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December 18, 2022 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 18 December 2022

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General Debate

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mikenmildagain

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Many things to celebrate today. It is Qatar’s national day, and by a happy coincidence also International Migrants Day and Arabic Language Day.So if you’re an Arabic-speaking migrant in Qatar for the world cup final you will have plenty of reasons to be happy.
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December 18, 2022 8:01am
- fernglas
  
  Unless you had just tumbled off the top of one of the stadiums
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:27am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    That would kill the buzz.
    
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    December 18, 2022 9:11am
CJames

The top article on the front page of yesterday’s Dom Post was a scare crisis one related to radioactivity. Makes a change from Covid disinformation, alt-right terrorism or how good the government is I suppose. The Japanese want to release the wastewater they have stored from Fukushima into the Pacific. They note it is 1.3 billion litres but no mention of the radioactivity levels. Most of that would be tritium so about half the initial radioactivity is already gone.
The article has all this scare about Iodine 129 and how it had a half-life of millions of years. There was no mention of how much there was or how dilute it was. Or that it is a naturally occuring compound of which there is already plenty in the oceans from all the uranium occurring there (Another little-known fact – there is enough uranium in sea water to make people seriously look at extracting it as an commercial ore source).
Guess what; the longer the half life, the less dangerous it is. Iodine 129 decays by emitting a beta particle of very low energy. A thin sheet of aluminium will stop it – tinfoil hats have a use. Diluted down in the ocean, one would not be able to detect it or any other Fukushima radioactivity from the background. The population at large is at much more danger from the sun and the occasional solar flare And we won’t talk about bananas, blacksand beaches or all the rock emitting radon in the Coromandel.
I was expecting they would discuss the discharge with some knowledgeable person – a modern day Rutherford or Marsden. Failing that, maybe a professor of nuclear medicine or even just a radiologist. No such luck. The “expert” behind the scare is Dr Karly Birch. No qualifications in radiation, physics or the like. She is a sociologist from the Centre for Sustainability. A fancy home for useless academics who want to be state sponsored activists.
I actually went onto Wikipedia to find out the facts. They had a fully referenced article with the information needed for me to make my own judgement. To quote “ The Japanese expert panel “ALPS subcommittee”, set up by Prime Minister Abe, released a report in January 2020 which calculated that discharging all the water to the sea in one year would cause a radiation dose of 0.81 microsieverts to the locals, therefore it is negligible as compared to the Japanese’ natural radiation of 2,100 microsieverts per year. Its calculations was endorsed by IAEA “ So about as much radioactive exposure as 8 bananas gcboawd2qa611.png (1134×1333) (redd.it) No risk, except in the minds of anti-nuke warriors.
I am not fully conversant on radioactivity, but I know enough real physics and the like to spot bullshit, of which this is a prime example. No experts’ information or the full facts, just an approved conforming narrative. It is scare porn like this, unhinged from any scientific reality, that make me totally cynical of anything published in the media nowadays. What agenda are they pushing? Or are they just bubbleheads going for clickbait thrills?
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December 18, 2022 8:01am
- mikenmildagain
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  One of the Kiwiblog [Mod – no need for that] I forget which, was banging on many years ago that the true scale of the Fukushima disaster was being covered up and all the oceans would be poisoned.
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:09am
  - Stellaboxer
    
    What’s your point milky?
    
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    December 18, 2022 9:12am
    - chuk
      
      I think milky’s point is to see how annoying he can be and how much of an idiot he can be. Top score on both counts this morning.
      
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      December 18, 2022 9:46am
      - Jack5
        
        Deleted by poster.
        
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        December 18, 2022 10:25am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    That doomsayers informed by ‘doing their own research’ should generally be ignored.
    
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    December 18, 2022 9:53am
    - CJames
      
      So you are a full supporter of only believing what is written in the newspapers are you milky? Figures.
      
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      December 18, 2022 10:09am
      - SoloView
        
        @ CJames
        Thanks for your post at 0801hrs.
        Informative and gave me more understanding.
        
        Perhaps another understanding of Milky’s comment is some people take one piece of info and present it as the answer to everything.
        
        Using that rationale, Milky is praising your article.
        
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        December 18, 2022 11:26am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        That’s not what I wrote.
        I try to be precise in my language but cannot vouch for the comprehension skills of any particular reader.
        
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        December 18, 2022 11:37am
  - NZer In Exile
    
    Wow, ONE kiwiblog poster once wrote something hey?
    
    That’s a super strong case you have there Milky 😝.
    
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    December 18, 2022 5:35pm
- Matt Long
  
  I enjoy your posts CJames, well written and informative.
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:25am
- slijmbal
  
  Ironically, Nuclear Power is one of the safest out there. On a measure of deaths per KwH it is massively safer than conventional forms of power generation and about the same as wind and solar and actually reliable.
  
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  December 18, 2022 9:35am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    Indeed. It gets me how the Greens don’t talk about the birds that are killed by wind turbines.
    
    There is little doubt that Australia will switch to nuclear by 2040. What is the alternative? How the hell are they going to rely on wind and solar? Apart from tasmania, hydro is non viable.
    
    Chris Bowen their energy minister reminds me of Phil Twyford. Except he will do way more damage before he gets the boot. The current Australian government is the best candidate for a one term government in 50 years.
    
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    December 18, 2022 12:09pm
    - Nickc2
      
      Agree. They don’t come thicker than Chris Bowen.
      As reported on Fox News Aust, Albanese’s name at university was Trosk (as in Trotsky) and even today, he’s hell-bent on turning Aust into a Communist state. He’s already passed a bill dictating how much Gas Suppliers can charge for their products. The Aust public is currently speculating about what’s going to be next.
      Watch this space, we’re next!
      
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      December 18, 2022 12:29pm
      - CJames
        
        I don’t think it will take that long. The O&Gs have said they will stop drilling and gas supplies run down quickly. Without gas, the lights go out first dunkelflaute that occurs. He can’t even get coal to bail him out either as he has alienated them.
        https://wattclarity.com.au/articles/2022/12/13dec-pricecaps-gas-and-coal/
        Wonder what the teals will do in the darkness? Bring back Scotty from Marketing maybe?
        
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        December 18, 2022 1:55pm
      - Nickc2
        
        They could do a lot worse than bringing back Scotty. I quite like the Kritter. He was great at stopping illegal immigration.
        IMO, he and his reputation were destroyed by the alphabet populace at the Aust Broadcasting Corporation.
        
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        December 18, 2022 2:05pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  How many Dr Karly Birch type people are the NZ Net Taxpayers carrying? I am thinking in the hundreds. All non-productive timewasters.
  Black sand beaches. Yup, all down the west coast. Anyway, next time I go swimming off my boat I will wear my tin foil hat. I don’t like beach swimming – sand in the grommet.
  “I was expecting they would discuss the discharge with some knowledgeable person”
  
  [Mod – please don’t troll another member]
  
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  December 18, 2022 9:50am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    [Mod – please stop the trolling, please stop replying to trolling, this is for both sides]
    
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    December 18, 2022 9:54am
    - cmm
      
      Mod, why not just hand him a time out?
      
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      December 18, 2022 4:10pm
  - Theflip
    
    Kate Hannah from the disinformation project is one of our top contenders for the poorly educated useless academic award
    
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    December 18, 2022 10:08am
    - kowtow
      
      More like Useful Idiot award.
      
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      December 18, 2022 10:42am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    OK. I usually like to finish things, not start them.
    
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    December 18, 2022 10:27am
- Gertie
  
  I stopped reading when you started quoting Wikipedia. The giant corporates decide what Wiki says. Their interests are served not ours.
  
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  December 18, 2022 10:24am
  - CJames
    
    I am not as judgemental. It is a very good first start. There is a lot of great info there on some really obscure subjects. Great for quick research, especially when it links to other documents.
    Where there are no links, I am a lot more wary. And I don’t use it for controversy ridden subjects like Trump or Covid.
    If you aren’t going to use Wikipedia, try find elsewhere about Fukushima and Iodine 129. Or are you like Milky and trust the newspapers?
    
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    December 18, 2022 10:39am
- OlderChas
  
  The latter.
  
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  December 18, 2022 10:51am
- Liberty
  
  In the 1960s Teachers use to scare the living daylights out of innocent children.
  The evil Americans had liquidated Hiroshima. And the city is now moonscape that will glow for thousands of years.
  In reality
  August 8, 1945 (two days after the bombing): the Japanese National Railways Sanyo Line was reopened between Hiroshima and Yokogawa (a station next to Hiroshima Stations).
  August 9, 1945 (three days after the bombing): Streetcar operations partially resumed in one section
  August 10, 1945 (four days after the bombing): Water pumps resumed operations
  However, water leaked and spouted at many places in the city; and repairing the waterworks was an arduous task. It is said that it took nine months to restore the water supply to the outskirts of the city.
  https://hiroshimaforpeace.com/en/hiroshima75/history-hiroshima/
  
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  December 18, 2022 11:26am
- NZer In Exile
  
  “I actually went onto Wikipedia to find out the facts. ”
  
  That would be like going to the septic tank to find drinking water.
  
  Sure, there will be water in there. But…
  
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  December 18, 2022 5:39pm
CJames

Has anyone done a proper analysis of the true unsubsidised/ taxed cost of ownership EV vrs ICE – like for like models that have battery and engine equivalents? One where the EVs pay the same road user charges as diesels, no purchase subsidies, and there are no carbon taxes on the ICEs. The quick and dirty analysis I did indicated that EVs are more expensive to own, especially when you take into account $20k price premium and depreciating that to zero over 7 years vrs 10 years for the engine.
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December 18, 2022 8:03am
- Benedict Yu
  
  I did a quick analysis a while back. Even with petrol in the ETS, an EV makes no sense for most folk. You need to do a lot of miles in an urban area. So for an uber driver doing 12 hours a day yes an EV is a great buy. Payback period is about 2 years.
  
  For regular folk doing mainly urban driving, a small hybrid offers much better value. The payback period for an EV would be several years by which time the thing has depreciated to zero and it is time to start over. 🤡
  
  Kàinga Ora is currently replacing its small hybrids with much more expensive EVs. Totally nuts. They do low urban distances. Maybe 7000 km a year. They are typically kept 3 years and auctioned off. KO bought the little hybrids because that was the best value for money. They are now dropping millions on EVs because the government ordered them to do so. Because climate change.
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:15am
  - Matt Long
    
    Without the fleets of government vehicles turned over every three years would the NZ balance of payments deficit exist?
    
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    December 18, 2022 8:23am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      My partner’s hybrid is being sold next week. It is 3 years old with 15000 km. 😂 She is getting a shiny EV.
      
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      December 18, 2022 8:28am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Hopefully the hybrids are being sold by internal tender.
        
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        December 18, 2022 8:44am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        I don’t even know what that means. They are sent off to Turners vehicle auctions.
        
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        December 18, 2022 8:50am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        It’s a joke, Benedict. An ‘internal’ tender means flogging them off to staff at book value. Sending them to auction is the correct method, of course.
        
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        December 18, 2022 9:10am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    Just an addendum anecdote to illustrate my point. My close associate has a little hybrid for work. Visiting KO tenants. She gets about 900 km out of a tank of petrol. So she is filling up the tank about 9 times per YEAR. Replacing that set up with an EV will never pay back.
    
    In contrast, think about an UBER driver doing 70,000 km per year. He will be filling his tank maybe 80 times per year. An EV makes total sense.
    
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    December 18, 2022 8:27am
    - Taieri
      
      2007 Kia Cerato diesel does Picton – Invercargill trip on a single tank. The tank capacity is approx. 50 litres.
      
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      December 18, 2022 8:49am
  - kevn
    
    @BY… government or more commonly known as ‘The Clown Circus’.
    
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    December 18, 2022 11:31am
- kiwikidsnz
  
  Notwithstanding the economic comparison, there was a comprehensive European lifecycle environmental study of ICE/EV done a couple of years ago. The conclusion was that it takes over 100000kms (average use approx 8yrs) before the ICE environmental impact exceeds EVs (partly due to the % of coal fired electricity generation). At 8yrs the imminent battery replacement will restart the environmental calc & its cost will exceed the depreciated value of the vehicle. There is no commercial recycling for the batteries in NZ.
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:21am
  - Inandout
    
    kiwi, the average EV battery weight is say 400kg, so the equivalent of carrying 10 x 40kg bags of cement in the boot of an ICE vehicle at all times. An EV battery weighs about the same as two 6 cylinder petrol engines. My daughter’s EV Tesla has low profile tyres and they last about half the kms as her other ICE vehicle. Then there are the power motors to each wheel, brake linings, door locks and the maintenance costs begin to mount.
    
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    December 18, 2022 9:59am
- Wayne Mapp
  
  On what basis do you say EV’s depreciate to Zero in 7 years? I guess that could be true of 2010 Nissan Leafs, which even when new, only had a range of 100k, and by now will struggle to do 50K on a full charge. However, these days batteries typically provide 300 to 400 km per charge and are are good for at least 200,000 km. They are fully guaranteed by manufacturers for 8 years, and it is hardly going to be the case that they fine at 8 years but kaput at 8 years and 1 day.
  
  In any event if you don’t want to buy an EV, don’t.
  
  However, lots of people are doing so, including a former senior Minister in the Key/Engligh govt. He thinks his EV is fantastic. And it is by no means a premium model sitting above the clean car discount band. He does virtually all his charging at home at off peak. And a lot of his driving involves 300 km daily trips.
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:33am
  - Mike H S
    
    300km daily trips adds up to about 50,000km a year being conservative.
    
    When you buy an EV, ask what the battery replacement cost is. I did. $48,000 for a $55,000 car. Perhaps this is why they will depreciate faster than petrol.
    
    A salesman tried to tell me that you keep your car and then sell it after 8 years. Obviously no conscience about the issues for the next owner but I suspect that the value is going to be down pretty low by that point.
    
    I also have a friend who has an EV and charges it off peak (for free on his present plan) and it works for him. He uses it for his daily commute. It won’t work for everyone. You have to do the maths which sadly, some are incapable of.
    
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    December 18, 2022 8:44am
    - CJames
      
      Wayne 300km is about 60kWh. Charging off peak is 9pm to 6am so that’s over 7kW continuous load. Most subdivision reticulation is put in assuming 3kW per household load. So if the neighbours do what the EV owner is doing, expect a lot of interesting fireworks in the middle of the night.
      
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      December 18, 2022 9:09am
    - Wayne Mapp
      
      He dosen’t do 300 k every day, probably more like once every two weeks. Seeing a particular client.
      Most people don’t do more than 15,000 k a year, so 120,000 in eight years. Well short of the 200,000 miles that Tesla reckons their batteries will do without significant deterioration. The Tesla Model 3 has been in use for 5 years now, so Tesla will have a very good idea of how their cars will perform over the longer term.
      
      Realistically, the Tesla 3 (and its contemporaries) will be good for 16 years, by which time it will be a $5,000 car, and nearing the end of its economic life. Cars will become products with a 20 year life span. Which is pretty much already the case in most of the developed world.
      I guess in the future (probably 2050 and beyond) there won’t be such a thing as a $2,000 25 year old car bought by teenagers. Possibly no bad thing. I say 2050 and beyond, because if ICE cars can’t be sold new after 2035, then it will be 2060 before these cars are 25 years old.
      As I noted earlier, it is not as if the battery on current EV’s is perfectly OK for the 8 year warranty period, then immediately keels over. They will be OK for another 8 years. So battery replacement will never really be an issue. Who would put a new battery in an 8 year old car?
      In the same way that engines are not replaced on ICE cars.
      
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      December 18, 2022 10:45am
      - NothingLeft
        
        The average car in NZ is already 14 years. In America 12.
        
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        December 18, 2022 11:51am
  - krazykiwi
    
    “In any event if you don’t want to buy an EV, don’t.”
    
    I’m forced to subsidise purchase decisions of others, Wayne. I’d rather not, just as I rather not be supporting Congolese kids mining cobalt with their bare hands.
    
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    December 18, 2022 8:47am
  - info@cruzpro.com
    
    Nice to hear some facts.
    
    Our 2014 Nissan LEAF still has 76% of the original battery capacity and can do about 115Km of city driving on a full charge.
    
    When we purchased the LEAF we were spending about $70 a week on petrol doing mostly city driving. The weekly electric cost to charge the LEAF is about $7.50. Over 7 years this equates to about $22,000 savings.
    
    We paid $34,500 for the LEAF and today it’s worth about $15,000 according to Trademe.co.nz.
    
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    December 18, 2022 8:54am
    - Taieri
      
      $7.50 translates to about 29 kWh (at 26c/kWh). The petrol equivalent of 29 kWh is about 2.6 to 3.0 litres (depending on the unit converter used). $70/week at $2.50/litre buys 28 litres. You must have driven a very thirsty car…
      
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      December 18, 2022 9:28am
      - info@cruzpro.com
        
        True, a six cylinder Mitsubishi.
        
        Actually don’t pay to charge the EV at all. We are on Electric Kiwis one hour of free power a day plan and charge the EV for one hour a day.
        
        Also in the past seven years we had to put two new tires on the EV and some windshield wiper fluid. No other maintenance costs. The most expensive thing has been depreciation, rego and WOF costs.
        
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        December 18, 2022 9:58am
      - Nickc2
        
        I loved my Diesel Land Rover Freelander TD4 too and kept her for fourteen years. There was something I could always guarantee with her, not everything worked all of the time.
        
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        December 18, 2022 10:06am
      - Taieri
        
        charge the EV for one hour a day
        ————
        
        Is this sufficient for your needs?
        
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        December 18, 2022 10:28am
      - Taieri
        
        Also in the past seven years we had to put two new tires on the EV and some windshield wiper fluid. No other maintenance costs
        ————–
        
        For comparison:
        In the past 15 years I had to buy one new set of tyres and a new battery last year. Otherwise an annual service costing about $350. The car is Kia Cerato diesel, bought brand new in 2007 for $25K. Still in pristine condition. Average fuel consumption is approx. 5 l/100 km with a mixture city/highway driving. Both, the city and highways are quite hilly.
        
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        December 18, 2022 10:34am
      - info@cruzpro.com
        
        Sorry Taieri,
        
        I meant to respond to your question about charging our EV only one hour per day and hit “report” by accident.
        
        Yes, one hour per day equals 3.5 kwh x 7 = 24.5 Kwh x 6.8 Km/ Kwh = 166 Km/ week. I walk to the shed in the backyard to work so don’t need to drive more than 166 Km/ week.
        
        The wife also has an EV so we could drive 332 Km/ week but almost never use both cars ( or charge both cars every day).
        
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        December 18, 2022 11:02am
    - Alan Wilkinson
      
      You freeloaded on the roads you drive on.
      
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      December 18, 2022 9:46am
      - Jack5
        
        In America, states charge EV’s, with registration, $u50 to $US200 a year as a contribution to road costs.
        
        New Zealand’s roading costs are high because of difficult terrain, the long-thin shape of the country, and the low population density. Our charges will be higher.
        
        If electric vehicles become overwhelmingly predominant, the roading fee with registration will have to very high.
        
        Loading all the roading cost on to trucking would depopulate the South Island and the North Island south of Auckland.
        
        We would have an import glutton of a metropolis of 4.95 million people north of a desert used for EV holidays, a desert full of exporting industries’ relics.
        
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        December 18, 2022 11:03am
      - NothingLeft
        
        NZ’s roading costs are high because of all the money wasted on road cone herding. Safety management being the highest profit segment of road maintenance that is milked for all it’s worth – because no one will ever say it’s excessive. NZ has highest road-cones per capita in the world.
        
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        December 18, 2022 11:54am
      - Ghost
        
        Isn’t the highest profit part of a road that they are back within a month to repair the repair
        
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        December 18, 2022 11:59am
    - CJames
      
      So – if you want anecdotes, my 18 year old Corolla now has 300k on the clock – nothing has broken and it cost $10k eight years ago. That comes a long way ahead of you on savings
      
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      December 18, 2022 10:45am
      - NothingLeft
        
        Second hand jap imports cost $5k/year. Buying new cars is pure wasteful ostentation. Bad for NZ’s balance of payments too.
        
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        December 18, 2022 11:57am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      I think you have reinforced my point. $70 a week on petrol is a lot. Yet it took you 7 years to recoup 22,000 which is about the premium you pay for an EV over a small hybrid.
      
      Someone could buy a small hybrid and invest the 20k saved in stocks.
      
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      December 18, 2022 12:22pm
  - Benedict Yu
    
    The main point I am making is that it makes no sense for Kàinga Ora to buy EVs. If it did, the CFO would have made that decision. They are doing so because they are ordered to do so.
    
    Your emotional response that people love their EVs is unsurprising. However for most folk a small 5 year old hybrid is much better value. Of course the government knows this. That is why they are resorting to bribing people to buy them. And if the Greens had their way, people would be forced to buy them or bad luck walk.
    
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    December 18, 2022 8:57am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    “car discount band”… not the most idiotic policy of this government but definitely in the top 20.
    
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    December 18, 2022 8:59am
    - Wayne Mapp
      
      Well, I know you think that, and I am not going to go over the argument again.
      
      What was the objective of the policy? T0 increase the uptake of EV’s. Has it done that? Yes, there was a very big increase in EV sales once the incentive came into effect.
      
      In my view it is a successful policy. I appreciate your ETS argument, but don’t agree with it. The carbon charge has to be too high to produce a sufficient incentive.
      
      Of course for those who don’t believe that EV’s are rational, which seem to be the same people who don’t accept that human induced climate change is happening, well of course the policy is bad.
      
      But I appreciate your are not in that group and object to the policy for different reasons.
      
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      December 18, 2022 11:07am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        I’m not retarded. Of course it has increased EV uptake. At a marginal abatement cost of tens of thousands of dollars. I give up. I hope that the next National government manages to get some rational ministers.
        
        Read the Treasury analysis of the policy. Read Eric Crampton’s analysis.
        
        “Increasing EVs” is an absurd policy objective. The objective should be “efficient reductions in emissions”.
        
        This boondoggle was invented by Julie Ann Genter.
        
        How about this. Go past me, Treasury and Crampton and find me 3 economists who conclude that EV subsidies are an efficient and rational emission reduction policy.
        
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        December 18, 2022 12:29pm
      - Ra Henare
        
        All of this EV debate is based on the Carbon thingo that is blamed for the Climate crisis infiltrating the consciousness of Governments and corporations.
        
        All based on hypothetical computer models about increased temperature.
        
        For over 40 years satellites have been measure atmospheric temperature, so a good data set for use in evaluating climate models.
        
        NOTE: No current climate models match the observed temperatures, most over guess the warming rate by 100% ie double reality.
        
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULpGDnuz308
        
        Carbon emissions/climate change hysteria is a political animal, not a scientific one.
        To prove that. Actually read the actual IPCC reports.
        
        Ergo stop the EV push and let the marketplace sort it out and save a bunch of tax/incentive dollars
        
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        December 18, 2022 4:17pm
      - Benedict Yu
        
        “Of course for those who don’t believe that EV’s are rational, which seem to be the same people who don’t accept that human induced climate change is happening, well of course the policy is bad.”
        
        Bullshit. I “accept that human induced climate change is happening”, I have advised the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment and companies with ETS obligations on climate change policy. For 20 years.
        
        But as I say, I give up on you. I despair.
        
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        December 18, 2022 6:03pm
      - Don Beckett
        
        Exactly Ra. The self same point I made a day or so ago.Modelling – useless Lies. Anecdotal data – Truth.
        
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        December 18, 2022 6:06pm
  - CJames
    
    Wayne
    ICEs last a lot longer than 10 – average age of car fleet is 14 years from memory. The EVs haven’t been around long enough to establish their “life”. Accounting is generally pessimistic.
    If EVs are so good, they can stand on their own merits. People would buy them without incentives. The current system is the worst of all options. A real regressive tax, getting the poor and workers to subsidise the virtue signaling of the rich.
    
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    December 18, 2022 9:03am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      Yes and the fact that a former National minister thinks this is fine is disturbing.
      
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      December 18, 2022 12:30pm
      - Taieri
        
        Yes and the fact that a former National minister thinks this is fine is disturbing.
        ——————
        
        Why would you expect that a former government minister should be more rational than a common garden Joe Bloggs?
        Before becoming a minister, that’s all any politician is after all. A Joe or Jane Bloggs. I can’t see anyone outstanding among the current crop and not just in New Zealand.
        
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        December 18, 2022 1:31pm
      - Ra Henare
        
        BY, fairs fair. Wayne is now in his dottage as demonstrated by his posts here.
        
        To say his politics are confused is an understatement.
        
        Mapp was initially a member of the Labour Party and in 1981 he put himself forward for the Labour candidacy for the Roskill electorate.[3] One of 14 contenders he lost out to Phil Goff.[4]
        
        On a one to one meeting with him when he was still an active politician, I found him suffering the pomposity of many political “”elites””
        
        But I respect his freedom of speech and thought. It also gives me a smile as he winds up many on this blog.
        
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        December 18, 2022 5:01pm
      - Benedict Yu
        
        “It also gives me a smile as he winds up many on this blog.”
        
        Yes well he winds me up 🙂 If this is typical of what we can expect from the next National Government we are doomed. They will slow the slide to madness for 6 or 9 years and then hand it back over to the ethno nationalist and communists.
        
        What gets me is the deliberate obtuseness to the disciplines of policy analysis, economics and science. It is “lets subsidise EVs because it is cool”. The emissions reductions cost $9,000 per tone and screw poor people, but who cares? A small country like New Zealand cannot afford this idiocy. I agree with Eric Crampton – we will go broke.
        
        Sorry – I think the Treasury and Eric Crampton are dead right. Julie Ann Genter and Wayne Mapp are dead wrong. History will judge them so.
        
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        December 18, 2022 6:08pm
      - Benedict Yu
        
        “But I respect his freedom of speech and thought.”
        
        Of course. And while I despair at his comments, I hope that I stop short of gratuitous attacks, despite my frustration. He clearly served the country in a way that he thought right. Just so happens that I disagree with nearly all the views that he expresses on this blog.
        
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        December 18, 2022 6:46pm
  - Spam
    
    On what basis do you say EV’s depreciate to Zero in 7 years?
    
    The IRD rules for depreciation show that all commercial vehicles depreciate in a maximum of 12.5 years (Motor vehicles – class NB (for transporting medium goods, gross vehicle mass over
    3.5 tonnes and used for short-term hire of 1 month or less only but not over
    12 tonnes)), but most over 4-10 years.
    link
    
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    December 18, 2022 9:09am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      Yes that is what I based my statement on. I stand by my analysis 1that concludes the average urban driver looking for a value for money car should but a hybrid Toyota Vitz. People aren’t stupid.
      
      I pointed this out to my lefty friend, a wealthy public sector worker. She recently bought a BMW EV. She told me that I am absolutely right. She is doing it to save the planet.
      
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      December 18, 2022 11:07am
      - NothingLeft
        
        Spending 10x as much on a car as necessary is just doing damage – how about diverting the $100k extra she wasted to something actually useful (like clean energy R&D or investment). It’s all just ostentatious virtue signalling by overpaid empty headed idiots.
        
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        December 18, 2022 12:08pm
  - Alan Wilkinson
    
    When do EV drivers start paying for the roads they drive on and, being heavier, cause more wear?
    
    21 0
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    December 18, 2022 9:44am
    - SoloView
      
      @ Alan Wilkinson
      Hi. This link from NZTA covers your question.
      https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/road-user-charges/ruc-exemptions/
      
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      December 18, 2022 11:51am
  - Vory v zakone
    
    Meanwhile…
    
    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/12/electric-vehicle-charging-oslo-norway-now-twice-expensive-filling-gas-powered-vehicle/
    
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    December 18, 2022 6:38pm
- Master Mariner
  
  Once people understand EV’s are energy intensive to manufacture, ie metals sourced in third world cointries.
  Then all things being equal , you realise all it is, Is a tranfer of emmisions. Rich too poor countries.
  Convenient they do not count for the poorer countries.
  But hey Presto, I have a brand new zero emmisions car //
  I read a Dutch study , saing it will take 800,000 km to be carbon neutral.
  Ie from mine to car.
  Fake economics and mikey mouse accounting.
  On that note, Can anyone make any sense of NZ roadmap to 2050 zero carbon.?
  If you cant, Dont worry , no one else can either.
  Same for the rest of the world.
  Meanwhile Germany has been losing 1% a day of gas reserves during winter. May run out before the end of winter due to idiotic renewables policies.
  Nothing like reality is there instead of smoke and mirrors.
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:59am
  - Taieri
    
    Can anyone make any sense of NZ roadmap to 2050 zero carbon.?
    ————–
    
    Will the climate stop changing then?
    If not, what’s the point?
    
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    December 18, 2022 9:43am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      There will be no zero carbon New Zealand. Unless the Greens are in charge. Then there will be no country.
      
      The target will be shelved like the 100,000 kiwibuild target. Jacinda’s solution to that was to never mention Kiwibuild again 😂
      
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      December 18, 2022 11:10am
- Simon Arnold
  
  Try playing with this https://genless.govt.nz/stories/total-cost-of-ownership-evs-vs-petrol/
  
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  December 18, 2022 9:44am
  - Spam
    
    Interesting. They list their assumptions:
    
    Electricity price (excluding GST) = 17c/kWh. Electricity price based on MBIE data(external link) for commercial use and excludes GST. This price can be adjusted in the Total Cost of Ownership calculator.
    Fuel prices (excluding GST) = $2.63/L (Unleaded 91). Price of premium petrol = $2.81/L. Diesel = $1.97/L. Cost of fuel grade per litre based on the national average pump price, excluding GST. These prices can be adjusted in the Total Cost of Ownership calculator.
    
    They link to the prices here
    
    So – they use a premium petrol price of $2.81/L + GST. Their reference link shows a maximum price of 240.24 Incl. GST.
    
    And they use a “commercial” electricity price of 17c/kWh, excl GST. Firstly, good luck getting the commercial price for your private car at your residence. Anyway – their link again shows the price is more like 18.5 c/kWh, and if it is residential, it is more like 30c/kWh. And I expect 2022 prices to be much higher (based on our own recent commercial tender, for an expiring 3-year contract).
    
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    December 18, 2022 11:01am
    - Simon Arnold
      
      They say they have done the sums for a business, not a residential buyer, and as I noted “Trying playing with this” – don’t like the assumptions then change them in the calculator linked off the page.
      
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      December 18, 2022 11:14am
      - Spam
        
        Which is all very well. But when it is a government site, I expect them to use realistic assumptions as the reference case. For example, they assumed petrol costs are 25% higher than the historical maximum, and they assumed electricity costs are 8% lower then the minimum!
        
        Choosing bullshit assumptions and then concluding that EVs are great (‘but you can change the assumptions’) is disingenuous.
        
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        December 18, 2022 11:32am
      - NothingLeft
        
        yeah, it’s just propaganda – to be expected from this govt. More realistic assumption have cheapest EV more than twice as expensive to operate as petrol powered 2nd hand jap import, and premium EVs more than three times.
        
        Why don’t govt buy 2nd hand imports like everyone else?
        
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        December 18, 2022 12:21pm
      - Simon Arnold
        
        I’d say they’ve confused with and without GST for petrol. The prices they give are around the incl GST prices from their link, and what’s more if you dive into the detail you find that they actually use 91 $2.1/l ex, Premium $2.26/l ex, and Diesel $1.97/l ex.
        
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        December 18, 2022 1:04pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  The left are no good with numbers, that is why we have this shambles.
  They can never come up with a new idea. They take an old idea and “fix” it.
  
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  December 18, 2022 9:52am
- freemark
  
  They probably don’t add up, but after going for a blast (acceleration runs mainly) in a mate’s twin motor Tesla Model 3 the other day I’m bloody impressed.
  On the other hand, I’ll watch with glee as the former Musk fans burn theirs as a personal protest.
  
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  December 18, 2022 11:59am
mikenmildagain

In other news, Jack5 will appreciate this one:
Secret agents, midnight battles and robots: Inside Wikipedia’s great macron war | Stuff.co.nz
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December 18, 2022 8:06am
- mikenmildagain
  
  Sorry, here it is:
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300762732/secret-agents-midnight-battles-and-robots-inside-wikipedias-great-macron-war
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:07am
  - Jack5
    
    Milky, that’s a long account of what most people already knew: Wikipedia is written by individuals, and sometimes they argue, to put it mildly.
    There are always rows, disputes, and sometimes allegations of worse. Have a look at the link at the bottom of this post.
    
    I agree the guts in this case is:
    
    …The question is whether a macron is part of New Zealand English…
    
    No question the macron’s part of the written language created for, and partly by, Maori.
    
    However, it’s not part of English any more than are the Spanish cedilla, the German umlaut, the Norwegian and Swedish angstrom, the circumflex of Turkish and Albanian, etc.
    
    Stuff uses macrons in NZ English, and is Widely Woke advocate of Maorification. I don’t see it can be neutral on this issue.
    
    Stuff and the other Woke media have been muddling English and Maori into NZ Pidgin, which is neither English nor Maori.
    
    We should keep English and Maori languages distinct and separate. Otherwise NZ Pidgin will undoubtedly push true Maori language into third place in NZ use, and will be confusing in any encounter with the 99.007 per cent of the world’s people who have no knowledge of Maori.
    
    We can have signs carrying place names in both languages. With tourism so important to our economy, and with English being the world lingua franca, English names would sensibly be given priority, but, if locals wished, Maori names could be displayed as well.
    
    But macrons don’t belong in English.
    
    Wikipedia and posting scandals:
    
    https://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/most-notorious-wikipedia-scandals.html
    
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    December 18, 2022 11:46am
    - Mike
      
      Macrons belong in New Zealand English. Have you considered purchasing a dictionary of same?
      
      4 10
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      December 18, 2022 3:45pm
      - jgw739
        
        Wrong. Yes they are used by some for Maori loanwords, but outside academia and media it isn’t that common. They have are inserted for the same kind of reasons that Mötley Crue did so when choosing a band name. Look at me.
        
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        December 18, 2022 5:14pm
Ra Henare

Am I the only one to be disgusted by Western Governments hypocrisy about Musks Twitter banning some ratbag journalists.

Same governments that banned any questioning of Covid Vaccines/ restrictions supported by many journalists who followed the government narrative?

Now they bleat about freedom of speech.

Absolute prats.
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December 18, 2022 8:06am
- MCōs
  
  I see Mr Musk has unbanned the journalists.
  
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  December 18, 2022 9:05am
  - All_on_Red
    
    They only had Temporary Suspensions not Permanent
    
    13 2
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    December 18, 2022 9:41am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      24 hours
      
      7 2
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      December 18, 2022 9:54am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    It was a warning.
    
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    December 18, 2022 9:55am
Maggy Wassilieff

How long will the Dom Post stay in Print?

https://pointofordernz.wordpress.com/2022/12/17/karl-du-fresne-the-striking-thing-about-the-dom-posts-new-editor/
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December 18, 2022 9:05am
- mikenmildagain
  
  I hope it will be in Mr Du Fresne’s lifetime. The decline started, of course with the 2002 merger.
  
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  December 18, 2022 9:14am
  - Jack5
    
    Appointing as DominionPost editor a veteran Radio NZ executive further cements Ardern’s media bloc: State radio, State TV, and subsidised newspapers and web sites.
    
    Labour’s media commissar, Comrade Jackson, is building one of the tightest State media groups since Pravda and Izvestia.
    
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    December 18, 2022 2:18pm
    - Mike
      
      Peter Jackson?
      
      3 12
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      December 18, 2022 3:46pm
      - Jack5
        
        Mike/Mikenmild/Milky: You well know we’re talking about Wily Willie Jackson.
        
        It would help if, in a discussion, you stuck to just one of your pseudonyms.
        
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        December 18, 2022 8:19pm
info@cruzpro.com

Do you think Mr. Musk banned the journalists so everyone could hear the uproar from the left, and then un-banned these journalists just to prove a point?

Brilliant!
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December 18, 2022 9:14am
- MCōs
  
  If you’re rich you’re handsome and smart and sing well too.
  
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  December 18, 2022 9:37am
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  I think he was pissed at being doxxed by the loony Left and decided to stick it up them. And then one-upped them by running a public poll to see when he should take their leash off.
  
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  December 18, 2022 9:40am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  It was a serious warning, to let them know that they don’t control Twitter.
  
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  December 18, 2022 9:56am
- Its only I
  
  Seems a bit childish to me. Same political childish shit, different colour flag up the poll, different crowd cheering for the same behaviour the last crowd did. Buts its ok this time cause reasons.
  
  But then he can do whatever he wants politically or socially or commercially, he owns every single tweet ever written in the history of twitter including the account names, locations and linkable device id of every single account holder.
  
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  December 18, 2022 10:05am
  - PeeJay
    
    Good reply but will probably be unpopular with the current Musk fanboys – as will no doubt be my reply!
    
    Isn’t it amazing how quickly this famous ‘free speech absolutist’ started getting a bit selective with what free speech he was happy with previously?
    
    I well remember some on here being quite negative to Musk and Tesla alleging he was little more than a smoke and mirrors businessman rent seeking from green subsidies.
    
    Somehow he’s now amazing because he’s sticking it to a few lefties on twitter! Seems to me that it’s not only the left that do hypocrisy!
    
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    December 18, 2022 12:18pm
    - Ra Henare
      
      suggest you read what Free speech actually is!!
      
      Freedom of speech does not include falsely calling fire in a crowded cinema
      Etc ETc
      
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      December 18, 2022 5:10pm
Richard

Toitū te Waiora Workforce Development Council CEO Donovan Clarke busted for spending $6,325 on a tax payer funded trip to Sydney. The 4 day trip was capped off with a feast of wings, lobster, prawns and calamari and a taxi to his hotel at 3.30am. Toitū te Waiora is one of 6 development councils set up last year as part of vocational education reforms. He was appointed in October 2021 and by August 2022 had racked up $72,862 on his work credit card compared to $30k by the other 5 CEO’s combined.

Pay walled on the Herald but you the gist of it. Another public servant with his snout in the trough. It’s not their money, they don’t care.

I know the CEO of a polytechnic. They have described the reforms as a clusterf**k. I can only imagine the amount of (our) money these ‘workforce councils’ are spending.

I hope they’re on Seymours hit list.
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December 18, 2022 9:23am
- Nickc2
  
  If you give something a Maori name, what gives you the right to expect anything different eh?
  
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  December 18, 2022 9:53am
- kowtow
  
  Buried on p5 , while their big “news” story is Christmas tattooes, under the headline Eat Ink and be merry.
  
  While the fingers robbery is on p6 and the gang shooting on p8.
  
  Good to know where their priorities lie.
  
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  December 18, 2022 10:11am
- Taieri
  
  a taxi to his hotel at 3.30am.
  ——————–
  
  Surely, you don’t expect him to walk at this time of the day? And with all that food in his puku?
  
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  December 18, 2022 11:00am
  - Colville
    
    Did the storey tell us how far it was from the brothel to his hotel?
    
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    December 18, 2022 12:10pm
    - Taieri
      
      Did the storey tell us how far it was from the brothel to his hotel?
      ————
      
      Is that where he was dining?
      
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      December 18, 2022 1:35pm
surfing

“The government has banned the collection of kaimoana from 70km of the Taranaki coast, giving legal backing to a rāhui that hapū placed on the area in January.”

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/taranaki-kaimoana-ban-given-legal-teeth/WYWWFGVZFNF3FPWLGCVW6TTG6A/

You can see why maori wanted this. Maori are not covered by the ban…only non-maori. So, Maori have effectively confiscated this seafood for themselves.

NZ is barreling along towards separatism for sure.
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December 18, 2022 9:33am
- Colville
  
  Yip.
  Customary gathering still allowed.
  So you can get a chit from the marae for a birthday that allows you to get say 50 paua and crays. No size limit applies.
  
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  December 18, 2022 12:12pm
  - Taranaki eyes
    
    Hapū themselves have banned customary gathering. They have done so since the rāhui was placed, long before the legal closure came into play.
    
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    December 21, 2022 4:48pm
- SoloView
  
  @ Surfing
  I’ve read the link you provided.
  Where is the info that Maori are not covered by the ban?
  
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  December 18, 2022 1:04pm
  - Pineapple Lumps
    
    Quotas are at the bottom of the article. Commercial fishing still allowed and customary quota of 12 tonnes.
    
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    December 18, 2022 7:58pm
    - Taranaki eyes
      
      No, the pāua review mentioned at the end of the story is a separate issue. Nothing to do with the closure/rāhui.
      
      Note also that in the PAU 2 area the customary take quota is 12 tonnes. The recreational and commercial take add up to over 200 tonnes.
      
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      December 21, 2022 4:46pm
- Taranaki eyes
  
  That’s not at all true. All hapū involved have declared they will not take any kaimoana. All the people holding customary take permit books have vowed not to issue any permits. Not even for tangihanga.
  
  Perhaps a little research before such spiteful commenting.
  
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  December 21, 2022 4:42pm
Alan Wilkinson

Just read some utter drivel in the Herald by a John MacDonald who is apparently a ZB radio host. He thinks kids are off the rails, ram-raiding and beating women up because we are too materialistic. Spare me, you half-witted moron. Kids are off the rails because they haven’t been taught to plan and work for what they want and to respect other people and their property. They’ve grown up expecting everything to be given to them and respect nothing and no one.

Classic Lefty political and media idiot.
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December 18, 2022 9:36am
- Ghost
  
  There will be many reasons why kids are committing these crimes. As for the ram raiders, they are being taught to plan and work for what they want, by the gangs they are working for in these ram raids.
  
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  December 18, 2022 9:44am
  - Alan Wilkinson
    
    Not much respect for people and property involved.
    
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    December 18, 2022 9:47am
  - Taieri
    
    There will be many reasons why kids are committing these crimes.
    —————
    
    Care to name a few?
    
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    December 18, 2022 10:49am
    - Ghost
      
      You’d have to ask them, start with the three teenage rapists this year that have got home detention. Then the teenage murderers.
      
      Here are some raiders stories
      
      https://www.todayfm.co.nz/home/opinion/2022/09/wilhelmina-shrimpton-the-real-story-of-how-someone-becomes-a-ram-raider.html
      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/coming-home-in-a-box-auckland-mum-shares-her-fears-for-14-year-old-ram-raiding-daughter/TZNDEXWASVDLJJFGWHAB3CEPFE/
      https://www.chrislynchmedia.com/news-items/my-10-year-old-son-is-responsible-for-ram-raids-in-christchurch-but-no-one-can-stop-him
      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/dad-on-ram-raid-son-hes-going-to-kill-someone-or-kill-himself/CTZEHNSVHPMNZGKONTHURI42YM/
      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/big-read-conversation-with-a-ram-raider-14-what-he-said-before-the-police-arrived/G2OHKWX7A25IHEAXSNQVBLAPDE/
      https://www.todayfm.co.nz/home/national/2022/09/ram-raider-speaks-out-on-what-drove-him-to-crime.html
      
      Mike bush interview
      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/crime/ask-me-anything-mike-bush-and-paula-bennett-talk-law-and-order-ram-raids-and-ministerial-memories/HSC7XTKDOIN5SCAG6OO2QRBB2M/
      
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      December 18, 2022 10:59am
      - Taieri
        
        I’ve opened the first link. Full of excuses and a
        do-gooder’s nonsense.
        “(…)Poverty, inequality, the cost of living(…)”.
        I say: balls, bollocks and balderdash. This country doesn’t know what “poverty” means. With the social welfare expenditure of somewhere around 40% of the total government spending (even allowing that about half of that is on old age pensions), ever increasing range of various “equity” initiatives and virtually no unemployment. What would the residents of Bangladesh say to that?
        
        I’ll concede that breakdown of the traditional family structure has a lot to answer for. Not that successive governments’ policies are not contributing to that, but is this the only reason?
        
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        December 18, 2022 11:19am
      - Ghost
        
        You have other reasons, the thrill, one was doing it for the TikTok challenges. One was taken away from their family and sort family within the criminal circle.
        
        You say we don’t have poverty in New Zealand. Yet there are pensioners who have to decide to eat or heat their homes, go without meals to afford petrol and doctors visits. With the cost of living increasing expect that to get worse
        
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        December 18, 2022 11:30am
      - Alan Wilkinson
        
        There are lots of things that can give people a thrill but we know ones we shouldn’t do. These kids have no boundaries, no consequences and no ability to avoid idiots and plan a good life. As I said. The rest is just excuses.
        
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        December 18, 2022 5:51pm
      - Ghost
        
        You’ve pretty much wrapped up the problem today. People who claim to know what is wrong and not prepared to listen to them and claiming it is all excuses.
        
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        December 18, 2022 6:19pm
      - Alan Wilkinson
        
        I listened to them and have just reported what they said.
        
        Their thrill would be offset by proper punishment. Their need for autonomy would be cured by paid work. Their allegiance to gangs would be cured by an ability to identify idiots and right from wrong. Their divorce from their families and education is a consequence of inability to relate to others, to communicate with them and to plan a life.
        
        Absolutely nothing to do with the materialism cited by that half wit I referenced.
        
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        December 18, 2022 6:53pm
    - tf78
      
      Because they get away with it. No limits, no boundaries, no respect and no laws.
      
      0 1
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      December 18, 2022 8:28pm
  - Jim
    
    Ghost, one main driver for the NZ youth crime epidemic is the active encouraged by peer to peer TikTok videos, each egging on the subscribers to go to the next level (see bottom link). It’s possibly like playing Grand Theft Auto, but in real life.
    
    Just note how in a few short weeks the criminality has escalated from nighttime robbery, through brazen daylight robbery, to now physically attacking innocent and even surrendering shop staff!
    
    The latest cowardly ‘finger robbery’ took place despite full surrender by the victimised shop assistant, and in the presence of CCTV, multiple bollards and a fog canon!
    
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300767801/more-calls-for-crime-crackdown-after-machetewielding-robber-chops-off-dairy-workers-fingers
    
    What is the next miracle deterrent then Chippy? At this rate NZ is going to need to equip Dairy’s with the same military hardware you’ve sent to Ukraine, in order to safely sell confectionery and tobacco. Go figure!
    
    If the police and judiciary don’t stop this dead in it’s tracks right now, it’s naturally going to escalate further into many more deaths (including likely retaliatory assaults from desperate and frightened shop owners).
    
    This is a desperately sad situation for all retailers in NZ.
    
    IMHO this situation has been created and allowed to escalate under the weak and compassionate leadership of Labour and Coster. It needs to be stopped now!
    
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300641277/tiktok-didnt-remove-youth-crime-videos-after-police-complained-emails-show
    
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    December 18, 2022 12:56pm
    - Taieri
      
      What is the next miracle deterrent then Chippy?
      ———–
      
      A bit of Tough Love perhaps? Singapore style? Not going to happen of course…
      
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      December 18, 2022 1:37pm
      - Alan Wilkinson
        
        Absolutely. A thrill that ends with a caning is unlikely to be sought after again.
        
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        December 18, 2022 6:55pm
    - Jim
      
      Downticker: for the broader audience, you are invited to explain your point of view here.
      
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      December 18, 2022 6:26pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Kids in Fatherless homes. No idea what ‘respect’ is.
  
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  December 18, 2022 10:02am
- MCōs
  
  When it comes to youth crime everyone’s an expert.
  One day with time on my hands I searched through ancient archives of the Timaru Herald and found a court report of a case of car conversion by my, at the time, youthful uncle.
  After a lengthy chase he was apprehended.
  His/my family was nothing like that which you claim.
  A bunch of church going straight arrows.
  A few years later he was killed during WWII
  Nobody ever talked about his previous life.
  
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  December 18, 2022 11:23am
  - Alan Wilkinson
    
    A one-off lark or a life of crime?
    
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    December 18, 2022 5:52pm
- Pineapple Lumps
  
  15 years ago Labour diminished parental authority to discipline their children. The justification was this would stop abuse. The fallacy in this is abuse occurs with the absence of love, whereas discipline is done with love. Unsurprisingly abuse still an issue in NZ today.
  
  15 years on and we are seeing the consequences: Ram raids, teachers unable to control the classroom, declining educational standards, record levels of medicating children for ADHD, ADD, ODD – 15 children out of 40 on a recent school camp.
  
  But this is 15 years of neglect that both major political parties must take responsibility for. National had plenty of opportunity to revoke a law that was proven to be undemocratic through referendum. Key ruled that out.
  
  Until NZers place true value in having strong families the decline in our society will continue.
  
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  December 18, 2022 11:47am
  - Taieri
    
    15 years ago Labour diminished parental authority to discipline their children.
    ————–
    
    Wasn’t that one a Sue Bradford’s baby? From the Alliance Party if I remember right?
    
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    December 18, 2022 1:39pm
    - Steve Todd
      
      Yes, but Green Party actually; enabled by a certain leader of the opposition, one John Key.
      
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      December 18, 2022 7:16pm
Yvette

Dargaville district’s Paturiri Toatu has lodged a petition request with Parliament seeking karakia are made compulsory for the start and finish of council meetings in councils with Māori wards or constituencies.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/12/16/kaipara-hikoi-leader-petitions-parliament-for-mandatory-karakia/

Will this be supported by like – self acclaimed secular Jacinda Ardern, or Brian Tamaki (who riled against occasion of the nation-will Call to Islamic Prayer), Don Brash, Crown of New Zealand King Charles, or Meng Foon the Race Relations Commissioner – although Paturiri Toatu is commissioning this?
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December 18, 2022 9:48am
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  Yet another reason for anyone sane and intelligent to avoid local government.
  
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  December 18, 2022 9:57am
  - Nickc2
    
    That’s what they want, TOTAL CONTROL.
    
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    December 18, 2022 10:00am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    And how do you avoiding paying for said government?
    
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    December 18, 2022 11:40am
    - Alan Wilkinson
      
      You can’t. You are at the mercy of idiots elected by idiots and bureaucrats busy empire building, just as Labour designed and wanted it.
      
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      December 18, 2022 5:55pm
- Albert_Ross
  
  Tell you what – why don’t we wait and see what, if anything, any of these people have to say about it.
  
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  December 18, 2022 10:02am
- Yvette
  
  Of course, entangled in this proposed petition, there is the other question –If council meetings are determined to be all-inclusive in that they need to be secular and exclusive of any “religious world view”, should Parliament not be the same – opening, if it must be hypocritical, with a statement of moral intent, but without any religious reference.
  
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  December 18, 2022 10:22am
- tf78
  
  Is karakia a new type of parrot?
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:34pm
Keith White

I am certainly not trying to change anyone’s mind. As that famous philosopher duo of the 60s sang to me – and I’ve remembered it down the years – “a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.”

I’m no longer practising medicine in New Zealand, because I cannot renew my practising certificate, because I won’t fall in line with the clot-shot disinformation. I am currently practising medicine overseas. Whether you want to hear it or not, whether you believe me or not (and as Abraham Lincoln famously said, “don’t believe everything you read on the Internet – not even on my blog”) I have never in nigh on half a century encountered in my daily practice anywhere near the number of sudden, unexpected cardiac- and neurologically-mediated deaths in the young, in the older-but-still-relatively-young, in the healthy, in the not-morbidly-obese, in the don’t-have-metabolic-comorbidities like diabetes etc. These people have not died from autopsy-certified “natural” causes. These people have died contemporaneously after the jab. These people have died suddenly, and there are so many of them that The Powers That Be felt compelled to add a new diagnostic classification, “Sudden Adult Death Syndrome” that we have never needed before because while post-viral-myocarditis and sudden death as a result occasionally happened, usually in younger people who had a post viral myocarditis but were over exerting himself (not their fault, they didn’t know): this was an extremely rare event and cause for morning, obviously, but unavoidable although we did our best with educating athletes that if they were feeling off that day, don’t go out and play a game of rugby or circle the full 440-yard track 4 times.

I’m certainly not gonna bore you all with links to persuasive and rigourous studies; but in the last year+ I have committed myself to believe the evidence of my eyes and ears and not, EVER (excuse the shouting) to any Sole Source of Truth whether still back in New Zealand, or where I am working now.

Every drug or treatment or procedure that we prescribe we know = we were taught literally from the first week of clinical medicine, will have unwanted side effects. It is a professional commitment that we must always balance the believed and expected and evidential benefit, versus the likely risk.

Risk was something that for vaccines, was commonly studied over years all the way into phase 3 trials. Right now, you and I and all of us are in the middle of a phase 3 trial and the results are not good, and the bad results are being covered up, hidden as much as they can be.

If you think the above constitutes the ravings of a disappointed, disgruntled, grumpy old doctor who fell afoul of the medical establishment in the shining example of evidence-based public health that is currently New Zealand; well, my children would certainly tell you that the ‘grumpy’ and ‘old’ parts of that description are entirely accurate. The rest, well you make up your own mind.

History will judge my entire (medical) profession extremely unkindly; history will judge the public health smurfs very badly indeed; and I’m prepared to bet a reasonable amounts of actual cash that within 6 to 8 months, the ardent defenders of our Ardern- and Bloomfield- dictated lockdowns will be throwing St Ashley and his accomplices firmly under the bus, crying “we just listened to them, we didn’t know any better”.

Problem: a lot of us told you the evidence showed you were not just wrong, but lethally wrong. I guess however the seductive lure of voter indoctrination and people control was just too much to resist.

Well, may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits. Plus; for those of y’all who don’t die suddenly, and who are part of the driving-a-truck-through-the-doctrines-of Do No Harm and Informed Consent; when you move on from this mortal coil, the regrets you have in your dying days and hours, you will have earned
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December 18, 2022 10:06am
- kowtow
  
  For what it’s worth , I couldn’t agree more.
  
  From the very start of this scare I could see it was media fear porn driven and then the politicians , spineless scum that they are fell in.
  
  All countries had a plan , only Sweden stuck to theirs. And look at how they were pilloried , again by the media.
  
  Right now our media continues to try to keep pushing their agenda , Baker’s still quoted , there’s tens of thousands of cases and 500 in hospital ( most likely as during the lockdowns either with severe co morbidities or very old and are simply being monitored)
  
  But despite those current huge figures , possibly higher than some actual lockdown days , there’s no daily podium of truth , no restrictions , no scary ads on the radio , no “Jessica then Tova”, politically it’s as if it never happened ………..
  
  ………..and that’s how they want it ,like a guilty driver skulking away from the car crash she caused . Hoping no one noticed.
  
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  December 18, 2022 10:25am
- mikenmildagain
  
  Diaried for the end of 2023.
  
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  December 18, 2022 11:42am
  - Keith White
    
    OK Mikey. Put your money where your mouth is.
    
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    December 18, 2022 12:53pm
    - mikenmildagain
      
      I tried that – the coins chipped a tooth and the notes clogged my gullet.
      
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      December 18, 2022 4:29pm
- Gertie
  
  Answer me this Keith, are the after effects getting worse with time? You say in 6 to 8 months Ardern etc will face the music. This suggests time isnt healing the wounded. Or is it those going on to their 3rd 4th and 5th dose?
  My family and I kept away from the muck. But I have many friends that didnt.
  
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  December 18, 2022 1:58pm
Yadayada

Andrea Vance from this mornings Stuff column:

“They are the most fascinating prospect in next year’s campaign with bold policies, charismatic leadership, and a strong, grassroots organisation. As Labour’s vote burns off, and National and ACT continue to flirt with race-based politics, they are certain to pick up more of the Māori seats.”

The astounding irony of describing a flirtation with race based politics with a party originated to do exactly that – policy based on race. I really thought she was smarter but hey…..swallow all the dead rats you have to to push that idealogical wheelbarrow.

Also, it would be interesting to do an analysis of anti-Luxon and anti-Wayne Brown article VS positive one then do the same for the Labour government. Anecdotally, it feels like the answer would be self-evident.

So much for holding those in power to account and their feet to the fire.

I guess that’s what $50 million in donations to “journalism” will get you these days.
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December 18, 2022 10:16am
- Pineapple Lumps
  
  Yadayada – the bias is frustrating but no secret, just take a look at
  
  https://mediabias.co.nz/
  
  Then they blame Covid 19 for the breakdown in trust of legacy media, the rise of people sourcing their news from overseas and the spread of mis/dis information. No surprises that Gaslight is word of the year!
  
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  December 18, 2022 11:52am
Prince

Stuff has an article about the ‘calls for a crime crackdown’ after yesterday’s attack.
They quote a ‘Chairperson of the Dairy and Business Owners’ Group’, talking about their growing concerns. Then they add…
“Kaushal, a National Party member, wants to see tougher penalties on people who take part in retail crime.”
I applaud this initiative to identify political affiliations when quoting anyone. I would like to know which party the army of t’he Gummint needs to give us money’ band of whingers support. What party, for example, does Michel Mulipola support ?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/130784519/take-that-luxon-samoan-comic-artist-working-for-disney-from-his-south-auckland-garage
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December 18, 2022 10:17am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Oh Dear,
  Did the NZ Herald forget to mention that Sunny Kaushal was once a Labour Party candidate?
  
  But that Labour Bullying machine was in full rev back in 2017….
  
  https://www.indianweekender.co.nz/Pages/ArticleDetails/7/7932/New-Zealand/Sunny-Kaushal-withdraws-name-from-Labour-Party-amidst-allegations-of-bullying-i
  
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  December 18, 2022 10:32am
Alex

Putin has shot himself in the foot by stopping Europes gas supplies. They have managed to get through, and won’t trust him again. Russia has lost tax revenue, half of it Came from gas and petrol.
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December 18, 2022 10:30am
- Pavel
  
  How so? Due to heating shortages in Europe more people are due to die from the cold this winter than were killed by covid.
  
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  December 18, 2022 1:10pm
- Ghost
  
  First 6 months of the year they had record profits, deals with India and China will see the second half doing alright
  
  3 1
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  December 18, 2022 1:14pm
  - Alan Wilkinson
    
    They’ve got a balance of payments surplus because they are sanctioned by their suppliers. Their economy is in deep recession. India and China will be putting the screws on their prices.
    
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    December 18, 2022 5:59pm
    - All_on_Red
      
      And they cant get Computer Chips.
      Which doesn’ t bode well for the manufacture, of well, anything.
      Its been said that four little words really protect Taiwan from China.
      Taiwan Semi-Conducter Manufacturing Company.
      That blows up and we, including China, are fucked.
      
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      December 18, 2022 6:47pm
- Ra Henare
  
  Haha, and meanwhile the US is overcharging Europe for its LPG and the US suppliers making billions.
  
  Have you ever wondered why the Americans are spending billions on continuing the Ukraine War when Zelensky was ready for peace talks in April?
  
  Let me give you this idea to ponder.
  
  American foreign policy is dictated by the Military industrial complex.
  
  Who funds the US Politicians?
  Large corporates, including the Energy sector.
  
  Starting to see alink?
  
  The US does not give a toss about Ukrainians and happy to see their young men slaughtered by the Russians.
  
  Last count 100,000 Ukrainians dead. For what?
  American corporate profits.
  
  But hey, do your own research, dont believe me!!
  
  Certainly do not include MSM in your research.
  
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  December 18, 2022 3:44pm
CAKE FACE1

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/300766847/will-christopher-luxon-write-the-final-act-of-winston-peters-career

I think Mr Luxon should rule out going into coalition with Winston First.

Winston First could guarantee supply and sit on the cross benches, at most.

I don’t want to see Winston in government again. National would be better off walking away.

Ruling out Winston First now as a coalition partner would hopefully reduce his support.

Make it so…
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December 18, 2022 10:52am
- Nickc2
  
  National would be better off walking away.
  What about the Big Picture? If National walked away, the country would be in the shit forevermore.
  It’s only taken five years to rid the country of Democracy, just think what they would be able to do with another three years.
  
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  December 18, 2022 12:14pm
  - septic skeptic
    
    The important point is to minimize NZF voter share and reduce their chances of getting back.
    
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    December 18, 2022 1:10pm
- PeeJay
  
  My concern is that he ends up holding the balance of power. You just know that Labour will give him anything he demands. I’d like to think that voters aren’t stupid enough to be believe his bullshit but there are still plenty of folks out there that seem to forget the 2017 ‘Winston will keep National honest’ bullshit – boy that aged well didn’t it?
  
  For those that are tempted to vote for the old coot, go ahead – it’s absolutely your right to vote, or not vote, whichever way you choose. Just please don’t be surprised this time when he stabs you in the back!
  
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  December 18, 2022 12:32pm
  - kowtow
    
    He’s come up with the line ” You don’t get to lie to me twice” to impress his thicko erstwhile followers .
    
    They need to ask themselves , how many times does he get to lie to them.
    
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    December 18, 2022 12:56pm
Master Mariner

Well, How did the models account for this in regards to sea level rises,
https://www.skynews.com.au/world-news/global-affairs/tonga-volcano-eruption-shot-water-into-space/video/4e0167633ab0f2a7301bccaf90cd94f4

One thing for sure, You can’t beat Nature.
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December 18, 2022 11:01am
- Taieri
  
  You can’t beat Nature.
  ————-
  
  King Canute the Great did. Try…
  
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  December 18, 2022 11:24am
  - MCōs
    
    King Canute, for what it’s worth, set out to prove to his sycophantic courtiers that they were wrong and he couldn’t control the tides.
    
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    December 18, 2022 12:53pm
Pineapple Lumps

It is almost 2023 – 3 years on from the discovery of the Wuhan strain. Since then the virus has mutated through a multitude of variations. The current vaccines were developed for the earlier strains and even the Pfizer CEO has stated that the vaccine effectivity is diminished by this. So does anyone here know how regulating bodies like FDA, Medsafe etc monitor the ongoing risk benefits of a vaccine as a virus changes? At what point is the vaccine deemed no longer fit for purpose?
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December 18, 2022 11:59am
- krazykiwi
  
  Forget the FDA. They’re totally captured by Big Pharma. Nothing short of burning it to the ground is acceptable to me.
  
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  December 18, 2022 12:38pm
- Keith White
  
  MedSafe are no more and no less than compliant apparatchiks who tells their paymaster, the Ardern government, what it wants to hear.
  
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  December 18, 2022 12:55pm
Maggie Pie

What a total f**g joke this Labor gubmint is!!

After Mass, headed to fave Parisian Bakery in Newmarket to stock up on an array of their delish pastries for casual lucnh with a few close friends at home.

Only to be told EFTPOS had gone down in the whole area!!

This would never have happened 5 years ago.

SHEESH 🙁
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December 18, 2022 12:05pm
- Ghost
  
  Still, it was down the other day
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/130764603/chaotic-eftpos-outage-now-resolved
  
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  December 18, 2022 12:17pm
  - Maggie Pie
    
    Thx Ghost!
    
    My pt exactly!!
    
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    December 18, 2022 12:22pm
    - Ghost
      
      PayWave and Apple Pay
      
      https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/130799193/paywave-apple-pay-outages-hit-prechristmas-countdown-shoppers
      
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      December 18, 2022 12:38pm
- Pavel
  
  You’d be cashed up though Maggie.
  
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  December 18, 2022 1:07pm
  - H. Upmann
    
    Until it is illegal (and that will be sooner than most people think it will be, even if they have actually thought about it) always carry some cash.
    
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    December 18, 2022 1:54pm
    - Benedict Yu
      
      Totally agree. I always carry a minimum of $1,000 cash.
      
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      December 18, 2022 3:40pm
      - Ra Henare
        
        haha BY, you now self identify as a good target for the bash take cash mob
        
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        December 18, 2022 3:47pm
      - Benedict Yu
        
        $1,000 on me and another $1,000 in the couch cushion.
        
        Might be a cultural thing 🙂
        
        3 0
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        December 18, 2022 6:48pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Just over NZ$ 220.
        Good man. I also have ‘pocket money’ in my arse pocket
        
        1 1
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        December 18, 2022 7:07pm
  - Maggie Pie
    
    I’ve never had to carry cash in my life Pavz.
    
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    December 18, 2022 2:00pm
    - Pavel
      
      What about the offertory after mass?
      
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      December 18, 2022 2:51pm
      - Maggie Pie
        
        ‘Pushpay’ these days.
        
        3 2
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        December 18, 2022 3:24pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Cash is king, Maggie
  
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  December 18, 2022 2:05pm
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  Maggie. That’ll teach you for your excessive god-bothering.
  
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  December 18, 2022 4:32pm
- Benedict Yu
  
  “This would never have happened 5 years ago.”
  
  What does the Government have to do with an EFTPOs outage?
  
  I hope you told your entitled mates to eat cake. You could have dropped by at Pak n save and grabbed some morning tea.
  
  https://www.paknsave.co.nz/shop/product/5117297_ea_000pns?name=blueberry-crumble-cake
  
  Blueberry Cake $5.49.
  
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  December 18, 2022 6:54pm
Ghost

Who had the stupid idea to go into a port area that is mostly trucks operating and put in a cycle lane

https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/130778024/port-loop-rd-connection-trial-under-way-in-timaru
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December 18, 2022 12:39pm
- Nickc2
  
  Stupid! Another Genterism.
  How are they going to determine the success or otherwise of the Trial? Is it going to be by the number of Body Bags and Ambulance call-outs?
  Anyhow, if it was a proper trial, there shouldn’t be any sticks dividing the traffic from the cyclists. They won’t be there once the trial is over.
  
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  December 18, 2022 12:46pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    “cyclists” is plural. I saw one – just for the camera!
    Also, cyclists don’t like vehicles running on fossil fuels!
    Smell it up – well burnt diesel is fine.
    
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    December 18, 2022 7:13pm
- Taieri
  
  I was wondering what is going on there. Haven’t seen any walkers or cyclists there and I use that road quite often. Can’t imagine why would anyone want to ride or go for a walk there?
  
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  December 18, 2022 1:46pm
alan

At the recent Local elections up north Hone’s wife was selected as one of the unelected locals. She promptly announced she would only speak the local lingo. The translator will cost FNDC ratepayers $500/hr or $100k/yr. I understand that it’s not true that Hone is on the short list for the job.
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December 18, 2022 1:05pm
- graham
  
  Strangely, I don’t recall seeing that reported in the MSM – you know, the MSM who usually love to cry about needless waste of taxpayers money for no good reason.
  
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  December 18, 2022 1:50pm
- Nickc2
  
  I assume only Maori can be unelected locals.
  Geez, you wouldn’t want to have a Flag Pole on your property eh. It sounds like there are a lot of Hone Heke wannabes running around up North.
  IMO, Luxon and Seymour are going to have a job and a half on their hands unraveling the crisis created by Cindy and her Maori Caucus.
  Yes, all you Cindy sympathisers, she could have told her Maori Caucus to pull their heads in before all this co-governance crap started, but she didn’t. She’s even been filmed advocating for a divided society in NZ.
  
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  December 18, 2022 1:57pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Battery chainsaws don’t make much noise.
    Then take off in the EV – who would know?
    
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    December 18, 2022 7:20pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Not necessary. Just let her speak in the lingo of her choice.
  
  Once that’s done, they can get on with business.
  
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  December 18, 2022 2:06pm
- Alan Wilkinson
  
  Wtf is that hourly rate?
  
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  December 18, 2022 6:04pm
- rouppe
  
  $500 an hour really is taking the piss.
  
  Disgusting
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:36pm
cas

Quick quick. Get Michael Wood out for another photo opportunity for this miracle on a Sunday.

Seven cyclists on the Tauranga express cycleway today. I have never seen anyone on it before!!!

And while I am at it on roads etc, if someone set up a Let’s Fix the Potholes party for the next election, they would be guaranteed of votes. You can’t drive 400m without one and there are some doozys.
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December 18, 2022 1:10pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Fix them with what? Imported Bitumen?
  
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  December 18, 2022 7:17pm
- rouppe
  
  So they had the desert Rd closed on Thursday as I was driving up to the mount, so had to divert through ohakune, national park and back to turangi that way.
  
  There was a section there that really was an obstacle course of avoiding potholes. Had $7000 of surf craft on the roof so very important to avoid the mess.
  
  On top of that the peka peka to otaki bypass is ready, just waiting for Michael wood to make an appearance for this week
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:33pm
kowtow

Oh the irony .

The other day those old Nat codgers moaning about where co governance is going and in today’s paper a tiny paragraph announcing a $200 million top up for Waikato and South Island tribes.

Full and final, yeah right.
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December 18, 2022 1:22pm
- Nickc2
  
  A Franked Dividend Christmas present for Mahuta Corp? The Govt’s making no attempts to hide it eh?
  Corruption begins at home!
  
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  December 18, 2022 1:37pm
- info@cruzpro.com
  
  $200 million divided by 5 million is $40 for every man, woman and child in New Zealand (sorry, not counting other genders).
  
  Not sure how many NET taxpayers there are that pay more in taxes than what they receive from the government but am going to guess about 20%. Kids, invalids, unemployed, and most retired people don’t pay NET taxes.
  
  If true, then this little handout is costing us NET tax payers about $200 each.
  
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  December 18, 2022 6:02pm
  - Jack5
    
    Waikato-Tainui and Ngai Tahu have been paid $101.5 million and $96.5 million respectively.
    
    The two tribes earlier (2018) received top-ups totalling $370 million.
    
    Doubtlessly there is more to come.
    
    They could at least take their businesses out of charity registration and pay company tax.
    
    Chris Finlayson, before he become a National list MP, was the lawyer who negotiated Ngai Tahu’s sweetheart treaty settlement.
    
    The Herald reported in 2018 that the top-up then was triggered by an old “relativity clause” in the original 1994 treaty contracts. This said that once total tribal settlements reached $1 billion, both tribes would be entitled to a percentage of all future settlements.
    
    The latest top-up doubtlessly will be downplayed by Labour’s media conglomerate of State TV, State radio, and subsidised newspapers.
    
    1:
    https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/waikato-tainui-and-ngāi-tahu-receive-treaty-settlement-adjustment-0
    
    2:
    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/waikato-tainui-and-ngai-tahu-receive-370-million-treaty-top-up/QI6TBZHQOZLN6ZQADC6G2TPNQE/
    
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    December 18, 2022 8:36pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Stop Co-Governance. Julian Batchelor.
https://www.stopcogovernance.kiwi/blog/dame-naida-glavish-is-she-new-zealand-biggest-hypocrite/#comment-505
Dame Naida Glavish.
In two recent videos, she accused the Kaipara Mayor
Craig Jepson of:
1. Being a racist
2. Of being ignorant.
3. Of breaching the Treaty.
4. Of being arrogant.
She is also a hypocrite.
https://www.stopcogovernance.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Dame-Naida-Glavish-2.pdf
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December 18, 2022 1:49pm
- bennerg
  
  Included on this site is a link to Sir Apirana Ngata’s Book, “The Treaty of Waitangi, An Explanation“.
  
  Makes for a great and clear understanding, and helps understand how some are trying to make a treaty a “treat”.
  
  https://www.stopcogovernance.kiwi/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Sir-Apirana-Ngata-book-2.pdf
  
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  December 18, 2022 4:26pm
Taieri

A technical question.

Could someone in the know enlighten me on how to include words in italics and use bold fonts in the comments?

Thanks in advance.
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December 18, 2022 1:58pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Tilt head to the right.
  Nope that don’t work.
  I login with WordPress, I have not gone past that sorry.
  
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  December 18, 2022 7:23pm
- rouppe
  
  https://www.w3schools.com/tags/default.asp
  
  You want to look mainly at these tags
  * Anchor (links to other places)
  * Bold
  * Italic
  * Block quote (reference someone else’s statement
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:24pm
Nickc2

HTML Authoring for Bunnies.
https://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_meta.asp
Have fun!
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December 18, 2022 2:11pm
- Taieri
  
  Ufff! Thanks:)
  
  2 0
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  December 18, 2022 2:25pm
  - Mike
    
    Glad you got a link. Effed up my attempt to show above.
    
    2 1
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    December 18, 2022 3:35pm
Nickc2

An impersonation of Trump singing ‘Hunter the White-Nosed Crack-Head.’
https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2022/12/shawn-farash-magnificent-as-trump-singing-hunter-the-white-nosed-crackhead.html
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December 18, 2022 2:19pm
Maggie Pie

Remember the vid that went viral on Twitter of Volodymyr Zelenskyy playing the piano with his penis ?

Well we reckon this one is even funnier 😀

https://twitter.com/AZgeopolitics/status/1604141430150074371
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December 18, 2022 3:00pm
- Ghost
  
  Well his high heels would hurt
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkmI1BHAr8I
  
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  December 18, 2022 3:23pm
- Inandout
  
  Maggie, weird indeed and did this man not address our parliament one day this week?
  
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  December 18, 2022 4:09pm
  - Ghost
    
    It’s all ok, his wife is having a big shopping spree…..
    
    https://twitter.com/DeFabron/status/1602369678910918660
    
    3 2
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    December 18, 2022 4:29pm
kevn

@Maggie… Another gem from you.
Well, he was an actor/comedian in very recent times. Someone uploaded a video of Zelensky hosting a strange TV games show. Bizarre, is the best word.
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December 18, 2022 3:09pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

New Sheriff in town. Oh dear, get your hand off it.
https://thefederalist.com/2022/12/16/elon-musk-doesnt-need-an-excuse-for-shutting-up-journalists-on-twitter/
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December 18, 2022 3:54pm
- Inandout
  
  SO, it is delicious irony at its most extreme that these journalists had their toy removed by the new owner. Just what these pricks needed.
  
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  December 18, 2022 4:04pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Yes Sir! All of the arrogant Pricks!
    
    1 1
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    December 18, 2022 7:31pm
Steve Todd

Taieri: I messed up again. Hopefully, nickc2 has come to your rescue.
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December 18, 2022 4:08pm
Maggie Pie

RACIST HEADLINE?

For all the Horrid knows, Toitu-te-Waiora’s CEO Donovan Clarke may well have obtained a special permit from the Tangata Kaitiake allowing for customary gathering of Lobster…..

https://twitter.com/nzherald/status/1604205034899546112
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December 18, 2022 4:12pm
MCōs

Jeremy Clarkson is a loathsome piece of work
https://twitter.com/drjesstaylor/status/1604188219444281348?s=61&t=t9Z3uB8VyoMQ2TeSAAePwQ
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December 18, 2022 4:50pm
- Ghost
  
  Full article
  
  https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/20782114/harry-meghan-netflix-series-truth/
  
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  December 18, 2022 4:59pm
  - Alan Wilkinson
    
    Quite funny if you have a SoH.
    
    3 1
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    December 18, 2022 6:01pm
- Inandout
  
  Mc, have you not heard of hyperbole? That is Clarkson all over.
  
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  December 18, 2022 5:39pm
- kevn
  
  @MC… But, is he wrong?
  
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  December 18, 2022 5:56pm
  - alloytoo
    
    In days past such a betrayal of the Crown could have serious consequences.
    
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    December 18, 2022 8:34pm
- alloytoo
  
  The lack of historical perspective in that thread was rather disturbing.
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:33pm
Swifty

Some wonderful Dorset and outworking social history from Jack Hargreaves:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqKwGMtDluQ
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December 18, 2022 5:15pm
NZer In Exile

If the commercially viable Fusion power nut has finally been cracked, what are the climate alarm grifters going to do with themselves “going forward”?
6 0
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December 18, 2022 5:43pm
- krazykiwi
  
  They will simply switch to eugenics, humans are a blight on earth, and Gaia isn’t pleased. Anything, really, to transfer their guilt and self-loathing onto the not-yet-distraught.
  
  4 1
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  December 18, 2022 6:32pm
- All_on_Red
  
  It hasn’t though
  
  3 0
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  December 18, 2022 6:43pm
- alloytoo
  
  Well, commercial fission power has been around for about 3/4 century and they’ve just carried on grifting.
  
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  December 18, 2022 8:36pm
An Old Kiwi

Petrol prices. A few months ago they were heading towards $3/litre, and now -in direct contrast to the price of everything else, it’s gone down(!) to under $2.40/litre.
I’m not complaining LOL, I’m just trying to understand why. Any ideas, please? Thanks.

(Note: Auckland prices.)
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December 18, 2022 5:47pm
- Ghost
  
  $2.29 here. Apparently oil is dropping on recession fears.
  
  5 0
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  December 18, 2022 5:51pm
- rouppe
  
  Well it’s bouncing around a bit. Just did a 4 day trip to Mt maunganui from wellington.
  
  On Thursday, diesel was $1.98 in Levin and (I think) $1.88 in Taihape (both Gull).
  
  Coming home today it was $1.99 in Taihape and $2.09 in Levin.
  
  They are always cheaper than most other places
  
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  December 18, 2022 7:37pm
  - MCōs
    
    Gull dropped their prices 20c for Thursday and half Friday
    
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    December 18, 2022 9:24pm
- info@cruzpro.com
  
  The Kiwi dollar is high against the US$ at the moment. Or maybe something else is driving petrol prices lower ( I can only guess).
  
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  December 18, 2022 7:40pm
  - MCōs
    
    As I recall oil shot up when Russia invaded more of Ukraine on 24-Feb
    It has since dropped back again.
    The dollar was about 4c higher at the time and rose to about 70cUS Now it’s about 63cUS
    In the interim petrol rose to about a dollar more than now.
    
    2 1
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    December 18, 2022 9:41pm
Maggie Pie

I know I’ve said it b4……but people get continually sucked-in every night 🙁

‘The Chase’ is the biggest load of sh*t ever screened on Television.
2 3
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December 18, 2022 6:24pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  17 ads in a row just after 19.57.
  OK, I watch because the speaker of the house wants that channel.
  
  4 1
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  December 18, 2022 7:36pm
- alloytoo
  
  You still watch television?
  
  1 0
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  December 18, 2022 8:37pm
Ghost

You get an A, you get an A, everyone gets an A.

Students at an elite, private university in New York City are occupying a campus building with the demand that all be given A grades.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/students-expensive-new-york-university-occupy-campus-demand-grades-everyone
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December 18, 2022 7:48pm
Ghost

Thieves catch the robber!

https://twitter.com/TheFigen_/status/1603753330769002497
1 0
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December 18, 2022 9:22pm

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