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June 22, 2022 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 22 June 2022

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General Debate

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Warren

While the story’s of Labours inability to charge and stop the crime wave that is finally leading the public to realizing the current Government is soft on Crime and unable to curb the trend, another story hits the headlines that we are seeing the numbers of welfare fraud plummet but also hear that those in the knowledge saying the numbers don’t stack up.
Now many people also know that Labour has hit the panic button after they have plummeted in the polls , with new Police and Justice Minister’s.
Now we are hearing that anyone questioning Labour apparent soft on Crime and weak Justice decisions in their sentences are abhorrent and wil not stop how she looks at crime from our Justice Minister.
Then we have the moter cycle Gang that took Justice into there own hands when a vehicle accidentally clip one of the large convoy of 🏍 on the Mercer motor wayand assaulted the person involved and after close to five months the Police or the Minister had done sweet fuck all about it, well as soon as the shit hit the fan and polls indicated that Labour were being punished for their soft on crime policy the police have finally arrested and charged three of the motor cycle gang for the serious assault.
Jacinda Ardern , Labour and their Minister’s are trying to con the Public because they are taking a hiding in the polls.
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June 22, 2022 8:01am
- slightlyrighty
  
  As seems to be the usual modus operandi of the current government, it’s actions seem to be less about actually doing anything and more about the appearance of doing something.
  
  We have a litany of task groups and committees designed to address an issue, but these seldom lead to a solution.
  
  It’s as if the speakers ruling that a minister has addressed a question is now standard cabinet procedure.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:22am
  - Jim
    
    Brazen political deceit of the public was one of the principle factors that collapsed the communist CCCP. Now over 30 years later under the leadership of a self confessed socialist we’re seeing the same use of State sponsored media and advertising campaigns sowing similar seeds of deceit.
    This will not end well.
    
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    June 22, 2022 5:39pm
- Warren
  
  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/covid-19-omicron-benefit-fraud-prosecutions-plummet-overpayments-drop-from-50-million-to-35m-under-labour/RVKJMJACRXY6DOC7MMCUQFBJUQ/
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:26am
  - Nickc2
    
    Another taxpayer-funded article. There can’t be too much of that $55,000,000.00 bribe fund left eh?
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:12am
- cmm
  
  Benefit fraud PROSECUTIONS plummet.
  That does not mean that the benefit fraud is plummeting.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:56am
  - Prince
    
    Exactly. Much of that Fraud is now State-sanctioned since women no longer have to name the father of their children. So the taxpayers pick up the tab and daddy can make/not make payments direct to the mother as he pleases.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:36am
  - Than
    
    Yep. There are three possibilities here.
    
    One, human nature instantly changed when Labour became government and people are just more honest now. I find this unlikely.
    Two, the same degree of benefit fraud still happened, but Labour didn’t care and instructed not to prosecute.
    Three, Labour relaxed the rules. So people in the same circumstances who might have previously lied simply didn’t need to any more.
    
    This is nothing for Labour to boast about. Just more money wasted.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:39am
    - rockape
      
      Why would you start prosecuting your voter base?
      
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      June 22, 2022 10:53am
      - G the giant from Dunedin
        
        Oh you know, it’s the left, they think they are their voter base by right
        
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        June 22, 2022 11:08am
    - cmm
      
      You’ve forgotten the most likely option – that benefit fraud has increased but is not being monitored/policed.
      
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      June 22, 2022 12:53pm
  - pdm
    
    Definitely doesn’t under Sepuloni’s management – probably just ignored and/or hidden.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:52am
  - Loddenthinks
    
    Indeed, cmm a good point well made. The same applies to the prison roster. It had been going up steeply for years and Labour made it their mission to “reduce the prison roster” and by golly they’ve done it.
    
    Too many Maori in jail? Let them out early!
    Too much benefit fraud? Stop investigating and prosecuting it!
    Too many layabouts on the dole? Call it a Jobseeker Benefit!
    
    That’s three massive achievements by this hooked-on-winning gummint. What’s next, I wonder?
    
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    June 22, 2022 11:03am
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Will Labour run on its record? Lowering the prison manifest? Lower benefit fraud? Etc.
      
      Would be fun to see them try.
      
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      June 22, 2022 6:42pm
  - An Old Kiwi
    
    You’re right. Fewer prosecutions does not mean at all, fewer cases of fraud.
    
    Reasons for fewer prosecutions (- insider knowledge):
    1. Fraud unit staff have been diverted to non-fraud work, eg handing out covid Wage Subsidy $.
    2. There is so -much- fraud happening that other staff who come across it are told not to even report it to the Fraud unit, unless it meets a really high bar . (Eg obviously intentional & happening for a -very- long time.)
    3. Just raising a debt (instead of prosecuting) is preferred by Mgmt. – Actually, completely writing off that debt is what is preferred by Mgmt. Their “reason” being that it’s “unfair” to the liar/thief, because paying it back (at $1 pw until forever!) will mean that they’ll have less weekly benefit to live on – and- because of the high debt figure they won’t be able to borrow thousands of $ (more) through the Hardship grants (also, paid back at $1 pw for forever).
    
    Yeah….
    
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    June 22, 2022 4:20pm
- lastmanstanding
  
  Central Banks have lost any cerdibility they once had. They printed too much money for too long and then failed to raise interests too late to stave off the inevitable inflation. In addition our clown Governor has shown he is more interested in spouting Maori mythology than doing his job which is to hold inflation to around 2%.
  In Australia Albo shot his mouth off and promised a wage increase of 5.2% and the UK is gripped by a rail strike ( remember 1926).
  We have the so called Fair Pay Agreements that will send many SMEs to the wall with their employees losing their jobs.
  IMHO a collective madness has taken hold of those supposed to be governing the Western World . Do they want to destroy Western civilisation because if not they are making a damn fine job of it.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:00am
  - Clownworld
    
    Way past the only explanation is collective global incompetence. This is a deliberate act. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:09am
    - ClanMcleod
      
      It has various names, great reset, green new deal, build back better. Our way of life is being systematically destroyed. It is totally intentional. Most people are walking around in daze and cannot see what is happening in front of their eyes.
      
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      June 22, 2022 10:00am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      More likely western leaders are just f@$%ing idiots in that being go-with-the-flow grifting cowards they’ve swallowed infantile woke koolaid by the gallon.
      
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      June 22, 2022 7:56pm
  - chukar
    
    Lastmanstanding and as many others is possible.
    Please refer to Croaking Cassandra’s latest blog.” All his boasted pomp show”
    Mr Reddell nails it!
    
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    June 22, 2022 11:00am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Jaspinda and Labour just forget that the internet is everywhere. They can not stop news travelling.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:23am
  - ClanMcleod
    
    Hence the proposed “hate speech” laws being drafted and implemented everywhere on the planet. They need control of all media. Internet is the last bastion of at least some freedom. They don’t like that.
    
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    June 22, 2022 10:02am
    - Bloody Dago
      
      Everyone will have to keep an eye on this lot. They are part of a new Stasi of 107 special agents:
      https://www.tepunahamatatini.ac.nz/our-team/principal-investigators/
      
      Backup to East Germany in the 1950’s
      
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      June 22, 2022 10:47am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Are there any Moari in that lot??
        
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        June 22, 2022 3:21pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    “They can not stop news travelling.”
    
    I think you’ll find the PM’s propaganda brigade are all hands to the pump in attempting just that.
    
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    June 22, 2022 8:00pm
- Rocky Jnr
  
  http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/waikato-expressway-attack-three-tribesmen-gang-members-arrested/CCJMVAY6WJOF6ZUXE3SPDWWMDA/
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:51am
peterwn

Railway Signalling Problem – Yesterday I commented on this on the basis that it was a software issue. It turned out that a printed circuit board was not properly seated so some of the connections were ‘open’ perhaps intermittently, possibly caused by vibration from passing trains. And it showed up as an obscure software ‘error’ causing technicians to look for a software error. All in all a nasty ‘Murphy’s Law’ instance. I presume the problem affected ‘Wellington Junction’ where the Hutt lines branch off from the Tawa etc lines.
There is another simmering issue with the main Signal Box which controls access between the main lines and the platforms. This was installed in the 1930’s using then state of the art colour light signals, electrically driven points and ‘relay’ interlocking. It is the last of its type in New Zealand (Masterton has a primitive mechanical system that is even older). I remember in the 1970’s the system was at ‘end of life’ but its life was extended (by replacing rubber insulated cables?). So at 80+ years old it is time for replacement but no one wants to front up the money. The track layout at the end of the platforms is excessively tight requiring drivers to take care when interpreting signals. Indeed the safety agency does not want more services running until something can be done about it. So the signal box and its British made equipment may still be operating at 100 years old.
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June 22, 2022 8:01am
- Benedict Yu
  
  IIRC not long after I arrived in New Zealand those Wellington railway lines in Wellington had a fortune spent on them. I recall over a couple of years all of the old poles holding up the electric lines were replaced by new ones – all the way to Kapiti.
  
  Maybe I am mistaken.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:14am
  - peterwn
    
    Replacement was needed for three reasons. The original wood poles were at end of life, the number of overhead faults was increasing to unacceptable levels and the new suburban trains required a higher capacity overhead system. Not replacing that overhead system would have caused far more problems than by not replacing the old Wellington signal box system.
    
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    June 22, 2022 8:25am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    The bottleneck is the Wellington yards is apparently the last, and most expensive, of the huge projects need to modernise the regional rail network. As peterwn pointed out, this network needed major investment by the 1980s. Instead of investment, the railway system was privatised, with consequent asset stripping and active disinvestment in the network.
    
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    June 22, 2022 8:34am
    - Cassandra
      
      Keeping the railways as a government department was not an option. Read Prebble’s book.
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:15am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        The rail system needed an investor – either government or private sector. It got neither.
        
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        June 22, 2022 10:10am
      - peterwn
        
        I would take his book with a big grain of salt. He grossly misrepresented the situation with the then Post Office run telephone system. Until modern microchips had been successfully developed the telephone system depended on electromechanical equipment originally developed in the early 1900’s. That equipment was horrendously expensive and it took decades for a ‘number please’ system to transition fully to an automatic system. It was said their engineers could do for $1 what others could do for $1. So without fully appreciating the background, Richard took a thoughtless and unfair swipe at them.
        Similar arguments could be applied to the Railways. The Railways carried lots of staff because that is what the Government wanted. For example the Railway Workshops took on more apprentices than were needed for railway purposes which gave NZ a good source of mechanical tradies. Once again modern technology has facilitated railway operations meaning many staff could be effectively re-deployed into other skilled jobs.
        
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        June 22, 2022 12:55pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Seems you are getting downticks for no particular reason Mike. Not from me.
      I know someone in the Wellywood Rail, so all this interests me.
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:35am
      - peterwn
        
        I get at least one downtick the whole time. Occasionally I get so many downticks that my valuable must-read contributions just disappear. I just get used to it.
        
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        June 22, 2022 1:07pm
- rouppe
  
  That’s not the only problem.
  
  The electric lines are DC current. The electric trains up north are AC current.
  
  Never the twain shall meet
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:23am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Yeah, stupidity at it’s best. Probably dollars involved in the decision making.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:37am
  - peterwn
    
    They can. a dual voltage 25kV AC and 1.5kV DC locomotive or EMUs (suburban passenger trains) are no big deal to build and operate. France and Japan to name a few countries have lots of them. If the North Island Main Trunk is ever completely electrified it would be done by closing the Pukekohe to Te Rapa gap at 25kV and the Palmerston North to Waikanae gap at 1.5kV.
    The original Eurostar trains ran on 25kV AC, 750v DC third rail (southern England) and 3kV DC (Belgium). The third rail collector shoes were removed as soon as HS1 was opened.
    
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    June 22, 2022 1:03pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Thinking about that (AC – DC) It all depends on what you are welding. Different metals = different settings, and gases!
    
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    June 22, 2022 3:24pm
Mike H S

I would strongly recommend that anyone who is contemplating voting National next year should read Richard Prebble’s article in the Herald today.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/richard-prebble-national-can-win-but-can-it-govern/5DNIRUCGOXRRWSXHHBSUFGDITM/
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June 22, 2022 8:02am
- Ra Henare
  
  Paywalled
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:14am
  - backster
    
    I think Warren and Mike are trolls seeking fees for the Herald.
    
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    June 22, 2022 8:58am
  - oldfella
    
    Ra, check out getpocket.com. Will let you access paywalled articles on the horrid, and also works well on SMH and a bunch of other international papers. (Got this tip from Cam over at BFD.)
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:10am
    - peterwn
      
      Does this work on BFD?
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:17am
      - Jack5
        
        The paywalls have a dual function: raising cash, and giving the newspapers power to discriminate which articles are available to all, free.
        
        Prebble is locked behind the paywall.
        
        The Leftist crap supporting, or perhaps even directed by, the Ardern Subsidised Media squad, is usually available to all, free.
        
        Paywalls suit Ardern’s State-controlled media strategy.
        
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        June 22, 2022 11:29am
      - oldfella
        
        Probably not!
        
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        June 22, 2022 11:44am
    - Diogenes
      
      Another solution re paywalls: Much as I am not a fan of the Chrome browser, you can get an add-on for it that shows NZ Herald articles in full.
      I think there was also once a similar feature available for Firefox, but not now.
      
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      June 22, 2022 11:55am
      - Jack5
        
        There are several paywall-breakers about.
        
        There is a perpetual race between the big publishers, as the Wall Street Journal, update their protection, then the paywall-breakers seek new wayd of breaking the protection.
        
        The more attention is given to paywall-breakers, the harder publishers will work to beat them.
        
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        June 22, 2022 12:46pm
- pdm
  
  Just a teaser Mike.
  
  To help those of us who refuse to help Jacinda fund the Heral can you get the article in full please.
  
  Prebble is always worth reading.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:15am
  - Bob
    
    Prebble is always worth reading…….
    
    NOT this time!
    
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    June 22, 2022 10:17am
  - Jack5
    
    Sometimes paywalled articles are published in parallel on small partisan internet sites.
    
    Perhaps Prebble can negotiate this with the Herald if it is set on keeping him coralled as a non-Left commentator.
    
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    June 22, 2022 11:37am
  - Mike H S
    
    Prebble explains how National might well win the election but a lot of the things they have done and Luxon has said indicates that they are truly going to be Labour lite.
    
    I don’t know if I can do a full cut and paste. I shall try.
    
    I always read Prebble. While I don’t always agree with what he says, I find his perspective well worth the read. Helps keep an open mind (which may not be the case here when you look at the number of down ticks I got).
    
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    June 22, 2022 2:56pm
    - Mike H S
      
      I’m sure the Mods will remove if this infringes copyright. … yep
      
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      June 22, 2022 2:59pm
- Tomtoddy
  
  Agreed, Mike. One of the best yet by Prebble. Luxon really needs to get himself sorted and stand for something of principle.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:26am
- peterwn
  
  Are you suggesting? That people vote Labour or that people vote ACT? Actually if some people think that National is too wishy-washy or Labor-lite then a vote for ACT is far more effective than just staying at home.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:29am
- David Garrett
  
  Mike: I refuse to pay $1 to the Horrid…can some clever person work out how to post the column without having to pay?
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:30am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    Socialists – always demanding that someone else pays for their media content to be ‘free’.
    
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    June 22, 2022 8:36am
    - Sideoiler
      
      Socialists – always demanding that someone else pays for their media content to be ‘free’.
      
      We have already paid for it via the public interest journalism slush fund.
      
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      June 22, 2022 8:44am
      - gump
        
        Do you also support shoplifting from companies that received wage subsidies during the lockdowns?
        
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        June 22, 2022 9:59am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        The taxpayers have not contributed any money to pay for Rodney Hide to write columns. That’s a commercial proposition for the Herald to attract customers and for Rodney Hide to supplement his pension.
        
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        June 22, 2022 10:13am
    - alloytoo
      
      You get an uptick, but it’s worth pointing out we’ve already paid……..$105 million or so.
      
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      June 22, 2022 8:48am
    - ClanMcleod
      
      Milkey – no, you’re not paying attention again. As has been pointed out, it’s about not financially supporting a very, very bad media outlet that has taken the 30 pieces of silver Brenda threw at them to run her PR and propaganda nonsense.
      I personally subscribe to a number of truly independent media outlets and news sources. I once subscribed to the Whoreald!! Never again.
      
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      June 22, 2022 8:53am
    - UrbanNeocolonialist
      
      NZ taxpayers have all paid immensely for the Herald and Stuff and TV to continue publishing govt propaganda
      
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      June 22, 2022 8:54am
    - RightNow
      
      I bet you wouldn’t be commenting here if it wasn’t free.
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:28am
    - amospicton
      
      Any media entity receiving a cent from the corrupt PIJF will not get my support. They deserve nothing other than our utter contempt for doing so.
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:47am
  - oldfella
    
    DG, see my response to Ra re getpocket.com.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:11am
  - Chris2
    
    This issue of newspaper paywalls regularly crops up. The solution is simple, free and legal.
    
    If you live in Auckland you are entitled to join Auckland Libray for free. With your library card number and registered PIN you can, via the library website, log into PressReader.com and view and read the actual physically printed/layed-out copy of every newspaper published in the country and tens of thousands of newspapers and magazine around the world, all legally and back-dated a couple of weeks.
    
    Today’s edition of the Herald has already be up on PressReader.com for several hours.
    
    The libraries of other Councils may offer free access to PressReader.com too. Perhaps readers in other parts of the country can check their local libray, online, and advise.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:18am
    - Jack5
      
      The Christchurch City Council libraries don’t offer access to that service.
      
      It does offer access to another service, but the Otago Daily Times seems to be the only newspaper fully accessible.
      
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      June 22, 2022 11:25am
      - 103PapPap
        
        Sorry Jack, but CCC does offer this service. At Papanui and Bishopdale they even have signs by the door saying that PressReader is available here.
        The friendlt librarians will point you to the terminals thaat give yiu 30 mins free reading.
        
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        June 22, 2022 2:16pm
      - Jack5
        
        Re the post by 103Papap at 2.16:
        
        There is a difference between the information available on Press Reader when it is accessed from within or by WiFi beside Christchurch libraries, and when you dial in from home
        
        The Christchurch Press isn’t available when you dial into the library from home, for example.
        
        The introductory page of Press Reader (at least when dialled in from home) includes: “…some New Zealand titles are available only in libraries.”
        
        Press Reader additionally explains:
        
        “Stuff NZ Ltd content is now only available to customers using a library computer, or using a phone or device on the library wifi. November 7, 2019.
        
        “Stuff NZ Ltd Press Reader content (like The Press and Sunday Star Times) is no longer available for you to access from home via Christchurch City Libraries.”
        
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        June 22, 2022 9:22pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      My experience in Wgtn was that, with a Wgtn library card, I could get everything generally available except the DP. I assume they don’t mind supplying their product at no charge elsewhere, but not in the local market. Which is ok with me.
      
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      June 22, 2022 6:49pm
  - surfing
    
    Better than stuff though.
    
    The day ‘stuff’ apologised for being white, grrrr. And what an infantile name for a news website.
    
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    June 22, 2022 10:09am
- New Kiwi
  
  But the article starts on such a flawed basis: “The Tauranga byelection has confirmed the opinion polls. National and Act can win the next election. Together the two parties got 66.59 per cent of the vote. Labour with the Greens support got a disastrous 25.21 per cent.” It is only worth quoting those figures if you compare them with previous results for Tauranga, and remember that this was a by-election with very low turnout.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:49am
- Souvlaki
  
  OPINION:
  The Tauranga byelection has confirmed the opinion polls. National and Act can win the next election. Together the two parties got 66.59 per cent of the vote. Labour with the Greens support got a disastrous 25.21 per cent.
  Governing in 2023 will be very challenging. Act has been preparing by announcing policy. National is saying what it won’t do.
  Labour is putting 82 per cent of all adults on some form of income support. National leader Christopher Luxon says “I’m not dreaming up a policy to reform welfare”. He is promising to increase benefits.
  At a time of full employment Labour is running a deficit. National’s finance spokeswoman, Nicola Willis, says “I’m not proposing cuts of any sort.”
  Dr Shane Reti, National’s health spokesman, says health’s “many stakeholders” are too “exhausted” to undertake any “large structural change”. Labour’s centralised health reforms will be retained. The Māori Health Authority will not be abolished but “folded in”.
  Luxon is a “big fan” of minimum wage increases, as long as the economy is growing enough to sustain them.
  The Arms Act has not stopped the gangs from having guns.
  National voted with Labour to override local town planning. Both supported the Child Poverty Act that has not stopped a record number of children living in motels.
  The policy National has announced is what every party in opposition says. Oppositions have promised to get tough on gangs going back to Norman Kirk promising to take the bikes off the bikies.
  Every party says it is going to get rid of government waste.
  Adopting Act’s policy of charter schools by itself will not solve the crisis in education. Pupils are graduating unable to read or do math. Even in the best state schools education standards have slipped.
  National’s only significant promise is to restore price stability as the Reserve Bank’s sole remit.
  In effect, National is promising to be a Labour government under new management. No matter how good the management, if the policy is flawed, it will fail.
  A major reason why Labour’s policies are failing is Labour is placing at the heart of government a radical and unworkable reinterpretation of the treaty as a partnership. Luxon says he also believes that the treaty “means partnership”.
  Luxon has tried to have it both ways. He has also said he does not believe tino rangatiratanga meant co-governance. But he is not opposed to co-governance on a local level just in national policies. Luxon then complains Labour has not explained what co-governance means.
  National could set the agenda for the next election by explaining exactly what co-governance means.
  Either the Treaty ceded sovereignty, protected property rights and gave everyone, Māori and non-Māori the same rights of citizenship, or the Treaty is an agreement to co-govern the country in partnership with a self-selected elite.
  The Crown is everybody, Māori and non-Māori. It is totally unworkable to have Māori on both sides of a partnership. Minister Willie Jackson says we have a new form of democracy where he negotiates in secret co-governance just with iwi leaders. Who represents the country?
  When only half the partnership is accountable to the electorate, New Zealand is no longer a democratic country. Instead, one partner is like a New Zealand House of Lords with its only qualification being birth.
  If National adopts Labour’s reinterpretation of the Treaty as a partnership, then in government National will be just as paralysed as Labour. The Treaty zealots in the civil service will destroy the Government.
  National’s great boast was its claim to be the party for all New Zealanders regardless of class, race, religion or gender. Every previous National leader would reject the idea that Queen Victoria agreed to co-govern New Zealand in partnership with 500 odd Māori chiefs.
  Luxon believes that he can fudge the treaty issue. Jacinda Ardern avoids the issue too. Both Luxon and Ardern come from marketing backgrounds. He was a brand manager. Her degree is in public relations. They both believe it is the sizzle not the sausage that matters.
  Marketing can win elections. It worked for Ardern twice. It has worked for Luxon in Tauranga. If the next election is just a battle of the brands National will win. National then just needs to agree the Treaty is a partnership and Luxon/Willis can lead a Labour-lite Government in coalition with Te Pāti Māori.
  If National wants to be a government that promotes free enterprise and personal responsibility then the party needs to issue policy that reflects these principles. A good place to start would be declaring that the Treaty settled sovereignty, protects property rights and establishes equality of citizenship.
  • Richard Prebble is a former leader of the Act Party and former member of the Labour Party.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:25am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Thanks for that
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:44am
    - mawm
      
      I’m sure our Luxon fan from Dunedin will be along shortly to tell us it’s not like this and that Luxon is keeping his powder dry for campaign season.
      
      ACT has not been much better and I’m still seething at Seymour and his support for all the failed non-medical policies, the vaccine passes for covid and all the other covid BS.
      
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      June 22, 2022 11:24am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    “A good place to start would be declaring that the Treaty settled sovereignty, protects property rights and establishes equality of citizenship.”
    
    It is weird that such a common sense statement will be shouted down as ‘racist’.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:46am
  - leoj
    
    te reo Luxon lovers need to read this – twice.
    
    He ain’t no National saviour.
    
    Peter Williams has him nailed: Luxon is the fence-sitter-in-chief.
    
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    June 22, 2022 11:34am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  So let me guess, he thinks all the ACT MPs eith no experience at all will be great and able to govern, just not the Nat ones, let’s stop this bullshit, or Labour will sneak back in
  
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  June 22, 2022 11:12am
cmm

Good engineers deal in reality. They are completely allergic to bullshit.
PR people are exactly the opposite, they avoid reality and manufacture bullshit.

In the last wee while we’ve seen NZTA triple their PR staff and get rid of engineering staff.

NZTA has changed from an engineering-driven organisation focused on solving transport problems into a PR-focused organisation focusing on delivering perceptions and bullshit.

Recent examples of this shift include the two $10k plastic zeroes, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on the transmission gully launch party and of course the Road to Zero nonsense.

Engineers, being reality focused, will have rolled their eyes at the Road to Zero rubbish. The vocal ones would have pointed out that there is no road to zero, but some smaller gains are possible. They would have been labelled as not team players, negative, nay-sayers etc because they don’t want to participate in the hype.

So, instead of listening to the people that deal with reality, they eliminate them because they stand in the way of bullshit.

Of course we could see similar patterns in almost every government department: health, education, police, corrections,… and even the Labour party itself.

It is no surprise to me that Louisa Wall was shanked for not being a “team player”. On the face of it, it is ridiculous that a sporting great could be labelled as not a “team player” but it makes sense if you dig a bit.

Sports teams deal with reality: winning and losing, working hard to improve as individuals and a team. Good sports people, like good engineers (or doctors etc), are blunt and honest. People are not kept in sports teams for feelz: if they fail to perform they are replaced.

The Labour party (and other parties in general) deal in perception and PR-bullshit. A Labour “team player” helps to keep the bullshit alive. They avoid reality. Louisa, being a person opposed to bullshit, would have rubbed them all up the wrong way.
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June 22, 2022 8:03am
- Benedict Yu
  
  You see that with energy policy. New Zealand is 85 plus percent renewable energy. But that is not enough. It needs to be 100 percent whatever the cost.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:17am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    I’m reminded of the plot of the latest series of Borgen.
    
    4 25
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    June 22, 2022 8:22am
  - ClanMcleod
    
    It’s the same with the completely moronic “native” plants only that Auckland Council seem to have adopted. Probably the same elsewhere. It’s madness and it is racist. Only “natives” are permitted? Really?
    
    Plants, like people and animals should be considered on their merits. First, as with health, the guiding principle should be “do no harm”. If it does no harm then leave it alone. Even better, if it contributes positively, say by feeding birds or looking pretty, why do you want to kill it?
    It’s ideologically driven madness and it needs to be stopped.
    
    Let’s hope it doesn’t creep into all parts of life……
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:00am
    - Clownworld
      
      Do no harm a bit too Googlecorporatecommunisthidingasacult slogan.
      
      If it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it makes sense.
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:15am
      - Lenticular
        
        Do no harm is from the Hippocratic Oath. It’s over 2000 years old. Not like Google.
        
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        June 22, 2022 9:48am
      - ClanMcleod
        
        It’s actually a quote from Hippocrates in “Of the Epidemics” – though not part of the Hippocratic Oath as some people believe.
        
        From “Of the Epidemics”:
        
        “The physician must be able to tell the antecedents, know the present, and foretell the future — must mediate these things, and have two special objects in view with regard to disease, namely, to do good or to do no harm.”
        
        Which means all of those administering the experimental Pfizer crap weren’t applying the principles they were taught and those who mandated it are guilty of medical malfeasance.
        
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        June 22, 2022 10:25am
  - Bob
    
    Nz would have been 100% renewable ENERGY (POWER)had we continued to build Hydro; but we didn’t due to Green misinformation and propaganda.
    
    Now we import dirty Indonesian coal!
    
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    June 22, 2022 10:22am
- Hebe123
  
  The accident at the weekend out of Picton…I know this road well, I have driven it literally thousands of times. I’ve driven it ten times since the accident. It’s not a bad piece of road – when compared to the entire PIcton to Blenheim stretch its not even in the worst 50%. But that whole road is a disgrace as our national SH1.
  
  An example. I complained in recent years to NZTA regarding a piece of road a few hundred metres from the crash site. It’s where a side road with many houses comes out onto SH1 over an unsignalled railway line right at the end of a double yellow line section…where everyone who has been stuck since the Elevation starts passing. See where this is going? So NZTA called us back and said they would put it in the system but the most likely outcome was a wired barrier down the road which would of course mean that residents could only head north out of their road (before doing a u turn somewhere near Picton to head back to Blenheim). No, continuing the double yellow “wouldn’t be considered” as it’s not what we do, “the solution” according to NZTA is a physical barrier. We didn’t bother taking it further. Is this engineers or PR people pushing this shit?
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:18am
  - Cassandra
    
    You can have the best road in the world. If the driver falls asleep disaster will occur.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:18am
    - septic skeptic
      
      True enough, but in virtually any first world country falling asleep on the primary state highway would not result in a head on smash.
      
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      June 22, 2022 1:55pm
  - leoj
    
    You should have sent your letter to Waka Kotahi.
    
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    June 22, 2022 11:35am
- mikenmildagain
  
  I’m not sure your sports team analogy works very well for political parties, which by their very nature are always riven by factions and rivalries.
  I largely agree with your comments on NZTA, which is merely the latest example of a government agency prioritising the wrong things. This is a long-term trend, dating back over thirty years to the idea that the state sector should be run more like the private sector. Granted considerable autonomy, agencies effectively compete for resources. Governments, like consumers, are essentially immune to the principle of spending based on performance. Government agencies, all believing their services to be vital, advertise those services to the public and the government in terms of activities that are essentially promotional campaign for their ‘brands’. So no one should be surprised at the steady growth of communications, marketing and HR teams in government over the past 30 years – without their efforts, agencies would fail in their prime mission of ensuring the continuation of the agency.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:20am
  - cmm
    
    What sports team analogy? That was not an analogy.
    
    If was a comparison between the goals of sports teams (being frank about performance issues) and political parties, Labour in particular, which deal in bullshit and perception and using that to explain why a sports person – Louisa Wall – was a good “team player” in a sports team, but not in Labour.
    
    Anyone who has anything to do with sport management will tell you there are factions and rivalries within sports teams too, but they have to learn to put those aside and focus on what is best otherwise they will fail to perform as a team.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:03am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Of course it was an analogy. You think political parties should operate like successful sports teams. I merely pointed out that they are not remotely the same thing.
      
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      June 22, 2022 10:18am
      - cmm
        
        Rubbish. Nowhere did I say that political parties should operate like successful sports teams. Nor did I claim that they are remotely the same thing. It was not an analogy.
        
        Indeed they operate very differently and are motivated by very different things and I pointed this out very clearly.
        
        That is why someone – Louisa Wall – who was a highly successful “team player” in sports was not considered a “team player” in politics.
        
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        June 22, 2022 12:59pm
- oldfella
  
  cmm:
  
  Good sports people, like good engineers (or doctors etc), are blunt and honest. People are not kept in sports teams for feelz:
  
  I think this is being tested with more and more sports facing their ‘transgender moments of truth’.
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/netball/300619015/netball-set-to-review-rules-on-transgender-involvement-in-the-sport
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:16am
  - cmm
    
    Sports, just like any human endevour, has its political component with wokesters driving for non-sporting goals (diversity for diversity’s sake etc). Many engineering companies have this problem too.
    
    For both, the “go woke, go broke” saying applies. If you go woke in a team and start selecting for diversity etc rather than player performance then don’t expect your sports team to succeed on the playing field. Same too in engineering: choose your bridge designer based on what’s between their legs vs their competence and bridges will fall down.
    
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    June 22, 2022 1:05pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Money laundering for votes???
  We know Labour buy votes.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:46am
kevn

Tru dat.
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June 22, 2022 8:05am
surfing

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-chris-hipkins-formally-apologises-over-charlotte-bellis-emergency-miq-saga/DX35AVZARU5RPUFTFUKDCNMK5A/

Chris Hipkins bought the power of the state against Charlotte Bellis in the emergency MIQ situation.

He said they offered her assistance , before she was even in Afghanistan… clearly an outrageous lie.

This resulted in an abuse campaign against Bellis , all initiated by Hipkins saying things that were absolutely untrue.

I think this is a serious breach by Hipkins, he should be severely reprimanded for his behaviour against a citizen of New Zealand who was in need. I know Jacinda won’t sack him because she is cowardly and a bit of state corruption is just fine!
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June 22, 2022 8:06am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Still, it’s not often a Labour minister apologises… even if it is months after the facts became known to him.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:19am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Politicians are not interested in personal apologies for mistakes – they only ever wish to offer apologies for the actions of earlier generations of politicians now safely dead.
    
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    June 22, 2022 8:25am
  - David Garrett
    
    Maggie: O agree…kudos to Hipkins…fronting up and saying “I’m sorry I got it wrong” is very hard for any lefty…impossible for most of them
    
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    June 22, 2022 8:33am
    - Mobile Michael
      
      No kudos, he’s doing it to avoid the further embarrassment of a financial settlement for breach of privacy and defamation.
      
      The kudos belong to Charlotte Bellis for choosing to have Hipkins climb down off his high horse instead of asking for financial recompense.
      
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      June 22, 2022 10:45am
    - Paulus
      
      I sem to remember anyway that Bellis was a left wing political thorn in National’s side before she went AWOL in the middle east.
      
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      June 22, 2022 1:30pm
  - Tony Stuart
    
    Actually Maggy, he wrote the letter of apology on 15th March, so it’s taken three months for the news to emerge that a Labour MP had the decency to apologise.
    
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    June 22, 2022 8:35am
    - Frank the tank
      
      I’ll praise Chipkins here. Regardless of the motives he apologized and that is a big deal for this government.
      
      Seems the only likeable one out of the lot and let’s face it I do love listening to him getting shit beaten out him by the Hosk. He fronts up unlike his leader.
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:08am
    - zulumonster
      
      I have a suspicion the apology was not “voluntary” and deserves little to no respect. If he was truly sorry he would have ensured the apology was made public when it was first tendered to Belliss.
      
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      June 22, 2022 11:23am
      - Hebe123
        
        On the propaganda show (my dad watches it) Chippie said that they “negotiated the apology” with Ms Bellis. Ie apologise or I’ll sue…
        
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        June 22, 2022 6:42pm
  - namron
    
    Try and think of any time jacinda has apologized for
    ANYTHING!!
    I suppose being “perfect in every way” means you have nothing to apologize for!!
    
    19 2
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    June 22, 2022 9:50am
    - stewmar
      
      “Try and think of any time jacinda has apologized for”
      
      She apologised on behalf of all New Zealanders for the Mosque shootings.
      
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      June 22, 2022 10:30am
      - alloytoo
        
        The one done by an Australian?
        
        5 0
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        June 22, 2022 4:32pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Amazing that they are getting more and more like the Democrats.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:48am
Hebe123

So an academic tells us that banning biological blokes from competing in women’s swimming races will result in an increase in drownings….

No mention of the impact on women’s sport AT ALL LEVELS of having boys competing in girls leagues and events.

https://twitter.com/ripx4nutmeg/status/1538829562649493504?s=20&t=naVAXQrt1yEBW1-Iu-f45Q
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June 22, 2022 8:07am
- Benedict Yu
  
  That academic hosts this podcast. Makes sense now. 🙁
  
  https://www.theendofsport.com/
  
  Dr. Mellis is also a cohost of the End of Sport podcast with Drs. Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Derek Silva. They interview athletes, critical sports journalists, and fellow academics to explore all the ways that people use sport to harm others – i.e. through racist mascotry, the NCAA and higher ed’s exploitation of Black and Brown college athletic workers, sexual abuse and harassment, transphobia, and more.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:21am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    Perhaps a useful counter-balance to the fetishizing of sports?
    
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    June 22, 2022 8:26am
    - JimBobJoe
      
      Fetish… HOBM… where are you going with this Mike? Do we need to know something about St B’s????
      
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      June 22, 2022 8:44am
    - Lenticular
      
      Or, we could not over fetishise sports without needing woke Stalinism as a replacement.
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:51am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      JimBobJoe
      I’d prefer religion to be kept out of sports clubs, as well as schools.
      HOB would be better off ditching the Marist label. Surely having MSP is already one too many cult-based rugby clubs for the capital.
      
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      June 22, 2022 10:22am
  - Hebe123
    
    god, who would listen to that!
    frightening.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:03am
- G152
  
  I would venture that any competition swimmer regardless of the bits or beliefs would be very unlikely to drown
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:24am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    You can still enjoy a lifetime of swimming without being a competitive swimmer.
    
    My swimming buddy is 81 next month (2 hip replacements). She swims 1km every Tuesday & Friday morning.
    
    (I try to do 1.5km in the time she takes to swim 1km….nothing competitive, of course!!!!)
    
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    June 22, 2022 8:43am
    - Hebe123
      
      I think that’s the counterpoint. If girls don’t want to swim at school because they have to swim against boys at school swimming sports etc, that’s a lifetime of swimming potentially lost to those girls.
      Put that against the risk of transgender blokes who would have been competitive swimmers drowning because they can’t be….hmmm
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:04am
    - graham
      
      Maggy: “You can still enjoy a lifetime of swimming without being a competitive swimmer.”
      
      Precisely. Dr. Johanna Mellis’ rather bizarre reasoning that because FINA is restricting the participation of transgender athletes in ELITE women’s competitions, this will stop such people from learning to swim AT ALL, is just plain stupid. I learned to swim and cycle at a young age, with absolutely no thought that this would ever lead to me competing in these events at all.
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:12am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Safety people insist on lifeguards even at Olympics
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:52am
- H. Upmann
  
  Different sport, but on the subject….
  https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2022/06/20/international-rugby-league-bans-transgender-athletes-from-womens-sports/
  
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  June 22, 2022 10:41am
- Rodion Raskolnikov
  
  “No mention of the impact on women’s sport AT ALL LEVELS of having boys competing in girls leagues and events.”
  
  The issue is not that biological females are disadvantaged by competing with deluded biological males who think that they are biological females. The fundamental issue is that biological males cannot “transition” to another sex, no matter how much they think they can. Because such a transition is objectively impossible, they cannot compete against actual women, simply because they are wrong. The disadvantage to women is a secondary consequence, and so shouldn’t be the main argument.
  
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  June 22, 2022 12:15pm
mikenmildagain

Happy St Alban’s Day! This saint is still quite popular, with quite a few churches named in his honour. He’s useful too, with his patronage of converts, refugees and torture victims. Has an entertaining martyrdom myth, too.
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June 22, 2022 8:07am
- cmm
  
  Being the first British martyr it is fitting that St Alban is the patron saint of refugees, torture victims and such.
  
  Nobody has done more to drive out evils like slavery and torture than the British.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:15am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    Did any empire ever profit more from the slave trade than the British?
    
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    June 22, 2022 8:27am
    - rangitoto
      
      Rome, Persia, Mongol, probably more.
      
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      June 22, 2022 8:31am
      - David Garrett
        
        Rangi: I’m pretty sure the Egyptians build some very impressive structures with the help of tens of thousands of slaves
        
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        June 22, 2022 8:36am
      - Swifty
        
        DG, that theory appears to be on the outer of late. It seems more likely that they were not slaves, but ‘workers’ who could come and go.
        
        https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/were-the-egyptian-pyramids-built-by-slaves/amp/
        
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        June 22, 2022 8:40am
      - Lenticular
        
        The Ottomans. They quite possibly enslaved more Europeans than the Europeans did Africans…..and they were elbow deep in the African slave trade too.
        
        22 1
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        June 22, 2022 8:59am
    - Swifty
      
      Multiple and successive caliphates.
      
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      June 22, 2022 8:37am
    - JimBobJoe
      
      Well – its amazing how your biases show show clearly in your snipes Mike….
      
      To even postulate that thought when I believe you are fully aware of the Roman Empires history with slavery and also how long the Roman Republic and subsequent Empire lasted, just shows how deeply ingrained the hatred of modern Western life is in your average Leftie…
      
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      June 22, 2022 8:47am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        I’m thinking there that the British empire would have never risen to world domination without the triangular transatlantic trade – founded on the export of slaves from Africa to the Americas. The British empire was, of course, very short-lived, and it could be postulated that its fall was inevitable once enlightenment ideas of (some) freedom for all people took hold within the English establishment.
        
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        June 22, 2022 10:29am
      - Rodion Raskolnikov
        
        That claim is demonstrably false. The empire was largely the result of the superior talents of the Anglo-Saxon people themselves. The British Empire was at its zenith from about the early 19th century until WW1, i.e. after they had abolished slavery. In fact, slavery is an impediment to developing more efficient mechanised production methods, because there is little incentive to make slaves worthless by developing better technology, perhaps one reason why slavery still thrives in many parts of the Third World today.
        
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        June 22, 2022 12:28pm
    - Frank the tank
      
      On a per capita basis i’d argue some Maori nations did Mikey.
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:03am
    - westernScientist
      
      Virtually all of them of anything like a comparable size. The amount of treasure the Brits spent on ending slavery in the colonies was huge.
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:04am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        The biggest cost to the British was the enormous compensation that had to be paid. Not to the slaves, of course, but to the slave owners.
        
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        June 22, 2022 10:25am
      - westernScientist
        
        maybe so Mike, but they still did more than every other empire combined to get rid of it, both through buying the slaves and setting them free (and paying kingdoms to stop trafficking in slaves), and by going to war to free them and remove the power structures which were trafficking them.
        
        I really dont see how else freedom for the slaves and to drastically reduce the amount of trafficking in the world could have been achieved.
        
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        June 22, 2022 12:55pm
    - cmm
      
      Ridiculous. Only a very small % of slaves had anything to do with the British or British colonies.
      
      On the other hand, nobody has expended more to fight slavery than the British. All up, hundreds of thousands of British sailors and soldiers were deployed fighting slavery.
      
      Both my grandfathers were involved in fighting slavery under a British flag: one in East Africa and the other South West Africa.
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:07am
    - mandk
      
      Empire of Mali
      
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      June 22, 2022 10:03am
- plc
  
  And the town named after him was the scene of two battles to remove a weak and delusional ruler and replace him with competent government.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:18am
  - Ehlana
    
    “remove a weak and delusional ruler and replace [her] with competent government.”
    
    If he can make that happen here, I’d vote in favour of renaming ourselves in the saint’s honour. Albania is taken, but I’m sure we could come up with something suitable.
    
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    June 22, 2022 10:06am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    One of the inevitable pitfalls of monarchy: it is impossible to imagine a lengthy succession of competent hereditary rulers. In modern democratic polities, deposition of the ruler only requires the inner cabal to lose confidence in their leader. But it seems as difficult for a successful elected leader to ensure a smooth succession as it is for monarch to be confident of producing a suitable heir. Autocrats such as Putin or Xi face a similar problem – constant tension between wanting to ensure their legacy while fearful of empowering a successor.
    
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    June 22, 2022 10:38am
- rockape
  
  StAlbans is the scruffiest town in Cornwall although Redruth and Camborne are close.
  
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  June 22, 2022 11:07am
  - pdm
    
    A hell of a lot of speed and other cameras there in 2010 when we drove through St Albans.
    
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    June 22, 2022 2:44pm
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  I grew up in St Albans, suburb of Christchurch and spent many happy hours playing soccer and cricket in its park just over the back fence. Never knew anything about its namesake though.
  
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  June 22, 2022 12:01pm
Benedict Yu

With the indulgence of the moderators, I am reposting my comment of earlier this morning on the 2018 post of the three strikes law, as it is otherwise difficult to locate at the end of the 100 or so comments from 2018.

I figured that the Ministry of Justice must have done some analysis to justify repealing the law. They have. However, it comes from a totally different world view, e.g. that three strikes imposes disproportionate and excessive punishments, and that it discriminates against Maori.

Unfortunately, such reports are composed by lofty public servants in Wellington. Indeed, the public servant in this case is named on the front cover of the analysis. I really wonder whether such people have encountered the types of offenders who are subject of the case studies originally posted by DPF in 2018.
_______________________
It is worth reading this analysis that justifies the repeal of the three strikes law.

It relies on judgement that the law results in “disproportionate” and “excessive” sentences, denies criminals rehabilitation and causes harm to Maori because Maori are over represented in three strikes sentences.

https://www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Publications/2-RIA-Repeal-of-three-strikes-law.pdf

There is no way to reconcile this view of the world with the alternative view that the criminals who are depicted in the case studies depicted by DPF should be locked up for as long as possible.

Personally, I find these violent offenders terrifying. There is no evidence that they can be rehabilitated and when released they will simply cause more mayhem.
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June 22, 2022 8:11am
- cmm
  
  Who is the real audience that this is being pitched at with all this nonsense from the Cindy Party?
  
  Is it the average voter who has compassion and feelz and most likely has never encountered an evil-level offender and never will?
  
  Is it some UN-luvvie that will see this on Cindy’s CV and see this as an achievement?
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:19am
- Thought Criminal
  
  An early release 3rd striker will kill someone soon. And it’ll be Labour’s fault.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:44am
  - Matt Long
    
    And the team of Karens that support them.
    
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    June 22, 2022 11:24am
- David Garrett
  
  Bene: Any paper by Justice Dept officials needs to be read with considerable skepticism. When the 3S law was going thru parliament they were asked to estimate the effect of the law on prisoner numbers. They said the prison muster would increase by 40% in five years.
  
  Fortunately both Rodney and our COS are – unlike me – both numbers men, and smelt a rat. Long story short, the officials had simply made the numbers up. When Judith Collins took over responsibility for the Bill, her officials came up with numbers which have proved very accurate– in short, second and third strikers make up about 1% of prisoner numbers.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:45am
  - David Garrett
    
    …and just to forestall some smart arse, the first strikers don’t make any difference to prisoner numbers; they get what they would have got anyway, absent 3S, whether it’s imprisonment or something less. The only impact the law has on them is the first warning they must be given re the consequences of continuing offending.
    
    And even the 1% figure is probably an exaggeration. We have about 800 second and third strikers, many of whom will currently not be in prison, but rather out in the community preying on the rest of us. If they were all currently in prison, they would make up about 1% of the current prison population.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:11am
Paulus

Dear Dr Ardern
Sorry you are such a bad loser as a result of the very poor showing for your candidate, who you chose to ignore totally in the Tauranga Bye-Election.
Now you are having a typical slang along with the media at Bethelehem College and its social and religeous beliefs.
Is this because for the first 25 years of your life you were bought up as Mormon, who have very similar social and religeous beliefs – actully even stronger.
You failed your candidate abysmally so we see this typical socialist attempt to see yourself in a good light.
Go to Madrid – preferably do not come back.
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June 22, 2022 8:13am
Souvlaki

Prebble very much on point this am.
Unfortunately behind a paywall…
but points out Luxon , on statements to date ,is going to do little to unwind the disastrous effects of Labours current tenure. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/richard-prebble-national-can-win-but-can-it-govern/5DNIRUCGOXRRWSXHHBSUFGDITM/
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June 22, 2022 8:14am
- Benedict Yu
  
  No surprises there. National will reverse SOME of the worst of the changes.
  
  Will they immediately reinstate three strikes?
  
  Will they upend the Ministry of Education?
  
  Will they introduce rational, market based climate change policies and end EV subsidies for prosperous woke urban folk?
  
  Will they tackle the mess of Local Government by forcing councils to focus on core functions, and to sack them if they do not?
  
  I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:26am
  - Chris R
    
    I expect Nat/ACT will have a busy time reversing the He Puapua garbage, the Labour introduced employment fiasco, opening the immigration quagmire, reducing income tax rates and altering the margins and yes; the The Three Strikes regime will be back. It will be a bottom line for ACT before they agree to a coalition. Late 2023 and early 2024 will be a wonderful time for us all!
    
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    June 22, 2022 8:51am
    - David Garrett
      
      Chris R: I must have missed Seymour’s unequivocal commitment to restoring 3S. And let’s be realistic – like the Greens with Labour, ACT only has one realistic coalition partner. They might elect to sit on the cross benches and vote issue by issue, but I would be surprised.
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:14am
      - Chris R
        
        He assured a public meeting in my town that Three Strikes will be reintroduced. He appeared sincere in his representation. Let’s wait with excitement!
        
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        June 22, 2022 9:26am
      - Nickc2
        
        ACT can and should IMO take measures to reinstate 3S but remember, Judges who disagree with it won’t apply it and I’m afraid there’s nothing we can currently do about it.
        
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        June 22, 2022 12:07pm
  - ClanMcleod
    
    Will they promise to make experimental vaccine mandates and mask mandates history? That will be enough to guarantee my vote.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:29am
  - RoboRob
    
    Sadly National will not make major changes. The (sad) trend in NZ politics is that the Left comes in and makes major changes and then the right come in and ‘fix’ the faults to make the policy (more) sensible.
    
    Even worse this trend has extended to a Labour government comming in and spending like crazy. They drive the economy into recession (and debt). They are voted out and a National government comes in and spends most of their term cutting costs and spending to re balance the budget. Once the budget is balanced the country is sick of the ‘hard times’ under National and votes labour in to spend up again.
    
    Labour voters see the right as ‘always cutting services’ and ‘doing nothing’ when in power becuase of this. The ‘9yrs of neglect’ of the Key government, was in most part a response to the 9 years of overspending by the Clark government that ended with Cullen locking in spending and sending the country into a recession.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:46am
- JimBobJoe
  
  Vote ACT – stiffen the jelly babies of the Centrist National party.
  
  National are actually Centre-Left these days, as Labour have successfully moved the centre left and so that is where National need to pitch the tent for votes.
  
  A principaled National Party that makes a case for individual rights and responsibilities would be something to behold – sadly the Varus look-a-like leading the Nats currently is a manager and not a leader…. Vision is not his thing.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:52am
  - Hebe123
    
    a principled ACT party that makes a case for individual rights and responsibilities would be something to behold also.
    Seymour has shown his true colours and they don’t include individuals having rights.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:07am
    - Cassandra
      
      Total nonsense. I know David well. You’re writing rubbish. Presumably you’re an anti vaxxer. I’m not. That’s the only issue and there’s more to life and principles than just one issue!
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:28am
      - Surely Knott
        
        Have all my other vaxx’s thanks Cassandra so not an anti-vaxxer. Just not keen on the experimental mRNA nor the flu shot for that matter. Still healthy. Haven’t had covid. Hasn’t hunted me down. It’s not an single issue – it’s the name calling, the disrespect, the violation of basic rights. Keep calling people slurs and try and biking them into voting for them again. Yeah nah. Ex-Nat/act voter
        
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        June 22, 2022 10:29am
      - Matt Long
        
        People unwilling to recognize human rights in one area for spurious reasons are unable to be trusted with human rights anywhere.
        
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        June 22, 2022 11:28am
      - Hebe123
        
        Not anti vax just pro choice.
        As David should be, calling himself a libertarian, what a joke.
        
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        June 22, 2022 6:51pm
    - westernScientist
      
      True, but what is the alternative?
      The Nats? Not voting? New Conservatives?
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:47am
      - Surely Knott
        
        Democracy party. Freedom and outdoors
        
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        June 22, 2022 10:33am
      - curry4me
        
        …… a one way ticket to Oz.
        
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        June 22, 2022 12:26pm
- Raphael
  
  I think I share similar sentiments to Prebble.
  
  National are better managers. but are also increasingly progressive/Leftist in many of their views, especially on social matters.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:35am
- Prince
  
  Similar to how Prebble and his gang won power in 1984. Tread softly, present a small target, then do what is needed once the benches are won.
  Whatever National do in 2024-6, there will be a god-awful shit fight with the media. Campbell, Latta etc will be back with knives sharpened.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:54am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Voter disillusionment with the performance of the 1984, 1987 and 1990 government versus their manifesto promises was widely believed to be a major impetus in the change to the electoral system. Of course, no electoral system can make politicians do what they promise to do, so any political party is wise to follow your advice and offer nothing more than platitudes, avoiding specifics at all cost.
    
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    June 22, 2022 11:51am
  - Tom Hunter
    
    Fortunately they all work for the government now, so kill the Labour bribery fund, flog the TNVZ-RNZ monstrosity to willing private sector Lefty buyers (I know, I know) and kill NZ On Air.
    
    Let Campbell and Latta scream into the void.
    
    Funnily enough this is the very first thing on the To Do list that National won’t do, with the result that I’ll be reading comments here in 2024/25 bemoaning the bias of the MSM against National.
    
    In modern warfare the very thing you do is take out the enemy’s 3C’s, starting with their Communication.
    
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    June 22, 2022 1:13pm
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Showing your age, Tom, it’s been C4I for quite a while.
      
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      June 22, 2022 5:32pm
G152

I like many others have a little problem.
It involves our once okay health system.
Until there was a little alteration now what used to be a waiting time in ER of up to an hour or so now has had a little extension where after 8 hours those with little to no mild symptoms go home.
Little comments like 9 years are going to generate the same and little will, as now, be done.
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June 22, 2022 8:21am
- oldfella
  
  G152: And here’s someone at the medical front line who knows how bad it really is.
  A North Shore doctor says he is waking up at 4am worried about his patients after working gruelling 12-hour shifts seeing up to 62 patients a day.
  “I’m burnt out and I’ve already been in tears … the whole health system is falling to bits,” medical director at Northcare Accident & Emergency Peter Boot told the Herald.
  His comments come as hospitals across the country have been inundated with people fighting Covid and other winter bugs. GPs were also seeing an overflow of patients diverted from overwhelmed emergency departments (EDs) due to long waits.
  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/north-shore-doctor-opens-up-on-burnout-health-system-falling-to-bits/S2LFXKXDXLHRYKDLRYJZI2AKFA/
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:28am
  - G152
    
    Notice my frequent use of ‘little’…..
    
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    June 22, 2022 11:50am
Lenticular

The wokes have come for Christian schools, Labour is leading the charge, and wet, woke Luxon and Seymour will ensure they are successful.

Parents pay taxes for their children’s education; if the children are learning the requisite maths and English, then the school ought to be able to service their community according to their own values. In other words: If you’re a trans activist, go to one of the hundreds or thousands of ‘quality’ state schools and leave Christian schools alone.
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June 22, 2022 8:22am
- Hebe123
  
  I’m waiting for them to go after a muslim school. Seems that catholics are the bad guys these days though and Muslims are the goodies. Even if they believe the same things in this case.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:12am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Do you have some examples of Muslim schools taking the taxpayers’ money to teach hateful religious dogma?
    
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    June 22, 2022 11:55am
    - Alwynn
      
      I am not going to get into a squabble with you about whether the dogma is hateful or not but there are certainly some Islam Integrated State Schools which means that they get taxpayer funding.
      A couple are Iqra Elementary School in New Lynn and the Al-Madinah School in Mangere.
      
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      June 22, 2022 6:09pm
    - Hebe123
      
      There are Muslim schools who have their beliefs which I’m 100% sure don’t support lGBTQIP+.
      There are schools that specialise in something called Te Ao. I’m not sure what that is but if it includes Maori science being equivalent to actual science then we know that p a big proportion of people don’t support that.
      Personally I don’t care what they believe, any of them, that’s the point of special character schools. What I do support is their right to their own beliefs, not conformity with Mike’s beliefs.
      
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      June 22, 2022 7:01pm
    - Lenticular
      
      You mean taking parents own taxes and using them to educate their own children according to their own values?
      
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      June 22, 2022 8:04pm
Maggie Pie

Just happened to hear that alpha-male sports guy Darcy Waldegrave on ZB last night while I was doing the dishes.
He always came across to me as a bit of a…. ‘man’s man’.
Turns out he’s in support of transbender males competing in women’s sport 🙁

Maybe I was right all along anyway?
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June 22, 2022 8:28am
- Ra Henare
  
  Maggie oh Maggie
  “”doing the dishes””
  
  Being a Princess of Remmers surely…
  You have a machine do do such mundane, peasant work 🙂
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:49am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    She’s got a man there, why isn’t he doing the dishes fgs?
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:10am
  - Maggie Pie
    
    They don’t load themselves, silly!!
    
    18 5
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    June 22, 2022 9:12am
  - westernScientist
    
    you shouldn’t put wine glasses in the dishwasher
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:12am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Doesn’t matter for Maggie’s plastic ones.
      
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      June 22, 2022 10:41am
      - westernScientist
        
        lol touché
        
        4 1
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        June 22, 2022 12:59pm
    - rockape
      
      Can’t put my silver inlayed Noritaki China in the dishwasher either.
      
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      June 22, 2022 11:17am
    - Alwynn
      
      Why not?
      Every restaurant and Bar I have seen does use a dishwasher for the wine glasses.
      I don’t usually dine at Michelin 3 star places of course.
      
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      June 22, 2022 6:11pm
  - Harry Knuts
    
    is Maggie really a princess from remmers? perhaps maggie is Paul from papakura?
    
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    June 22, 2022 1:38pm
- Frank the tank
  
  Darcy ain’t a man’s man Mags – he is a raving pinko and probably has a shrine of Our Glorious Leader beside his bed.
  
  Similar to that other raving lefty – Loosehead Len.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:05am
- Yabster
  
  Darcy a mans man?- nah- played him at cricket lots- use to smack him around as he opened the bowling- was a bit of a sulker even way back then lol
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:30am
- Joely Doe
  
  Darcy an ‘alpha-male’!
  Ha ha! Nope. Went to school with him and knew the family. Nice people.
  Is an absolute cricket tragic and loves to open the bowling, despite being smashed to all corners.
  Used to play backyard cricket at his place and had to hide after he sulked after another thrashing.
  
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  June 22, 2022 10:46am
- Harry Knuts
  
  less competition for him in the mens category maybe??…
  
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  June 22, 2022 10:48am
Maggy Wassilieff

I’m pleased to see that Jacinda Ardern recognises that our schools must be safe places.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/06/jacinda-ardern-says-new-zealand-schools-must-be-safe-inclusive-environments-as-tauranga-s-bethlehem-college-s-gender-stance-under-fire.html

Perhaps she could address the thuggery and stand-over tactics that are increasingly being employed against vulnerable children in our schools.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/footage-of-brutal-attack-at-otago-boys-high-school-incredibly-upsetting/YH5YOUGLF2R5SOXFT2472HEGUE/

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/teen-admits-stabbing-boy-while-defending-friend-in-school-hallway-scuffle/RVDVEHYVA6B7DMIVW66COGCESQ/
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June 22, 2022 8:30am
- alex Masterley
  
  I attended Otago Boys in the ’70s.
  The sort of unseemly scuffle reported upon happened on a regular basis as young lads sorted out their issues.
  That this scuffle is being reported today shows how few and far between they are now.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:39am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Seems a bit more than a push and shove scuffle.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:11am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Alumni of boys’ schools are notoriously reluctant to criticise their beloved alma maters.
      
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      June 22, 2022 10:44am
  - Fuzzysnuggleduck
    
    If you read the description of the conversation and events during the beating, it sounds unprovoked and a high degree of sustained violence for a school fight.
    No need to brush this off as ‘boys will be boys’, a ‘scuffle’ or some sort of rough justice.
    If this is how they act within school, then they need some serious intervention and consequences as they will be in the headlines for cowards punch causing death in future years.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:33am
- Frank the tank
  
  I agree Maggy.
  
  The kids involved in this fight should be charged and have it on their record for the rest of their lives. The first was a brutal, unprovoked assault and should be treated as such by the police and the courts.
  
  An inability to travel when older will put off these bullies and give them something to think about.
  
  Unfortunately as we saw with our local public school (Orewa) the “system” and the majority of principals don’t want that type of outcome – they would rather hide behind PC, woke guidelines.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:59am
nathie

So about this Labour Govt Gib board task force, I recall concerns about supply started last year and after months of bad news articles this year on the problem getting worse it is only now that Labour decides to act! Are they asleep at the wheel?

The other thing is if Fletchers’ factory has been running 24 hours a day trying to keep up with demand, is the Govt partially to blame? There were stories months ago about the likes of Kainga Ora stockpiling gib board products for their building programmes. Funnily enough no one mentions this anymore! Plus having Labour lock down Auckland for 3 months last year didn’t help matters but that has been conveniently forgotten!

What exactly is the truth? Is it both Fletchers and Labour at fault? So far the narrative is (conveniently for Labour) that it is entirely Fletchers fault! Perhaps it is to an extent, but entirely? When Labour have form telling porkies? Will the MSM ever investigate properly? Like they would if it were National in Govt? After all we are talking about the Team of $55m here!
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June 22, 2022 8:32am
- Inandout
  
  nath, when that worshipped PM Savage began building state houses in the mid 1930s guess what building company was jettisoned into profitability and market dominance? And still they have the building market by the goolies.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:50am
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  Another job for the next competent govt – dismantle the pseudo building materials monopolies and cartels created by the huge market entry barriers imposed by BRANZ approval.
  
  Actually just wind back building consenting regulations by 15 years – keep the building standards updates (maybe not recent extreme insulation standards), but dismantle the whole consenting, inspection and compliance industry and get dead-weight council monopoly out of it, it’s adding $100’s of k to build costs.
  Instead establish optional insurance for building defects on new builds. Make home owners responsible for fixing problems, they can pay for insurance against it on a new build if they wish.
  
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  June 22, 2022 10:20am
- Ruawai
  
  It may because because each section in Auckland that has a house knocked down seems to sprout 6 to 10 new slum apartments, leads to high demand.
  
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  June 22, 2022 11:15am
- Paulus
  
  Heard that Fletchers were producing enough GB for 50,000 houses.
  But only 30,000 had been “consented for”.
  GB is sent out on pallettes but why are Fletchers not getting these palletes as per contract ?
  Where is the black market sales and by whom ?
  
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  June 22, 2022 1:40pm
Frank the tank

Anyone else listen to HDPA bitchslap Angry Andy last night.

I’m thinking the clown is very, very vulnerable right now and National and Act could take out one of the Woke Queen’s Bishops over the next month because let’s face it:
1). The continued mandates in health are looking like a right arse up and politically Labour can’t back down.
2). We are at the start of Winter – flu season traditionally peaks at the back-end of the season.
3). No doctors on OEs are coming here this year at least.

All the time Angry will be having to push the Maori Squad’s woke racist restructure agenda and Brenda will be out of the country as much as he can.

C’mon National take the prick out.
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June 22, 2022 8:34am
- kevn
  
  @Frank… Talk to any front-line nurse about angry. Massively under impressed.
  Just a sticky little union ‘man’ destroying the health system and those within it. Patients included.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:13am
  - rockape
    
    Angry Andy seems to get angry with nurses. Why you may ask ! It’s to do with him saying their pay equity would be backdated then renaming on it. Not many nurses will be voting Labour even if their union supports Labour financially.
    
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    June 22, 2022 11:24am
    - Frank the tank
      
      He is lazy and feckless and expects the union to fawn over him because he is from the left. This laziness will ensure he doesn’t readily sort out the immediate issues.
      
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      June 22, 2022 11:54am
- Close Hen Counters
  
  The problem is huge come August Frank – that is when the registrar/house surgeon changeover occurs and this year, there are not enough juniors doctors to fill positions in Auckland let alone the rest of the country. The young doctors are leaving in droves to go to Australia and as you say, no Brits, Scots or Irish doctors to replace them – the past three years of covid have been horrible for the health system and staff have had enough. But our local hospital is building a marae with a shower block – you just cannot make this shit up
  
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  June 22, 2022 1:01pm
Tony Stuart

The working group set up by Megan Woods yesterday is unnecessary. Andrew Bayly, National’s Building and Construction spokesman, lodged a Member’s Bill yesterday:

Andrew Bayly @bayly_andrew

Excited to lodge my Member’s Bill to allow for international suppliers of plasterboard who meet the NZ standard to be able to automatically supply product in NZ and for councils to have to allow these products to be used in new builds.

https://twitter.com/bayly_andrew/status/1539119346186092545

Bayly has provided an immediate solution. Megan Woods could give him a call and have a meeting, then adopt his Bill as a Government measure, and it could be passed without undue delay.

Let’s see if Dr Woods is willing to work across the political divide to fix this issue quickly, or whether she will push on with her working group, ensuring further delays.
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June 22, 2022 8:41am
- Frank the tank
  
  Why would she do that when they can form a working group and gift the likes of Mahutacorp some more consultancy fees.
  
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  June 22, 2022 8:53am
  - Tony Stuart
    
    Well, there’s the small issue of a housing crisis, where Labour is getting hammered for not building homes fast enough. So you’d think she might have a degree of urgency to solve this problem.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:04am
    - Frank the tank
      
      Doesn’t worry Angry with a collapsed Health sector. The housing crisis is getting forgotten with the collapse of our Health system and the destruction of law and order.
      
      The slow moving train crash seems to have arrived at the end of the line.
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:12am
      - Nickc2
        
        My collusion Radar is indicating a pact whereby a shortage of Gib Board was created in order to cover Labour’s lack of affordable homes problems.
        
        15 3
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        June 22, 2022 9:22am
- Ian Boag
  
  international suppliers of plasterboard who meet the NZ standard
  
  It’s plaster between two sheets of cardboard …. not high tech really. I would guess the “NZ standard” bit might be part of the problem. How about making that “or Aus or US or Canadian standard”. Thai standard even.
  
  For the longest time in the past there was a duty on imported board to protect the local industry. There used to be a lot of these duties but gradually they all went away. I think there is still a small one.
  
  Why blame Fletchers? They are victims of their own success. They produced more or less enough for the market which was protected it by some (stupid?) regulation. Architects were convinced tow specify Gib rather than “plasterboard”. We aren’t hearing much from architects about that …
  
  And of course “compliance with standard” is not just a matter of throwing a panel into a test machine and making some measurements. There will be extended heat/moisture/colour stability tests. There will be an analysis of the factory processes – a high level of ISO accreditation will be required. All very drawn out and expensive – possibly not worth it for a big manufacturer just to get 10% of the NZ market ….
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:45am
  - Ehlana
    
    Which is why it would make sense for us to compare our standards with those used overseas and accept overseas materials made to matching standards. Japan and California spring to mind. They have earthquakes like we do, so their building materials standards should be similar.
    
    And as for the idea that the colour of Gib board is trademarked, how did that get accepted? Isn’t plasterboard usually underneath some other wall covering?
    
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    June 22, 2022 10:35am
    - Ian Boag
      
      compare our standards with those used overseas and accept overseas materials made to matching standards
      
      Sounds sensible … but … there is a heap of questions involved in the words “matching standards”. There would need to be a SANZ working group to look into the differences and whether they matter. This would all take time. Generate as much heat as light. Fletchers would politely explain the ways in which their board is “right” for NZ etc etc
      
      You could well ask NZ has its own quirks. It’s plaster sandwiched in cardboard ffs. Not exactly rocket science.
      
      It would have to be a cut-the-Gordian-knot thing.
      
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      June 22, 2022 12:36pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        The relevant standard is AS/NZS 2588:2018. The 2018 bit is when it was promulgated or whatever they call it. I can’t comment on the content because I can’t be bothered to cough up the $220 it costs for a pdf version …..
        
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        June 22, 2022 12:58pm
    - Ian Boag
      
      So we come down to the NZ Standard being something that is $220 to buy from SANZ. I bet it’s more than 5 pages long. I bet that foreign ones are at least as long. I bet it would take more than 10 minutes to establish “equivalence”. I bet there are clauses in both that nit-pickers could argue about.
      
      If someone just tells councils to use “any plasterboard” where “gib” is specified and it goes pear shaped (plasterboard cracks in a quake) then builder will be long gone and council will wear it.
      
      Starting to sound as if we need a group to work through this ….. 🙂
      
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      June 22, 2022 6:13pm
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  The building bureaucracy has a stranglehold on innovation and competition. The lunatic notion that bureaucrats should be responsible for quality and durability continues to bankrupt the country.
  
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  June 22, 2022 12:07pm
Littletramp

For any seeking a grown up, non partisan (yes, it is non partisan) analysis of the Trump presidency, this is an eye opening discussion with Bill Barr.
Takes 1 & 1/2 hours but the best “balanced” analysis I have heard, and reveals that Barr is really switched on to politics and world affairs. Well worth the time.

https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/uncommon-knowledge/id1378389941?i=1000565581307
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June 22, 2022 8:42am
Phronesis

Numerous articles in the media recently about our failing public health care system and yet few if any address the actual cause. Not enough staff we are told but why are there not enough staff? Could it be that freezing their pay during COVID while spending vast amounts of money on stupid stuff has been poor for recruitment and retention? In the case of the senior doctors offering them 0% for the previous year (their last contract expired in 21) and less than 3% for the next year. In the context of already being able to earn twice as much in Oz and official inflation running at 7% year on year. Essentially a pay cut. In the context of the massive COVID wastage it’s not even that much money to just compete with Oz wages.
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June 22, 2022 8:43am
- Hebe123
  
  not to mention the 500 + nurses and who knows how many docs that were mandated out.
  Though i did hear from a CDHB source that there were 90 docs refusing the jab at the beginning of the rollout who were given exemptions so the hospital could continue to operate. So perhaps the mandates only affect the lowly nurses.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:16am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Something to chew on. Wonder if our experts Barker, Blofeld, Plonk, and the Pink Terror would like a headon debate with this guy?
Description is in the link.
https://americasfrontlinenews.com/post/immunization-expert-unvaccinated-people-are-not-dangerous-vaccinated-people-are-dangerous-for-others
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June 22, 2022 8:46am
- ClanMcleod
  
  Steve – as you know, the one thing that was never permitted over the last 2.5 years and is still banned, is robust debate. We were and are still only permitted Brenda’s “single source of truth”. Even though we now know without a shadow of a doubt that the vaccines don’t work, they are still being actively promoted and advertises. To do otherwise would be to admit they got it wrong. Something Brenda will never do, no matter how much damage her pig headed narcissism does.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:43am
  - Spring Bank Westie
    
    You misheard, she said “single source of tooth”.
    
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    June 22, 2022 12:13pm
- kevn
  
  gates must sooo pleased…
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:58am
Warren

Another Bank and Economist warns Recession only a mater of ‘ when, not if’ after grim Consumer Confidence Survey.
Westpark McDermott Miller Consumer Confidence Index released on Tuesday shows Consumers have never been as hesitant since the survey began 34 years ago.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2022/06/economist-warns-recession-a-matter-of-when-not-if-after-grim-consumer-confidence-survey.html
The index fellow points in the June Quarter to just under 79.
Informetrics Principle Economist Brad Olson told the AM Show on Wednesday the results show Consumers expect things to continue to get worse.
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June 22, 2022 8:48am
- oldfella
  
  Warren, fortunately we have a Reserve Bank who have got this under control with their Te Maori strategy, which probably uses Maori Maths. //
  https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/about-us/how-we-work/te-ao-maori—an-evolving-and-responsible-strategy
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:35am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Another bit of Govt shit written in two languages. Makes my head hurt.
    
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    June 22, 2022 10:25am
  - Paulus
    
    Whole new RBNZ Board on 1st July with some interesting names now, including Ngai Tahu.
    We are really in sh.t street and recession to come very shortly – the engine is under fullsteam and cannot be stopped.
    
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    June 22, 2022 1:44pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      You can say “SHIT” on here.
      
      4 2
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      June 22, 2022 3:29pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Jan 6th. Why are the powers that be not getting stuck into Pelosi for her actions in the day preceding Jan 6th? She would not allow more security when Trump asked her 3 times – or no less than 2. The evil woman is responsible for all that happened at the Capitol. The fake news will not report this.
https://redrightvideos.com/radical-liberals-had-a-plan-long-before-january-6-even-started/
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June 22, 2022 8:51am
- Lenticular
  
  Because the GOP doesn’t control any committees and so can’t subpoena anyone. Secondary reason: they are pretty wimpy and won’t do it even when they come in after the midterms.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:02am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Trump wanted 20,000 troops. Nancy Pelosi refused. She had this all planned, so the left could drag Trump through the mud and blame him.
    All part of Trump not being able to run in 2024.
    
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    June 22, 2022 9:14am
    - oldfella
      
      Steve, I like the Don, but I think the US needs this guy in 2024.
      Profile positions DeSantis as conservatives’ new folk hero
      Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won the Florida governorship by less than 1% and whose name was virtually unknown to greater America just a few years ago, is now rising in presidential polls and presents voters with a quicker, sharper version of Donald Trump’s angry style of politics.
      That’s the bottom line in a more than 10,000-word profile of DeSantis by Dexter Filkins in this week’s New Yorker magazine.
      The big picture: Filkins positions DeSantis as a new conservative folk hero, unafraid of battling the left and presenting himself as the only one brave enough to do it.
      https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2022/06/21/ron-desantis-donald-trump-2024
      
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      June 22, 2022 9:42am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Well if both were there the US would be sorted out super quick. I think the people want Trump, just look at the number turning up at the rallies. One happening on 25th – sunday out time.
        The people of Florida want DeSantis as President and others want him as Governor.
        Either way, the US needs both of them. If the Dems cheat and win, the US will go hardcore Socialism.
        Unbelievable that they have gone down so far.
        
        7 3
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        June 22, 2022 10:34am
      - Rodion Raskolnikov
        
        De Santis is seen as someone who can be dangled in front of Trump voters in order to get them away from Trump and to fall into line with someone who, despite the occasional stagemanaged act of “rebellion”, is an establishment puppet just like the rest of them. If De Santis were in anyway a renegade like Trump, he would be the focus of coordinated media attacks like Trump was/is. The fact that he isn’t tells you that he is an acceptable candidate to those who control the US Regime. The fact that the GOP establishment “never Trumpers” back De Santis tells you that he is not the real deal. They want to water-down and defuse the power of Trumpism and the 90% GOP-approved Trump, and instead go back to being strategic losers like Mitt Romney and John McCain. Trump is the only one.
        
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        June 22, 2022 1:10pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Rodion helpfully lays out the Russian perspective on US politics: back the most disruptive influences, regardless of policy or party. While Trump still presents the most likely amount of damage to democracy, he will remain the Russians’ favourite, although they will be quite happy to support, even at the same time, anyone else similarly disposed to create chaos.
        
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        June 22, 2022 4:31pm
      - Tom Hunter
        
        If Trump were the Manchurian candidate that people keep wanting to believe that he was, here are some of the things he’d have been doing:
        
        – Limiting fracking as much as he possibly could.
        – Blocking oil and gas pipelines
        – Opening negotiations for major nuclear arms reductions
        – Cutting U.S. military spending
        – Trying to tamp down tensions with Russia’s ally Iran.
        
        You know who did do these things? Obama. You know who supports these things now? Biden.
        
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        June 23, 2022 12:31am
    - Paulus
      
      Whole thing is wonderful pantomime, ignored by most of the Country, which is only trying to stop Trump from standing again eh Pelosi ?
      
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      June 22, 2022 1:46pm
  - Frank the tank
    
    I disagree expect the likes of Stefanik and Jordan to go after H. Biden big time.
    
    5 2
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    June 22, 2022 9:16am
    - All_on_Red
      
      And Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell and a few others.
      
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      June 22, 2022 12:31pm
- virtualmark
  
  Pelosi didn’t want the DC National Guard positioned in DC on 6 January because she knew Trumps’s plan was to declare martial law.
  
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  June 22, 2022 2:06pm
Maggie Pie

My partner retweets…. (Columbus Police video)

‘Imagine being seen getting pushed in the back-seat of Officer Lutz’s cruiser wearing handcuffs”

https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1539327493475291137

(And OMG…The comments 😀 😀 😀 )
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June 22, 2022 9:05am
- ClanMcleod
  
  Our species is doomed.
  
  13 5
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  June 22, 2022 9:45am
- oldfella
  
  Maggie, whatever it is, it seems to be catching…
  PRIDE MONTH: Here’s How the Navy Is Training Sailors on Proper Gender Pronouns
  https://freebeacon.com/national-security/pride-month-heres-how-the-navy-is-training-sailors-on-proper-gender-pronouns/
  I’m scared it might also reach our navy. That’s if we still have one. Didn’t Auntie Helen scrap it when she ditched our air force? //
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:46am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Stupid prick, if his name is ‘Johnny’ then why does he insist on ‘Jony?’
    There are more important things in life than putting up with this shit. They can all just fuck right off.
    
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    June 22, 2022 10:43am
  - Rodion Raskolnikov
    
    The Chinese and the Russians must be exceedingly pleased with the ongoing emasculation of the US armed forces. What an utter embarrassment they’ve degenerated into.
    
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    June 22, 2022 1:03pm
    - virtualmark
      
      That’s an odd way to sequence the words “Russian” “armed forces” and “embarrassment”…
      
      Given their performance to date in Ukraine perhaps the Russian armed forces are feeling quite emasculated themselves nowadays.
      
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      June 22, 2022 2:09pm
      - Rodion Raskolnikov
        
        While no doubt you can produce some objective hard facts to support your assertion, at the very least, given that the Russians have either destroyed or captured much of the seemingly endless billions of dollars worth of US equipment Ukraine has been supplied with (hence the need for more and more support to replace previous shipments), it is a very plausible inference that the Russians are doing pretty well. Moreover, the Russians and the Chinese clearly don’t validate and champion deviancy in the same way the US does (as we are often reminded apparently as a justification for how backward the Russians supposedly are), probably because they know how they would be weakened by tolerating deviant malcontents in the armed forces.
        
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        June 22, 2022 3:03pm
      - mawm
        
        vm – Yes, absolutely. I’m amazed how the Russians who are being driven back at every turn by the heroic Ukrainians and their American and British “advisors”, how they are with outdated equipment and fuel-less tanks, with their demoralised soldiers writing tearful letters home, and between raping and murdering civilians, are actually winning! Beats me.
        
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        June 22, 2022 4:32pm
      - virtualmark
        
        Laugh! Did we nearly …
        
        Well my friends from St Petersburg, here’s a conservative list of Russian equipment losses so far https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html
        
        And here’s the equivalent list for Ukraine https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-ukrainian.html
        
        But what must really tear your nightie (NZ colloquialism, Google it) is more the sense of surprise, shame and ridicule at Russia’s ineptitude.
        
        But hey, good on you for working the night shift. More beets for you!
        
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        June 22, 2022 5:33pm
      - virtualmark
        
        And how does dedovshchina fit with your “masculine” armed forces?
        
        And what about Russian soldiers having to pay tribute money to the local bratva? Very manly.
        
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        June 22, 2022 5:42pm
I remember when

RNZ: Three Waters: If not four entities, then what?
Is this perhaps the discussion that should have occured before lumbering the country with a massive bureaucracy.
Communities 4 Local Democracy (C4LD) would seem to be the starting point.
Is it possible for a single government agency to keep control in what are obviously going to be growth areas for future action.
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June 22, 2022 9:08am
- Hebe123
  
  one thing i only realised this week is that the four entities are defined on Iwi boundaries. So some councils water assets will be split into two Iwi entities. You’d think efficiency would keep them as one, given they are likely to be similar assets, similar ages, with similar maintenance programmes.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:19am
  - Nickc2
    
    The whole 3 Waters thing has been a giant fuck up from the start. Any Council that had a problem, knew they had a problem and they knew it was their problem to fix no matter what.
    This whole sorry saga IMO has always been about Maori ownership of water and they were going to achieve this grab by fair means or foul and a Labour Govt with a Maori Caucus and a clueless PM was their means of achieving their aim.
    
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    June 22, 2022 10:20am
  - Paulus
    
    Ngai Tahu get almost all the South Island which incudes all the Rivers, Lakes and Power Stations, which control much of the North Islands electricity.
    
    8 1
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    June 22, 2022 1:49pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Well they can’t turn the water off, but they can sure as fuck turn the Electricity off.
      Maybe they can turn the water off (bypass) and stop generation.
      It is all starting to look like my wallet is being emptied again!
      
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      June 22, 2022 3:43pm
I remember when

Builders queueing up for some of the container loads of Gib board Megan Woods has on tyhe way.
Delivery date is at this stage uncertain but believed to be several months away.
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June 22, 2022 9:14am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  I think they are coming from Thailand.
  Wait until the Councils get involved, all sorts of bullshit going to happen.
  All part of helping Jaspinda fuck NZ over.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:20am
- Clownworld
  
  Perhaps putting Megan Woods in charge of housing simply because she has a material last name isn’t the best way to select a minister.
  
  Still shallow pool in Labour unless you measure them by global wokeness.
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:34am
Maggie Pie

Shaun Plunkett reads out txt from listener saying government intends bringing in container loads of….. ‘Mahutaboard’

It covers up everything.

LOL!!
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June 22, 2022 9:22am
- oldfella
  
  Maggie, perhaps Nanaia’s husband/cousin could arrange a hui to welcome the container of Mahutaboard? He’s very talented with that kind of stuff. But for a bit of koha, naturally.
  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/pm-stands-by-nanaia-mahuta-after-nats-say-government-contracts-to-family-show-pattern-of-perceived-conflicts/OWD2ZPODV5LKYDFMNCXAFO6IQA/
  
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  June 22, 2022 9:51am
  - Maggie Pie
    
    It was sooo funny the other morning to hear Cindy describe Nanaia’s hubby as …..’a distant relative’
    
    LOL!!
    
    26 2
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    June 22, 2022 10:33am
    - Harry Knuts
      
      wow how distant can a 1st cousin be.. sounds closer to Brother for my liking.
      
      6 1
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      June 22, 2022 1:40pm
  - oldfella
    
    I must admit, when I heard the cost of the new flagpole on the Sydney Harbour Bridge to fly the indigenous flag would be 25 MILLION dollars, I wondered if it would be a Mahutapole.
    
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    June 22, 2022 11:50am
I remember when

Sometimes pondering a problem only produces further problems.
While reading about the worries of loss of Arctic open-sea ice, and its affects on polar bear numbers, I wondered if the bears were the only ones at threat.
How are the polar bears existing while they are on the ice?
Why is it said to be essential for their existence?
Are we narrowing our arguments without considering the effects on other Arctic wildlife.
If there is no open-sea ice what happens to the seal population.
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June 22, 2022 9:24am
- Frank the tank
  
  Studies are starting to come out that the bears are adapting and in some cases thriving where there is less ice
  
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  June 22, 2022 10:54am
  - I remember when
    
    Is that because they are adapting to alternative food sources, or perhaps because the seal are restricted into smaller areas.
    If so, how will this affect the ability of seal to continue to maintain their population numbers.
    Or, do polar bear look good, which makes them a good news story (or bad), and the sea-ice cover has limited influence on their wellbeing.
    
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    June 22, 2022 1:37pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  I think it is fairly clear that twenty years ago we were fed a load of bullshit about polar bears.
  
  https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/new-population-of-polar-bears-found-in-sea-ice-free-region-174654
  
  We are still discovering populations of them….where they weren’t near exterminated in the period 1600-1960s.
  
  It is still legal to hunt Polar bears in Canada
  https://www.polarbearscanada.ca/en/management/harvest/sport-hunting-in-canada
  
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  June 22, 2022 10:59am
nathie

Well we always suspected the MSM is biased (otherwise if not, then simply incompetent), particularly most of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, because our usually missing in action and part-time Prime Minister apparently held a post cabinet press conference yesterday.

So one would think with all the concerning reports of economic growth stalling, record low consumer confidence, signs NZ is facing a recession, NZ plummeting in world competitiveness ranking (covered by DPF yesterday), the brazen daylight ram raids (eg the jewelry shop robbery last week), the health system in crisis, the education system in crises due to shortages of teachers, CO2 shortages will now impact on domestic food supply and prices and therefore increasing poverty levels (due to Marsden Point closing and Labour doing nothing) and so on …. surely one would expect the likes of the Parliamentary Press Gallery would be “grilling” the Prime Minister (fresh from her skiing holiday) on these issues which would then lead the nightly news???

Particularity as it is obvious the PM is completely out of her depth, meaning it would make excellent news copy seeing her flounder and unable to answer coherently?

But no, the Team of $55m (and more), don’t seem particularly interested, they instead give her a free pass!

Or if we look at it another way, how come Ministers are questioned by reporters over some of these issues but not the Prime Minister?

Because this is remarkable, for the first time in NZ political and media history we have a Prime Minister not being held to account by the fourth estate.

Instead the fourth estate appear to be going out of their way to protect a Prime Minister!

Are we living in a democracy or some sort of quasi “dictatorial state”, where the MSM fear to upset the ruling elite?

If National/ACT think they will romp in next year due to positive polling, then think again, because they are dealing with a compromised, biased (otherwise is it an incompetent) MSM, who appear to be devotees of Ardern?
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June 22, 2022 9:25am
- westernScientist
  
  Are we living in a democracy or some sort of quasi “dictatorial state”, where the MSM fear to upset the ruling elite?
  
  This might help you answer your own question:
  
  https://theplatform.kiwi/opinions/how-government-funding-is-used-to-muzzle-mainstream-media
  
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  June 22, 2022 10:20am
- Paulus
  
  The Press Gallery want their trips to other parts of the World, especially say Madrid in the Summer.
  Great memories many years ago – great city.
  
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  June 22, 2022 1:52pm
cas

Yesterday I saw a notice on the back of a tradie’s van saying ‘don’t take the tools they pay your benefit’.
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June 22, 2022 9:27am
- H. Upmann
  
  I have a tradie friend, mobile mechanic.
  He had his van burgled at least once a year and of course it was stocked with top brands such a s Snap-on etc. His insurance was horrendous.
  About 18 months ago he bought a new van, did not sign-write it and has never been touched.
  
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  June 22, 2022 11:11am
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    Smart. Could go one further and put them further off the scent with fake business advertising – Eg Dog walking, or Bakery supplies etc.
    
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    June 22, 2022 2:04pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Gang members convicted of violent offences have to go home and stay home…..

“Gang numbers have boomed under Labour and Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis has made it clear he wants fewer people in prison. In May 2017 there were 125 gang members convicted on charges of violence who carried out their sentences at home. In May this year there were 364.

https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2206/S00169/violent-gang-members-on-home-detention-treble-under-labour.htm
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June 22, 2022 9:57am
- Tricati
  
  This needs to be added to DPF’s list yesterday and then forwarded onto Kiri Allen. She’s having trouble accepting Labour is soft on crime, so maybe this will help her.
  
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  June 22, 2022 11:48am
Maggy Wassilieff

Just another day in my bit of paradise…

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/469532/police-appeal-for-witnesses-over-reports-of-man-threatened-with-gun
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June 22, 2022 10:00am
kevn

A plasterboard taskforce being setup by 3 pies. Awesome.
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June 22, 2022 10:01am
- Biscuit
  
  Brilliant, kevn!
  
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  June 22, 2022 12:42pm
  - Biscuit
    
    Actually, that reminds me…
    
    I wonder what sum Cindy has set aside for the catering at the opening of the Plasterboard Pile that Ms 3 pies will undoubtedly have had produced within the month.
    
    $400,000 like Transmission Gully?
    
    Better double that, methinks. Clan Mahuta will, of course, front for the bun-fight … not to mention Grant Robertson!
    
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    June 22, 2022 2:14pm
oldfella

There are many on KB who detest the increasing use of Manglish in everyday communication. In case you missed his piece, here’s Joe Bennett’s take on it.
Languages exist for one reason only — to communicate meaning. To this end they evolve with time and what is useful endures and what is not withers. And that’s it. That’s the inevitable, immutable, blind process, and nothing we say or do will alter it.
https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2022/05/joe-bennett-evolving-language-scoffs-at.html
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June 22, 2022 10:22am
oldfella

So Matariki is now more important than Easter, Christmas, and Anzac Day. And I’m sure the coverage will get even bigger in years to come.
First Matariki Public Holiday Celebrated With A Unique Broadcasting Collaboration
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2206/S00158/first-matariki-public-holiday-celebrated-with-a-unique-broadcasting-collaboration.htm
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June 22, 2022 10:26am
- graham
  
  That’s a very useful piece to read, oldfella. It provides the vital information of which channels to avoid like the plague, and for how long.
  
  Apparently the broadcast starts at 6:00am on Friday, runs for five hours (!!!) and the channels to avoid are:
  
  • Whakaata Māori and Māori+
  • TVNZ One and TVNZ+
  • THREE
  • RNZ
  • Prime
  • Iwi Radio via Whare Kōrero
  • Stuff
  • Pasifika TV
  • the national Matariki website, matariki.net.nz
  
  So, time to fire up Netflix, read a good book, go for a walk … basically, ANYTHING to avoid the above channels until 11:00 am. Make it midday to be safe.
  
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  June 22, 2022 12:37pm
- JJ56
  
  A useful perspective on all this reminding us of what it is like in North Korea https://pointofordernz.wordpress.com/2022/06/22/flexing-the-states-muscle-maori-ministers-are-admiring-as-the-media-are-mobilised-to-inform-the-masses-about-matariki/
  
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  June 22, 2022 4:13pm
- Jack5
  
  Five boring hours of Matariki bullshit from all the media bought off by the Government. And it will feature a speech by Ardern.
  
  This is Soviet-scale propaganda.
  
  This is from the official announcement:
  
  “This broadcast is the first of its kind. Never before has every network simulcast a programme on a scale like this.”
  
  State TV, State radio, the Maori tribal radio network, TV3, Prime, Stuff …
  
  They say both Soviet and Mao broadcasting were painfully boring. This will be the pattern for Ardern’s national celebration of a Maori custom by ramming it down NZ throats – for five bloody hours.
  
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  June 22, 2022 10:37pm
Maggie Pie

TRENDING

Another hot-potato Kris Faafoi has dropped in the lap of new Immigration Minister Michael Wood….. is the decision whether or not to extradite KDC.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300592157/megaupload-duo-plead-guilty-to-charges-after-striking-deal-not-to-be-extradited-to-us

Can’t see a one time Xmas Tree salesman and Hugh Wright Menswear apprentice having much sympathy.
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June 22, 2022 10:28am
- Ruawai
  
  What about Karel Sroubek???
  
  13 1
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  June 22, 2022 11:24am
- Frank the tank
  
  Given we are on our knees with mouths open (metaphorically speaking LOL) to the old coot and the US at the moment – ol big boy might be ‘leaving on a jet plane – don’t know when i’ll be back’ very soon.
  
  Jacinda Trump going where John Obama couldn’t…….
  
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  June 22, 2022 11:52am
curry4me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zqT64cKfYg
Chris Hipkins.

Sean Plunkett asks new Police Minister Chris Hipkins – does he have any new answers to gang violence? [It’s good to see a senior cabinet minister being interviewed on The Platform. I wonder if they’ll be asked to join the ‘team of $55 million? //]
11 2
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June 22, 2022 11:29am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Saw my dick off. Hipkins has been ‘interested in the Police for some time’
  I think I need a cup of tea and a lay down. That lie has floored me.
  
  8 2
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  June 22, 2022 2:50pm
curry4me

The Freedom and Rights Coalition are having a march from Latimer Square at 11 am on Saturday June 25th. This one is to protest against Three Waters.
9 2
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June 22, 2022 11:30am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Rent-a-Mob be there?
  
  1 8
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  June 22, 2022 2:51pm
Monique Watson

Ahh now I’ve caught up. Someone made a comment about what type of audience the “repeal three strikes”, message appeals to? There is a segment of the population of Generation X who are idealistic and believe that you can fix bad behavior with a cuddle and a blankie. I remember an earnest conversation with another mom in my antenatal group who was of the opinion that everyone could be rehabilitated. There is a cohort of the community who can’t do more than function day to day and need their basic functions met by others in a safer environment than what they’d probably get in an Arizona prison. That’s my position on Law and Order. Lotta sheltered people out there, and that’s the way it should be.
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June 22, 2022 11:52am
- cmm
  
  Twas I.
  
  I too believe that there is a possibility that everyone CAN be rehabilitated, just like alcoholics, junkies, smokers or over-eaters CAN overcome their problems too.
  
  But they are all liable to fall off the cart and will do so if the motivation to change is insufficient and the temptation to fall back is too strong.
  
  Just as with overcoming the others, criminals need a larger motivation to not fall off the cart. Punishment might be that motivation.
  
  Regardless, an incarcerated criminal is at least a criminal that is not on the streets committing crimes.
  
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  June 22, 2022 1:46pm
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Fear of punishment does not historically seem to be much of a deterrent. Fear of detection is a more powerful deterrent – the probability of being caught.
    
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    June 22, 2022 4:20pm
Nickc2

For KBers with a horid paywall prob, download this legal app and set it to work.
https://chromeload.com/extension-123733-nz-hearld-premium-article
5 2
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June 22, 2022 11:58am
- Nickc2
  
  Reference my post above, you must have Google Chrome installed for the app to work.
  
  3 2
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  June 22, 2022 12:32pm
  - DimChappie
    
    Here is the firefox version:
    https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/nzherald-paywall-bypass/
    
    3 1
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    June 22, 2022 4:09pm
- quarterpack
  
  ……or maybe simply pay the minuscule amount for a product you are consuming ? Is there not a principle involved here?
  
  3 2
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  June 22, 2022 2:35pm
  - Alan Wilkinson
    
    Yes, my principle of not supporting bad journalism financially extends to not breaking their paywall to read it.
    
    6 0
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    June 22, 2022 3:49pm
    - mikenmildagain
      
      It did give me quite a chuckle when people complained this morning about one of Rodney Hide’s column being paywalled.
      
      1 6
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      June 22, 2022 3:58pm
Maggie Pie

A BESTIE RETWEETS…

‘NOW what have the kissin’ cuzzies been getting up to?’

https://twitter.com/kehetauhauaga/status/1539339112737476610
11 4
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June 22, 2022 12:09pm
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  I can’t remember a more egregious example of NZ parliamentarian corruption in my lifetime – can anyone else? How can Mahuta still be a minister, let alone an MP with all this inexcusable nepotism and thinly veiled doling out of money to her whanau? Truly banana republic stuff.
  
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  June 22, 2022 1:58pm
- All_on_Red
  
  The Minister of Family Affairs- lol
  
  12 1
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  June 22, 2022 2:21pm
Nickc2

I know this has nothing to do with NZers but I’m posting it because it typifies how Govt Contracts can be rorted by the Govt in power.
This concerns a Govt sop to Aboriginals (vote buying) by the NSW Govt whereby they are to fly the Aboriginal Flag on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The Flag Pole cost $180.50 and a Flag cost $249.95
and the all-up cost turned out to be $24,997,883.75.
Take a look at how the all-up costs were determined.
https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2022/06/genius.html
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June 22, 2022 12:26pm
- Blog-aholic
  
  That is exactly the sort of thing that IS going on in NZ.
  
  11 1
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  June 22, 2022 1:12pm
  - Nickc2
    
    ….and not just to the Mahuta clan eh?
    
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    June 22, 2022 6:58pm
- Ehlana
  
  Nickc2, the flagpole stands 18m high. I suspect it costs quite a lot more than $180.50. Especially since installing it probably involves closing the bridge and bringing in a crane.
  Also, they are removing the existing two poles and replacing them with three. And probably putting in some new fancy lighting and goodness know what else that isn’t actually necessary but has been added to the project.
  
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  June 22, 2022 1:29pm
  - Nickc2
    
    Look down the bottom of the costings. It says installation costs not included. The fact that it’s 3 Poles, only one was quoted eh?
    
    8 2
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    June 22, 2022 2:15pm
- MCōs
  
  Some Aboriginals wringing money out of the NSW government.
  How ironic is that?
  
  8 1
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  June 22, 2022 3:02pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  $25M? Cheap. Imagine what it would cost to stop that flag flying.
  Wonder if Aboriginals have Taniwha lurking around???
  
  5 3
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  June 22, 2022 3:04pm
  - Nickc2
    
    Cindy will most probably use our money to pay for a number of Taniwha to relocate to NSW if they pass a Covid test.
    
    4 0
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    June 22, 2022 7:03pm
- info@cruzpro.com
  
  $249 for a flag? Must be a very large flag if it costs more than that 18M pole it will fly on.
  
  3 0
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  June 22, 2022 6:32pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Trump Just Sent a Message That Put Every Democrat Politican ON NOTICE.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&v=810738603246389
7 3
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June 22, 2022 12:48pm
UrbanNeocolonialist

Good news everyone! The climate is demonstrably getting less dangerous to humans over time. A great visual summary of evidence against all the various posited climate catastrophes – that aren’t. Showing the reality of the giant academic/political power and cash grab going on. https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/04/25/wheres-the-emergency/
13 1
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June 22, 2022 1:38pm
Maggie Pie

Bestie from work tweets…

Remember when Auckland was put into lockdown for 107 days…..destroyed businesses and families for 1 Covid case that was imported by Helen Clark from Fiji to Auckland DHB, someone from the United Nations no less…..
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June 22, 2022 1:43pm
- Biscuit
  
  And you were only mentioning up above about Nanaia and her hubby being ‘distantly related’ according to Jacinda.
  
  How would she describe the union between Helen and Peter, eh?
  
  12 1
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  June 22, 2022 2:28pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    They are still married? No divorce?
    Works like that, so neither can get married – so they both avoid scandals, and the media digging up dirt on both. The media would never do that, would they//
    
    7 2
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    June 22, 2022 3:10pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Dan Bongino: Twitter Board has unanimously approved Elon Musk’s $44B takeover bid! Let the meltdowns commence!
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&v=570939164622746
7 2
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June 22, 2022 2:25pm
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  Isn’t Musk still haggling over value/price?
  
  8 0
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  June 22, 2022 3:41pm
  - mawm
    
    No he’s haggling over the number of fake accounts to which Twitter so far has refused to give an honest answer.
    
    7 2
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    June 22, 2022 4:54pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  Steve will be buying a Tesla to celebrate.
  
  2 4
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  June 22, 2022 5:24pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    %.7L Petrol Dodge Ram Mike
    
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    June 23, 2022 8:50am
Ehlana

So we’re all being told that Matariki is not to be commercialised. Apparently, it is dedicated to the values of aroha (love and respect), whakamaumaharatanga (remembrance), and kotahitanga (unity). (https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128813588/noone-wants-to-see-a-matariki-big-mac-mori-cultural-advisers-warn-of-potential-commercialisation-of-matariki?)
ANZAC Day is a day of remembrance too. Waitangi Day is supposed to celebrate the unity of our nation. Christmas is a celebration of love and togetherness and Easter a time for reflection and renewal.
So can we de-commercialise them too?
14 2
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June 22, 2022 2:27pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  They all are commercialised in their own ways.
  This M thing will get milked every year. Reminds me, I must get a M cap tomorrow.
  
  6 2
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  June 22, 2022 3:18pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  I think it is still technically against the law to use the word ‘Anzac’ for commercial purposes.
  
  2 4
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  June 22, 2022 4:03pm
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Here it is:
    ‘The Governor-General may from time to time, by Order in Council, prohibit, regulate, or control the use in connection with any business, trade, or occupation of the word Anzac or of any other word that so closely resembles the word Anzac as to be likely to deceive or mislead any person.’
    
    4 4
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    June 22, 2022 4:05pm
    - MCōs
      
      The GG may have whatever power is properly their’s, but as long as it’s you that’s pointed it out it must be wrong.
      
      2 2
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      June 22, 2022 6:02pm
    - greybeard
      
      Bugger.
      I was going to make some Anzac biscuits tonight but will now have to make Turkish Delight instead.
      
      6 0
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      June 22, 2022 6:49pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        Oh No…
        I watched TV One news tonight..and Turkey is a no-no…..
        
        https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/06/22/air-nz-stopped-work-for-taiwan-turkey-navies-after-govt-concern/
        
        and just to be on the safe side don’t make Chinese Chews or Fortune Cookies .
        
        5 0
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        June 22, 2022 7:09pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        S’pose you’d better not make Russian Fudge either….
        
        Shortbread might be ok.
        https://www.daringgourmet.com/scottish-shortbread/
        
        5 0
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        June 22, 2022 7:13pm
Maggie Pie

Worrying rumor doing the rounds at The Viaduct….
something like 30 or more of the ‘Top-Brass’ from our Defense Force have quit in the last twelve months, mainly due to lack of funding and equipment.
God only knows what would happen in the event of another major disaster in this country, say like the Chch earthquake 🙁
14 3
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June 22, 2022 3:29pm
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  If I recall a bunch of students got together to organise a lot of the Chch earthquake response and help.
  
  11 1
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  June 22, 2022 3:38pm
  - Maggie Pie
    
    Very true. They mucked in and shoveled tons of silt off old peoples driveways.
    But we should never forget the amazing efforts of the NZDF personnel during ‘Operation-Christchurch-Quake’, which saw the Army, Navy, and Airforce band together to provide ongoing support on the sea, in the air, and on the ground. It was the largest ever operation by the NZDF on NZ soil.
    And it can’t happen without highly-professional and dedicated leadership.
    
    Just saying.
    
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    June 22, 2022 4:11pm
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Yes, but with slightly different capabilities than those provided by ships, aircraft and a trained and disciplined force.
    
    3 8
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    June 22, 2022 4:17pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  God only knows what would happen in the event of another major disaster in this country, say like the Chch earthquake 🙁
  Or The Harbour Bridge falling down because of the extra weight of cyclists and a few walkers.
  Some people need a job, and some should have been sacked on their first day at w̶o̶r̶k̶.
  
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  June 22, 2022 4:50pm
- MCōs
  
  If the hot air from the Viaduct Rumour Mill could be harnessed it could be used to heat the Bupa Remuera Retirement Village.
  
  3 2
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  June 22, 2022 6:24pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/129052265/new-vicechancellor-appointed-at-victoria-university-of-wellington
All he has to do now is to learn to speak maori.
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June 22, 2022 4:09pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  Are you assuming a senior NZ academic manager does not already have some familiarity with te reo?
  
  1 9
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  June 22, 2022 4:19pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Seems well qualified to teach, or to practice. Seems a bit of a waste to have him in management.
  
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  June 22, 2022 7:36pm
Maggy Wassilieff

.
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June 22, 2022 4:36pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Orwell’s 1984 arrives in Oceania’s little whetu some 38 years late.

https://pointofordernz.wordpress.com/2022/06/22/flexing-the-states-muscle-maori-ministers-are-admiring-as-the-media-are-mobilised-to-inform-the-masses-about-matariki/
9 2
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June 22, 2022 4:37pm
- Prince
  
  This is quite unbelievable – only in 2022 New Zealand could the State hold such sway over supposedly independent media.
  Expect more of this blatant propaganda during 2023 election year.
  
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  June 22, 2022 7:20pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Poor Joe.
https://thepoliticalinsider.com/down-in-the-dumps-biden-is-the-most-unpopular-president-since-tracking-began-in-1945/?
7 2
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June 22, 2022 4:40pm
mandk

One of JP’s best ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlaaykVlj8g
6 1
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June 22, 2022 6:03pm

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