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February 18, 2023 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 18 February 2023

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General Debate

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CJames

I wonder if the Labour government was taking lessons for their counterparts in Wales. There, the government has scrapped all major road building projects over environmental concerns. At the same time, they are pushing public transport as the alternative. To quote the article “ The Welsh government will not consider new projects unless they reduce carbon emissions and support a shift to public transport, walking and cycling, improve safety through small-scale change and help the Welsh government adapt to the effects of climate change. They must also provide connections to jobs and areas of economic activity in a way that maximises the use of public transport, walking and cycling.” They don’t want to build roads as they will induce demand. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-64640215

Sound familiar? Labour hasn’t initiated a single major roading project. They have cancelled a lot though. Think of all the gaps in SH1 upgrades – Cambridge to Tirau is the big one. The Manawatu Gorge Rd was closed befor they came to power, so that was forced on them. Even so, it is unlikely to be open before 2025.

Maybe the cyclone damage will shock the government out of no new road building mantra. I doubt it. They will just patch up existing ones with the excuse it’s too expensive. That helps them justifying lowering the speed to 80km/h even more. The only way to force change will just be the prospect of voting them out of power.
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February 18, 2023 8:00am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Wales probably already has the roads it needs. I doubt its population has increased by a third in the last 20 years.
  
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  February 18, 2023 8:08am
- tedbear
  
  Meanwhile Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis would not be drawn on whether the government would pay for Northland’s roading repairs, in the wake of the Prime Minister’s funding promise.
  
  He said people should not expect a gold-plated four lane highway as the resolution to Cyclone Gabrielle SH1 roading issues.
  
  “The more expensive the highway, the more people are going to have to be prepared to pay. Everything comes at a cost.”
  https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/484412/don-t-expect-gold-plated-cyclone-gabrielle-roading-fixes-te-tai-tokerau-mp-kelvin-davis
  
  The people of Northland don’t expect gold-plating.
  What they do expect is the taxes they pay for roads is spent on their roads, not siphoned off for more cycle lanes, cycle bridges and ‘free’ public transport.
  
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  February 18, 2023 8:50am
  - Inandout
    
    ted, looks like Northland roads will revert to the goat tracks like the country roads I grew up with up there. In summer the dust would travel miles and would signal a car approaching.
    
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    February 18, 2023 9:19am
  - Nickc2
    
    News flash for Kelvin Davis.
    NZers didn’t expect their Petrol, Diesel, Road User Charges, etc to be siphoned off to fund the Covid-19 Scam either.
    
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    February 18, 2023 9:22am
  - sirknz
    
    The maintenance and improvements aren’t happening in Northland, and haven’t been happening for at least the last five years. The road gets worse every time I drive on it.
    
    The fact that Auckland-Whangarei isn’t a minimum of 4 lanes already and their MPs aren’t advocating for one is the travesty here. The number of lives lost on that stretch of road would drop as people wouldn’t be forced into stupid/dangerous overtaking maneuvers and the smooth brained wouldn’t be carrying on at the end of passing lanes into oncoming traffic.
    
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    February 18, 2023 9:38am
    - Bob
      
      But a railway line to Marsden point will solve all the infrastructure problems of Northland, ask Winston.
      
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      February 18, 2023 11:35am
      - Matt Long
        
        It would be a whole lot better spend than renewing the track to Moerewa for a handful of logs and maybe some Affco meat.
        
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        February 18, 2023 9:18pm
- trout
  
  Earlier this week Mike Hosking aptly described the archilles heel of this government; infrastructure, particularly roads. Given the country is sparsely populated, road transport affects everybody. The Labour government, with Green support, has slashed road building funds, cancelled planned road improvements and diverted resources to feel-good schemes. Millions of dollars have been wasted on the ‘bike bridge’, light rail, under used cycle ways, and public transport that has no customers (Hamilton-Auckland rail). The Nats need to get on to this and make the rest of NZ aware of this profligacy means less funding for local roads, road maintenance, and bridges. Cyclone damage will require millions of dollars spent on infrastructure but the Robbo’s bank account is seriously overdrawn.
  
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  February 18, 2023 10:12am
  - Paulus
    
    Hipkins will tell us that when we vote for him all will be done tomorrow roads as a priority including SH1 in Northland.
    It was the previous Government, not led by me, who did not do it.
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:25am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Trouble is there is no penalty for promising outright lies simply to get elected.
      
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      February 18, 2023 1:41pm
  - Bob
    
    Very hard to ‘get on to this and make the rest of NZ aware’ when the MSM have been paid to ignore your message!
    
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    February 18, 2023 11:37am
  - Jack5
    
    Trout’s … given the country is sparsely populated…
    
    New Zealand is lightly populated compared, with, say Singapore or Bangladesh, but 35 nations are less densely populated, including, obviously Australia, but also Argentina, Finland, Norway, Russia, Canada, Iceland, Mongolia, and less surprisingly, Greenland.
    
    Sweden, Chile, Peru, Brazil, the Baltic countries and others aren’t much lighter populated than NZ.
    
    Like many of the other lightly populated countries, NZ has challenging landscape. Mountains mean that less than half of our land area is suitable for agriculture.
    
    New Zealand’s geomorphology is difficult for transport and communications: an island group with mountains, rivers, an over-all shape long rather than compact, and prone to storms, floods, land slips, and earthquakes.
    
    However, Trout is spot on with the local bodies and others responsible for our infrastructure being diverted into luxurious bike tracks and follies such as light rail. Civic art, infrequently used sports stadiums, and Woke diversions have been put before core infrastructure needs.
    
    Countries by population density:
    https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-by-density
    
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    February 18, 2023 11:46am
    - rouppe
      
      Have a look at northern Vietnam.
      
      Very mountainous, no pot holes
      
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      February 18, 2023 8:28pm
  - Sir Cullen's Sidekick
    
    trout – National under Luxon won’t do anything. He wouldn’t even make a statement that building roads will be National’s priority. I say this again – “Luxon will never be Prime Minister of New Zealand”.
    
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    February 18, 2023 3:10pm
    - Justitia
      
      I believe you are right. This week has laid bare his inadequacies. He loses his cool easily and comes across as confused and manic. National must replace him asap with either Willis or Stanford.
      
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      February 18, 2023 3:31pm
    - In Vino Veritas
      
      Sir C, saying it again huh? If you are so sure, get hold of Bob Jones, he will wager $1000 with you that Labour will get the arse card. Therefore he is betting National will make the Government and by dint of that, Luxon will become PM. Money. Where. Mouth. Is.
      
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      February 18, 2023 4:55pm
- Bob
  
  I did note in a recent broadcast that HIPKINS did acknowledge that perhaps we do need some roads; but not in so few words; went on a bit!
  
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  February 18, 2023 11:33am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Yes, his waffle is approaching Ardern bullshittery, he also said the roads are in the wrong place, but that’s the end of it, does that mean we won’t be re fixing them?
    
    Can you remember the outrage when the Nat’s refused to fix that Gisborne railroad that had just one customer and was extremely cost negative? oh that was different, even though the rail kept getting washed away
    
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    February 18, 2023 1:00pm
- Chris Nisbet
  
  James Shaw wants managed retreat. I’m not sure where from though.
  The Coromandel?
  Hawkes Bay?
  Northland?
  He claims the Auckland floods wouldn’t have been as bad without ‘climate change’. Oh yeah, how much better then? There is absolutely no way of knowing, and it really f*cks me off when politicians imply that bad weather wouldn’t happen at all without ‘climate change’.
  It’s made worse when stories about building walls to defend against 1.4m sea level rise are being published. Sweet Jesus, these people are insane if they think the sea will rise that much anytime soon.
  I think you’re right – unless we vote these people out they’re really going to screw things up badly.
  
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  February 18, 2023 2:51pm
  - Master Mariner
    
    “James Shaw wants managed retreat”
    
    Take those Commando comics of this clown .
    
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    February 18, 2023 3:26pm
  - rouppe
    
    Maybe all the Green MP’s that weren’t born here could do their own managed retreat
    
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    February 18, 2023 8:30pm
Close Hen Counters

James Renwick waxing off about Muriwai being a big wake-up call re climate change – oh please. Was the same said in 1868 Otago floods, tangiwai disaster, wahine disaster …. Another bint saying there will be another natural disaster before 2050 – god help us from these morons.
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February 18, 2023 8:09am
- Doc Holliday
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  I don’t think Prof Renwick is a moron but anyone who cannot see the footprint of climate change owing to global warming in this year’s extreme weather events deserves the accolade.
  
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  February 18, 2023 9:15am
  - Tom Hunter
    
    You can click on the link to reach the other links to the data and graphs from peer-reviewed and government sources.
    
    It’s the IPCC, who find
    – no trends in flooding globally;
    – no long-term trends in meteorological or hydrological drought;
    – no upward trend either in so-called atmospheric rivers,
    – and no upward trend in landfalling hurricanes or tornadoes either in the US or globally. None.
    
    And the US Govt, whose official metric records a general decrease in heatwaves since the 1930s — or the international insurance industry, who record a decline in both US and European disaster-related losses. And the World Bank agrees.
    
    Meanwhile, even as alarmists like James talk about sea level rise inundating coastlines in the near future, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) records that ongoing sea level rise since 1880 amounts to only 240mm, i.e., just 17mm per decade — measurable, but steady, and not accelerating — and recent research shows many coastlines worldwide to be prograding rather than retrograding (i.e., shifting seaward) and at a globally-averaged rate of 260mm per year, reducing even this slow but steady threat.
    
    And the Department of Atmospheric Science at CSU records that cyclone frequency in the South Pacific (the very reason we’re here talking about this stuff) has, since 1980, been declining.
    
    It’s the reason that climate-related deaths have dropped twenty-fold in the last century, even as the population quadrupled.
    
    BTW, you should switch back to “William of Ockham”. It made you at least sound smarter.
    
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    February 18, 2023 9:56am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Indeed Tom Hunter! Paging Wayne Mapp! Paging Wayne Mapp!
      
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      February 18, 2023 12:44pm
    - Grumpy Silver Haired Female
      
      Say it LOUD! Instead of bleating about mitigating carbon dioxide emissions let’s spend money on protecting populations and land in ways we can: decent infrastructure, decent roading, decent housing etc etc. Our government is so idealistic and green they cannot see the true picture. Whatever they do to reduce our carbon emissions compromises our economic and societal future to no benefit.
      
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      February 18, 2023 1:18pm
  - Michael Johnston
    
    If you want to understand why you and many others have jumped to that conclusion, check out availability bias, confirmation bias and the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy.
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:11am
  - thirteenstars
    
    What Tom Hunter said.
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:13am
  - I remember when
    
    So 280 ppm will ensure nothing similar ever happens in the future??
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:20am
    - Matt Long
      
      And how many bugs do you got to eat to get down to 280 ppm.
      Incidentally as an apparent true believer, what actual positive steps has Doc taken to sequester carbon?
      My guess is that what I’ve measured in soil sequestration over 10 years on my one farm exceeds all the “we gotta do something about climate change” Chicken Littles by one hundred percent.
      
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      February 18, 2023 10:44am
      - Tom Hunter
        
        hat actual positive steps has Doc taken to sequester carbon?
        
        He’s stopped flying small planes, though that may be due to his flying abilities.
        
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        February 18, 2023 10:51am
      - thirteenstars
        
        “what actual positive steps has Doc taken to sequester carbon?”
        
        Doc Holliday shot and killed Tom McLaury at the O.K. Corral, and since 18.5% of the human body is carbon, that seems like a good amount of sequestration.
        
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        February 18, 2023 11:40am
    - kowtow
      
      I wonder what the ppm was back in Noah’s day.Or in the days of ancient Egypt when they had annual floods , ensuring agricultural productivity.
      
      Before the evil English started the Industrial Revolution that Bojo the Clown felt so guilty over and before there ever were any “extreme weather events”.
      
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      February 18, 2023 10:54am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Yes IRW plenty of horrendous climate events while Co2 was well below the current levels. A lot of it documented throughout the ages and plenty of evidence of it in the geological record. There is no evidence that human activity related Co2 influences the climate to any worrying degree. All this crap is based on a half baked hypothesis propped up by censorship and cancel culture within media/big-tech, grifting political circles, and staggeringly, scientific bodies. Our enemies love it as it’s a path to literal economic suicide, not to mention great disharmony.
      
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      February 18, 2023 12:48pm
  - amospicton
    
    Saying that this summer’s storms prove climate change is a text book case of confirmation bias.
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:24am
    - Mike H S
      
      And as my son-in-law continually tells me “correlation does not mean causation”. I totally agree.
      
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      February 18, 2023 11:15am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Antarctica net gaining ice is a “signature” of the whole climate emergency thing being bullshit? Signed by nature with a big F.U at the end?
      
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      February 18, 2023 1:33pm
  - Redapplefalls
    
    Cyclones are weather events. Gabrielle was a category 3. They go up to 5.
    
    Blaming weather events on ‘climate change’ will be the get-out-of-jail-free card for every bureaucratic balls up from here on in.
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:48am
    - kowtow
      
      Yep .It’s not slash , it’s not relatively crap stop banks .
      
      It’s climate change !
      
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      February 18, 2023 10:56am
    - JerJer
      
      It was downgraded to Cat 2 before it arrived. It was a tiddler compared to what other countries encounter on quite a regular basis.
      
      They survive and get on with it and protect themselves as much as they can with for for purpose infrastructure and building standards and flood planning. They have done since forever.
      
      Here is NZ we stand around and moan and blame climate change for our lack of preparation.
      
      It’s quite embarrassing.
      
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      February 18, 2023 12:37pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    Doc Holliday: ” anyone who cannot see the footprint of climate change owing to global warming in this year”
    
    This talk of human induced climate change “signatures” and “footprints” is pure green/left empty sophistry. Tim Flannery of Australia’s Climate Commission often talked like this and made many many silly predictions that fell flat on their face. Of course the narrative grifters in Labor (sic) and the Greens fell for it all and ended up wasting billions on pointless schemes that achieved nothing.
    
    What say you regarding Tom Hunter’s above post re even the activist contaminated IPCC refuting your claims?? Crickets I presume!!! Block your ears and carry on with your received narrative?
    
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    February 18, 2023 12:39pm
  - In Vino Veritas
    
    Lol Doc, “footprint of climate change”. What drivel. That footprint does not yet exist. Take the moron hat, and wear it.
    
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    February 18, 2023 4:57pm
  - Chris Nisbet
    
    What is it about the cyclone that you think shows the footprint of climate change?
    Show your working.
    Explanations like “global warming causes extreme weather – this was extreme weather – ergo, climate change dunnit” won’t cut it.
    
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    February 18, 2023 5:05pm
  - rouppe
    
    I can see the footprint of the largest ever recorded ejection of water vapor into the atmosphere from the Tonga eruption.
    
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    February 18, 2023 8:34pm
- pdm
  
  Excellent photos on the Old Hawkes Group on Facebook of flooding in the Esk Valley in 1938.
  
  The more things change – the more they stay the same with just a bigger population to have an impact on.
  
  Makes Climate Change an even greater myth.
  
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  February 18, 2023 10:10am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Yep. More people, building in places where it’s flooded before & where inadequate drainage was installed.
    
    That’s pretty much it, apart from the slash problem.
    
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    February 18, 2023 6:54pm
- backster
  
  If the whole world has supposedly been reducing emissions for the past decade how come the climate is getting worse?
  
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  February 18, 2023 11:17am
  - sirknz
    
    “BeCaUsE oF tHe LaG iN tHe EmIsSiOnS”
    
    Or some other BS that they will come up with like not having an electric car or people having kids or pets or doing anything that is fun.
    
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    February 18, 2023 2:27pm
- Jimbob
  
  Renwick has been around the block. Now at Vic, where all the commies congregate. He’s a boring CC fanatic, loves his government funds.
  
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  February 18, 2023 1:29pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Presumably Kainga Ora houses are insured by KO. Presumably they pay the rates also.

Looking at my insurance & rates bills – well over $200 per week – it makes you wonder how much even the good tenants actually pay in net rent.
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February 18, 2023 8:12am
- Wayne Mapp
  
  In Auckland, a rates and insurance bill of that size would imply a house value of between $4 and 6 million, with a rental value of about $1,200 to $1,400 per week.
  
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  February 18, 2023 8:43am
  - Maggie Pie
    
    What would $488 a week imply do you think?
    
    Asking for a friend.
    
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    February 18, 2023 9:18am
    - Wayne Mapp
      
      Seems about the norm for Paratai Drive. Maybe the cheap end of the street.
      
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      February 18, 2023 9:56am
      - Maggie Pie
        
        😎
        
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        February 18, 2023 9:58am
  - Nickc2
    
    What’s your point Wayne?
    
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    February 18, 2023 9:25am
    - Wayne Mapp
      
      The point was that most rental properties held for rental investment don’t have rates and insurance anything like $10,000 per year.
      
      More typically the total would be around $3,000 to $4,000. At least that would be the case in Auckland, where the typical rental property in West Auckland would have a capital value of between $1 million and $1.5 million.
      
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      February 18, 2023 9:53am
      - Matt Long
        
        Is that private or rental insurance you are talking about Wayne?What does malicious damage cover cost now?
        
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        February 18, 2023 11:15am
      - Flossie
        
        Our capital value is just under half a million. Our rates are over 3,500. Our insurance is about 1,200.
        
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        February 18, 2023 12:34pm
      - Wayne Mapp
        
        Flossie,
        
        What region are you in?
        
        You have much higher rates for the capital value than in Auckland.
        
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        February 18, 2023 2:36pm
      - Flossie
        
        We are on the Coromandel Peninsula. And we get next to no services e.g. no public transport
        
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        February 18, 2023 3:05pm
      - Wayne Mapp
        
        Flossie,
        
        I know people don’t like to appreciate this, but the larger population, plus the greater density means rates in Auckland are relatively lower than more sparsely populated areas.
        
        In fact the Council is currently proposing a rate increase of 4.5%, which is substantially less than the rate of inflation. I expect there will be quite a public demand that the rates at least equal the inflation rate, with all the extra being specifically targeted to building resilience into infrastructure.
        
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        February 18, 2023 4:14pm
      - rouppe
        
        My house, valued under $1M, rates and insurance of $7866.91.
        
        You’re out of touch
        
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        February 18, 2023 8:46pm
      - Wayne Mapp
        
        rouppe,
        
        That seems very high in Auckland. I know enough about rates and insurance in Auckland to know the rates at different values.
        
        For instance, rates on a $1 million property are about $2,400. For a $5 million property about $6,000.
        
        Insurance will vary according to the nature of the property, the degree of cover, whether it is house and contents, the degree of excess, the number of previous claims.
        
        For a standard house policy on a house of $500,000 with no contents with an excess of around $1,000 and no previous claims, the policy should be no more than $2,000.
        
        A West Auckland property that is rented or owned as a first home (3 bedroom and 110 square meters) will typically have a value of around $500,000 the balance being the land.
        
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        February 19, 2023 7:18am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Wellington, Wayne. Rates are over $6k. Conservative on insurance due to hilly site. Costs of demo, dumping, consents …. A couple of hundred $k before any build is started.
    
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    February 18, 2023 7:07pm
- pdm
  
  My recollection from more than a few years past is that:
  
  1. Government Departments self insure.
  2. Government Departments do not pay rates.
  
  DPF will know.
  
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  February 18, 2023 8:49am
  - Widogast Corwin
    
    Kainga Ora does not insure its houses. It does pay rates.
    
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    February 18, 2023 9:19am
    - greybeard
      
      [Mod – deleted, do not post again]
      
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      December 18, 2022 12:26pm
    - Colville
      
      Correct.
      
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      February 18, 2023 11:05am
    - backster
      
      The truth is probably no Insurance Company will touch them.
      
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      February 18, 2023 11:20am
      - nathie
        
        Ain’t that the truth! Notch that up as another Labour failure (that hardworking taxpayers are liable for)!
        
        And to think Labour “designed” that on purpose too … these Labour turkeys need to be held to account.
        
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        February 18, 2023 11:37am
- artemisia
  
  The total amount owed in rent arrears from Kāinga Ora tenants has increased from $2 million to nearly $17 million in three years to September.
  
  No problem KO and tenants, taxpayers have your back. And taxpayers will front up for rent arrears even though the rent KO tenants pay is derisory.And lots more KO staff needed to chase up tenants. Again, thanks taxpayers.
  
  Brooke Van Velden “the Government continues to be the most hopeless landlord in New Zealand”.
  
  http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/property/131249928/unpaid-rent-from-kinga-ora-tentants-has-quadrupled-in-three-years
  
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  February 18, 2023 9:45am
  - Widogast Corwin
    
    Most tenants are on benefits. If the government allowed MSD to deduct the rent and pay KO directly, this problem would be solved instantly.
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:42am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      When the tenants then go to MSD stating they have no money left for food, medicine or other essentials, send them recipes on how to cook up cockroaches?
      
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      February 18, 2023 1:35pm
    - sirknz
      
      Bet the ones that are behind on the rent they have no issues paying for Sky, big ticket items on HP, or their contributions to the local bottle shop.
      
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      February 18, 2023 2:32pm
      - Flossie
        
        Or tattoos.
        
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        February 18, 2023 3:07pm
    - An Old Kiwi
      
      They do. The problem arises when they go off a benefit & so need to pay it directly themselves, I think
      
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      February 18, 2023 2:59pm
- Paulus
  
  I did not think that Government owned properties are insured.
  With the general conditons and tenants the moral and hazardous risk would be too great to insure them.
  Don’t fret, Taxpayers will pay again.
  
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  February 18, 2023 10:28am
  - Widogast Corwin
    
    It would not be economic for KO to insure houses. The premiums would be sky high. There would be thousands of claims. No insurance company would touch them.
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:43am
    - Matt Long
      
      They have a sufficient number of assets to self insure.
      
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      February 18, 2023 11:17am
      - Widogast Corwin
        
        correct
        
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        February 18, 2023 11:28am
Theflip

So Luxon calling those who don’t believe in Anthropogenic warming “climate deniers” and Nicola Willis in bed with the UN. Remind what the point of the National Party is again 🤔
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February 18, 2023 8:13am
- Opie
  
  The only hope is that they are more responsible with your money and allow someone like seymour to take the racist narrative down.
  
  Don’t expect too much though, they are only politicians.
  
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  February 18, 2023 8:38am
  - thirteenstars
    
    Exactly. National has the perfect foil in ACT. They can offload the tricky, intellectually-demanding problems, and ministries, to them, and let them take the heat, which ACT would be more than happy to do.
    
    But the Nats won’t even be able to manage that because the have a seething hatred for ACT and I wouldn’t be surprised if AGW prophets of doom, Luxon, Willis, et al., in association with the Teals as a kind of, ahem, political adapter plug, form a coalition with the Greens simply to de-fang ACT.
    
    If it weren’t the country’s future at stake all of it would be a wonderfully lurid spectacle.
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:38am
    - Steve Todd
      
      […] I wouldn’t be surprised if [the Nats] form a coalition with the Greens […].
      
      Won’t happen.
      
      In my humble, if it did, the Greens would be ejected from Parliament in 2026, including both Chlöe Swarbrick and Tamatha Paul losing their Auckland Central and Wellington Central seats, respectively.
      
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      February 18, 2023 12:53pm
      - thirteenstars
        
        I simply said I wouldn’t be surprised, and in the context of their loathing for ACT to marginalise them in any coalition, and in the context that Luxon, Willis, et al. are obviously crypto Teals.
        
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        February 18, 2023 1:05pm
      - Steve Todd
        
        Yep, and I simply pointed out why, in my opinion, it won’t happen.
        
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        February 18, 2023 1:24pm
- Simon
  
  It’s no coincidence that NZ has the worst govt together with the worst opposition. In part covid broke these clowns. In the main though as NZ is a vassal of GAE which currently in steady decline it will take NZ down as well.
  
  Just look at Luxon / Willis pure products of a badly failing system.
  
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  February 18, 2023 8:41am
- notreadyet
  
  and at some stage I was labelled a vax denier, look how that worked out
  
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  February 18, 2023 8:44am
  - thirteenstars
    
    There was limited exploitation potential in COVID mania, but climate change is a growth industry and will be milked for generations to come until they crash the system or come to their senses, or both.
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:25am
- My
  
  Upticicked, at this stage ACT will get my party vote, but in the BOP don’t have anywhere for my else for electorate vote to go. Todd M or….
  
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  February 18, 2023 8:48am
  - Stephen
    
    Agreed. I am in BOP as well, and do not like Todd Muller. I think I will do two ticks ACT.
    
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    February 18, 2023 9:33am
- pdm
  
  I wonder if Luxon saw this:
  
  New study will look at link between Tongan eruption and Cyclone Gabrielle
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/weather-news/131248166/new-study-will-look-at-link-between-tongan-eruption-and-cyclone-gabrielle.
  
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  February 18, 2023 8:56am
  - Cassandra
    
    My brother has an electric car and our neighbour a hybrid. We are therefore safe here in Tauranga. What a relief! Politicians talk a load of nonsense, don’t they? Whatever we do in NZ will make not the slightest difference. Much better to stop slash, stop building on cliffs and rivers, plant trees, control pests. That’s sensible climate action, not subsidising my brother!
    
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    February 18, 2023 9:07am
    - Chris Nisbet
      
      John Kerry from the USA admits that the climate wouldn’t change at all if the USA went net zero tomorrow, so NZ’s efforts will have even less impact than that.
      
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      February 18, 2023 3:04pm
  - artemisia
    
    I hope the researchers check out the work done on the Tonga eruption in relation to New South Wales and Victoria floods late last year
    
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    February 18, 2023 9:49am
  - Tom Hunter
    
    Further research is usually welcome but in this case it seems the impact of the Tongan volcano on Aussie/NZ weather was already predicted accurately in October 2022 by a Sky News meteorologist,
    How a Tongan volcanic eruption almost guarantees a ‘flooded summer’ for Australia’s east coast.
    
    His predictions were based on the following explanation:
    – the eruption put 20% more water vapour into the stratosphere than normal, entirely in the Southern hemisphere.
    – that’s cooled the stratosphere.
    – which has cooled Antarctica.
    – which has pulled the Polar vortex, including the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) closer to Anatarctica when it would normally expand North to provide Westerly winds across Aussie.
    – which will allow warm, wet tropical air to push further South across Aussie dumping vastly more rain than normal, and causing floods (and although he didn’t mention it, NZ)
    
    An impressive prediction not just for its accuracy but that the theory behind it has stood up and shown it’s not just a flip-of-the-coin forecast.
    
    Perhaps NIWA should talk to him as they predicted a summer that would be warmer and dryer than normal.
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:14am
    - nathie
      
      Excellent analysis, because in that Stuff article one can read between the lines (actually it is sticking out in plain view) that the likes of NIWA et al are “hesitant” that the Tongan eruption had anything to do with NZ’s wet summer (mainly in the North Island). Wonder if they will change their tune or fight it and continue to blame “climate change” (and mankind).
      
      PS isn’t it fascinating that it is the North Island that has bore the brunt of the summer wild weather? Wonder if it is anything to do with the NI’s lower latitudes? Or the shape of NZ’s landmass? Geez if I were NIWA et al receiving $$ of taxpayer funding this would surely be a fascinating research study if one keeps an open and inquiring mind?
      
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      February 18, 2023 11:52am
      - NZer In Exile
        
        NIWA will be fully woke captured. Anyone stepping out of line on the woke climate narrative will be driven out.
        
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        February 18, 2023 12:54pm
      - NeverMindTheBollocks
        
        Wrong question. The correct question to be answered is, if Maui had fished up a different type & shape of fish, would the weather be different. That, my friend, would attract enormous funding from the Marsden Fund.
        
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        February 18, 2023 7:16pm
    - Master Mariner
      
      Yep, Im sure if you go through my posts previously you will find something similar, Just after the Tongan eruption.
      @CJames, Yes were correct previously abut southern NZ being Dry during La Nina., However it mostly to do with the arrival of westerlies in these latitdes,
      ” – which has pulled the Polar vortex, including the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) closer to Antarctica when it would normally expand North to provide Westerly winds across Aussie.”
      Basically High pressure systems are further South than normal.
      
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      February 18, 2023 1:23pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      To be fair to NIWA, they have been correct to date in respect of Otago.
      
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      February 18, 2023 7:13pm
  - Jimbob
    
    This is widely known, Tongan eruption fingerprints all over these cyclones. NIWA of course ignore all this, they must get their bonus.
    
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    February 18, 2023 1:31pm
    - sirknz
      
      You tell some folks about the Tongan eruption causing the extra rainfall in Australia and NZ at the beginning of last year and they go, “Last year, no way man! That was too long ago. Climate change is real donchya know.”
      
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      February 18, 2023 2:42pm
- Nickc2
  
  I’m more than disappointed in these revelations.
  
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  February 18, 2023 9:27am
- thirteenstars
  
  The point of the National Party is to a) provide jobs and status to its MPs and senior officials, and b) to keep the treasury benches warm until the next wave of neo-Marxist policies can be implemented.
  
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  February 18, 2023 10:28am
- Lee C
  
  flip the point of the National Party is to create the illusion of choice.
  
  A bit like when dog food or soap powder manufacturers launch a separate brand to encourage consumers to imagine they are buying something different, when the profits all get funneled back to the same place.
  
  ps Get Boosted!
  
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  February 18, 2023 10:59am
- leoj
  
  ….not to mention Chris Finlayson and his “getting into bed with iwi” re co-governance then trying to weasel out of it.
  
  Voted for National traitors 14 times.
  
  No more!
  
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  February 18, 2023 11:36am
- nathie
  
  Meh, sure it sucks, but let’s face it National needs to shore up the floating voter so if National appeals more to the centre/left and drains away Labour support to National …. and if ACT drains away support from the right and allows them to have a stronger voice …. then that’s win-win for N/ACT, surely?
  
  Tactics, my dear Theflip, tactics. It is tactics that win the battle.
  
  And what can Labour and the MSM do when that “nice” Mr Luxon is saying what they are saying? Nothing! Bwahahaha Labour!
  
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  February 18, 2023 11:43am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  There is no point, go vote the reds in again
  
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  February 18, 2023 1:06pm
- In Vino Veritas
  
  Flip, there is little doubt that the climate is warming. The problem is the outrageous doomsday claims that various scientists have been making. And their, and political reaction to anyone who disputes their doomsday claims. Hilariously, those people that agree that the planet is warming, but dispute the damage it will do, are called “climate deniers”.
  There are some very good blog and you tube interviews and clips with scientists who do not agree with the doomsday scenario.
  
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  February 18, 2023 5:06pm
  - Theflip
    
    Yes the climate is warming at a rate of 0.13 of a degree C. per decade since we launched satellite measuring in the late 70’s. Currently we have dropped from the heights of 2019/2020 back to the 30 year mean. All the warming of the past peek has gone which kind of puts a huge dent in the theory of CO2 is trapping heat, but hey all we need is a cyclone to remind everyone we are causing the climate to change. It’s enough to make a grown man cry, assuming James Shaw is a grown “man” that is…
    
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    February 19, 2023 10:58am
Colville

Every single person affected by the cyclone and been cooking using their BBQ (like me and all my neighbours .) over the last week should remember that Labour wants no gas BBQ or cooking in New Zealand.
Gas. Reliance on electricity is utter stupidity when there is a safe store able energy source for cooking and hot water.
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February 18, 2023 8:13am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  I have a stainless steel BBQ setup with a lot of accessories (side cooker, smoker, twin bottles. All up it cost me over $4000. I have a great setup with large table, 8 seats and huge umbrella. This is not cheap Warehouse shit, it was made to last outdoors. Also a spa pool. If Labour want everything electric they better start planning or explaining where all of this electricity is going to come from.
  Will we have electric BBQ free days.
  All part of their CONTROL, so they can fuck right off.
  
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  February 18, 2023 8:51am
  - Widogast Corwin
    
    The Climate Change Commission recommended an end to all gas supply in New Zealand. Literally. I recall some guy with a crazy long beard going on about it. AFAIK the government has stopped short of acting on that. However it is quite possible if there is a Labour Green government.
    
    As the events of last week have shown, depending on electricity for all energy is insane.
    
    Never mind that 100 percent of chefs cook on gas.
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:18am
    - Lance
      
      So between cooking, water heating and cars all being electric sometime soon….. where is the power going to come from?
      Considering Labour has blocked any new hydro plants. Solar and Wind cannot be more than 10% or the grid becomes unstable.
      
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      February 18, 2023 11:06am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Auckland is going Nuclear, don’t dare tell anyone.
        We will have say 15 for Auckland. Replaceable. We keep our steam turbines to turn the generators – and when the fuel duns out, the Nuclear plant is replaced. Old one is taken away for refining. These ‘battery’ type heat suppliers are a good thing.
        Nuclear is the CLEANEST fuel.
        
        See those people over in the corner having mental breakdowns? They read a CNN post about Chernobyl! Yeah, the ones with skeletons on umbrellas.
        
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        February 18, 2023 7:33pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      “The Climate Change Commission recommended an end to all gas supply in New Zealand.”
      
      Which shows they are living in la la land and and are failing to heed the advice of very sane energy economists (like say Nordhaus) on this whole quandary.
      
      Gas has approx half the the Co2 emissions of coal straight off the bat (not that there is any evidence that human Co2 drives the climate to any worrying degree). It burns WAY cleaner than coal also (in terms of various pollutants and particulates). You can also use it to power your transport fleet at much lower cost than (very dirty and exploitative) mining very rare minerals out of the earth for electric vehicles.
      
      We do not have an effective replacement for Coal, Hydro or Nuclear for powering the needs of modern civilisation. Gas is the medium term solution for this UNTIL (after significantly increasing R&D spending) we do innovate viable and cost effective replacements.
      
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      February 18, 2023 1:02pm
      - NeverMindTheBollocks
        
        And, those filthy Norwegians fund their EVs with O&G revenue. Have a think about that, Chloe.
        
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        February 18, 2023 7:19pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Yes, Chefs and gas. These leftie idiots just want to shut down Capitalism full stop.
      You can’t keep the plebs welfare dependent when there are all of these others are making money. Poor and dependent, that is how Labour/Greens want us!
      
      Now – how are KFC and Maccas cooked. Hint, it is not electricity, well as far as I know.
      
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      February 18, 2023 2:11pm
    - In Vino Veritas
      
      Yep Wid, the temperature of gas cooking is easier to control and is steady. Electric hobs are a joke.
      
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      February 18, 2023 5:08pm
    - Mike
      
      A ban on gas BBQs?
      I hadn’t read of that, and to my total lack of surprise I find there is no such policy. You will have to find something else to be outraged by, although that shouldn’t be too difficult.
      
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      February 18, 2023 5:29pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Mike, ask your ex-boss Jaspinda.
        She is the one that started this shit.
        Mike, you have a gas stove and cooker right?
        Be honest – yes or no. No word soup waffle.
        
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        February 18, 2023 7:36pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        No answer from Mike. I take it that he uses gas.
        
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        February 19, 2023 9:15am
    - Chris Nisbet
      
      The rather upbeat way that Climate Change Commission document talks about completely wrecking Aotearoa (New Zealand isn’t mentioned even once) makes me want to spit.
      Everywhere you look is carnage – e.g. phasing out base load electricity generation to be replaced with ‘renewables’ (which do _not_ provide base load power). Bring on the blackouts.
      The document does make a point of saying that it makes no recommendations around gas barbeques, but it’s quite clear that if things go to plan you won’t be able to get the gas to use it.
      
      Probably the most important piece of information in the document is given barely any attention – it’s the bit that mentions our alleged contribution to global warming. It isn’t explained very well, but figure 9.1 claims that our contribution is ~0.00002C and figure 9.2 reckons that Aotearoa (wherever that is) has caused about 0.01C of warming. Absolutely terrifying. Not.
      They want us to wreck the country to try and ‘fix’ the damage caused by that amount of warming. It’s difficult not to think these people are plain evil.
      
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      February 18, 2023 6:30pm
  - Master Mariner
    
    “If they want every thing electric “,
    Well they can tell us what deal has been done on new Data centres arriving in NZ requiring “Green” power.
    Where is the power going to come from and who will be subsidising it?
    https://www.irishtimes.com/business/energy-and-resources/electricity-consumed-by-data-centres-jumps-by-144-in-five-years-1.4781365
    
    Better keep that Coal coming from Indonesia until this happens again .
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2022-01-05/indonesia-suspends-thermal-coal-exports/100739106
    
    Greens anyone ??
    
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    February 18, 2023 3:34pm
- pdm
  
  Yep Colville – we used a gas barbecue to provide dinner on Tuesday night when we had no power.
  
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  February 18, 2023 8:53am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  My power went out at 1.20pm Monday. Came back on 7.30am yesterday. Too wet and windy to cook outside some days, so we have this little cheapo cooker that runs on an aerosol size LPG/Butane canister. Works fine. Lanterns also run on gas.
  
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  February 18, 2023 9:22am
- kowtow
  
  If I recall correctly councils everywhere were encouraging , even subsidising folk to close up their fireplaces/ banning new fires in favour of noisy electric only reliant heat pumps.
  
  If you have a wood burner you have local sourced energy , can heat , cook and boil water.
  
  Just what you need when the power goes down.( as it often does)
  
  I call that “climate resilience”.
  
  ( And it’s not an Indonesian import)
  
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  February 18, 2023 11:05am
  - Matt Long
    
    Even better some smart cookies have large gum trees right beside their houses, when a cyclone comes they have firewood right inside their house.
    
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    February 18, 2023 11:22am
  - nathie
    
    Bring back the open fireplace or better still efficient/less polluting log burners!
    
    It was Labour/Greens’s environmental policies forced onto local govt that saw their decline!
    
    And what of their other benefits? Drying out houses (reducing mold), drying out clothes on wet days (without dampening the house)!
    
    Geez windy/wet NZ (in the roaring 40’s) doesn’t have the smog and pollution issues that overseas mega cities have!
    
    More common sense and more resilience please!
    
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    February 18, 2023 11:59am
  - Ghost
    
    After the snow bomb over a decade ago south Canterbury realized they would never convince people to get rid off their fireplaces.
    
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    February 18, 2023 12:07pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    How many remember the old Shatlock coal range, and coppers?
    All of the cooking and hot water was done on that range. Wood first then coal.
    The copper? My job was to cut kindling to start under the copper. Bucket hot water out and put it in a concrete tub for washing clothes. More water and it was bath time – water heated by the copper.
    Clothes washing was one a week, and you had a bath once a week. eeewwww!
    
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    February 18, 2023 2:19pm
    - Nickc2
      
      Don’t forget the hand-cranked Wringer (Mangle) located between the concrete tubs (the one Granny used to get her tits caught in).
      
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      February 18, 2023 2:23pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Yep, wringer was on a big fence post.
        Clothes hung on a No8 wire line and hoisted in the air with a prop.
        
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        February 19, 2023 9:18am
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      ‘ … and you had a bath once a week…’
      
      whether you needed it or not
      
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      February 18, 2023 7:23pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  I cant order gas from out forklift fleet because the phone is not being answered, clearly the flooded places with no power are trying to place gas orders
  
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  February 18, 2023 1:07pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    With Rockgas they need to know where the bottles are.
    If you move factory, Rockgas must transport the bottles – not the company.
    Yes of course there is a charge. I think it is Rockgas, could be wrong.
    
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    February 18, 2023 2:23pm
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Yes, but some people may actually have been opening accounts to get energy, do much for going green energy
      
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      February 18, 2023 7:34pm
- Master Mariner
  
  Yep and Pellet fires require electricity too.
  I struggle to understand how disconnected people are from reality, Especially NZ with earth quakes, Weather and Volcanoes.
  We are on the Rim of Fire, Anything can happen any time.
  
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  February 18, 2023 1:26pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    No coal. There was a coal burner named BOSCA. Burns Own Smoke Clean Air.
    It was a double burner, used small bits of coal and self feeding, just load the top hopper. Shut off by shutting off air supply. No oxy, no fire.
    But yes, NZ has coal in the ground AND SOMEBODY STOPPED MINING!!!
    
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    February 18, 2023 2:27pm
    - Master Mariner
      
      Bosca or Boski.? Rayburns are apparently the go for duel fuel, Coal and wood.
      FWIW I have now purchased a second hand shacklock 501 for new place to run radiators to a budget.
      
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      February 18, 2023 3:38pm
      - HeatherW
        
        Most of the Bosca’s imported to NZ are woodburners. Yunca (Invercargill) and Wagener (Kaitaia) do dual or multi-fuel. Wagener also do new stoves that are very similar to coal ranges.
        What you can install depends on manufacturer and council rules.
        
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        February 18, 2023 7:11pm
      - Master Mariner
        
        Sorry Heather, hit wrong button.
        Thanks for info.
        
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        February 18, 2023 7:55pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Bosca. My brother worked for them in Hamilton.
        
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        February 19, 2023 9:20am
NeverMindTheBollocks

This story made the press a few days ago. Points for Stuff here, because I didn’t see it anywhere else.

An altruistic organisation where predatory men built up positions of trust with children, where these men could and did move around without shadows of their past behaviour preventing them from taking up new roles.

Sound familiar?

Where are the usual suspects calling out the hypocrisy of the Scouts? It couldn’t be because the Scouts don’t have the resources of the State or the Churches for recompense? Could it?

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/131232122/former-scoutmaster-jailed-three-years-seven-months-for-indecencies-with-boys
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February 18, 2023 8:19am
Paulus

All that theLabour apparatchiks must decide is should Hipkins call a General Election as Hipkins is one of her followers that with a crisis the best time to get re elected.
Robertson can borrow the billions for the very long repairs to the damaged country.
Labour are currently well within a chance but… ask McNulty as he ran the Tab before getting into politics.
The media tell us that National are a shambles so go for it.
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February 18, 2023 8:32am
- fightingtemeraire
  
  I wouldn’t say National is a shambles.
  
  National has a lack lustre person in command. Not a leader.
  
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  February 18, 2023 8:40am
  - Nickc2
    
    And Hipkins is some sort of shining light? Get real! Hipkins looks and acts like a startled Possum in the headlights.
    He’s a temporary PM at best, in charge of a bunch of Student Pollies, Thieves, and BS Artists.
    
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    February 18, 2023 9:37am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Yes, fly into Baa as pier every morning, tell us it’s from, fly out, offer nothing, and to hell with the rest of the country that has the same problem, he is a carbon copy of Ardern. But the worrying thing s people are saying what a great job he is doing, even though all he has done is dump or hold up politest should see them dumped, and no delivery what do ever on these floods
      
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      February 18, 2023 7:45pm
  - Brian McDonald
    
    I think Luxon is being a bit misunderstood because of some idiot telling him to smile a lot and be jolly. That could be what is putting pressure on him, along with needing to go back and explain things he’s said. Finlayson has written that his grasp of the TOW is sound compared to the early outings of Hipkins and Ardern.
    If he is capable, now, is the time to show it. He speaks about his management background but what the public could do with is hear some of his ideas on the current crisis. We need politicians who can reduce big problems into being understandable. Like, reduce the current residual slash by chipping it and burning it if necessary while a process is immediately put into place no milling leaving the slash as waste. If logging got stopped for those without a plan for the slash of the tree felling, the industry will react in short order.
    And how about the pressure put on banks so that rural communities can get cash when their robots are down and out.
    At the moment the Nats are giving away the election as the Kere Allans and McAnulty get out and get with it by showing experience.
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:53am
    - Ghost
      
      I doubt anyone is looking right now and deciding to vote for any party in several months on what’s happening now. Doesn’t change the high crime rate, health system in shambles, education system failing or the huge dissatisfaction among health workers, teachers. Emergency etc. etc with this govt
      
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      February 18, 2023 10:59am
    - leoj
      
      Why, in hell, would we take your hard left position seriously?
      
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      February 18, 2023 11:41am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      If the NATs rush in a rubbish Labour they will lose the election. He has worked out that do not rubbish the response, unlike Seymour that trie yo spout vile, snd was rubbished snd has now hone to ground, Luxon will be wasting his time standing in Napier rubbishing the response, and can you not remember Little standing on a chair in Kaikoura being laughed at after the earthquake in 2017?
      
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      February 18, 2023 7:49pm
  - Jimbob
    
    If by spring Luxon hasn’t woken, then you can complain.
    
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    February 18, 2023 1:32pm
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    We had gas realisdd we tgeee is no point rubbishing the government while this disaster is unfolding, unlike Seymour who has been rubbished for his arrogance and vulgarity, he will have lost votes back to Labour this week.
    
    Luxon has worked out not yo rubbish the response, when you think Hipkins flies into Napier every morning, tells us it’s bad, then glued off, no delivery as usual, no plan, no decision as usual
    
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    February 18, 2023 7:38pm
- Ian Boag
  
  Robertson can borrow the billions for the very long repairs to the damaged country.
  
  Whoever is Minister of Finance after the election will be doing that. No other option really. Yuk.
  
  Coming on top of the covid borrowing this will be a bit of a blow. Not seeking to minimise the impact, but at 50% of GDP NZ gov debt is well below the OECD average (about 90%).
  
  https://data.oecd.org/gga/general-government-debt.htm
  
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  February 18, 2023 8:57am
  - Master Mariner
    
    As someone also pointed out, NZ has a Major Trade imbalance.
    This is the real underlying issue.
    
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    February 18, 2023 1:29pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Private debt in NZ is huge
      
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      February 18, 2023 7:34pm
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      The trade balance will get so much worse with these farms being taken out
      
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      February 18, 2023 7:51pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        Not a significant % of the total …
        
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        February 18, 2023 9:33pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Hmm, pretty cynical to call an election during this shamble, if they try, they may well be scorned at, they have a total majority fgs
  
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  February 18, 2023 1:10pm
Ruahine

I see that The Herald is still running the cock and bull story about Ardern’s so-called resignation.
All part of the Media campaign for the possible calling of an early election I suppose.
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February 18, 2023 8:42am
- Brian McDonald
  
  I believe doctors are now prescribing tablets for those with Ardern derangements.
  
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  February 18, 2023 10:55am
  - sirknz
    
    I thought that was the mRNA jab with unrelated causes of death afterwards.
    
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    February 18, 2023 12:14pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    No need for tablets. Her record is there in black and white. She and her government were/are simply the most disgusting and off the rails in NZ’s history (and yes, team Key’s treaty skulduggery paved the way)!
    
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    February 18, 2023 1:07pm
ClanMcleod

It’s becoming very apparent that all aspects of the covid response around the world, and in particular NZ, have been an abject disaster.

The “vaccines” clearly don’t work and despite the shutting down of open debate and suppression of evidence, it is beyond doubt that they do more harm than good.
They never stopped transmission or infection making the idea of a “vaccine pass” completely irrational and a severe breach of human rights.

Other than (possibly) a tiny subset of aged and vulnerable, this experimental concoction provides zero benefit. It injures, and it kills. This is a fact.

Elimination as a strategy of the Ardern government, with current PM Hipkins the minister for covid at the time, was, as predicted, a complete failure. In fact, every single aspect of the response to this seasonal respiratory illness was a sham.

This post from el gato malo does a thorough job explaining how this bizarre situation happened, how many normally rational people lost their minds and gave up their freedom because they were afraid.
To be fair, they were subjected to the biggest psychological manipulation campaign and propaganda in history.

Very much worth reading to understand what happened, and to be forewarned and forearmed if anything similar is attempted again. You CANNOT comply your way out of tyranny.

ask any doctor in 2019: “should people who have already had a disease get vaccinated against it?” and they would have told you “no.”

this was and is obvious.

vaccines are not magic, they just train your immune system. if recovering from the virus cannot teach it (and almost certainly better) then a vaccine cannot either. no one argues that we use vaccines because they provide better immunity. we use them seeking to provide immunity at lower risk. this whole “vaccinated immunity is superior to immunity acquired by recovery” is entirely made up nonsense that never had any basis whatsoever in biology.

this is all coming out now.

It is coming out at pace. As usual, in NZ, a compliant mainstream media refuses to go anywhere near it.
No wonder, they were the primary tool used by the NZ government that enabled this nightmare. In print, on television, on the internet, the fear porn was pumped out relentlessly and without question by shills in the fourth estate who are supposed to hold truth to power.
Instead they took the money and enabled this attack on society and democracy.

Read the whole post.

you cannot give up “just a little free speech” to make the world safer/nicer/better. give up any, and the rest is just a privilege.

you cannot give up “just a little liberty” or “just a few rights.” look how the state bent doctors by threatening their licenses. look how they closed bars and restaurants using health codes. look how they threatened your right to work and your children to force your compliance.

the “experts” that have been working you over for 3 years were not experts in drugs, epidemiology, biology, immunology, or some other germane field.

they were experts at manipulation, at nudges, at propaganda.

and they have had a field day telling it like it ain’t to take the world on an unprecedented joy ride of hassle and harm.

we have not seen the last of them and rest assured, they will find a way to try this again.

and then as in 2020, fear will be their weapon.

fear will be the mind killer they use to run roughshod over rationality and turn the demos once more into the mob.

and this is why you should stop believing them.

https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/nothing-is-obvious-to-scared-people

I am looking forward to the Twitter files re covid as man in america talked about yesterday.
We have been lied to and gaslit for far too long. We will not move on as a society until this horror show is addressed and dealt with.
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February 18, 2023 8:45am
- Doc Holliday
  
  Conspiracy ideation.
  
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  February 18, 2023 9:19am
  - sirknz
    
    So far us ‘conspiracy theorists’ have been proved right every step of the way so far.
    
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    February 18, 2023 9:50am
  - Tom Hunter
    
    If you want to win, you’re going to have to argue on point. In fact, go argue with this guy as he runs through all the long-known reasons why Coronavirus vaccines have not worked well and why the C-19 virus largely never even hit the immune system, replicating in the nose and lungs so it could spread to other humans before being wiped out. Clever evolutionary little bugger.
    
    Since this is high school biology it’ll probably be new to you, but the guy who wrote the article knew all about it – even as he assured people that if they took the vaccine they would not catch Covid.
    
    Actually I can see that arguing would be a struggle for you so perhaps it’s best you stick to snark. More your speed.
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:31am
  - ClanMcleod
    
    Doc – explain in detail. Take your time. I would love a rational debate, something that the “experts”and journalists in this country point blank refuse to do.
    
    In fact their answers are generally as inane as yours.
    
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    February 18, 2023 3:02pm
- kevn
  
  @Clan… While in NZ they are still pushing the jab for ‘health’ workers.
  
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  February 18, 2023 9:21am
- Brian McDonald
  
  [Mod – Deleted]
  
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  February 18, 2023 10:57am
  - ClanMcleod
    
    Get help Brian.
    
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    February 18, 2023 7:25pm
- Master Mariner
  
  The easy solution to keep this charade going was too, Well, “Lets just change the definition of Vaccine”.
  Yep all fixed. Carry on.
  
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  February 18, 2023 1:32pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Trump Turns 2024 Election on Its Head – For Donald’s Run, He Plans to ‘Master’ Democrat Ballot Harvesting.
Get this: “Democrats already have an insurmountable lead thanks to early voting and ballot harvesting. In many states, this isn’t illegal. WHAT?? not illegal??
Trump will fight fire with fire.
https://pjnewsletter.com/donald-trump-election-harvesting/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=actengage&seyid=49547
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February 18, 2023 8:56am
- Cassandra
  
  Trump is going to fight this election on his theft allegation. It is largely nonsense or at the very least unprovable. He will lose. With any luck he’ll lose at the first hurdle and therefore the US will have Pres DeSantis.
  
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  February 18, 2023 9:11am
  - Don Beckett
    
    De Santis has said he’s not running. Early days, I guess. He’ll wait to test the waters.
    
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    February 18, 2023 9:49am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Trump has many followers. Just look at the size of the crowds at the speeches.
      MSM will not report this of course.
      
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      February 18, 2023 10:17am
    - Cassandra
      
      Did he say that, Don? I’ve read “I’m concentrating on being Governor”, but note he’s got a national organization in outline. I suspect he’s testing the water. Polls show Biden beating Trump and losing to DeSantis.
      
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      February 18, 2023 11:58am
      - Cassandra
        
        Latest poll (Harvard) has Trump beating Biden by 5%.
        
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        February 18, 2023 12:36pm
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      When?
      
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      February 18, 2023 1:12pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      DeSantis also said he will not run if Trump runs.
      He told this to his donors only. Crafty really, the Dems don’t need to know that.
      
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      February 18, 2023 2:29pm
      - G the giant from Dunedin
        
        Yes, Trump has stated he will, but there is a long time to go, anything can happen
        
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        February 18, 2023 7:53pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    If the Dems are not stopped from cheating they could win.
    For example, look at what happened to Kari Lake in Arizona. Katie Hobbs cheated. She would not recuse herself from being the ‘overseer’ One IT guy went to 3 locations to check the voting machines were working properly. 30 minutes later the dodgy counting and rejections started. Katie Hobbs should have stopped this but she didn’t. She is a liar and a crook.
    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/11/07/katie-hobbs-wont-recuse-herself-from-overseeing-governors-race/
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:13am
Maggie Pie

It’s certainly one right out of the box here today 😎
Called my partner’s mum earlier and invited her over for a swim.
There is an indoor-pool at the Village, but she wont use it. Recons she feels sooo out of place rocking a bikini.

Telling me she got chatting to one of the old-boys in the carpark last night. Apparently he was quick to draw a comparison between the Tangiwai disaster during the ’53 Royal Tour, and Princess Anne’s visit this week.

Ma said, “Silly old fool….next he’ll be blaming climate change”
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February 18, 2023 9:34am
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  Not to mention the Brynderwyn bus crash in 1963 that killed 15 people on their way to see the Queen.
  
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  February 18, 2023 9:42am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Wasn’t there also a royal visit when the ferry went a ground near wellington port.
    
    They say they thought the ambulances were attacked, it turned our the paint was sand basted off the vehicles in the wind, you don’t hear about that with this storm.
    
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    February 18, 2023 1:15pm
- Biscuit
  
  I’m only surprised pdm hasn’t (again) jumped on his anti-Wellington wagon, Maggie:
  
  Holders of Ranfurly Shield in 1953 – Wellington:
  Tangiwai happens
  
  Holders of Ranfurly Shield in 2023 – Wellington:
  Gabrielle strikes. And don’t remind him of the earthquake earlier this week!
  
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  February 18, 2023 2:45pm
Suze Wainwright

I note with interest that leftie responses to Tony Stuart’s recent tweets have descended to pure personal, vitriolic, invective bile…

Splendid work Tony – you should be very proud! What do they say happens when you start flying too close to the target…?
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February 18, 2023 9:46am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  There seem to be at least 3 lurking around today.
  
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  February 18, 2023 10:19am
  - Maggie Pie
    
    All sharing the same dic 😀
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:21am
- Maggie Pie
  
  “Be kind” is sooo last year.
  
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  February 18, 2023 10:20am
ecco

There are some graphic photos on the below Facebook link showing the scale of the damage and in particular the bridges around the Napier region here. As discussed here, the damage would have been a lot less without that slash effect.

It appears to me that the forestry slash is responsible for a large amount of the damage. Yet the paid out msm are turning a blind eye to this aspect of the catastrophe. Questions need to be asked, like who owns these forests? What are they now doing about it and why did the situation get like this?

All of New Zealand is going to be paying for it for a very long time.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0AgsxFgcPMgAs4TqXbrKWbnNpwWqHfzFfsPmJDCLvnvqaVet3NxNYXY6615R1gBXxl&id=100063788281020&sfnsn=mo&mibextid=6aamW6
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February 18, 2023 9:52am
- Ghost
  
  No they aren’t I suggest you read the msm, it has been talked about for days on radio and in the media.
  
  https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/02/17/forestry-slash-has-destroyed-tairawhiti-who-should-pick-up-the-bill/
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/131236979/wall-of-wood-the-trouble-with-forestry-slash
  
  https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/484265/cyclone-gabrielle-reports-forestry-slash-wiped-out-major-east-coast-bridge
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/131260154/forestry-industry-backs-inquiry-into-slash-after-cyclone-gabrielle-causes-widespread-damage
  
  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/cyclone-gabrielle-political-consensus-builds-for-review-into-forestry-slash/CHFOETNYFJDBNIGG7TSFQ5F3QU/
  
  https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/don-carson-forest-owners-association-spokesperson-on-cyclone-gabrielle-floodwaters-spreading-forestry-slash-everywhere/
  
  https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2023/02/tolaga-bay-farmer-seething-as-forestry-slash-causes-floodwaters-to-swamp-house-land-again.html
  
  https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/484404/cyclone-gabrielle-triggered-more-destructive-forestry-slash-nz-must-change-how-it-grows-trees-on-fragile-land
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300809881/change-needed-after-cyclone-gabrielle-triggered-more-destructive-forestry-slash
  
  https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2023/02/orchardist-in-hawke-s-bay-s-flood-devastated-puketapu-calls-on-prime-minister-chris-hipkins-to-visit.html
  
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  February 18, 2023 10:00am
  - ecco
    
    So did these articles say who own the forests in this region?
    
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    February 18, 2023 10:21am
    - Ghost
      
      Yes, one of the companies is listed, and comments from the forestry association
      
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      February 18, 2023 10:35am
    - Colville
      
      A large proportion of forestry around Hawkes Bay and up to Gizzy is on Māori owned land.
      
      Maybe its time to go back to the old way of burning the slash piles??
      
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      February 18, 2023 11:13am
      - NothingLeft
        
        That can’t be right – I’ve been informed that Maori have a special relationship with the land and are saintly in their stewardship of it, they can’t possibly have cut corners or done anything wrong ever. Perhaps the trees are racist?
        
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        February 18, 2023 1:08pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        Probably scared the climate gods will punish them for releasing too much Co2 in the burning.
        
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        February 18, 2023 1:16pm
      - Colville
        
        NZer.
        Burn it or leave it to rot the result is the same.
        
        What they call “bin wood” which is shorts of unmillable logs which are picked up and put in a big bin (surprise!) and taken for pulp could probably be more aggressively targeted. I think its a zero net earner so they probably do the minimum required. I know I have probably a 100M3 sitting beside a road because the logger just couldnt find a truck to take it away.
        Maybe its possible it could be taken for fuel pulp I dunno. But something is going to need to change.
        
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        February 18, 2023 1:53pm
- cas
  
  Talk about no awareness.
  I’m not sure whether the Herald is trolling this morning but right under an article about Cyclone Rebuild who is going to do it on P1 of the Business section is an advert for Cquest Carbon and Forestation fund. It is run by My Farm investments. Eye watering returns. Perhaps the company and its investors should be made to set aside a proportion of earnings for cleanups.
  
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  February 18, 2023 11:39am
- CJames
  
  Those photos don’t obviously show the debris in the Hawkes Bay bridges. From what I have previously seen in places like Esk Valley, it is willows acting as strainers, not pines.
  I thought the slash damage was mainly in rivers north of Gizzy.
  
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  February 18, 2023 4:04pm
David Lenny

Those who followed yesterday’s post about the evils and benefits of colonisation, but are looking for future solutions rather than recriminations about the past, might be interested in

https://nominister.wordpress.com/2023/02/17/breaking-the-culture-of-welfare-dependency/

In addition, ngatimozart, whose pen name alone says something about the debate, made some very late contributions which most will have missed.
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February 18, 2023 9:54am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

https://www.stopcogovernance.kiwi/blog/please-sign-these-two-petitions/
Here you can sign a petition for one NZ Flag, or a co-governance flag alongside.
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February 18, 2023 10:03am
Maggie Pie

SCMP reports….

Chynah’s “Belt & Road Initiative” goes the way of Labor’s Kiwibuild 🙁

https://twitter.com/SCMPNews/status/1626687965354250240
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February 18, 2023 10:12am
kevn

Must be great for the NZ Army guys helping out in Hawkes Bay and Gisborne after 2 years of working at those quarantine hotels.
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February 18, 2023 10:26am
- Maggie Pie
  
  You can imagine the ‘utter joy’ that would have been expressed in the Barracks when the order came thru 😀
  
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  February 18, 2023 10:36am
I remember when

New Zealand History:
One thing that the Waitangi Tribunal has achieved is a far greater knowledge of local history, especially among Maori.
Some of it may be considered ‘slanted’ but it is a building block for future research.
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February 18, 2023 10:26am
Paulus

I understand that a large number of the Army who worked out in the quarantine hotels have left, being disgusted, at being told that is what they are there for.
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February 18, 2023 10:35am
pdm

Bastards.

I have just heard that the Mongrel Mob attempted to steal the generator from Bay View BP a couple of nights ago.

A case for tarring and feathering maybe.
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February 18, 2023 10:39am
- Nickc2
  
  Just to remind those fawning over Hipkins (the new Labour Govt ‘Boy Wonder’), he and his corrupt and brain-dead mates in the current Govt were responsible for gifting $2.75m to the Mongrel Mob (MM).
  AFIK, there’s been no reporting on successes or otherwise of the scam for which this money was gifted so one can only assume the MM put this money in the bank for a ‘rainy day’.
  Given the amount of interest this money would have accrued to date, they could have bought many generators.
  How many MM members will appear in court for the attempted theft of the Bay View BP Generator? My guess is none.
  
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  February 18, 2023 11:05am
  - sirknz
    
    Just some wrap around support and a cultural report. We’ll probably give them two weeks on a tropical island, all expenses paid at the end of this.
    
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    February 18, 2023 12:20pm
    - Nickc2
      
      …. and a seat on the board of Mahuta Corp (Thieves Inc) eh?
      
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      February 18, 2023 12:47pm
    - kowtow
      
      Or another cuppla million , to help wean them off fossil fuels .
      
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      February 18, 2023 1:25pm
- Inandout
  
  pdm, that was the lot that Jacinda handed $2.75 million. What the hell did they do with that dosh?
  
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  February 18, 2023 11:07am
  - pdm
    
    Dunno Inandout.
    
    When I last drove past a couple of weeks ago Sonny Smith’s garden looked the same mess as it did before he got the dosh.
    
    For those that don’t know Sonny runs the section of the MM got got the $2.85 odd million.
    
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    February 18, 2023 2:28pm
- kowtow
  
  Very ,very little, as usual with these events from the MSM about the looters .
  
  You see we’re all “kiwis , mucking in together in a spirit of co operation”
  
  Well that’s true but so’s the looting .
  
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  February 18, 2023 11:27am
  - Ghost
    
    Media have reported the looting, the other day reporting on the 5 looters police caught
    
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    February 18, 2023 11:29am
    - kowtow
      
      Did I say they haven’t reported it .
      
      No that’s not what I said . They have reported it ,but not with the breathlessness they report other issues .
      
      Looting runs contrary to their state sponsored trope of the team of 5 million , kind , compassionate “kiwis” all looking out for each other. And so will get relatively little coverage ,unless there’s some “drama” around it.
      
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      February 18, 2023 1:24pm
      - Ghost
        
        Been in the papers, on TV, radio, what more do you want, banners over your house?
        
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        February 18, 2023 1:30pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  It’s worth a crack Nigel.
  
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  February 18, 2023 7:55pm
Stu2

I’ve seen comments on other sites on making the highway network more resilient.

Among the challenges are that:
a) we have a lot of highway per capita.
A long thin country with networks down each side of the mountain chains makes that inevitable. Huge affordability issues.

b) and we have a lot of bridges (per km of highway, per capita). They are expensive, and on the east coast have proven vulnerable to slash.

So many of the east coast bridges have gone (along with the fibre optic links and waterpipes) that this issue is going to have to be confronted. But that won’t get rid of the existing slash that hasn’t been carried down yet.
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February 18, 2023 10:47am
- I remember when
  
  Yes, how much slash is there that the next possible flood will be able to access.
  What percentage of slash is from harvesting and what (if any) is the result of pruning.
  Does mechanical harvesting result in greater volumes.
  
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  February 18, 2023 11:18am
- JimBobJoe
  
  Three fold response as a suggestion
  
  1/ Avoid the use of central piers for bridges if possible – more arch bridges, so the central channel is as clear as possible
  
  2/ build some flow around upstream of bridges, so water doesn’t back directly on the bridge…. take the pressure off and move it lateral via some drainage
  
  3/ Most importantly – burn the soddening slash so it cant wash down hill
  
  Lots of solutions I am sure, but telling the Greens to eff off and force Forestry to clean up slash properly – via burning – would be a great start. Anyone in media land looking at why slash isn’t burnt and asking Mr James Shaw why its acceptable to lose lives via flooding because his party is against proper forestry clean up???
  
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  February 19, 2023 9:29am
I remember when

With a possible lack of tourist attractions on the East Coast of the North Island, might now be the a chance to follow what Christchurch did after the earthquake.
Set aside some areas to allow those visiting to get some idea of the scale of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Over the next two months there must be enough damage to bridges, etc., for tours to visit such sites.
It will need to work in with the neccesary clean up but surely the potential income will be useful.
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February 18, 2023 11:12am
- kowtow
  
  You’re taking the piss , surely.
  
  7 1
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  February 18, 2023 11:28am
Loddenthinks

Predictable outrage from the permanently offended when Tiger Woods discreetly handed Justin Thomas a tampon after outdriving him at the latest PGA Tour event.

The clear inference – you hit like a girl – has caused female heads to explode, labelling it “disrespectful to women” to imply that a woman can’t hit a golf ball as far as a man.

Let’s look at the numbers, shall we?

Men’s long drive winner 2022 – 426 yards
Women’s long drive winner 2022 – 258 yards

There have been longer men (2017 winner hit it 435 yards) and longer women (2019 winner hit it 347 yards) but the best ever woman is till almost 90 yards behind the best man.

The long-drive comps are mostly contested using special clubs and by people who focus only on how far they can hit it, so it’s more relevant to look at the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour.

LPGA longest driver – Yuka Saso, 271 yards.
PGA longest driver – Cameron Champ, 321 yards.
17 3
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February 18, 2023 11:12am
- leoj
  
  Tossing dildo at National MP – okay.
  Discreetly handing tampon to fellow golfer – outrageous.
  
  Wokeness – a symptom of mindless lefties.
  
  Woke women – a danger to society.
  
  16 3
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  February 18, 2023 11:52am
- Ghost
  
  But wait, haven’t we been told males can have periods and give birth?
  
  13 2
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  February 18, 2023 12:04pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  I used to do that at Snooker Tournaments! If I somehow got beaten by a mug who tinarsed his way in Section Play, I would drop a tampon in his cue case!
  
  1 5
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  February 18, 2023 2:44pm
  - Loddenthinks
    
    Related to Lewis from Wellington by any chance?
    
    1 0
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    February 18, 2023 8:16pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Could be. I will video him today (Sun) and ask.
      
      1 0
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      February 19, 2023 9:24am
      - Loddenthinks
        
        Haha, nice one. Crossed swords (cues) with him a few times on the circuit back in the day, mid to late ’80’s.
        
        0 0
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        February 20, 2023 11:50pm
- Wayne Mapp
  
  Pretty stupid of Woods to do that. At no time in the past would that have been acceptable at a public venue that is being telecast. No different now.
  
  Locker room humour is best kept in the locker room.
  
  3 3
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  February 18, 2023 4:19pm
  - Captain Mainwaring
    
    Wayne Mapp, auditioning for Bore of the Month.
    
    4 4
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    February 18, 2023 4:52pm
Nickc2

Has anyone noticed the number of new posters to this Blog that have appeared since Hipkins became PM?
From my casual observation, most if not all are pro-Hipkins trolls. This can only mean a Payroll blowout for Fraser House eh?
27 4
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February 18, 2023 11:33am
- mogg
  
  State sponsored media have already given us St Jacinda of the Covid. Now they are busy creating
  St Christopher of the flooding.
  
  9 1
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  February 18, 2023 1:09pm
  - Hollyfield
    
    No, I think they’re going in another direction entirely, they’re completely distancing him from the previous PM’s image.
    
    He’s Chippie, a humble boy from the Hutt!
    
    4 0
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    February 18, 2023 3:31pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Same scum that are on facebook spouting hatred
  
  4 1
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  February 18, 2023 1:18pm
  - Dougal10
    
    Hundreds of new profiles on facebook with no history commenting positively about hipkins.
    
    5 0
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    February 18, 2023 2:18pm
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      I am only seeing new accounts saying how well he is doing, he has gone bloody nothing
      
      1 0
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      February 18, 2023 7:59pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Earlier I mentioned there were three.
  I reckon there are six now. Ignore them – don’t feed the trolls – like I feed Mike LOL!
  
  4 3
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  February 18, 2023 2:46pm
Maggie Pie

I’ve still got a full set of Wilsons and all the best gear stashed under the stairs.
Never been used.
Went for a few lessons once with the resident Pro at the RGC and he talked me into buying them.
Never been so embarrassed as when I turned up for a Corporate Tourney with my partner’s bank manager and took about 10 ‘air-shots’ at the first tee.
Threw everything back in the car and drove home.

The game is a bit SILLY though…..heard them say this morning Lydia is currently 11 under and sitting in 6th place!
What chance someone like me?
11 4
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February 18, 2023 11:42am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  All you need is a basher and a putter.
  
  3 3
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  February 18, 2023 2:47pm
  - Maggie Pie
    
    I’ve got 16 clubs and 2 putters in my bag….most of them still have the plastic-wrapping around the handles.
    Thinking of advertising the whole lot on TM.
    
    3 2
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    February 18, 2023 3:25pm
    - Its only I
      
      Speed golf, two golf bats and a good pair of running shoes, blast the course and back for drinks in no time.
      Pays to have a deep well of humorous one liners when you play through…
      
      2 2
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      February 18, 2023 5:19pm
BeaB

I am relaxed about Luxon accepting climate change or even the Met Service saying it’s the Māori gods. He should just keep agreeing with all the ‘woke’ shibboleths and then campaign hard on policies that will rebuild the economy, education, welfare and infrastructure. No harm in using the language of today to attract all those vital centre voters and then implementing good solid National policies. John Key was brilliant at this so he rarely scared the horses but got plenty done with his strong team.
Those who want Luxon to go hardline right are doing little more than ensuring another Labour government god help us.
21 3
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February 18, 2023 11:44am
- leoj
  
  Merely showing that he is a follower rather than a leader.
  
  7 10
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  February 18, 2023 11:54am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Yup, a good manager, but not a leader.
    One day Chris Luxon may get the message.
    
    2 8
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    February 18, 2023 5:14pm
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Hillocks, he clearly stated infrastructure should be built to cope with these weather events. Unlike Labour who want to force no oil and gas as bd electric vehicles spin us, even though we are importing more coal to cover
    
    1 0
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    February 18, 2023 8:02pm
- Cassandra
  
  It’s a fine line. Hope he can pull it off. I’d prefer a lot less woke. At present he talks like one of the swamp creatures.
  
  8 3
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  February 18, 2023 12:02pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  If you listen to his stand up earlier in the week, he was talking about building infrastructure to cope with these types of events, its a bit different than banning oil and gas, and banning petrol or diesel vehicles.
  
  6 1
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  February 18, 2023 1:20pm
- Its only I
  
  You play to the audience…
  
  Stay with us in our Eco camp, plant an Eco tree on our Eco farm to offset your self inflicted carbon guilt..for just $50 NZD…each..ah, no they are not native to NZ but they are native to somewhere, its shining gum or Eucalyptus nitens, bio fuel for our…um…biofuel water heater, Eco, Green, non coal, Biofuel thing…yep it traps global warming and puts it in the water for hot showers, yep that what it does, neat aye?…you will take three trees… really?…done!…like a dinner, oh and thanks for helping…
  
  It does actually work…sadly…but not unhappy.
  
  1 1
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  February 18, 2023 5:42pm
Jack5

Another scam doing the rounds …

An American voice, in an automated call:”This is Paypal. There’s a charge of $499 on your account. If that is valid, do nothing. Otherwise, press 1.”

Hang up, and go directly to your Paypal account online.

I did and found no such transaction.

Criminals are speeding the decline of line phones.
9 0
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February 18, 2023 12:27pm
- info@cruzpro.com
  
  So most people like me recognize these daily email scams and ignore them. Some people get sucked up into the scam and the scammers make enough money to keep going.
  
  If there are no repercussions to the scammers attemp to scam then they will keep doing so.
  
  Maybe someone more savvy than me can come up with a way to send the scammers email address to a program that then floods the scammer with tens of thousands of emails so they will have problems separating the real responses from the auto generated fake responses.
  
  4 0
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  February 18, 2023 6:30pm
  - Ghost
    
    You might enjoy this channel. Hacks the scammers
    
    https://www.youtube.com/@ScammerPayback
    
    1 0
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    February 18, 2023 6:34pm
NothingLeft

Reports of looting in Hawkes Bay by gang thugs. The dividends of 5 years of hug-a-crim labour.
18 1
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February 18, 2023 12:47pm
Maggie Pie

Just in the kitchen making lunch and happened to hear a bit of ZB Sport.

Listening to callers into the station, you wouldn’t even know there had been devastating floods and loss-of-life.
Seems the biggest problem people have in NZ, is whether or not cricket should have a “pink-ball test”.

Honestly, what has happened to this country?
7 5
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February 18, 2023 12:58pm
RightFirstTime

Just a minor point but should the name of our highly respected new Prime Minister be spelt “Chippy” or “Chippie”? I’m thinking a working group may need to be formed or have they all disappeared along with Cindy?
6 4
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February 18, 2023 1:33pm
- Drone
  
  With a Y, as in why the F do we care..
  
  3 0
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  February 18, 2023 3:44pm
- fightingtemeraire
  
  Chippy as in wood working.
  
  Chippie was his predecessor as in ” working in a chippie”.
  
  5 0
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  February 18, 2023 3:46pm
- nathie
  
  Labour might have made a mistake in promoting the “Chippy/Chippie” nickname.
  
  After all imagine when things turn to custard for Labour … will we see memes along the lines of:
  
  * Burnt Chippie (Chippie got burnt)!
  * Cooked Chippie!
  * Fried Chippie!
  * Soggy Chippie!
  * Where’s Chippie?
  
  Is this another Chippie? Kinda looks like him!
  https://www.gettyimages.co.nz/detail/photo/mr-poato-head-royalty-free-image/458697943?adppopup=true
  
  3 1
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  February 18, 2023 4:09pm
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Funny, he hadn’t chipped in with anything to help the people from the devastated areas
    
    2 1
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    February 18, 2023 8:06pm
Maggie Pie

The biggest problem bringing my laptop out by the pool
is that if gets sooo f*ing greasy!
3 5
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February 18, 2023 2:09pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

US Border Patrol. The illegals need to be stopped, but Dems see them as voters.
How crooked can you get?
https://rightwingnewshour.com/trump-finally-got-exactly-what-he-needed-2/
2 6
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February 18, 2023 3:23pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Tgg he s same methodology with 26 yearold fools here
  
  [Mod – I cannot understand your posts, can you slow down, read what you have written before posting and correct them]
  
  0 1
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  February 18, 2023 8:07pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Joe built a tent.
https://rightwingnewshour.com/biden-shock-border-plan-revealed-3/
2 3
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February 18, 2023 3:27pm
Ra Henare

It is often said that comedians have a better view of society and its flaws than the average person.

A guy who has moved from being a comedian to a social commentator and an extremely good speaker IMHO is Konstantin Kisin.

He summarizes the current problem in NZ society. in 4 minutes (I think about the Maori victimhood status)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-NCkF2OQJI&t=179s
4 1
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February 18, 2023 3:33pm
Maggie Pie

WTF?

Have a squiz at just how thick the top of this Bridge is that got washed away….. just north of Gizzie over the Hikuwai River.

https://twitter.com/tomdillane1/status/1626467012779347968

Honestly, the slate around our pool is thicker than that!

Just saying.
2 4
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February 18, 2023 4:13pm
- Ghost
  
  A bridge along SH35 over Hikuwai River an hour north of Gisborne near Anaura Bay totally destroyed by ~~Cyclone Gabrielle~~ Slash.
  
  Fixed their mistake
  
  7 2
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  February 18, 2023 4:24pm
Ghost

Never had any problems with ChatGPT, makes me wonder what Microsoft have cocked up in their bing version of it

Bing Chatbot ‘Off The Rails’: Tells NYT It Would ‘Engineer A Deadly Virus, Steal Nuclear Codes’
1 1
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February 18, 2023 4:48pm
Ghost

Locals having to protect their town, feeling abandoned

Residents of a grieving Hawke’s Bay community fear their neighbours will start carrying weapons as recent looting prompts plans to block access to the village with concrete barriers.

Tensions are rising in the Puketapu community west of Napier after looters were discovered attempting to ransack a property not far from the village centre late last night.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/cyclone-gabrielle-grieving-puketapu-community-fears-weapons-will-be-used-as-looting-prompts-roadblocks/W3WVA7XU25H5XIBNNQVQW5DEFY/
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February 18, 2023 6:44pm
blue collar

Name and shame looters
If stuff can run articles on citizens legally running for office , and smear them because they hv diffferent views to the editor……then surely they can put these SCUMBAGS on their front page and leave it up to the locals to re educate them .
It’s the lowest of the low . Targeting vulnerable traumatised people in their hour of need .
Extremely lucky me and the boys aren’t there . Don’t care if you bark like a dog n hv tats . A lot of kiwis won’t bother with police and bush justice will prevail . And so it should .
10 1
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February 18, 2023 6:55pm
- kowtow
  
  Yep , they treated the so called Wanaka runaway couple to the most invasive of publicity . Proves the msm can when they want to.
  
  As long as it suits their current ideology .
  
  5 1
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  February 18, 2023 7:37pm
greybeard

I think that England will win the 1st Test tonight.
1 0
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February 18, 2023 7:06pm
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  No. They will win it but might have to wait until tomorrow.
  
  3 0
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  February 18, 2023 7:50pm
Ghost

Looks like AI is not safe from the agendas

The Conversation: ChatGPT threatens language diversity in the age of AI

The buzz around artificial intelligence (AI) technologies like ChatGPT is palpable. People are both optimistic and frightened by the possibilities of these tools. Clearly, these technologies will change how people write. But in terms of what people write, these technologies seem to be embracing the status quo.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/the-conversation-chatgpt-threatens-language-diversity-more-needs-to-be-done-to-protect-our-differences-in-the-age-of-ai/JELVUI3CAFEP3PMIQITCDLRQBA/
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February 18, 2023 8:38pm

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