Kettling” to destroy the voice of the “dangerous” dissenters in Wellington.

I don’t think I have ever seen such a sustained coordinated campaign by NZs MSM over any issue as I have with the Wellington protest.

Will every protest involving more than an afternoon out within an easy walk of a Starbucks be considered a threat to the state from now on?

Seem only the left have authority to protest during a pandemic..and shift house, go bike riding, meeting friends and swimming at a beach, handing out Labours post covid electioneering pamphlets twice during lock-down, BLM, phoning chemists with fake info for friends…….
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March 2, 2022 2:24pm
GJM

And this, boys and girls (and other genders), is why the pigs are not your friends. They are only allies if your aims and theirs coincide exactly. As soon as that is not the case, you are an Enemy of the State. Remember to video any interactions with them, and do as little as legally possible to assist.
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March 2, 2022 2:30pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Tin foil hat on TradeMe https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/health-beauty/other/listing/3489923212?
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March 2, 2022 2:38pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  From the comments/replies.
  If they have already gotten to you, then there is nothing the hat can do for you. You will soon become a fully vaccinated, mandate obiding, mask wearing, ordinary citizen. I am so very sorry.
  
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  March 2, 2022 2:41pm
- Ehlana
  
  That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen today.
  
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  March 2, 2022 2:59pm
- kevn
  
  @SteveO… I read the media breathlessly was reporting rally attendees wearing tinfoil hats with pics to prove it.
  Shocked, I was.
  
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  March 2, 2022 3:33pm
- Bridgenag
  
  Fantastic
  
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  March 2, 2022 6:01pm
Maggie Pie

Having a quiet one with a couple of the girls from tennis.
They know Gilda as well and just sent her a txt….

“holy shit hun – looks like you made the right call getting your ass back up here on the weekend!”
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March 2, 2022 3:16pm
krazykiwi

Well done to Jet2 airline of the UK

Jet2 has become the first major airline to drop the requirement for passengers to wear masks. The budget airline quietly relaxed its rules today, telling passengers flying to and from airports in England and Northern Ireland that a mask is no longer mandatory.

Now let’s see market forces overpower junk science and irrational fear.

Which airline will be next?
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March 2, 2022 3:28pm
surfing

Gang members in the protest started chucking heavy missiles at the cops…..one just threw a long 4×2 piece of wood directly into a cop.
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March 2, 2022 3:30pm
- Batman
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  These scumbag occupiers have defiled our Parliament and are showing their true nature.
  
  Arrest and charge them all.
  
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  March 2, 2022 3:38pm
  - mandk
    
    For what?
    
    Trying to defend their rights under the BORA?
    
    19 2
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    March 2, 2022 3:45pm
    - Batman
      
      By burning tents and throwing LPG cylinders on top? Throwing chairs and tables and rubble at police? Ripping up bricks and throwing them too?
      
      They’re scum. If you want to align yourself with them go ahead. Citing the BORA doesn’t make it relevant.
      
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      March 2, 2022 5:19pm
      - waikatosinger
        
        [deleted, fake crap – Mod]
        
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        March 2, 2022 6:01pm
  - surfing
    
    I had sympathy at the start for the anti-mandate message, but, the bad people started to out number the good after several days.
    
    Stupid protestors lit a fire, and throwing what appear to be lpg cylinders into it now.
    
    These are not good people.
    
    Old codger wearing a rasta hat is using a weapon on the cops….. hoping they arrest that dick, if not today, certainly when they review camera footage looking for violent offenders. Like after the capitol riot — post all of their wanted photos.
    
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    March 2, 2022 3:55pm
    - Batman
      
      The live streams and tiktoks and Facebook posts will be more than enough fodder.
      
      All that’s left are the scumbags looking for a fight and some here are on their side. Truly sad stuff.
      
      8 22
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      March 2, 2022 5:17pm
      - Its only I
        
        Interesting how ewe and serf step up your comments when the popo go full lefty on your behalf. Same thing has excited the farm on stuff comments.
        
        When will the popo get on the bash at those filthy squatters occupying space at Shelly bay, that’s been a disgrace for years. They did not even go home for any of the lock downs in fact they are probably the cause of omicron…cause reasons.
        
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        March 2, 2022 6:05pm
      - Batman
        
        That might tell you something about the view of 80+ percent of the population that don’t support these criminals (and yes, they have been since day two when they got trespassed).
        
        I agree that the Shelly Bay occupiers should also be removed. Though they do have a slightly more legitimate claim and aren’t abusing passers-by or school children.
        
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        March 2, 2022 6:10pm
      - Its only I
        
        80% huh?
        I don’t think people made to do something with their arms twisted up their backs are a reliable supply of support when it matters but I sincerely hope Labours internal pollsters are telling those unelected, policy making, script writers feeding lines to the vacuous head of marketing, Jacinda.
        
        We know for sure the MSM thinks the same thing considering how far left they have been happy to drift groveling for subscriptions.
        
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        March 2, 2022 8:01pm
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    The labour govt have defiled parliament over the last 2 years taking a steaming dump on foundational rights and freedoms in NZ, and frequently stepping outside of the law in their response to covid.
    
    I have a lot more sympathy for those protesting and fighting for restoration of fundamental freedoms in NZ than I do for your tribe affiliation to the wellington political classes.
    
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    March 2, 2022 4:12pm
    - Batman
      
      These people are ripping up bricks and throwing them at police.
      
      Defending them says a lot about you.
      
      Argue about policy all you want but burning shit and throwing bricks is straight up criminal.
      
      7 25
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      March 2, 2022 5:16pm
      - doggone7
        
        [deleted, advocating for violence – Mod]
        
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        March 2, 2022 5:29pm
    - surfing
      
      Great. Next time national wins an election then you think it is fine for labour supporters to smash in the brains of cops because they don’t like national policies?
      
      That is the world you are asking for.
      
      3 14
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      March 2, 2022 5:28pm
      - bjools
        
        Already been tried, and National allowed them tio protest.
        
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        March 2, 2022 6:37pm
  - barnacle bill
    
    Spot on Batman.
    
    Confiscate all the vehicles , sell them to help pay for all the damage these shit heads have caused.
    
    6 27
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    March 2, 2022 4:15pm
  - Surely Knott
    
    Defiled our Parliament …they have been there peacefully for 21 days just waiting to be heard as their civil rights were removed without any due process. All mp’s failed to respond if you emailed them about the vax. The unvxd were made second class citizens illegally with no science and against government advice. They had suffered months of home detention and persecution for exercising their right to chose. . The protest was entirely peaceful. They made no attempt to storm parliament or harass the mp’s. They simply parked on the lawn until they were made full citizens again.. This is a dark day in NZ history.
    
    28 4
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    March 2, 2022 4:24pm
    - Batman
      
      Ridiculous.
      
      Home detention? Not going to the pub, cafe or gym is home detention!
      
      MPs won’t respond because the vax stuff is made up rubbish. Maybe you could get a Green or two though… They’re traditionally anti-vax quacks.
      
      Peacefully? Tell that to the school girls called sluts, the disabled woman called “Jacindas whore” and the man who was punched, for a starter.
      
      5 27
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      March 2, 2022 5:31pm
      - kevn
        
        @bat… Dead right there, the ‘vax stuff’ (as in effectiveness) you mention, is made up rubbish.
        Even Rodney Hide said we/NZ should be asking for our money back.
        
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        March 2, 2022 5:39pm
  - krazykiwi
    
    Would you suggest first clapping in irons those sacked from their jobs, or those who lost homes and businesses?
    
    17 3
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    March 2, 2022 5:18pm
    - Dead Earnest
      
      Are you justifying their violent actions KK? Getting very like a BLM protest now. Next thing they will head down Lambton Quay and smash the place up. I had some sympathy for the genuine anti mandate protestors 3 weeks ago. But nothing for the rent-a mob that is trashing the place now.
      
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      March 2, 2022 5:26pm
      - Surely Knott
        
        I think you may want to watch some of the live footage. Wasn’t the protestors doing the beatings of people on the ground..
        
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        March 2, 2022 6:32pm
      - Batman
        
        I thought we on the right were for law and order?
        
        Or was just a lie to enable beating up lefty protests?
        
        The police have done well faced with a crowd of idiots.
        
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        March 2, 2022 6:35pm
      - krazykiwi
        
        Not at all. The violent individuals should be given their day in court, where the judge will (hopefully) take into consideration the deliberate antagonization of police in denying them access to food and sanitation. The rest should resume their peaceful protest, as is their right.
        
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        March 2, 2022 6:55pm
    - surfing
      
      I don’t think many of them had jobs in the first instance. Maybe the mongrel mob members did, but, they were not legal jobs and I don’t think they lost them.
      
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      March 2, 2022 5:32pm
- bronny1
  
  [you’ve been warned, two week ban for spreading lies. There is no such organisation as antifa NZ – Mod]
  
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  March 2, 2022 4:46pm
  - krazykiwi
    
    bronny1, take this us with DPF. Uncalled for aggression.
    
    Mod: Your claim is false. Refer https://www.facebook.com/AntifaNZ/. Please apologise to bronny1 and re-instate her.
    
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    March 2, 2022 5:36pm
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Since when? even the dictionary has its meaning.
    
    Antifa
    /ˈantɪfɑː,anˈtiːfə/
    noun
    a political protest movement comprising autonomous groups affiliated by their militant opposition to fascism and other forms of extreme right-wing ideology.
    “Antifa protesters”
    
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    March 2, 2022 8:35pm
- Tauhei Notts
  
  Would that be 4 by 2 or would it be 100 by 50?
  100 by 50 is a little bit smaller than 4 by 2.
  Where would the protesters get 4 by 2 in 2022?
  
  1 0
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  March 2, 2022 8:13pm
kevn

@kk… Air NZ ?
Only said that for a laugh. They will be one of the last.
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March 2, 2022 3:36pm
westernScientest

Wow Trev was really upset about some unvaxed kids playing on his slide wasnt he.
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March 2, 2022 3:37pm
- greybeard
  
  Mallard’s slide from grace.
  Labour’s slide in the polls.
  
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  March 2, 2022 4:33pm
  - Dead Earnest
    
    Unfortunately this will probably help Labour in the polls.
    
    5 6
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    March 2, 2022 5:27pm
bronny1

[deleted, don’t spread lies or you will be banned – Mod]
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March 2, 2022 4:14pm
Maggie Pie

TRENDING

“Even countries like New Zealand….are inflicting pain on Russia”

– Pres. Joe Biden. (State of the Union address)

(Wonder if he was referring to Nanaia inviting the Russian Ambassador to attend peace talks over a Steak Burger at Lone Star? Our shout)
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March 2, 2022 4:38pm
Biscuit

Sniff!

No ‘The Chase’ tonight?
6 1
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March 2, 2022 5:02pm
cmm

CIndy is now calling for a review of the handling of the protestors.

Smart political move Cindy! She has opened up her options. She can now say she thinks the cops were heavy handed and chuck Coster under the bus and repaint herself as protestor friendly/kind again.

No doubt with the MSM on her side this can be done.
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March 2, 2022 5:03pm
- krazykiwi
  
  Hopefully Cuddles recorded her giving him his orders.
  
  18 4
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  March 2, 2022 5:12pm
- Surely Knott
  
  She should call for a review of herself. The courts think her mandates are illegal, and yet she carries on with her other mandates without relooking at them.
  
  20 1
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  March 2, 2022 5:22pm
- chukar
  
  CMM,
  Too late , the PM has already made a statement (rant) and got it all,wrong.
  Apparently claiming the protest were anti vac violent and that the protesters deserved it.
  Apparently had no idea of the nationwide support for the protest.
  Or the fact the police themselves had taken the mandate matter to court and found that mandates were illegal.
  So the Police were enforcing protester removal in the full knowledge protestors were asking for the just the same high Court ruling that the police and defence forces already received.
  This Police action does not bear scrutiny it is totally wrong!
  
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  March 2, 2022 7:58pm
surfing

Perhaps Bob Jones’s last column….

https://nopunchespulled.com/2022/03/02/farewell/#more-3427

I largely agree with him.

I couldn’t agree more about his views on the so called team of five million and be kind guff …. packaging all kiwis into a single entity was outrageous and perhaps the worst form of identity politics. I did not agree with Jacinda and did not want to be on her team of rejects.
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March 2, 2022 5:13pm
- Inandout
  
  surfing, Oh to be in a financial position to allow escape from this crazy country. I look at the masked populace trotting around often with a look of terror in their eyes, and I despair. Have NZers always been so compliant and unthinking…well perhaps they have and because they are welfare-fed this tends to dull any extreme financial pain. I am predicting this year will be when inflation will deeply affect very many people and there will be much unrest. The worry is we have a bumbling government which runs from crisis to crisis and merely fills holes behind it so there will be no answers.
  
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  March 2, 2022 6:08pm
kevn

@kk… Nice to see senior cop Chambers noting that for 2 weeks they were genuine protesters on site.
The chaos has brought out the others.
Didn’t need to end like this.
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March 2, 2022 5:25pm
emmess

Has anyone watched the Biden’s State of the Union address
It is hilarious, sad and scary at the same time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv9u8bsFbuU

Seriously, he cannot five minutes without a gaffe
He said Iranian instead of Ukrainian
He said ‘A pound of Ukrainian people’ instead of ‘A proud Ukrainian people’
Plus a couple more
I am only a little over ten minutes in, so far
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March 2, 2022 5:26pm
- greybeard
  
  “Seriously, he cannot five minutes without a gaffe”
  
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  March 2, 2022 6:11pm
  - emmess
    
    Touché
    
    11 0
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    March 2, 2022 6:29pm
- virtualmark
  
  He’s a stutterer. You know that. He struggles with hard consonants in particular … like the “k” in Ukrainian, which leaves it sounding like he said “Uranian”.
  
  As a result he’s never been an eloquent speaker. But I’m prepared to cut him slack for that given the stutter.
  
  Meanwhile he’s doing a great job rallying an alliance of Europeans and other democracies to counter Russia. The former guy could never have done that.
  
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  March 2, 2022 9:37pm
  - Vory v zakone
    
    You seem to forget that Bumblin Biden went to the Chinese for advice on how to deal with Putin. Result = Beijing alerting Moscow that the weak resident in the White House didn’t know what to do.
    Ultimately that was all it took for Vlad to start his ‘Special Operation’ into Ukraine.
    
    Of course the ‘former guy’ would never had that situation to deal with given that Putin was non confrontational in Eastern Europe for 4 years. ?
    
    0 0
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    March 3, 2022 7:21am
    - virtualmark
      
      Proof of this? From a credible source.
      
      Biden’s been a Russia hawk for a long time. He (and Romney, as another example) are old enough to have formed their views in the height of the Cold War. I doubt very very very very very much that Biden or the US establishment needed any advice from the Chinese on how to handle Russia.
      
      And given your username I don’t place a lot of weight on what you think about Russian events.
      
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      March 3, 2022 8:40am
krazykiwi

Just in case the mod/batman deletes the earlier comment…

Mod: Your claim is false. Refer https://www.facebook.com/AntifaNZ/. Please apologise to bronny1 and re-instate her.

[Don’t argue with Mods. Bronny was spreading disinformation and was warned, she will be back in two weeks – Mod]
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March 2, 2022 5:38pm
- surfing
  
  A facebook group does not make it so. Anyone can create a facebook group.
  
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifa_(United_States)
  
  Sounds like a US only thing.
  
  4 11
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  March 2, 2022 5:48pm
  - alloytoo
    
    A Wikipedia article doesn’t make it any more or less so.
    
    7 0
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    March 2, 2022 6:08pm
- krazykiwi
  
  I’m not arguing with anyone
  
  I am simply pointing out two facts:
  
  1. A mod claimed there was no such organisation as antifa NZ
  
  2. I pointed said mod to the Facebook site of a group going by that name
  
  I do not believe there is any moral justice in someone being banned because “There is no such organisation as antifa NZ” when clearly there is.
  
  That’s all.
  
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  March 2, 2022 7:03pm
kowtow

Wow , really soft ,even patsy questions from the Gallery.

“How did you feel when u saw slide on fire ‘ Honestly , what have our 4 th estste come to .

Tomorrow the editorials will be glowing .

Watch out folks the way she’s talking we’ll be getting new laws around information sharing etc

She’s banging on about parliament , our parliament , children , destruction of a slide .

This from the govt that acted unlawfully in lockdown and [not here, off topic – Mod] .

One look at the people who’re throwing rocks at the Cops ( never the right thing to do and they should be arrested and charged accordingly) is enuff to tell you they aren’t the original , genuine protesters . They look like very over weight ne’er do wells , who the Cops probably could identify on sight ( but who don’t normally get nicked running round in large groups , during lockdown)

[deleted, racial typecasting – Mod].

In normal circumstances we’re instructed not to let the actions of a few taint the whole group ,or to judge all by that minority ;how come this is so different .
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March 2, 2022 5:49pm
- kowtow
  
  Hey Mod [ …people are getting holidays for arguing with mods. We are not part of discussions in our mod capacity. You don’t like that – take it up with DPF ]
  
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  March 2, 2022 7:36pm
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  how is anything “off topic” in general debate?
  
  Can anyone suggest alternative right-leaning forums to kiwiblog in NZ that aren’t so restrictively moderated?
  
  5 1
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  March 2, 2022 9:13pm
alloytoo

WOW the MSM is working really hard to smear the protestors.

even the MSM shows police destroying private property.

A government which refuses to talk it’s people is illegitimate.
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March 2, 2022 6:06pm
- Batman
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  They were warned for days to leave and that property would be confiscated.
  
  Just like the vaccine, they don’t seem to want any consequences for their personal choices!
  
  5 36
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  March 2, 2022 6:11pm
  - Jimmy Brown
    
    Ppfft, Loser.
    
    16 5
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    March 2, 2022 6:14pm
    - Batman
      
      Wow. What a great argument.
      
      6 21
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      March 2, 2022 6:37pm
      - Mike
        
        To be fair, his argument is more cogent than many issuing from the mouths of the protestors.
        
        1 7
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        March 2, 2022 7:52pm
- RichardF
  
  Sorry, I reported your post by accident.
  
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  March 2, 2022 6:55pm
kevn

@kk and bronny1… Refer to http://www.dailytelegraph.co.nz news site. Actual footage/screensaves of the anti fa crowd.
They are for real. Sadly.
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March 2, 2022 6:07pm
- MCōs
  
  Whatever the site is it’s certainly not the Daily Telegraph, UK.
  Furthermore it seems to blame Ukraine for being attacked by Russia and champions RT & Sputnik propaganda.
  Blaming antifa for the fires at parliament is laughable.
  
  3 5
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  March 2, 2022 6:39pm
CAKE FACE1

Cindy is correct. We won’t be defined by this.

You can quote CAKE:

“Cindy will be defined by this.”

It’s her fault. She continued the mandates, after the Court ruled they were illegal under the Bill of Rights.

As Karl Marx lay dying, his cleaner thought that she should write down his last words, for posterity. Here is what he said:

“Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough!”

In my open posting to Cindy, I can’t think of a better message. Here it is again:

“Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough!”
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March 2, 2022 6:19pm
- Batman
  
  They mandates are not illegal. If you haven’t read or don’t understand the judgement then maybe sit down.
  
  4 29
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  March 2, 2022 6:36pm
  - CAKE FACE1
    
    Personally, I think it is a disgrace to this otherwise fantastic blog that you are apparently a moderator.
    
    [ Mod: Take that up with DPF. Good luck.]
    
    7 3
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    March 2, 2022 6:51pm
kowtow

MSM talking about fire hoses as “water cannons”

Duh .

I wonder what the constitutional grounds are for the fire service to lend fire fighting equipment to the police for purely crowd control purposes. And for police officers who presumably aren’t trained in use of same on humans .

I hope the police trade union takes on management about the lack of head protection for staff being sent to face stone throwing thugs . health and safety . Duh.
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March 2, 2022 6:32pm
- 70andstilllearning
  
  Obviously they are trained in firearms – rubber bullets fired at the protesters in the streets according to “The Project “. Herald live feed says “sponge”.
  
  Is this a new low for “crowd” control in NZ ? I don’t know but suspect it might be.
  
  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-wellington-protest-police-fire-sponge-rounds-at-mob-protesters-smash-university-campus-pm-blasts-occupiers-desecrating-parliament/G2MMKZHJBMAWWSQHYH4AUMJYD4/
  
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  March 2, 2022 7:41pm
  - Pineapple Lumps
    
    So the Herald states:
    
    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she is “both angry and deeply saddened” to see Parliament’s grounds “desecrated” by protesters as police forced the occupation off the precinct.
    
    Well Prime Minister your anger and sadness are nothing compared to the rage and grief that I have to see Parliament “desecrated” relentlessly since 2017 by you and your troughers.
    
    14 1
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    March 2, 2022 8:05pm
    - Nickc2
      
      If she’d met with the protestors on day one and listened to their grievances, this wouldn’t have happened IMO.
      She listened to and read a statement from a bunch of school kids when it suited her MO to rid NZ of oil and gas exploration.
      Wake up NZ this is only the beginning.
      Stalin started out as a nobody too.
      
      5 0
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      March 2, 2022 9:45pm
Maggie Pie

We were just watching 1EWES and the report on the riot….

‘Police Officers have been seen being carried off Parliament Grounds on stretchers unconscious and bleeding, another bandaged with burns to his hands and arms’

My partner was furious!
As he said…. “Imagine those poor buggers having to face sh*t like that every day for a grand a week. Knowing the MP-for-Tijuana and his partner, are laying back on their brown leather couch, watching the action live on the Horrid’s website, while regularly logging-in to their Bank account to check if the $4k taxpayer funded salary has appeared yet.
This country is completely f—ked!”
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March 2, 2022 6:44pm
CAKE FACE1

Biased media. Jessica Mutch McKay is a disgrace. Fake news.

She is now repeating Cindy “foreign” protest lies.

She also says that there has never been scenes like this in NZ.

What about the 1981 Springbok Tour?
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March 2, 2022 7:03pm
- 70andstilllearning
  
  Lynch no better on 3. It’s a well organised/choreographed take down with all the media lined up in advance to be at the right places at the right time etc. Lost count of the ‘breakouts to the protest” in their news bulletin.
  
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  March 2, 2022 8:39pm
- alex Masterley
  
  I watched Mutch McKay’s report last night. Why did she wear her mask? Can’t understand that. She was outside. Well away from the camera.
  
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  March 3, 2022 6:33am
Inthe09

I don’t recall seeing burning structures and police in riot gear on Parliaments front lawn during the ‘9 years of neglect’

Still at least we have a precedent now.

“This won’t define us” Actually, it just might.
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March 2, 2022 7:49pm
nathie

Well Labour and Ardern may disingenuously claim that they do not instruct the Police on operational matters …. but you can bet that Labour were consulted by the Police on their use of guns and rubber bullets tonight.

You can bet then that Mallard, Robertson and Ardern would not have objected.

And you can bet the majority of the MSM won’t dare to ask these sorts of questions of them.

What has NZ (and the NZ Police) become, under the Ardern led Labour government?
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March 2, 2022 8:14pm
chukar

As a nightcap.
According to Stuff the police have been using sponge bullets.( presumably rubber? )
That means firearms are being used by police!
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March 2, 2022 8:31pm

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