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May 29, 2023 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 29 May 2023

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General Debate

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Warren

Cost of Living : Debt toMSDbaloons to $2.4 billion, working for Families debt rises 25% in a year.
What responsible Government would allow debt to people that don’t have the money to pay it back let alone service the loans interest, but it seems this Government doesn’t care.
Anti poverty groups say the poorest Kiwi’s are caught in a debt trap as the total amount of money owed to the Government balloons to $2.4 billion.
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May 29, 2023 8:00am
- Southern Raider
  
  What shocked me wasn’t just the amount, but more that 600,000 people owe the money
  
  If you take out children and assume generally MSD would only lend to one adult per residence it suggests MSD is running a loan book for 50% of the country
  
  Our society is so broken and no way 90% of that is ever being recovered
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:07am
  - kowtow
    
    ‘suggests MSD is running a loan book for 50% of the country’
    
    It’s like those plantation shops. They eventually own everything you have over an initial small debt .
    
    Modern day slavery .
    
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    May 29, 2023 9:12am
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      I sold my soul to the Company Store
      
      28 2
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      May 29, 2023 9:22am
      - Keith White
        
        “I ate 16 crickets and what did I get
        Evicted by my landord as he sold to pay off debt
        Don’t ask my why I voted Labour, I don’t know
        Now I’m sleeping in a carton in an alley in Gore”
        
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        May 29, 2023 2:00pm
    - leoj
      
      You will own nothing and be happy!
      
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      May 29, 2023 10:27am
      - sirknz
        
        If you’re not happy, we can follow the Canadians with their prescribing assisted suicide to cure the unhappiness.
        
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        May 29, 2023 11:03am
      - bjools
        
        “After the revolution, Marx predicted, private ownership of the means of production would be replaced by collective ownership, first under socialism and then under communism. In the final stage of human development, social classes and class struggle would no longer exist.”
        Welcome to the doorstep of socialism.
        PSSST, Jacinda…it is socialism that has failed….AGAIN.
        Failure to house your people (or allow them to house themselves)
        Failure to feed your people (or allow them to feed themselves)
        Failure to educate your people (or allow them to educate themselves)
        etc etc etc
        
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        May 29, 2023 12:17pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        bjools but but but we didn’t even give them a chance to fully set up the the state control systems required to implement full socialism! They need another term! /
        
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        May 29, 2023 1:40pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        leoj: “You will own nothing and be happy!”
        
        At the state funded fentanyl injecting room?
        
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        May 29, 2023 1:50pm
  - Nickc2
    
    Wouldn’t it be interesting to do a name search to determine how many of those carrying State Loan (MSD) debt are also responsible for non-payment of fines and/or State House rents?
    
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    May 29, 2023 9:14am
  - pdm
    
    Of course they are SR.
    
    It is a priority to get as many people and families dependent on the Government as fas as is possible.
    
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    May 29, 2023 9:19am
- rockape
  
  Debt will probably be wiped as an election bribe.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:14am
  - Paulus
    
    Understood that from Robertson’s recent borrowing of $9 billion, $5 billion is unspent for election bribes.
    He is going list in October so does nor care a damn, like Cullen, as to what debt problems the incoming Government has when they find the truth.
    
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    May 29, 2023 1:33pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    Anyone know happened to all the debt owed by beneficiaries for emergency housing under the nat’s last reign? Labour waived it? There were reportedly cases of bottom of the barrel desperate beneficiaries having amounts like $70,000 debt racked up on them by the nat govt for the privilege of having emergency housing.
    
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    May 29, 2023 7:09pm
- lastmanstanding
  
  You know a Government has lost the plot when rather than talking up their achievements and what they plan to do to build on them all they can do is criticise their opponents. This is a sure sign they are heading for defeat. IMHO the result will be far wider than the polls predict. I see a result similar to 2020 but with the Nats and ACT winning by a comfortable margin.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:14am
  - tf78
    
    What achievements? Criticism of the Opposition is all the have.
    
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    May 29, 2023 9:24am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Well, just read an article in the ODT, they will not even finish the redesign of Dunedin Hospital till Sept next year. This protest was supposed to be finished by 2023, and it hasn’t even started.
      
      Always the winners Labour
      
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      May 29, 2023 11:44am
    - sirknz
      
      What achievements
      ———————————-
      
      There is the 8 gazillion people saved by St Jacinda the Truthful with the lockdowns…
      
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      May 29, 2023 12:06pm
  - Mike
    
    I don’t know how long you have been watching politics, but in my experience all governments attack their opponents in preference to defending their records or advancing fresh ideas.
    
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    May 29, 2023 10:04am
    - Michael Johnston
      
      Especially arrogant, lazy, out of touch third term governments, which is what this government has closely resembled from the very start. They started with no idea what they wanted to do and still have no idea five years later. Their most significant policy programme has been advanced largely in secret, at the behest of a powerful ethno-nationist faction in their caucus.
      
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      May 29, 2023 10:30am
      - stiff cheese
        
        At least they write to you — when you’ve been a long time on the surgery waiting list — to see if you’ve still got a pulse. That’s a nice touch.
        
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        May 29, 2023 11:14am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Not at their party conference, by god this conference appears to have been a shambles
      
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      May 29, 2023 11:46am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Big difference between that Mike and actually weaponising state institutions to do party propaganda (PJIF, disinformation weirdos etc etc). As you well know.
      
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      May 29, 2023 1:43pm
      - ISeeRed
        
        And Mike defends them for free. They don’t even have to pay him. That’s what’s sadder.
        
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        May 29, 2023 9:26pm
  - burt
    
    Imagine Labour talking about their achievements;
    
    We’ve increased violent crime 220%, food is 32% more expensive, houses are 100% more expensive than 6 years ago, rents have gone up 42%, coal imports are at new record levels for the 4th consecutive year, Toyota sold more utes last year than any previous year…
    
    No, they are better to just attack the opposition…
    
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    May 29, 2023 10:31am
    - ISeeRed
      
      But “single use” supermarket bags decreased 100%! That definitely trumps all those other petty issues.
      
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      May 29, 2023 9:28pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Man, the PIJF money must be running out!

Andrea Vance savages Tory Whanau. Tory throws her key staff under the bus – ‘It’s not my fault, they told me to do it’ she meant but did not say.

My favourite: Her excuse for subbing in Tim Brown onto the Wellington Region Water Committee –

“He is so across detail and so excellent at that sort of stuff, whereas I’m just much better at a high level,” she explains.

Hahahahahahaha!

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/132148366/the-real-reason-tory-whanau-missed-an-important-mayors-meeting/
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May 29, 2023 8:01am
- kowtow
  
  I know next to nothing about her , but got the firm impression she really enjoyed the publicity she garnered for herself after that fire.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:14am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Failing to turn up to citizenship ceremonies sends a very bad signal to new NZers.
  
  Whanau’s frequent absence at civic functions – including monthly citizenship ceremonies, in which the mayor welcomes new residents – has also been noticed.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:18am
  - JFAP
    
    I suspect Her Worship may find the frequent references in the ceremony to a new citizen having to pay allegiance to Charles III, King of NZ, a little distasteful.
    
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    May 29, 2023 10:43am
  - Stellaboxer
    
    Monthly citizen ceremonies!!! Now that’s hilarious. My wife and I applied almost exactly one year ago after being permanent residents for 30 years. We contacted them after 10 months to find out why we hadn’t heard anything other than acknowledgement of receipt. We were informed that we hadn’t been assigned a case officer yet and they were still dealing with applications from the previous January we had applied in the June. I presume there’s an awful lot of permanent residents like us looking at Australia as a bolt hole if the coalition of chaos wins the election . How can a government possibly increase its number of public service workers to the extent these clowns have and completely break everything? Some legacy.
    
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    May 29, 2023 11:26am
  - Drone
    
    @Maggy doing that sort of thing is like work and as you well know pollies don’t actually like work.
    
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    May 29, 2023 11:31am
  - pussycat
    
    She might have a sore head, I understand she’s a real party girl.
    
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    May 29, 2023 12:02pm
    - Paulus
      
      Didn’t Whanau once win a Million dollar plus Lotto to ?
      
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      May 29, 2023 1:36pm
- rangitoto
  
  No one told me I had to do stuff that was inconvenient.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:27am
- hmmokrightitis
  
  And moaned about the fact that “its a 60 hours a week job”!
  
  Aww, diddums, hard work and greens, always a lost cause. What did she expect, a 37.5 hour week?
  
  Lazy and doesn’t bother to show up. The media savage Brown for his record but she gets an (almost) free pass.
  
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  May 29, 2023 10:26am
- kisekiman
  
  Lol. the left always eat their own. Must be ’cause she is a “Tory”.
  
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  May 29, 2023 3:52pm
slightlyrighty

If Labour are going to continue referring to the Next National/Act government as the “Coalition of Cuts”, they had better make sure of their diction.

We are just one misplaced consonant away from a BSA complaint!
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May 29, 2023 8:03am
- cmm
  
  No doubt that is part of the cleverness here… their footsoldiers will fill in the blanks.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:02am
  - leoj
    
    Their foot soldiers ARE blank.
    
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    May 29, 2023 10:30am
  - Geoff1
    
    Their foot soldiers are not that smart.
    
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    May 29, 2023 11:37am
- rjay
  
  National should lean into being called the Coalition of Cuts. Cutting taxes, cutting waste, cutting red tape, cutting pork barrel politics, cutting woke etc
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:22am
  - Ghost
    
    That name Coalition of cuts would send alarm bells off in enough swing voters to see aother labour term
    
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    December 29, 2022 9:25am
    - crikey
      
      Well Ghost, better than Labour’s Ponzi borrowing scheme loading insurmountable debt onto future generations.
      
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      May 29, 2023 10:07am
      - Ghost
        
        Not really, far better to point out the excessive borrowing and spending. to go around talking cuts which would give labour the sound bites that national and act will cut health, police, etc etc.dosent matter if they aren’t, the soundbite is all labour need, collation of Cutts, so stupid you’d hand labour the election
        
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        May 29, 2023 10:31am
  - Matt Long
    
    Competent providers of service is what National should be presenting as.
    To mangle Stalin, when it comes to government debt, a million is a tragedy, 10 billion is a statistic.
    
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    May 29, 2023 9:38am
    - Master Mariner
      
      Along a similar theme.
      When Stalin sent all and sundry to the Gulags,
      Everyone wrote personal letters to Stalin saying he has made a mistake by sending poor Ivan to the Gulags.
      That was the level of trust and expectations they had in Stalin.
      Similarities to todays Labour Party?
      
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      May 29, 2023 12:45pm
  - Chuck Bird
    
    ARAIK. National is not advocating tax cut but just keeping the tax same by adjusting for inflation.
    
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    May 29, 2023 10:58am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  The Nats have 60billion more to cut things to their preference, Labour are on their last legs and lashing out won’t help, it makes people cringe.
  
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  May 29, 2023 11:50am
artemisia

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau smacked good and hard by Andrea Vance in Stuff today for weird priorities. Apparently she pulled out of a regional mayoral forum on water issues at short notice because she might be needed by the media relating to an explained death. A source reported Mayor Whanau labelled it a violent homicide. It turned out to be not suspicious.

More interesting (lack of) priorities traversed by Ms Vance in her article.

Wellington voted ….
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May 29, 2023 8:05am
- Ruawai
  
  I thought the police dealt with suspicious deaths not mayors. Mayors sort out infrastructure.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:40am
  - artemisia
    
    Did you miss the reference to the media?
    
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    May 29, 2023 11:44am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Tax cuts. ‘We have to find that money somewhere, so other places will suffer. Do you want Health to suffer? do you want education to suffer?’ (paraphrased)

Why did the reporter not ask her about the Labour Govt money wastage?
$2B more a week than when Labour took over. The standard of reporting in NZ is shit!
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May 29, 2023 8:07am
- softail 1450
  
  Steve, I don’t understand why you are concerned, it’s only $4.000.000 an hour, nothing to see here folks everything is going to be fine.
  
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  May 29, 2023 8:16am
  - cmm
    
    $4M an hour is less than $1 per person per hour.
    The minimum wave went up by more than that, so you’re ahead under Labour.
    
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    May 29, 2023 9:04am
    - softail 1450
      
      cmm, 80 cents an hour approximately $19.00 a day ,approximately $120.00 a week, only a couple of million taxpayers so up up up the debt spirals, they won’t be getting my share that’s for damn sure.
      
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      May 29, 2023 9:36am
      - cmm
        
        details, details…
        
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        May 29, 2023 10:08am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Come on you guys. Labour Mathematicians read this blog – not that they understand it.
        
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        May 29, 2023 2:40pm
- emmess
  
  Why do we have tax increases and terrible public services?
  Ask Labour that, you useless bastards.
  
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  May 29, 2023 8:26am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Income v Outcome. The Outcome bit they just don’t get.
    If the Outcome Bank Account goes into overdraft, the Income bit increases.
    They don’t know why – it just does.
    
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    May 29, 2023 2:54pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Sepuloni was who I was talking about. Word soup waffle from her.
  
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  May 29, 2023 8:32am
  - RoboRob
    
    I think the number of words, some big, that a person requires to answer a question is inversely proportional to their intelligence.
    
    Remember Roger Douglas, Rodney Hide, John Key, Michael Cullen and even Helen Clark, all simply spoken with clear understandable answers. Compare to say, Willie Jackson (or sadly almost all for labours Maori caucus).
    
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    May 29, 2023 8:58am
- Nickc2
  
  It’s not reporting Steve, it’s electioneering.
  
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  May 29, 2023 8:41am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Yes, $55M of electioneering. They are desperate to keep it.
    National/Act will see them get the DCM.
    
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    May 29, 2023 11:15am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  60 billion a year, a huge amount could be deprioritised and dropped, I am sure this could be cut by 30 billion canning anything that appears to be virtue signalling as opposed to aspirational, you wait, no matter what Nats have in their budget coatings, they will smash there is a hole, but we have to say f…. The hole, we want better
  
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  May 29, 2023 11:55am
Mike

Seventy years since Tenzing and Hillary completed the first ascent of Sagarmāthā.
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May 29, 2023 8:11am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  and successful descent of Mt. Qomolangma,
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:21am
  - softail 1450
    
    MW, and do we actually know who was 1st ?
    
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    May 29, 2023 9:38am
    - Mike
      
      AFAIK the two of them always refused to describe as anything other than a joint achievement.
      
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      May 29, 2023 10:06am
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      Perhaps George Mallory/Andrew Irvine
      
      https://www.historyhit.com/was-george-mallory-actually-the-first-man-to-climb-everest/
      
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      May 29, 2023 2:32pm
      - Mike
        
        Seems unlikely, and certainly not a successful ascent.
        
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        May 29, 2023 3:12pm
      - Jethrod
        
        Except Mallory met Elvis on the way down….
        
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        May 29, 2023 4:37pm
  - Jethrod
    
    Ed always called it Chomolungma
    
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    May 29, 2023 4:35pm
Warren

Has Chris Bishop and the National Party’s new housing plan backed Labour into a corner and now has the Government groveling to be included.
This after the Government announced they would be open to changing the housing density rules after National abandoned the bipartisan agreement hour before.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/gotvt-open-to-changing-housing-density-rules-after-national-abandons-bipartisan-agreement/3WVX7ASIVRGPXNC5O4ENLRBMPQ/
Labour and Chris Hipkins being caught out and now expect The National Party to roll over and include them in talks after suffering plenty of political abuse from many of Labours Cabinet and senior MP’S at Labours conference over the weekend.
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May 29, 2023 8:13am
- Flossie
  
  A lot of very juvenile name calling and sniggering. GR sounds like a playground bully every time he gets near a microphone.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:05am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Hahahaha, it was the one bullies at school from all accounts, they use to do stacks on the mill, and he was always at the bottom at Kings high school, but bizarrely they say he always me out smiling, sounds like he liked it😃
    
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    May 29, 2023 11:59am
- rockape
  
  National leading the conversation. Exactly what a Government in waiting should do. Labour been acting like an opposition for some time now.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:18am
- Mike
  
  This was surprising, after Willis had led the brief bout of bipartisanship. Perhaps she is not as influential as it appears from her readiness to answer all the questions on details at every policy announcement by the leader.
  
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  May 29, 2023 10:11am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    The party came to this idea on their own, they knew early on it was a mistake in some parts, apparently Labour reneged on part of the policy, best thing is is tell labour to puss off after the vulgarities thrown at Luxon snd Nats for sometime, call out their vulgarity
    
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    May 29, 2023 12:03pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Tell them to take a hike, they said they new it was a mistake so pulled out of the agreement, that is not forgetting that Labour renegaded on parts of the policy, let Hipkins suffer in his jocks
  
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  May 29, 2023 11:58am
Gravelroad

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/132148366/the-real-reason-tory-whanau-missed-an-important-mayors-meeting
Anyone surprised to see this – except the Green Party cheer leaders who sing Ms Whanau’s praises on Wellington radio?
She doesn’t turn up, but she can sure talk the talk.
Unfortunately, Ms Whanau is finding out that being a local body politician is hard work for little reward. It is not the same as being a soft MP sitting in a cosy beehive office looking out the window.
From the article:
“He is so across detail and so excellent at that sort of stuff, whereas I’m just much better at a high level,” she explains.”
Yep,”high level” is much more her sort of thing.
Boring meetings with moaning ratepayers wanting a new footpath – not so much.
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May 29, 2023 8:15am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  ‘Tory Whanau, other people died on that day.’
  This was the perfect out for her. Enjoy it Wellywood, you put her there.
  
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  May 29, 2023 8:23am
  - Mike
    
    Wellywood money was backing Foster.
    
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    May 29, 2023 8:34am
    - Steve Todd
      
      That was true in respect of his 2019 campaign, Mike, but he received $20,000 from a very different source in respect of last year’s campaign. See https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-government/130718508/dumped-wellington-mayor-andy-fosters-campaign-bankrolled-by-chow-brothers.
      
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      May 29, 2023 11:14am
  - Prince
    
    To be fair, the media tore into Mayor Brown because he was out of Auckland a few weeks ago when it rained, so Whanau was probably just playing it safe.
    
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    May 29, 2023 8:56am
- Charmaine Hawke
  
  She is a classic example of not reading the job description before applying, what did she think the job of mayor involved?
  She was a nice face and a compelling name for many in Wellington who don’t look much further than that and she is being found out on a daily basis. That Andrea Vance reported on this says even the left are not happy with her performance, or lack of in this case.
  
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  May 29, 2023 8:30am
- Mike
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  The new mayors, Whanau, Brown and that kid in Gore, are finding out that it’s a tough gig for the under-experienced.
  
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  May 29, 2023 8:33am
  - David George
    
    Underexperienced?
    Wayne Brown served two terms a FNDC mayor. He did a good job too – inevitably and necessarily ruffled a few feathers. He was also chair of Auckland health for a number of years and on the board of NZ rail.
    
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    May 29, 2023 8:59am
    - Mike
      
      Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
      Oh, pardon me. must be another reason for his gaffes.
      
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      May 29, 2023 9:02am
      - Suze Wainwright
        
        Was in Auckland over the weekend – there are a number there who think Wayne Brown is doing a pretty good job. (Possibly not your circles though Mike)
        
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        May 29, 2023 9:11am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        @Suze,
        Some Councilors are not happy. Brown is taking away their toys and perks, not before time!
        
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        May 29, 2023 9:26am
      - rangitoto
        
        Best mayor we have ever had.
        
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        May 29, 2023 9:31am
      - NZer In Exile
        
        Nobody but petty wee lefties give two rats about his trivial “gaffes”.
        
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        May 29, 2023 1:55pm
    - Nickc2
      
      So Hipkins wants to keep his Apprentice Training Scheme going forever?
      Since when have NZ Taxpayers been in the business of training Tradees for Australia?
      
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      May 29, 2023 9:08am
      - Captain Mainwaring
        
        He’s rooted the trades education system so now needs to fill up their courses with free participants.
        
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        May 29, 2023 9:40am
      - NZer In Exile
        
        Nickc2: “Since when have NZ Taxpayers been in the business of training Tradees for Australia?”
        
        Go back a couple of steps. Why does this matter?
        
        It matters because the economy is too small for the needs of the country. For decades NZ has been creating a NIMBY fortress where F-all can happen except for already entrenched special interests and a narrow band of approved niche activities. NZ is way too precious on (real) economic development and it is paying very dearly for that preciousness.
        
        The other big spanner in the works is the housing situation. For decades the “get rich from trading homes” cult has taken over. There needs to be bipartisan solution to this so the whole spectrum of society can easily afford a stable roof over their heads. Look at what has worked around the world in this regard.
        
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        May 29, 2023 4:34pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Mike knows that Brown has done those things.
      Don’t feed the troll.
      
      24 3
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      May 29, 2023 9:20am
    - ClanMcleod
      
      Mike is attacking Wayne Brown. Wayne must be doing a great job. Way to go Wayne.
      
      53 4
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      May 29, 2023 9:21am
      - G the giant from Dunedin
        
        It’s a wonder he is not calling Luxon captain cliche, hang on, he probably knows how pathetic it is when Luxon is only stating the facts
        
        5 3
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        May 29, 2023 12:06pm
  - RoboRob
    
    The ‘Man’ in Gore is dealing with a problem staffer in a position of power that was locked in by his mate, the outgoing Mayor. Any Mayor, experienced or otherwise, is in for a tough ride 🙂
    
    I think Brown is starting to get a handle on things now.
    
    41 1
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    May 29, 2023 9:01am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Much of what happened in the first floods was out of the hands of Brown, municipal staffers deliberately left his numbers off the emergency defence systems, snd I had heard Brown say he spent hours on the phone with civil defence and was getting the run around.
      
      12 2
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      May 29, 2023 12:09pm
  - Chris R
    
    I think both Brown and Ben Bell are doing just fine thank you.
    
    31 2
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    May 29, 2023 9:30am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      There was on going’s with Bell, apparently he was going to his mother often for info, that would be enough to get anyone’s back up
      
      1 5
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      May 29, 2023 12:10pm
- leoj
  
  Wellington has too many public servants in a trough supported by the rest of the country.
  
  Supported by taxpayers, public servants have a vested interest in continuing having their snouts in the trough.
  
  If your salary is supported by the taxpayer, give up your right to vote.
  
  14 6
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  May 29, 2023 10:42am
  - Groggy
    
    So you don’t want Police, defence staff, hospital workers, teachers, customs and many others to have any right to vote. Only those you deem acceptable. Kb’s warped version of democracy in action.
    
    4 6
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    May 29, 2023 11:54am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Don’t forget prisoners
      
      7 1
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      May 29, 2023 12:11pm
      - kowtow
        
        What prisoners , labour set them free . Onto the public. Crime now out of control.
        
        6 1
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        May 29, 2023 2:23pm
    - leoj
      
      Those feeding at the trough will always vote themselves pay rises at taxpayers’ expense.
      
      Public servants and all those you list only exist because of taxpayers.
      
      They don’t contribute a cent to the economy. They drain it.
      
      Voting should be restricted to taxpayers and rate payers and certainly be restricted to those over 25.
      
      An IQ of 80 should be mandatory.
      
      7 3
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      May 29, 2023 1:09pm
      - miltonF
        
        Agree. Although the IQ limit should be higher. More like 100, which is “average” intelligence. 90 is below average intelligence. 80 and below is typically classed as mentally retarded. People with 80 IQ can’t even manage basic tasks and are completely unemployable. Even the military won’t take them as cannon fodder.
        
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        May 29, 2023 5:20pm
  - Ghost
    
    Taking rights away from people because you don’t like their occupation. You’d do well in the cancel culture community
    
    2 1
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    May 29, 2023 12:05pm
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      But some are tainted by this corrupt government, that people have a problem with, just like this rotten media, I remember not so long ago media didn’t vote to stay impartial, Esponor used to often say
      
      4 2
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      May 29, 2023 12:13pm
      - Ghost
        
        There is never a justifiable reason to restrict someone who can legally vote from doing so. To do that means you stand against democracy
        
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        May 29, 2023 5:23pm
Cassandra

UK Labour leader Starmer has made a Captain’s call to stop any new gas exploration in the North Sea. He’ll still use it, buying it from Russia I suppose, but won’t develop any in Britain’s area. Someone else can make the profits, he might have intoned. Ardern would be pleased, every Brit less so except the dopey green. Shooting yourself in the foot does not reduce gas emissions or stop the weather from changing.
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May 29, 2023 8:16am
- Mike
  
  I thought the North Sea was about all tapped out. Interesting contrast too – Norway banked all its oil money while the UK pissed all its away on a yearly basis.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:05am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Tapped out? No way. The Norwegians are drilling for all they’re worth. Gotta pay for those e-vehicles somehow.
    
    22 1
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    May 29, 2023 9:31am
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      For reading, Mikey:
      
      https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Aker-BP-Makes-Big-Oil-Discovery-In-The-North-Sea.html
      
      6 1
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      May 29, 2023 12:57pm
      - NeverMindTheBollocks
        
        From the article (to save you the click):
        
        * known North Sea reserves at the end of 2020 equate to 4.4B barrels
        * allowing for future exploration, as much as 14.9B barrels may be extracted between now and 2035.
        
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        May 29, 2023 1:18pm
      - Mike
        
        Thanks. I did not know that. Will the Brits bank the latest windfall, or piss it away as per their usual practice?
        
        3 6
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        May 29, 2023 1:19pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    Norway has a relatively small population.
    
    1 1
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    May 29, 2023 4:54pm
- Paulus
  
  Norway have just announced that they, with immediate effect, open up the exploration of more Oil and Gas in their Sea area.
  They are already the richest in Europe on Oil and Gas.
  
  6 1
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  May 29, 2023 1:44pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  Like all naive climate “emergency” narrative followers, with starry eyes they push extremely brainless energy policy which inevitably causes blackouts, brownouts and soaring energy costs (which in turn pushes up the cost of everything). Then when their pointless clusterfks become fully apparent to the public, they sneak around and turn to despotic regimes for backup fossil fuel at great cost.
  
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  May 29, 2023 2:02pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

I don’t know what it is with the left and numbers.
Inflation: As inflation increases the product price, the GST content increases. Now that may be minimal, but over all of NZ it adds up thank you very much. Govt will not talk about this.
Tax Cuts: They just can’t comprehend that Tax cuts to low and middle income means more DISPOSABLE income. Stimulates the economy and hey, that means more GST!
Fuck, why are they so dumb?
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May 29, 2023 8:17am
- Prince
  
  Perhaps we can decide how we spend our own money, rather than have the Govt recycle it into endless ads about how wonderful Waka Kotahi is, how we should have shorter showers, and paying people to complete the census.
  
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  May 29, 2023 8:26am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    That Census is a crock of shit. Way back before they invented dirt, the Census was filled in on the night. Possible prosecution if you didn’t. Fast forward 11 weeks from March 7th and you can get a $100 food voucher from John Tamihere.
    They must be trying to fudge the numbers, by for what?
    
    25 1
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    May 29, 2023 9:34am
    - Paulus
      
      People with KFC and Footy tickets have been given until the end of June to complate.
      One Maori woman on tele said she has 12 forms to complete from the Rugby.
      Then why are the Maori at 16% of the population when knowbody has the foggiest idea, as so many it is believe have not completed the Census forms.
      PI likewise I can understand it is estimated that there are so many overstayers – believed 14,000 in Auckland that their figures will all be guessed by AI, like Maori guesswork.
      
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      May 29, 2023 1:49pm
    - Nickc2
      
      Don’t forget, free tickets to Warriors Rugby League games were also being used as a bribe.
      Who’d want to attend a Warriors’ game has me stuffed, they’re a bunch of losers.
      
      7 1
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      May 29, 2023 2:12pm
      - Ghost
        
        How much do tickets to the warriors cost or are they just rubbish anyway, do they ever win a game? Perhaps the threat should be if you don’t fill out your census you will be forced to watch a warriors game until you fill it out
        
        2 1
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        May 29, 2023 2:15pm
  - Burtland
    
    “I’ll have the little one” – is this nanny state speaking?
    
    12 1
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    May 29, 2023 9:40am
- RoboRob
  
  There are a pile of studies that show historically large tax cuts lead to increased tax takes shortly later (1-2yrs). Trumps so called, tax cuts for the rich, were quickly followed by massively increased tax take and a booming economy. The same was true when Ronald Reagan did major cuts.
  
  If the left, that always wants more tax take, understood this you would think they would be cutting rates left and right 🙂
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:05am
  - Ian Boag
    
    a pile of studies that show historically large tax cuts lead to increased tax takes shortly later
    
    Can you link to a couple? Ones with numbers?
    
    5 28
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    May 29, 2023 9:19am
    - RoboRob
      
      https://www.discoursemagazine.com/economics/2022/02/14/in-actual-dollars-tax-cuts-boost-revenue-time-after-time/
      
      https://www.thebalancemoney.com/reaganomics-did-it-work-would-it-today-3305569
      
      https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/140859/economics/the-laffer-curve/
      
      16 1
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      May 29, 2023 10:03am
    - Mike
      
      It’s about the ‘Laffer curve’, which has been misinterpreted to pretend that every tax cut produces sich an effect
      
      3 21
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      May 29, 2023 10:14am
      - RoboRob
        
        No it abosultely doesnt pretend that. See the links above. They clearly state in certain circumstances you get increased tax take and that there is a floor tax rate that going below it does nothing, between 18-21%. You probably already knew that though.
        
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        May 29, 2023 10:20am
      - Mike
        
        Floor tax rate? Total tax as % of GDP, or sensitive to different kinds of taxes?
        
        2 4
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        May 29, 2023 1:21pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    The left don’t understand this because they can’t think for themselves, and just repeat the propaganda they are told.
    Say there is an overall Tax cut of 2%. Not the correct way to do this, but the person earning $1000 a week gets a cut of $20. The person earning $10,000 a week gets a cut of $200. There is where the bean counters leave it. The rich guy is $180 better off than the poorer guy. The rich guys mostly don’t need the cut, but the poor guy depends on it to live.
    2% across the board remember?
    
    9 5
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    May 29, 2023 9:48am
    - Ehlana
      
      For some people it is hard to understand that if you contribute very little, you cannot get a very big reduction in your contribution.
      
      Perhaps if we could find a way to explain it with Warriors tickets?
      
      5 1
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      May 29, 2023 2:01pm
- cmm
  
  The real reason is that they believe they are better at managing your money than you are.
  Nanny knows best. It is, apparently, better if they tax you more and control the spending than allow chaotic spending by individuals.
  This is science: political science.
  
  27 2
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  May 29, 2023 9:07am
- Stellaboxer
  
  @ Steve Otto why are they so dumb? Well it’s been said before but I’ll say it again, if the left understood economics they wouldn’t be left.
  
  27 1
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  May 29, 2023 9:10am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    You are exactly correct. You can try and thrash economics into them but the comprehension is just not there – so they are lefties 🙂
    
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    May 29, 2023 10:05am
Maggy Wassilieff

Good News folks…

There are no wait times for Hospital Emergency Departments, or for CT scans, or for MRI scans Or for Cardiac Surgery.

Don’t believe me?….. Then check the Budget 2023.

Oh Dear, Dr Reti already has…

“CT scans, MRI scans, cardiac surgery and emergency department wait times were measures discontinued in the Budget. But two pages later they ‘inadvertently’ appear again and are reported as 100% perfect to target, that is, there are no wait times.

https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2305/S00207/labour-gets-health-data-wrong-again.htm
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May 29, 2023 8:17am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  It may well be that Hospital staff shortages means these scans can not be done, but, a lot are now contracted out. MRI yearly prostate scan for me is done at Southern Cross.
  Muscle building for my hand and forearm, after Cubital Tunnel surgery, is done at ‘Hands On.’ I know that NS Hosp has a very good Physio Department.
  
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  May 29, 2023 8:31am
  - Mike
    
    The private hospitals are booming. Their core business used to be a small section of folks prepared to pay for perceived better treatment and the luxury trimmings. Now they get good contract rates from ACC and Te Whatu Ora and still get to offload any expensive ‘complications’ back to the public system which has to handle anything really serious.
    
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    May 29, 2023 8:39am
    - Wayne Mapp
      
      Having experienced both public and private hospitals in recent years, I know this has been the case for at least 30 years. ACC and public hospitals have been contracting with private providers for decades. For instance Mercy Radiology MRI machines do a lot of public patients as well as private patients. I have been in both categories.
      
      26 1
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      May 29, 2023 9:02am
      - Ghost
        
        Under national they were pushing public patients through private to reduce the waiting list for hips and knees. Don’t know if this government has agreed to do that yet, I know when our private hospital asked to do it reduce the waiting lists from the covid lock down they were refused.
        
        It is a good way to help reduce the stress on the system.
        
        12 1
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        May 29, 2023 10:52am
    - RoboRob
      
      If the private providers can do the work for less then the public system, or on time, then why not 🙂
      
      One might ask why it is for profit organisations can do this stuff faster and / or cheaper.
      
      21 2
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      May 29, 2023 9:10am
      - Ian Boag
        
        Faster is easy – they have unused capacity
        
        Cheaper is not what happens …..
        
        4 19
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        May 29, 2023 9:21am
      - Matt Long
        
        “Cheaper is not what happens …”
        No doubt you have evidence of this Ian.
        Can you link to a couple? Ones with numbers?
        
        20 1
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        May 29, 2023 9:49am
      - RoboRob
        
        @Ian , Matt bet me to it. Links please. If the public sector is paying the private sectore more then it would cost them to do the work, the public sector should be doing it.
        
        Capacity is a piss poor argument. If the public sector needed the private sector to do 1 million hip opps a year, you could damn well be the private sector would expand to have the capacity.
        
        10 2
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        May 29, 2023 10:13am
      - mawm
        
        No links but private is always more efficient than public and as a result will come out cheaper. The same surgeons operate in public and private (in most cases). In private they will do many more hips in an allocated time than they will do in public. This is because of the way each system is structured.
        
        7 2
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        May 29, 2023 1:15pm
      - Mike
        
        Ian – one might have thought that since RoboRob was making the claim it would be he who others are demanding links from.
        
        1 4
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        May 29, 2023 1:24pm
      - RoboRob
        
        @Mike
        
        One would assume that since the govt is contracting out, they would not do so if they could do it cheaper. Feel free to disprove the hypothesis.
        
        4 2
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        May 29, 2023 3:21pm
    - Cassandra
      
      I’ve been in both systems the last couple of years. They are complementary. Private relieves a bit of pressure; I get the trimmings (at huge cost, $1,200 pm); we all get good specialists, public subsidised by private; private gets support for emergencies. It’s symbiotic.
      
      10 1
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      May 29, 2023 10:44am
      - mawm
        
        This is the argument for tax rebates for private health care, just as for private schooling.
        
        5 2
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        May 29, 2023 1:17pm
      - Mike
        
        mawm
        It’s an argument, but not a very good one.
        
        1 5
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        May 29, 2023 1:25pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        As opposed to you having no argument/case to offer at all Mike. 🙂
        
        3 2
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        May 29, 2023 2:07pm
    - Paulus
      
      Make Medical Company premiums tax deductible as they do overseas in many countries.
      More Private Hospitals, more availability in Public Sector.
      Oh no, that’s Socialism and is nasty.
      
      4 1
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      May 29, 2023 1:54pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Mike you understand why private businesses don’t tend to want to do unprofitable stuff?
      
      The people I know who’ve used private medicine in NZ did so because of the UNACCEPTABLE PUBLIC MEDICINE WAIT TIMES (often for painful and debilitating conditions), not because they get a floral box of tissues and a better food menu with the private procedure!
      
      2 2
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      May 29, 2023 2:55pm
- I remember when
  
  Only ‘wait time’ is for the replies from the 30,000 asked whether they still need their operations.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:02am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    You are exactly correct. You can try and thrash economics into them but the comprehension is just not there – so they are lefties 🙂
    
    11 2
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    May 29, 2023 10:01am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      No no no. This is a reply to Stellaboxer @ 9.10.
      I dunno who is mixed up, me or WordPress.
      
      8 2
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      May 29, 2023 10:04am
      - JohnRidd
        
        Don’t apologize, Steve.
        It’s a truth that needs to be repeated.
        
        3 1
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        May 29, 2023 3:50pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        John, I did.
        
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        May 29, 2023 6:47pm
- sirknz
  
  There is also no depression in NZ.
  We have no teeth in our heads, and there are no sheep on our farms.
  
  Welcome to Lefty Utopia.
  
  16 0
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  May 29, 2023 9:24am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Veral lying again
  
  7 2
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  May 29, 2023 12:17pm
- All_on_Red
  
  I think you will find North Shore and Waitemata are not contracting out Orthopedic Surgery.
  The Private sector is locked out- hence the waiting lists.
  
  6 1
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  May 29, 2023 12:38pm
  - mawm
    
    North Shore used to do lots of privately contracted hips on Saturdays in NSH. I don’t know about it now.
    
    2 0
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    May 29, 2023 1:19pm
    - All_on_Red
      
      Not now at all.
      I’ve been waiting since last Jan
      
      3 1
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      May 29, 2023 1:27pm
JimBobJoe

JT… Well connected it seems. What a cosy little club..

https://cranmer.substack.com/p/john-tamihere-and-the-waipareira
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May 29, 2023 8:22am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Jesus, look at those numbers!
  JT is a guy I always liked. Sometimes I thought he was in the wrong Party.
  But now he is off the Christmas Card List.
  
  15 1
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  May 29, 2023 10:11am
  - JimBobJoe
    
    Could all be above board, but the perception is Whanau first to my eyes….
    
    And then join the dots to the Party he is the head off….
    
    It all feels off …
    
    Next question: Who sits at the top of the other commissioning agencies in the Whanau Ora area?
    
    14 0
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    May 29, 2023 10:24am
- Tauhei Notts
  
  JimBobJoe,
  Please do not bring reports such as that cited to our attention.
  The blatant rip offs bring me to a state of despair.
  It is all a totally far kin disgrace.
  
  16 0
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  May 29, 2023 10:26am
  - JimBobJoe
    
    Sorry – we need to see it. We need to know.
    
    JT, Willie and whanua. Lot of questions need asking so we can have it nicely explained and above board.
    
    Otherwise the stain of suspicion falls on them all, potentially unfairly as the management fees and overlapping governance structures and familial interrelationships may all be perfectly understandable and explainable…
    
    I am sure it is all in keeping with the tenets and principles of Te Ao Maori
    
    12 0
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    May 29, 2023 10:56am
Maggie Pie

Remember the ‘Team-of-5-Million”…..
and how many lives Cindy SAVED during the pandemic?

Pre-Covid, NZ’s population was well over 5 million. According to StatsNZ count @ 5,199,100.

Yet as of today, the true number is 4,938,023.

https://worldometers.info/world-population/new-zealand-population/

That’s more than 250,000 people FEWER than what we’ve been led to believe!
It begs the question….is this government continuing to lie to us?
35 3
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May 29, 2023 8:32am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  ‘Team of less than 5 million’
  Many sent emails to unsubscribe.
  
  40 1
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  May 29, 2023 8:35am
  - pdm
    
    Yep – mrspdm and I walked out in the first 10 days.
    
    14 0
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    May 29, 2023 9:35am
- ClanMcleod
  
  Lying is the only thing they’ve been consistent with in the last 5 years.
  
  36 4
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  May 29, 2023 8:38am
  - Mike
    
    i don’t think anyone should accuse Worldometers of lying without better investigation of their data sources.
    
    4 29
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    May 29, 2023 8:49am
    - RoboRob
      
      You seem to like throwing mud at Worldometers, got any better or more accurate stats? We could go to a government agency called ‘Stats NZ’ but unfortunately that organisation cant run a Census properly and their numbers are estimates and projections.
      
      25 1
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      May 29, 2023 9:15am
      - All_on_Red
        
        In Vino is right
        NZ Stats are on this list- quite an extensive list too.
        https://www.worldometers.info/sources/
        
        [Mod – stop calling members liars or next will be a ban]
        
        3 2
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        December 29, 2022 12:42pm
      - ClanMcleod
        
        RoboRob – waste of time. Mike does spray and walk away, not debate. Under that bridge must be cosy.
        
        15 4
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        May 29, 2023 10:24am
      - In Vino Veritas
        
        Rob, the population stats are at Statistics NZ.
        
        5 0
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        May 29, 2023 12:11pm
      - RoboRob
        
        @ All_on_red and @In Vino
        
        If you look on the stats page you will find the heading for the population stats reads ‘Estimated resident population of NZ at 31 march 2023′
        
        4 1
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        May 29, 2023 1:23pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Dear Mod
        If a ‘member’ is lying, what do we call him?
        Mikes MO is very much deceit by omission- which is lying.
        
        [Mod – debate what a person is saying, show that they are wrong, don’t make it personal]
        
        1 4
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        May 29, 2023 1:29pm
      - Mike
        
        Good question All_on_Red. In my experience, the moderators are less concerned with the veracity of information on Kiwiblog – there is so much obvious nonsense, after all – than the civility of the discourse.
        
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        May 29, 2023 1:33pm
    - Ghost
      
      Well Mike if worldometer is lying they get their data for Covid from the nz ministry of health so it would be the data they are given is a lie.
      
      27 1
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      May 29, 2023 9:24am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        MOH lie? Well I never.
        
        15 3
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        May 29, 2023 10:13am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Mike do you think using the strawman fallacy so often is clever?
      
      5 2
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      May 29, 2023 2:10pm
- Local Miller
  
  And that’s how they plan to solve the housing shortage, poverty, teacher shortage, and ED, MRI, SCAN, elective surgery, etc. wait times.
  
  24 3
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  May 29, 2023 8:40am
- Rusty
  
  @Maggie,
  
  Maybe 250,00 people couldn’t be bothered filling out this year’s census.
  
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  May 29, 2023 8:41am
- Mike
  
  And which organization provides the source data for the worldometers crew? ‘Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data.’
  Probably apples and oranges. Depends what source is used for this UN data versus the NZ stats, which are an estimate quarter by quarter.
  No doubt one of the keener minds among the Kiwibloggers could provide a more complete explanation.
  
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  May 29, 2023 8:48am
  - All_on_Red
    
    https://www.worldometers.info/sources/
    
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    May 29, 2023 12:42pm
    - Mike
      
      Yes, All_on_Red, worldometers does have a website, from which i took the statement above: ‘Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data.’ Your next step would be to investigate what that ‘United Nations data’ might be and why it might be different from the current Stats NZ estimate. I’m sure that then we might be closer to correcting Maggie Pie’s misapprehension.
      
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      May 29, 2023 1:30pm
- I remember when
  
  So in the last four years we have reduced the population by up to 250,000.
  If this truly represents the position how is/will immigration affect the housing shortage?
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:00am
- Flossie
  
  Honestly Maggie, how would anybody know how many of us there are after the total shambles of a very expensive census!
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:08am
  - Ian Boag
    
    How would you have run a cheaper one Floss? Or perhaps you think there is no need for one anyway …
    
    4 23
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    May 29, 2023 9:22am
    - Flossie
      
      Just for a start I would certainly not be offering rewards for the tardy to complete their papers.
      
      26 3
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      May 29, 2023 9:35am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        I am starting to think that was the plan all along.
        
        11 3
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        May 29, 2023 10:17am
      - Dougal10
        
        Yes but the rewards ma be for completing it multiple times to get the answers the stats minister wants
        
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        May 29, 2023 8:27pm
    - rangitoto
      
      IRD probably have most of the data.
      
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      May 29, 2023 9:54am
    - RoboRob
      
      Well actually Ian the answer is simple. Look back to historic census’s (not the last two) and see how they were run. Use that forumla and magically you will get a complete census at a fraction of the cost.
      
      17 1
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      May 29, 2023 10:16am
    - ClanMcleod
      
      Well if they hadn’t utterly shredded most peoples’ trust in our institutions they probably would’ve got the required participation.
      I know I’m firmly in the camp of wanting as little to do with them as I can possibly manage.
      
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      May 29, 2023 10:27am
    - In Vino Veritas
      
      Stick to their knitting Ian, and stop fishing for information that the IRD is not allowed to fish for.
      
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      May 29, 2023 12:13pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        err .. did I mention IRD someplace? Wot?
        
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        May 29, 2023 7:02pm
- mandk
  
  Good heavens!
  I knew the number of non-Covid excess deaths was rising, but I had no idea it was rising so quickly.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:23am
  - miltonF
    
    Been to a cemetery lately? The number of fresh graves is truely shocking. Anecdotal evidence obviously.
    
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    May 29, 2023 5:37pm
- sirknz
  
  Guess the lockdowns didn’t save them and we should have locked down harder for the environment or something.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:32am
- MCōs
  
  How can Worldometer possibly know the population of NZ is 4,938,023?
  There’s a census going on still and 10-20% of the people refuse to admit they’re here.
  How could Worldometer know?
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:56am
  - rangitoto
    
    Maybe they asked Inland Revenue.
    
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    May 29, 2023 10:08am
    - Cassandra
      
      Maybe they ask Google? Or Spark? Meanwhile, in a basement in a building in Langley, Virginia………
      
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      May 29, 2023 10:52am
  - Maggie Pie
    
    Oh they know alright Cossie….
    
    since you post the population has already increased by 11
    
    Check it out for yourself.
    
    9 2
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    May 29, 2023 10:15am
  - Mike
    
    Either no one on Kiwiblog knows, or no one is clever enough to find out, or no one can be bothered.
    
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    May 29, 2023 12:16pm
- Ghost
  
  At 31 March 2023:
  
  New Zealand’s estimated resident population was provisionally 5,199,100
  there were 2,616,000 females and 2,583,100 males
  the median age of females and males was 39.1 and 37.1 respectively.
  
  NZ Stars
  
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  May 29, 2023 5:56pm
  - Mike
    
    Yes, that’s the number Maggie Pie doesn’t believe, because, according to Worldometer, the UN has different data.
    The open question is who does one trust more, Stats NZ or the UN (as reported by Worldometer)?
    
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    May 29, 2023 7:08pm
kiwikidsnz

Wellington’s proposed road speed changes out for public “consultation”.

Link

Virtually no 50K roads, a tiny number 40K and a vast sea of 30K

[Mod – cleaned up link]
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May 29, 2023 8:37am
- pdm
  
  `Wellington’s proposed road speed changes out for public “consultation”.’
  
  Iona Pannet told HDPA a fair while ago that such consultations will be ignored – full stop.
  
  Pleased I do not live in Wellington.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:38am
  - Captain Mainwaring
    
    I Own The Planet so do as I say.
    And I don’t own a car and can’t drive.
    
    12 2
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    May 29, 2023 9:45am
    - Burtland
      
      The Christchurch City Council stopped staff using bikes when doing council business – too dangerous. The many traffic engineers, who had no drivers licenses, Ubered instead, running up a big bill. One of the mayoral candidates proposed not employing traffic engineers without a drivers license. 🤡
      
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      May 29, 2023 10:06am
- Local Miller
  
  Looks like spoof, maybe the web page name has a mistype , should have been “Daft Speed”. Do they really expect people to crawl along at 30km/h everywhere? Except of course those odd 50km & 60km stretches where you never get to that speed anyway because of the congestion, like between the airport and Victoria Tunnel.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:52am
- Burtland
  
  30K is just the beginning – 10K is next
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/131313492/central-christchurch-street-to-become-oneway-with-10kph-speed-limit
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:53am
I remember when

Another leader from the ‘left’ getting a two page spread in Manawatu Standard because of their empathy.
Tori Whanua excels after the Loafers Lodge fire.
The trouble with empathy is that the disaster has occurred before the empathy is needed.
Is it time for the media to start highlighting legislation/actions that helps remove the need for empathy.
25 1
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May 29, 2023 8:49am
- kevn
  
  @I rem… Worked for arden.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:50am
- Gravelroad
  
  Tori Whanau is the new Jacinda Ardern.
  You heard it here first!
  All talk – no action.
  Thinks of herself as “high level” only.
  But will turn up at some sort of disaster with media in tow.
  Prime Minister next.
  
  24 1
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  May 29, 2023 10:00am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Never let a crisis go to waste.
  
  13 2
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  May 29, 2023 11:27am
- rockape
  
  No the firemen and police were the ones who excelled. She was just a spectator seeking personal publicity.
  
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  May 29, 2023 11:29am
Warren

Another U turn by The Government and the Police Commissioner on chasing fleeing drivers and criminals.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/exclusive-police-expected-to-chase-more-fleeing-drivers-through-revision-of-pursuit-policy/CY5G6JS3QZG2ZIXVUHYU2KGORA/
This is ridiculous changing policy after the horse has bolted and just shows how out of there depth this Government and Police are as itshould never have been changed in the first place.
29 2
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May 29, 2023 8:49am
- sirknz
  
  It must be an election year and people are sick of soft on crime policies from Cuddles & Co.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:22am
- JimBobJoe
  
  The Government and their Commissioner pet are going through as much of their insane policies and reversing them so they can position as tough on crime.
  
  Smart move as most voters look at things on the day of casting their vote – collective amnesia of low information voters.
  
  I wonder how it will be reported when the new chase’em car pursuits have restarted and a crash occurs and offenders of innocents are killed?
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:37am
  - gravedodger
    
    Too bad the new groupthink on policing crime, Hahahaha. will not be extended to the real perpetrators of catch and release, the Judiciary!!
    OK so plod catches a few, decides to put some of that few before a court and the release agency will continue to do their hugging and justifying to set them free to offend again. And again and again.
    By the time enough voters can absorb that the election will be done and dusted and the Natives will emerge again to let all the bros out.
    
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    May 29, 2023 12:13pm
- pdm
  
  Warren – Coster the Imposter basically announced this on radio a couple of weeks ago.
  
  Now for the Judges to pull their collective fingers out and put these people in the slammer for a decent, publicly acceptable sentence.
  
  Let me help them – failing to stop for the Police:
  First Offence 6 months jail no parole
  Second Offence 1 year jail no parole Licence suspended for 3 years.
  All other repeat offences: 5 years jail no parole licence cancelled permanently.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:44am
  - gravedodger
    
    Great pdm how many will need a permit/licence to drive?
    There sure seems little need to have any licence to steal a couple of cars for ram raiding, oh hang on that is now only burglary isn’t it.
    The car conversion is not an issue anymore.
    
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    May 29, 2023 12:18pm
- Flossie
  
  Isn’t it only National that do Flip Flops on policy?
  
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  May 29, 2023 11:27am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Didn’t Hipkins flip flop on all policy?
    
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    May 29, 2023 12:58pm
- zulumonster
  
  The good news is the police will limit their chase speeds in Wellington to 30kph to keep everyone safe …
  
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  May 29, 2023 11:52am
  - gravedodger
    
    Hi zulu that reference to the bloody great elephant few realise is in the room.
    Unless there has been a significant change, emergency vehicles, fire and ambo can only exceed a posted limit by 15 kph,
    Police not so much as they do the arresting for speed aye.
    
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    May 29, 2023 12:21pm
I remember when

‘Currently no power’: South Auckland commuters without train services: Newshub.
This is always the major downside of public transport – if the trains can’t run hundreds are disadvantaged.
When your car will not start only you suffer.
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May 29, 2023 8:54am
- MCōs
  
  If your car won’t start you can always catch the bus.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:40am
  - Captain Mainwaring
    
    If you live near a bus stop.
    
    19 1
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    May 29, 2023 9:46am
    - graham
      
      Yep. I live in Auckland but as I live semi-rural my nearest bus stop is 20 km away …
      
      17 0
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      May 29, 2023 10:27am
    - Captain Mainwaring
      
      And if the bus turns up.
      
      17 0
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      May 29, 2023 10:44am
      - NeverMindTheBollocks
        
        And if it’s not already full up
        
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        May 29, 2023 7:51pm
    - Cassandra
      
      Raining cats and dogs in Tauranga and our bus stop is just a sign, no shelter. I’ll stay at home and wait for the AA.
      
      12 0
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      May 29, 2023 10:54am
    - Ghost
      
      I’ve never used public transport but apparently down here you just book a slot and they come and get you
      
      2 1
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      May 29, 2023 2:22pm
  - In Vino Veritas
    
    Who the hell would want to catch a bus MCos? Imagine having to sit in a metal tube with poor people. I’d have to throw my Desmond Merrion suits away, no-one would be able to get the stench out…..
    
    6 0
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    May 29, 2023 12:20pm
  - RightNow
    
    “Always” lol
    Not in Wellington, you’d be lucky if you get 1 out of 4
    
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    May 29, 2023 2:17pm
Bobba Fret

I wonder why police are asking for information and any CCRTV footage from the public regarding the five people (one is now dead) that robbed the liquor store in Dunedin and then fled the scene and crashed? Surely, they have captured them, now its just a case of charging them.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/fatal-crash-dunedin-bottle-o-shop-owner-has-no-sympathy-for-crash-victims-who-robbed-store/Z7APZLIUGFE43KCDZMPPOAC7OE/
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May 29, 2023 9:01am
- sirknz
  
  It is about inconveniencing as many people as possible when it should be open and shut.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:50am
- Inandout
  
  BF, wife and I visited a well known liquor store and were astounded by the increase in prices for our favourite spirits. On the way out the missus quipped ‘can sort of understand why these places are ram raided’. Of course it was her sense of humour on display, but the next store we visited had saner prices for the same items. On the pursuit death; well if you play with fire.
  
  8 1
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  May 29, 2023 10:22am
- cmm
  
  Sad nor not, the world is a very much better place when there are less crims – however that is achieved.
  
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  May 29, 2023 11:49am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  That is not far from my place, apparently they cracked open a container, they left, they came back thinking it would not be linked to the security, they came back and the cops were waiting
  
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  May 29, 2023 1:00pm
My

Looking at the announcements that came out of the Labour Congress and wonder if they have have given up and realised that they don’t want the next term.
Finally come to the realisation that governing a country is too much for them.
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May 29, 2023 9:08am
- Ruawai
  
  Labour’s definition of ‘new policy ‘is telling everyone they will be continuing with 2 existing policies, Super at 65 and Apprenticeship boost payment.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:57am
- Matt Long
  
  I was looking forward to hearing some special k poetry.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:58am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Continue to fuck NZ over to leave a massive cleanup for National/Act.
  Does everyone remember those bastards Clark and Cullen?
  
  16 3
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  May 29, 2023 11:31am
  - Ian Boag
    
    Cullen.
    
    You mean the guy who set up the Cullen fund? And wound net government debt down to something close to zero by running repeated surpluses?
    
    He did it instead of tax cuts … go figure
    
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    May 29, 2023 7:08pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      The guy that bought a train set. 15 years later I can still hear Toll laughing their tits off.
      
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      May 30, 2023 8:18am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  What policy could they realise?
  
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  May 29, 2023 1:01pm
Maggie Pie

A bestie from tennis re-tweets….

“Who’s up who and who’s paying?”

Hundreds of Census workers are taking StatsNZ and its recruitment agency, Personkelly, to court next month, seeking nearly a quarter-of-a-million-dollars in compensation over allegations they were misled about the amount of hours and pay on offer.

Now, it has been revealed, the same Agency, Personkelly [PSK], is advertising for jobs on behalf of the ‘Electoral Commission’.
PSK is listed as one of this Governments ‘chosen recruiters’, with the value of the contract for the Census recruitment alone…. a staggering $43,000.000.00!!

https://twitter.com/1NewsNZ/status/1662871485910773762
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May 29, 2023 9:13am
- pdm
  
  Speaking of census.
  
  Daughter tried to get tickets to Warries match in Napier at the weekend. Only ones available were on the bank.
  
  I suppose all the stand tickets went to those who had not filled in the census.
  
  The system is bloody crook.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:47am
  - Ruawai
    
    And those with free tickets were probably the pitch invaders.
    
    13 0
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    May 29, 2023 9:58am
    - kowtow
      
      To stop pitch invasions they’ll probably hand the miscreants more free tickets .
      
      6 1
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      May 29, 2023 12:11pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Why would NZ Government be ladling Millions of taxpayer$$$$$ to US/Oz recruitment-Personnel companies?
  
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  May 29, 2023 3:04pm
wairarapapaul

Quote “The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi brings together over 350,000 New Zealand union members in 40 affiliated unions. We are the united voice for working people and their families in New Zealand.”
However that’s only around 14% of the workforce according to Stats. So with such low membership does that mean they aren’t needed and ineffective because they only represent a small percentage of workers?
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May 29, 2023 9:15am
- In Vino Veritas
  
  They have been irrelevant for a couple of decades now Paul. Everything Unions have fought for (bar for a constant Labour government) has been legislated. Unions these days are just parasites. And hilariously, most of the 350,0000 members are public service – nurses, teachers, fire fighters etc. So Unions protect these people against their employers. Who are the taxpayer. You and me.
  
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  May 29, 2023 12:34pm
  - ISeeRed
    
    Most unions were all for terminating employees if they refused to be bullied into getting the jab. So much for defending workers against abusive employers. Fuck the lot of them.
    
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    May 29, 2023 10:13pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

It does not seem to have hit the MSM yet, but there’s been a supernova in the Pinwheel galaxy. It happened a few days/ 20m light years ago; the biggest observed in the last decade or so.

Watching that sort of thing makes you realise how puny our concerns are.

And gives a new perspective on global warming.

http://Www.space.com
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May 29, 2023 9:22am
Suze Wainwright

Is there a bit of angst in the political commentariat class at the moment?

First of all it was all good with the orderly power transfer to Hipkins and the continued media illusions of a ‘safe pair of hands’.

Then the usual ‘analyses’ that aotearoa’s all good for a Labour/Green/and possibly Te Pati Maori coalition after the next election. Then msm ‘news’ commenting on the wonder of the latest Horizon poll…

Last few days though – a mainstream poll that wasn’t good for the left. Soothing and self reassuring words from some commentators saying that the poll wasn’t all that bad for Labour.

Now – concern and disgust from some commentators that National is actually appealing to ‘middle’ NZers and further self reassuring comment for their followers – but surely there’s going to be a Labour/Green coalition after the next election…
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May 29, 2023 9:25am
- pdm
  
  `Then the usual ‘analyses’ that aotearoa’s all good for a Labour/Green/and possibly Te Pati Maori coalition after the next election.’
  
  That mythical Aotearoa place is welcome to them.
  
  Better there than in New Zealand.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:50am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  If Greens didn’t lose big in this poll thanks to i fighting, then the 4% lose would not have gone to Labour , and that would mean labour may have been saved from a 30% thanks to the greens
  
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  May 29, 2023 1:05pm
Yvette

While taking this morning’s shower, it occurs to me
the reason Waka Kotahi Ministry of Transport wants to
put Maori as well as English on road signs, is that people will have to
slow down to read them

Also, this is why Labour Government want us
to take shorter shows.
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May 29, 2023 9:32am
- Matt Long
  
  Slow down or be distracted and crash?
  I remember at primary a class project was to find a suitable road sign combination for the blind corner approach to the school, and choices were limited to 2 signs on one pole to prevent visual overload.
  
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  May 29, 2023 10:04am
  - gravedodger
    
    It was not so long ago that The Land Transport outfit would get all exercised if a cafe sign or other service of interest to travelling drivers was erected within view of a highway as it was a distraction.
    Of course payment of a fee and safety was restored again.
    I do not accept their multi language efforts will. not also be distracting potentially, however a te lingo wording both on signs and their brand, all will be well, won’t it?
    
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    May 29, 2023 12:44pm
- cmm
  
  National are playing this all wrong.
  
  Let Labour promise to put Maori on every road sign.
  
  National should promise to go one better: Maori on every road sign written in the original pre-colonial alphabet!
  
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  May 29, 2023 1:11pm
Opie

https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/132148366/the-real-reason-tory-whanau-missed-an-important-mayors-meeting?cid=app-android

A typical lazy lefty, Wellingtons visionary new mayor seems like all this work stuff is a bit much for her, failing to turn up to important meetings and event in the first few months.

Not to worry, she has installed a new chief of staff – former Green party communications director and advisor to ex-Auckland Mayor Phil Goff. Now wellington is really screwed.

Amongst other things, there is a proposal out to reduce every street in wellington to 30 km/h apart from the motorway and one road to the airport.

When you read her statements, she sounds as thick as she looks.
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May 29, 2023 9:36am
- Matt Long
  
  Did the regressives in Wellington vote for her to atone for their white colonial oppressor guilt, because apart from ethnicity she doesn’t seem to have much going for her.
  
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  May 29, 2023 10:06am
cmm

Somehow I have ended up on National’s email list. I find it interesting to see what they are pitching.

Lots of “visions”, and a few reasonable policies like allowing councils to opt out of one-size-fits-nobody centralisation.

Once things stands out as being whacky though: paying councils $25k per house for houses built in an area above the 5 year average. THis is part of “A $1 billion fund for Build-for-Growth incentive payments for councils that deliver more new housing “.

Incentives like this are open to gaming. I really can’t see:
A) Why councils should be bribed and incentivised to do their work.
B) That setting the precedent of bribing will not have negative consequences.
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May 29, 2023 9:51am
- Matt Long
  
  Around here each new title has to come up with a nice sweetener for the council call a reserve contribution already.
  
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  May 29, 2023 10:10am
- Cassandra
  
  Agree totally. Daft policy. Sort of thing a true blue party would avoid like the plague.
  
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  May 29, 2023 10:58am
Fuzzysnuggleduck

A comment on the Daily Blog summed up something that really concerns me about National being able to shoot themselves in the foot.

Martyn is a frustrating mix of being very wrong and completely right moment to moment, and hysterical in his tone to boot – so this article omits that Labour once promoted the same policy (because facts count less that shrill partisan point scoring), but see this comment:

https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2023/05/29/what-act-national-are-really-saying-on-superannuation-is-screw-generation-x/
{Thinking Man says,};
“I think this is an enormous red herring distraction when that was least needed.
National want to increase the age of eligibility from 65 to 67 in 2037 ffs!.
What are they thinking?
Why announce that now during this tight election contest?
National stood to gain virtually nothing but risk ruffling the feathers of those aged aged in their early 50’s.
What it did do was allow a big distraction when there are already a list of very pressing issues impacting on NZ today…….and of course allow Labour to take the high ground and congratulate themselves for retaining the status quo and smile while giving their nauseating attempts at telling funny stories during their election year conference.

The message being broadcasted to NZ yesterday was Labour ….GOOD……National…..BAD.

National should have waited to have this discussion until in Government. Instead, they shot themselves in the foot…..again”

As a person who thinks a 3rd Labour government, plus Greens and the Racist Party will be a spiral of bad policy and embedding in ideology within central & local governement – then WHY WHY WHY is the conversation around making people work longer if you vote Nat/ACT?

Even if this was an important policy, the age must change because of the financial mismanagement of late/massive debt etc. they are actually handing high velocity ammunition to Labour.

So many swing voters, and so many people that just vote for ‘what’s in it for me’ like a child which can’t think of consequences years from now when there is a packet of biscuits being waved in the air: These are who National (and ACT) will turn off.

Is the most inept and dangerous government we have ever had being faced off by the most out-of-touch and clumsy opposition we have ever had?

And they don’t yet realise the media will run with the most damaging angle for National every time?

To echo the comment on TDB – WTF are they thinking!
CRIME, HEALTH, COST OF LIVING is what people want answers to.
Talk about this and only this….not how you plan to have the voter working even further into old age.
Save that for after the election, if it has to happen, but winning/losing is going to decide the fate of NZ in so many other ways. I am stunned at why they want to put a lump of dog shit on the edge of the plate they present to the voting public to consume.
I almost want to grab these people by the shoulders and shake them, “This election matters more than ever – and you can’t fuck this up!”
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May 29, 2023 9:56am
- miltonF
  
  Yes I’ve mentioned this before. If National want to gain votes from the left then they need to copy labour’s tactic of offering a “free lunch”. In other words, lie. Labour is offering an impossible utopia where everything is free. National can’t compete while offering reality and financial responsibility. Outcomes do not matter to labour voters. It’s all about the perceived intent.
  
  National need to somehow convince lefties they are offering something for “free” without angering their core voter base. Perhaps they should go with kiwibuild 2.0. Promise 200,000 more homes. Harvest lefty votes. Scrap the policy after the election. Straight out of labour’s playbook.
  
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  May 29, 2023 5:59pm
BeaB

Radio NZ has been running the Labour line all morning, even heading the 10am news with Sepuloni decrying National’s ‘flip flop’. No attempt at all at balance.
No wonder we don’t trust the media. No wonder so many of us turn to social media to find out what is really happening.
Our media are full of left wing partisans, propagandists and liars.
It has become almost impossible to find an objective voice. Or even just the full story.
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May 29, 2023 10:05am
- Cassandra
  
  Yet dopey National has done nothing about this when in government and will do nothing when next in government. Battered wife syndrome.
  
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  May 29, 2023 11:01am
Xquenda Choudhury

A bit of sanity in a bad world. British Cycling bans transgender women from womens events.

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cycling/emily-bridges-transgender-ban-british-cycling-b2346451.html
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May 29, 2023 10:15am
- ClanMcleod
  
  Indeed, welcome sanity. This is the ruling.
  
  British Cycling decided it will change their current men’s category to an ‘open’ category, where transgender women can compete against other male-born riders, while the female category will be reserved for those who were female at birth.
  
  Trans cyclist Emily Bridges who Bridges who set a national junior men’s record over 25 miles in 2018 before transitioning accused the cycling body of genocide……
  
  The comments came after Emily Bridges revealed she may give up competitive cycling and emigrate after the sport’s governing body in Britain banned transgender women from racing, branding it a ‘genocide against us’.
  
  The cyclist, who set a national junior men’s record over 25 miles in 2018 before transitioning, claimed British Cycling has homophobic coaches and compared bosses to the Nazis, declaring: ‘I’m having to consider an exit plan from this terrible island’.
  
  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12128347/Transgender-cyclist-Emily-Bridges-accuses-British-Cycling-genocide-violence.html
  
  I’m guessing the majority of UK citizens would happily chip in to a fund to pay for his airfares.
  
  These people are hysterical, irrational and completely batshit crazy. They are doing incredible damage to the genuine gay community. How do they even get media coverage?
  
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  May 29, 2023 10:53am
  - Swifty
    
    “They are doing incredible damage to the genuine gay community…..”
    
    Transgender folk are not part of the gay community cmm, in many or most cases quite the reverse – they’ve just attached themselves to the gay community as a means of fast-tracking their demands.
    
    Gender identity and sexual attraction are quite separate from one another.
    
    Interestingly, I see the actual gay community increasingly saying they want nothing to do with the trans mob.
    
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    May 29, 2023 11:19am
    - Swifty
      
      Sorry, Clan not cmm.
      
      Apologies Clan.
      
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      May 29, 2023 11:46am
      - ClanMcleod
        
        No problem, I knew who you meant.
        
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        May 29, 2023 12:05pm
    - ClanMcleod
      
      Swifty – that makes sense, I’m presuming that many people are a bit like me and conflate the two entities? Maybe not! But every time I see the every lengthening alphabet lgbtq blah blah blah I just shake my head and switch off.
      
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      May 29, 2023 12:04pm
    - cmm
      
      The trans people I know consider themselves trans. That is their identity/sexual orientation/whatever you want to call it.
      I think they tend to roll with the others in the alphabet, not because they feel they are the same, but because they feel accepted in an alternative space.
      The same might be said of lesbians and gay males who clearly don’t have overlapping sexual interests.
      
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      May 29, 2023 1:18pm
      - ClanMcleod
        
        cmm – I only know two trans people and they are just part of our community, not treated any differently from anyone else. But they just go about their life like the rest of us. Quietly and with dignity, not screaming bullshit about being ‘genocided’ because people don’t bend to their totally insane demands.
        I have a number of homosexual friends, have had for many years. Same deal. No issues.
        
        There’s nothing to discuss when a biological male decides to put on a dress and then demands access to women’s spaces. It is wrong on every level.
        
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        May 29, 2023 2:45pm
  - Xquenda Choudhury
    
    ” ‘I’m having to consider an exit plan from this terrible island’.”
    
    Where is he going to go? These bans on ‘trans women’ – in swimming, athletics and now cycling, will make other sports bodies more willing to stare these people down. The alternative is to destroy women’s sports with all the money that goes with it. Olympic audiences and sponsors are not going to put up with a ‘trans woman’ swimmer, athlete or cyclist blowing the women away.
    
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    May 29, 2023 11:29am
    - cmm
      
      Yup, somehow I can’t see tampon companies spending millions in advertising to have their products associated with penis-enabled people thumping their consumers.
      
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      May 29, 2023 1:44pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      Olympic audiences and sponsors are not going to put up with a ‘trans woman’
      
      Funny you should say that…
      
      Seems NZ Weightlifting had no problem sending a Transwoman to the Olympics to compete in Women’s events.
      
      https://olympics.com/en/news/laurel-hubbard-new-zealand-weightlifter-history-tokyo-2020-2021-games
      
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      May 29, 2023 3:17pm
  - lifesgood
    
    They used to put the insane in asylums, now they are given publicity as some sort of modern day heroes. The world sure has gone crazy.
    
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    May 29, 2023 11:53am
  - In Vino Veritas
    
    Watched a Piers Morgan interview with a woman supporting transgender cyclists. She thought it would be a good idea to have an open section in which men and women rode against each other for the Olympics. Until the Morgan pointed out no woman would qualify for the Olympics ever again!
    
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    May 29, 2023 12:44pm
  - Ehlana
    
    Actually seems like a sensible response from British Cycling.
    
    Most of us hadn’t heard of gender identity until a few years back, but we’ve had segregated public toilet, public changing rooms and sports teams for as long as we’ve had those things. So clearly, we did not segregate on gender identity.
    We did it on sex, because there are observable physical differences between men and women which are particularly relevant to dressing, toileting and playing sport.
    
    The physical differences haven’t changed, so there is no reason to change the segregation method. An open category for men and transwomen solves the problem, while ensuring women are still encouraged and enabled to play sport, for their own good mental and physical health and for our entertainment.
    
    Likewise, the answer with toilets and changing rooms is to retain the sex segregation but increase the provision of private unisex rooms which can be used by transgender people, or those requiring assistance from an opposite-sex caregiver.
    
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    May 29, 2023 2:47pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Stop Co-Governance. Julian Batchelor.

https://www.stopcogovernance.kiwi/blog/woke-christian-group-forms-and-comes-out-against-julian-batchelor/

Woke Christina Group opposes Julian. Looking for a link to that on 8am Newstalk ZB
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May 29, 2023 10:51am
- Matt Long
  
  Is it Michael Wood and the covid cyclist?
  
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  May 29, 2023 11:22am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  The link to the woke Christian Group is there now.
  Quite obvious it is a group who want to take Stop Co-Governance down.
  Tell me who is financing them? I have a dam good idea but I have no proof.
  
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  May 29, 2023 3:05pm
Maggie Pie

Further to the ‘Ruby Tui Weet Bix Card’ saga….looks like the stance taken by the NZRU has seen Sanitorium dodge a bullet!

After the pubic backlash against TARGET for selling Trans Kids clothing…. like Tuk-in vests for boys and Chest-Binders for girls, [which saw their share value drop by $9Billion], they’ve decided to withdraw the entire range of LGBTQQIP2SAA merchandise from their stores.
TARGET’s share price immediately rebounded on the news.

But looks like no matter what you do, you just can’t win 🙁

https://twitter.com/POLLandChad/status/1662540956334161920
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May 29, 2023 11:00am
- Ghost
  
  You don’t need to withdraw the lgqbt clothing range, it can be rebranded as road safety clothing
  
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  May 29, 2023 11:19am
  - I remember when
    
    As I stood looking at the Rainbow pedestrian crossing, in Wellington yesterday, it just didn’t suggest the same level of safety as the standard crossing.
    
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    May 29, 2023 1:35pm
- Inandout
  
  Maggie, is that ensemble of misfits really ANTIFA?
  
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  May 29, 2023 11:21am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Probably not – but same IQ.
    Room temperature, and I mean Celsius.
    
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    May 29, 2023 3:13pm
- Matt Long
  
  They can win by staying out of political posturing.
  https://www.foxnews.com/media/kevin-oleary-target-pride-merch-decision-huge-mistake-losing-billions-market-value
  
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  May 29, 2023 11:31am
  - All_on_Red
    
    The Groomers at Disney have lost a third of their wealth in the past 14 mnths- and the hits keep coming. No Special District anymore.
    Anheuser Busch ain’t so flash either. The boycott has spread to their other products.
    Say, Cancel Culture really works eh.
    Lol
    
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    May 29, 2023 12:56pm
    - fightingtemeraire
      
      Target is in the Pooh as well.
      
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      May 29, 2023 1:26pm
      - Matt Long
        
        They should ask themselves, assuming they are a for profit business, responsible to shareholders, whether the custom of what looks like a mentally unstable female actor who could credibly be accused of child abuse, is a more profitable customer than a thousand times as many people who they offended by putting children’s trans clothing on prominent display.
        https://www.foxnews.com/media/twilight-actress-rachelle-lefevre-bring-non-binary-7-year-old-target-after-pride-displays-moved
        
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        May 29, 2023 2:57pm
- lifesgood
  
  What is it with the LBGTQI community? Why do they feel the need to talk about their sexuality constantly? It is boring and it is stupid and on top of that it only serves to alienate them. Do you hear heterosexuals screaming and shouting and proclaiming their sexuality All. The. Time? Good on the rugby union. As far as I’m concerned Ruby Tui is diminished by her actions. She may be a good rugby player but all I really know about her is she’s a tantrum throwing gay.
  
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  May 29, 2023 11:51am
- ClanMcleod
  
  I like Weetbix but it would have been taken off my shopping list if they had supported a political stunt. Because that is all this is.
  Ruby and friends aren’t discriminated against, they aren’t mandated against, they aren’t stopped from partaking in society, they don’t lose their jobs for their sexual choices.
  
  Remember all those punishments that were meted out to anyone refusing to take part in an experimental drug trial?
  
  Well done NZRFU and/or Sanitarium, whoever made this call deserves a bonus this month.
  
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  May 29, 2023 12:29pm
  - MCōs
    
    Ruby Tui didn’t commit any crimes.
    There are plenty of ABs who have not been convicted for all manner of assault due to their status.
    NZR has never had to grapple with gay ABs before
    Now Tui has kicked down the door.
    
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    May 29, 2023 1:39pm
    - ClanMcleod
      
      Ruby Tui demanded something from the people paying her wages and the bills. They declined to accede to that demand. She decided not to take part in their promotion.
      
      It’s a free world. Nobody said she had committed any crime? I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make.
      
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      May 29, 2023 3:17pm
      - MCōs
        
        My point is that a number of ABs have been given lenient treatment by the courts over the years and I bet their faces pop up on Wheet-Bix cards without even asking.
        Here’s an example
        Sevuloni Lasei Reece who is set to play on the international stage has been given a discharge without conviction for assaulting his girlfriend in a move that’s saved his career.
        There’s plenty of others.
        If there’s one thing you can’t accuse the NZR of it’s being hard on crime when it comes to their assets.
        
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        May 29, 2023 3:50pm
- Xquenda Choudhury
  
  Ruby Tui is a gay woman. She is not trans.
  
  I support the NZRU decision. However your comment simply reinforces the problematic conflation of gay people and trans people.
  
  An increasing number of lesbians want nothing to do with men masquerading as gay woimen.
  
  https://www.gettheloutuk.com/
  
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  May 29, 2023 1:05pm
  - ClanMcleod
    
    It’s surely logical if people do conflate them? Everywhere we look we are told the community is LGBTQ and whatever the latest letter or number is that they added to it.
    I don’t care if she is gay or trans, demanding that you display a flag which is making a political statement and has nothing to do with the sport or the sponsor’s products is inappropriate in my opinion.
    My comments are not ‘anti’ anybody or anything. But I’ll use my power as a consumer to choose what I will and won’t support.
    
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    May 29, 2023 2:52pm
Maggie Pie

“The foodie scene is amazeballs!”

– Tory Whanau. Mayor-of-Wellington

LOL!!!

https://captiongenerator.com/v/2289358/tory-whanau-learns-she-has-to-go-to-work
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May 29, 2023 11:44am
Ehlana

Heard on the radio this morning: “Te Whatu Ora and the Maori Health Agency”.

Why do we refer to the agency that looks after Maori health with an English name, but refer to the agency that looks after the health the 97% of us who are non-Maori speaking by a Maori name?

Shouldn’t it be the other way round – Health New Zealand and Te Aka Whai Ora?
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May 29, 2023 12:23pm
- ClanMcleod
  
  It should, but they’re trying to brainwash the 97%. Repeat shit often enough and imprint it on peoples’ brains.
  Not me, I’m in reverse mode. I used to use a few words from time to time to make a bit of an effort. Since this campaign began I studiously avoid a single reference to the language and will continue to do so.
  
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  May 29, 2023 12:33pm
Ghost

Since when is the mayor needed for a murder

Article

Wellington’s mayor Tory Whanau has apologised for skipping a regional forum, blaming an unexplained death of a man in council-owned housing.

Whanau was due at a meeting of the Wellington Region Mayoral Forum in Carterton earlier this month to discuss the Government’s stalled water reforms.

But she pulled out at short notice, citing the death overnight and infuriating other council leaders.

“She didn’t show up,” a source said. “She said there’s been a violent homicide in Wellington, and she might be required for media, so can’t come to Carterton. She didn’t phone in, and she didn’t Zoom.”
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May 29, 2023 12:37pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  She didn’t write, she didn’t call. Pretty soon I’ll be thinking that she doesn’t care.
  
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  May 29, 2023 1:02pm
  - slightlyrighty
    
    She’s a lightweight. Progressive Politics Personified.
    
    No Idea of what she has to do and why she has to do it. An empty headed figurehead, resplendant in Wokeness but lacking in any form of competence.
    
    She needs to go.
    
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    May 29, 2023 1:26pm
- mandk
  
  “She said there’s been a violent homicide in Wellington, and she might be required for media …”
  
  Looks like Whanau might share Ardern’s predilection for grief porn.
  
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  May 29, 2023 1:14pm
- Prince
  
  Mayors and MP’s are a vital part of any event these day, accompanied by their nodding hangers-on in the background.
  Makes them feel important.
  
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  May 29, 2023 3:30pm
- rouppe
  
  The other comment about her not being “a detail person” shows she is a lightweight who is just interested in her pet ideology. Cycleways, banning cars, removing parking and looking good for the papers.
  
  Definitely not there to be mayor for all wellingtonians.
  
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  May 29, 2023 7:26pm
cmm

Today the police had a funeral for their popular comrade Bruce Lamb.

This was followed soon after by scum gang members doing a “big ride” through Burnside. I wonder whether these are related and the gangs were doing this to reassert their position in society.
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May 29, 2023 12:40pm
- In Vino Veritas
  
  Good Ashburton lad and a great bloke. Vale Bruce.
  
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  May 29, 2023 12:56pm
- cmm
  
  Hey downticker, let me repeat for you: gangs are scum.
  
  If I had my way, the benefit would be administered through an app like Tinder.
  
  People wanting the benefit would apply and would make their case as to why they are deserving etc.
  Nett taxpayers then get x turns to swipe left or swipe right (x depending on the amount of tax they pay).
  
  Thus, if people want to get the benefit, someone would effectively have to volunteer to “sponsor” them.
  
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  May 29, 2023 1:50pm
  - kowtow
    
    This was Dunedin last week.
    
    Appalling .
    
    ‘Members of the Mongrel Mob led a funeral procession from St Clair around Dunedin city yesterday.About 40 vehicles, including at least one with its registration number taped over, were involved.’
    
    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/paying-their-respects
    
    See the footage and tell me there isn’t a really serious problem in New Zealand with organised crime allowed to literally parade through a city , with police assisitng .
    
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    May 29, 2023 2:56pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      And we’ve just had one along Wainui Rd (aka SH 35) ay 1:15pm.
      
      Mob Folks hanging out of car windows taking phone videos… Folks seated in tray of Utes…. and travelling at speed through residential zone…. Not a cop in sight.
      
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      May 29, 2023 3:25pm
      - Prince
        
        Disgraceful.
        Why were the Police not accompanying the thugs, as they did in Dunedin.
        
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        May 29, 2023 3:28pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Politicians meddle in the markets at their peril.

Vlad:

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Finlands-Electricity-Prices-Fall-Below-Zero.html

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Natural-Gas-Prices-Could-Fall-Below-Zero-In-Parts-Of-Europe.html

And who can forget MBS, who single-handedly incited the US into fracking the Permian. Well done, that climate criminal!
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May 29, 2023 1:01pm
Maggie Pie

From the ‘NZ HERALD’ 28 May 2023.

“Phillip Schofield scandal:
Age of ‘much younger’ man revealed
and claims ITV knew of affair years ago.”

I’ve actually been following this sick saga on Twitter since last year.

As you all know I hate gossip, but thort this sharing with the group…

https://twitter.com/UnityNewsNet/status/1662155764054491137
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May 29, 2023 1:08pm
- Ghost
  
  It appears the affair started when he was of legal age.
  
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  May 29, 2023 1:12pm
  - Maggie Pie
    
    Certainly doesn’t ‘appear’ that way to NewShub….
    
    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2023/05/age-of-young-itv-employee-phillip-schofield-had-affair-with-revealed.html
    
    Just saying.
    
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    May 29, 2023 1:51pm
    - Ghost
      
      The affair started some time after he got given the job at 18 years old, so he was legal. Only questions really are did he feel pressured into the relationship or was it completely consensual
      
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      May 29, 2023 2:12pm
      - ClanMcleod
        
        Ghost – I’m not being rude, but you have no idea when they started a sexual relationship. Nor do I obviously.
        You’re making a statement as if it is a fact. It isn’t. It’s what somebody has put in the newspaper, presumably it is what Schofield told them. As the saying goes, “he would say that.”
        
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        May 29, 2023 3:21pm
      - Ghost
        
        You do know the time line and you know it from Philips own press release, that the affair started when he started working on the show, which was after he turned 19.
        
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        May 29, 2023 3:37pm
  - Libertarians are right
    
    That’s completely irrelevant. If he groomed the kid in preparation for when he turned 18 Schofield will still be scum. Not sure of the UK grooming laws regarding the legality of what he may have done though.
    
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    May 29, 2023 2:34pm
    - Ghost
      
      There is no evidence he groomed Matthew, no one knows what has taken place because Matthew hasn’t spoken up. The photo Maggie has linked to in twitter was when Philip visited the theatre group Matthew was a member of and Philip was the patron off. In 2014 at 18 years old Matthew visited the set of good morning. At 19 years old he worked for 3 weeks as a runner and interviewed Philip. At 20 years old he moved to London and got a job on good morning. It also appears from some accounts Phillip came out as gay because Matthew was selling his story to the media. Until he speaks no one has any idea what actually went on
      
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      May 29, 2023 2:58pm
      - Libertarians are right
        
        Which is why I wrote “If”.
        My point was simply that “he was 18” doesn’t absolve Schofield “if” he worked on him before he was 18.
        
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        May 29, 2023 4:28pm
  - ClanMcleod
    
    ‘appears’ – as the Tui ad goes. Yeah right….
    Schofield was apparently approached by the boy when he was 15 and asked about a job. Schofield organised the job for him when he was 18.
    
    Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck. But nothing of concern here clearly.
    
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    May 29, 2023 3:02pm
    - Ghost
      
      So without the other persons story are you prepared to come to a conclusion on what the truth is? I’m not, I’d rather wait and hear the evidence
      
      I should add I have had friends who have pursed much older partners in school and even lied about their ages to purse someone.
      
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      May 29, 2023 3:11pm
      - ClanMcleod
        
        Ghost – I do agree with you. I’ve replied to another of your comments and stated that none of us know. But you repeated a statement from the newspaper as fact, when, as you’ve pointed out, nobody knows.
        
        Unless the other party decides to speak out that’s the way it will stay. But it certainly has a very bad smell to it. I know that isn’t ‘fair’ but that’s how it goes. Perception.
        A bit like people who thought Ardern was ‘kind and caring’ and a ‘great leader’. Though how they fell for that is beyond me.
        I’m presuming Schofield will quietly retire and hoping the young person involved can get on with their life in a similar fashion.
        
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        May 29, 2023 3:25pm
      - Ghost
        
        Actually clan what we know is he got the job working on good morning when he was 19
        
        Here is Philips press release
        
        Philip Schofield’s statement read, “At This Morning, I did have a mutually agreeable on-and-off relationship with a younger male coworker. Contrary to popular belief, although I was requested to assist the man in getting into television when we first met as teenagers, it was when he began working on the show that our relationship developed into something more. Although it was unwise, that relationship was legal.”
        
        So in Philips own words the affair began when he started working on the show, and he was 19 when he got the job.
        
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        May 29, 2023 3:40pm
      - Mike
        
        Being fair-minded is not the usual Kiwiblog approach, Ghost. The way it works is supposed to be:
        1. Evaluate individual X based on appearance/ethnicity/politics/gender/occupation/age/nationality etc.
        2. Assign status of ‘good’ or ”bad’ to X based on result of evaluation at 1 above.
        3. If X has status of ‘good’ reports, rumors or insinuations are false.
        4. If X has status of ‘bad’ reports, rumors or insinuations are true.
        
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        May 29, 2023 3:29pm
- Maggie Pie
  
  Probably doesn’t mean anything …butt this from 14 years ago 🙁
  
  https://twitter.com/yellowcommando/status/1662435202600148992
  
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  May 29, 2023 3:34pm
Dougal10

McAnulty claims emergency test a success , Here in a good coverage area it was 50% with 2 of 4 phones beeping , about 10 minutes later one of the 2 did it again , was this emergency management fudging the numbers bringing it up to 75% . Sounds like the covid vax fiasco where no one knows any real numbers so they just fudge the truth.
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May 29, 2023 1:11pm
- Flossie
  
  I wanted to let someone know – only one of the phones in our house squeaked. The other, with a different provider, was silent. It was neither outside the coverage area, nor switched off. Didn’t know who to call.
  
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  May 29, 2023 2:06pm
- Burtland
  
  feedback
  
  https://consultation.nema.govt.nz/nema-communications/ema-feedback/consultation/intro/
  
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  May 29, 2023 2:45pm
Sparrow

Came across this morning a disgusting missuse of taxpayers (our) money. A small business applied for money to repair buiding damage caused by the recent weather happenings. Recieved the amount which just covered the costs from the fund which had been set up by the government. All fine. Then just recieved an email from this fund giving them more money. They never asked for it don’t need it but this government agency is simply giving away our money. Presumably there is a load of unspent money in their budget so instead of returning it to government coffers to hopefully make better use of it they chuck it around. Unbelievable. Yes the business kept the unasked for money. I expect everybody is keeping this free money.
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May 29, 2023 1:17pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Where are those anti roading protesters when you really want them.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/wellington/132167043/wellingtons-weekend-flash-flood-pretty-nasty-but-no-longterm-fix-in-sight
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May 29, 2023 1:26pm
Ghost

We’ve had cases down here where some low life has gone onto peoples properties and stripped their fruit trees clean. Also going in and stripping peoples vegetable gardens. One pension cut his fruit trees out after it happening a second year in a row, poor guy said if they had of asked he would have given them some.

Kiwis are on the fence about whether it’s right to steal an orange from a branch on someone’s property with people saying “shaming people” is wrong and others questioning what the “world has come to”.

A person posted a photo of a woman onto the Greenhithe Community Group on Facebook showing her allegedly stealing an orange.

The post was captioned: “Shame on you, entering Meadows Gold retirement village off of Waipuia Place and stealing an orange off my tree, lovingly natured to ripeness”.

Article
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May 29, 2023 1:57pm
- Keith White
  
  We need to deploy some of these
  
  https://alienanthology.fandom.com/wiki/UA_571-C_Sentry_Gun
  (Mod: link goes to a description of the Sentry Guns from ‘Aliens’)
  
  They could be loaded with rubber bullets
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tqSIpr0T0w
  (Mod: this link goes to that rockin’ song)
  
  Can I gets me some Callaghan Innovation funding?
  
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  May 29, 2023 2:06pm
- miltonF
  
  Meh. Nothing to see here. Just some virtuous hero redistributing goods from some rich elderly pensioners to the poor who are in much more need. Same thing the govt does every day. We should be praising the efficient work of these thieves. They’ve eliminated the middle man and admin costs.
  
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  May 29, 2023 6:26pm
Swifty

Our political class have totally failed our country.

The cat is truly out of the bag and there’s no way it will be returned to the bag without massive division, malice and conflict.

Let’s just hope it won’t involve physical conflict, but I cannot rule that out as a possibility in our future.

Lawyers now to be subject to the ‘principles’ of the Treaty. Not the actual Articles, you’ll note, but the amorphous and ever-changing principles.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cbtRpOuM1zI&pp=QAFIAQ%3D%3D

They’ll be coming for private companies next.

And then private individuals.

Just like rust, they will not stop.
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May 29, 2023 2:22pm
- Inandout
  
  Swifty, the day will come when those swearing an affidavit in the Courthouse will be offered Bible, Affirmation or Treaty.
  
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  May 29, 2023 2:46pm
- kowtow
  
  It hasn’t happened yet .
  But will be very interesting to see the outcome.
  
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  May 29, 2023 3:36pm
cmm

Police accept a higher risk of pursuit deaths. Really?

Pursuits do increase the chance of criminals dying, but they get them off the road sooner reducing the chance of good, law abiding people dying.

Not everyone’s lives have the same value and if more crims choose to die then so be it. If more crims die to increase the safety of law abiding people then that sounds like a win to me.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/police-pursuits-fleeing-drivers-commissioner-andrew-coster-on-death-risk-increase-after-policy-revision/VAP4LN4TKFEKRPWYB5KL26X5NA/
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May 29, 2023 2:44pm
- Keith White
  
  I’d be in favour of Predator Drones to be deployed for those doing a runner and putting the innocent on roads at footpaths at immediate and deadly risk; but NZ police marksmanship is appalling even by international standards.
  
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  May 29, 2023 3:23pm
kowtow

Oh dear , how sad , never mind.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/mama-hooch-rapist-assaulted-jail
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May 29, 2023 2:57pm
Maggie Pie

“Mama Hooch rapist assaulted in prison”

Check out this hit-piece from HORRID reporter Anna Leask.

https://nzherald.co.nz/author/anna-leask

Now why they would need to include a totally irrelevant pic of JK…..standing behind the bar with his arms around the brothers shows just how low this rag is prepared to stoop.
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May 29, 2023 3:07pm
- Ghost
  
  Vile political hit job
  
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  May 29, 2023 3:16pm
  - Maggie Pie
    
    Obviously milkey doesn’t think so 😀 😀 😀
    
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    May 29, 2023 3:39pm
    - Keith White
      
      You could have stopped at “Milkey Doesn’t Think.”
      
      Just sayin’.
      
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      May 29, 2023 3:56pm
- Blog-aholic
  
  Yes I too thought the phot of Key was unnecessary. It added nothing relevant to the article and was thus just a hit job.
  
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  May 29, 2023 3:42pm
- ClanMcleod
  
  The media in this country really are scum aren’t they?
  
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  May 29, 2023 4:03pm
  - Keith White
    
    I’m going to be pedantic here.
    
    Scum, are on top.
    
    I’d rather nominate them as analogues to dregs of the products of excretion, that sink to the bottom of the cesspool.
    
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    May 29, 2023 4:08pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      Sludge –
      dregs of the products of excretion, at the bottom of the cesspool.
      
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      May 29, 2023 8:12pm
- MCōs
  
  There is no photo of JK with the Jaz bros that I can see.
  
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  May 29, 2023 7:17pm
  - Ghost
    
    Photo is in the middle of the article
    
    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/catching-the-mama-hooch-monsters-inside-the-police-investigation-to-snare-two-predatory-rapists/3QHOFPSB6BA5PAPQQH6I3FHLVI/
    
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    May 29, 2023 7:22pm
    - MCōs
      
      Different article to that which I commented on.
      
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      May 29, 2023 7:33pm
Keith White

There are probably rather few people interested in this post, so, you know, feel free to move on 🙂

Since my child was damaged by the mandated vaccine, since I was locked out of my own country, since my wife has denied the opportunity to visit and hug her dying father before he died, and since I lost my registration with the New Zealand Medical Council because I didn’t agree with the trashing of the Nuremberg Code, the Geneva Code, the Doctrine of Informed Consent, the Doctrine of Do No Harm, and sundry other stuff…

… I have been looking for ways to hold those responsible for this debacle to account, in the public arena, and under the visibility of honest scientific review and appropriate legal sanctions, including but not limited entirely to, the New Zealand Bill of Rights. (Which Justice Cook drove a truck through, but that’s another posting entirely).

For what it’s worth (and it is actually worth quite a bit of money in an unhelpful context, because I’ve paid quite a bit of money to a lawyer who did due diligence, researched faithfully, and told me there was no likely outcome of a successful suit against any New Zealand doctor, Parliamentarian, Pompous Bullshitter from the Podium of Truth, or any other public servant involved in this malfeasance – not just because they could afford to defend everything that we attack them with with taxpayers money, but because of the accident compensation legislation which means they could never be held professionally or personally liable…) we do not have as far as I know, any likely angle of attack, so to speak.

The only weak, terminally-glimmering, potential solution is to nominate a particular doctor (such as, oh I don’t know, a Ministry of Health factotum/spokesgerbil, a Minister of Health spokeswombat, or some other person who has a professional NZ Medical Practicing Certificate) as needing to be sanctioned by the New Zealand Medical Council, because they are / have been in breach of the standards of the NZ Medical Council which are required to be abided by, for all New Zealand doctors.

(I’m going to pause now, while you laugh at my optimism and naivete).

Well yes, that got shot down in flames quite promptly, because, the New Zealand Medical Council is solely in charge of deciding who they don’t like and who they will prosecute.

IYKWIMAITYD.
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May 29, 2023 4:07pm
- Mike
  
  Holding a government to account is very difficult for any individual, even one that has suffered an actual injustice of some kind.
  In a democracy, however, it is possible to mobilize group support for change. I would expect, if your account is correct, that your situation is far from unique. The difficulty of persuading those of similar opinion to act in concert should not be underestimate, though it might still be an easier task than pursuing your specific case.
  
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  May 29, 2023 4:24pm
  - Keith White
    
    Mikey. Anything I have to say to your fatuous, condescending, oblivious reply would be promptl mod-redacted. So, you know, just go do your thing. Whatever.
    
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    May 29, 2023 4:47pm
    - Mike
      
      I just think you should face the fact that, as the Americans say, you can’t fight City Hall, and that, realistically, less than 1% of likely voters share your beliefs.
      In thinking about this further, your best chance is for a guru/conman/visionary figure to appear with the necessary persuasive powers to appeal to a much wider audience than you and your fellow victims.
      
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      May 29, 2023 5:18pm
      - ClanMcleod
        
        You do come out with some astonishing nonsense.
        
        less than 1% of likely voters share your beliefs.
        
        Now I understand why you don’t engage very often, you pull numbers out of your arse and try and sound like you’re being rational.
        
        15 months ago, 30% of NZers surveyed said they supported the protesters in Wellington. In the intervening time, many more have come to realise they were lied to and that they were conned into taking part in an experiment. There are quite a lot of angry people in this country.
        
        What makes you think only 1% share Keith’s beliefs? You need to understand, your circle jerk friends are not representative of the whole country.
        
        Have a listen to 3 NZ midwives talking to Paul Brennan re their experiences during covid. These are real people, on the frontline. This is the truth of what has been happening.
        
        https://realitycheck.radio/anne-sharplin-melanie-levinson-sarah-gilbertson-on-the-mandates-the-current-state-of-midwifery-in-nz/
        
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        May 29, 2023 5:35pm
  - RightNow
    
    For what it’s worth, I, and many of my friends, will never forget and never forgive what was done. We’re with you even if we aren’t prepared to put our heads above the parapet, so to speak.
    It’s chilling to know that NZ can and will turn totalitarian just like that. People who once were friends turned against us. Our government went to war against us. It even caused rifts within our families.
    I have nothing but contempt for all those who supported vaccine mandates.
    I was fortunate to be able to hold off until Novavax so I didn’t have to take the mrna poison.
    Since that sickening time I have been preparing for my eventual emigration from NZ, taking my family with me.
    NZ I think is becoming intolerable for critical thinkers.
    
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    May 29, 2023 7:20pm
- ClanMcleod
  
  I applaud you’re efforts. We need to never forget what has happened, even though there are a number of commenters on KB who find criticism of National and Act to be tiresome and that we should just move on.
  
  I certainly won’t be ‘moving on’ until there is, at the very least, an acknowledgment that harms were done and there will be measures put in place to ensure it never happens again.
  
  Act in particular, are doubling down on the garbage that we were subjected to. They talk about whether we were too slow to shut down, didn’t test enough, didn’t contact trace enough.
  
  It’s as if none of them have been following the actual news, that the tests are utterly unreliable and that Act’s policy, which they still think was a good one, of businesses being able to choose whether to discriminate or not depending on vaccination status was completely nonsensical.
  
  Apart from the fact that it’s medical apartheid, they must surely know now that the jabs prevent neither transmission or infection?
  If someone is vaccinated they could be infected, if you let them into a crowded space you potentially have a superspreader event. What part of this have the Act people not understood? Discrimination is discrimination. Medical discrimination is not excluded.
  
  Why would they still think it’s ok to ban people from partaking in society based on a vaccination that does nothing to stop spread, or using tests that don’t work? Or keeping electronic tabs on people who may or may not be infected whether they are vaccinated or not?
  
  I truly despair, the one party I thought would be all over this, either can’t or won’t see the plain truth that is right in front of them? If they are this incompetent then I can’t give them my vote.
  If they are deliberately refusing to acknowledge these things then that is as bad or worse.
  
  It’s one or the other. Because the facts are in, every part of it was a disaster. EVERY SINGLE ASPECT. Vaccines, fail. Testing, fail. Lockdowns, fail. Border closures, fail. MIQ, fail.
  
  What is left to defend about the response?
  
  I’m now hoping for anyone in politics to be the first to say enough is enough. The country made many horrendous mistakes. We need to have a thorough investigation, not the watered down, totally restricted royal commission that has been advocated. The terms of reference make it a complete sham.
  
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  May 29, 2023 4:46pm
  - Keith White
    
    Both the NZ Ministry of Health and the NZ Medical Council still tell me that vaccination prevents WuFlu transmission and also yay! Long Covid.
    
    I’m not entirely sure that they actually believe that, or that they are putting that out there for the serfs who may otherwise one fine day march upon the (metaphorical) castle with (metaphorical) torches and pitchforks (classical Frankenstein illusion) because they took the jab-risk and got the jab-damage without the fraudulent and non-existent jab-protection.
    
    However, I can assure y’all (with the exception of Mikey, who simply hasn’t got contact with quantum reality) that the New Zealand Medical Council completely, consistently, entirely and irrefutably declines to engage with any organic life-form who wants to come to their physical address in Wellington and have a face-to-face discussion with them – in a kind and loving way. Of course.
    
    The lawyer I have spoken to about this sort of thing, tells me that if I want to waste my money trying to get them to engage with me, I am welcome to do so, but she’s warned me, I’d probably be better off financially speaking, buying Lotto tickets.
    
    (In matters like this, I always find it useful to talk to people who don’t have a direct “dog in the fight” as that helpful American expression has it).
    
    Plus. Someone far far far wiser than me once said, “reality is that thing that if you ignore it, doesn’t go away”.
    
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    May 29, 2023 4:58pm
    - ClanMcleod
      
      Keith – I think we will have to wait, natural justice will come.
      
      The number of people starting to understand the extent of the disaster of the last 3 years is definitely on the rise. The truth can’t be hidden forever, and the more people realise they were lied to re pretty much every aspect of covid, that they were experimented on, the sooner people will demand real action and accountability.
      
      But as for the future, the only way forward will mean shredding the current institutions who bear primary responsibility for this nightmare. We need to build all over again. If we can’t rebuild the existing then we need to build our own networks apart from the ‘official’ ones.
      
      That’s the track I’m currently taking, it’s helping maintain my sanity. Building networks, growing food, taking as little to do with the ‘normal’ systems as is physically possible.
      The world of the last 3 years is not a world I want to be part of.
      
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      May 29, 2023 5:29pm
      - Keith White
        
        Agreed. The truth cannot be hidden forever, but the truth cannot also be leveraged unless one has a grasp of the levers of power (excuse me torturing that metaphor well beyond what it should have been).
        
        Having a pessimistic evening, so I don’t believe that we going to see any real changes unless there is a sufficiently hypertensive group of fathers, parents and siblings who take positive actions at the upcoming election. And by positive, I mean “naming and shaming”. This includes (obviously), candidates from all parliamentary parties, because they were all complicit with the lockdowns, the mandates, and the border restrictions.
        
        ACT. Labour. National. Greens. Melanins.
        
        All of you, without exception, voted to imprison New Zealanders in their everyday environment, and prevent New Zealanders from coming back to their country from overseas.
        
        You can rationalise your votes in support of the Ardern endlösung…
        
        …but that does not oblige any of those whom your diktats affected, to accept your rationalisation.
        
        Shame be upon you.
        
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        May 29, 2023 8:22pm
  - Dougal10
    
    Seymour is trying to get back to his party of 1 mp .
    
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    May 29, 2023 8:41pm
- Keith White
  
  Dear downtickers: I sympathise with you. It’s tough dealing with reality. Much better stay in momma’s basement, especially if she is on multiple benefits and not having to account for having bred you but still gets money from the productive part of the population, because somehow, you ended up being a physical zygote. Nature abhors a vacuum, but she does have to accept a nullity. And there it is.
  
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  May 29, 2023 4:48pm
- ClanMcleod
  
  RFK Jr calling it like it is.
  
  “It took them 22,000 vaccines to prevent one death. And if you’re going to give 22,000 vaccines to prevent one COVID death you better make sure that the vaccine is safe and the vaccine is not killing people…In Pfizer’s clinical trial the vaccine group had a 23% greater death rate from all-causes than in the placebo group. It was a product that should have never been approved, much less mandated.”
  
  https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/1662051461352632324?s=20
  
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  May 29, 2023 4:56pm
  - kevn
    
    @Clan… Plenty of thinking people who are onto the whole caper.
    https://preview.mailerlite.com/t2a0x8k7p5/2223796868339473320/a2v7/
    
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    May 29, 2023 5:12pm
- artemisia
  
  Take the points about ACC and the Medical Council. Wondered if the mandate issues may be more fruitful. There have been some court cases already. Is the MC covid mandate still in place?
  
  Could questions be put to the Medical Council about the process and data they used to set the mandates, and also remove them (if they have lapsed)? Not sure but I don’t think the MC comes under the Official Information Act but it will come under the Privacy Act. Since their policies impacted you, worth checking whether they have to release them to you, along with *any* info regarding your personal situation.
  
  Anything in the Oz class action that helps?
  
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  May 29, 2023 5:25pm
  - Keith White
    
    Of course, as always, don’t believe anything you read on the Internet, as Abraham Lincoln famously has restated on his blog – and that said:.
    
    Zero of my polite, reasoned, carefully curated submissions to the Medical Council as far back as 2019 have received any response other than “you are wrong, go away” – I admit I am paraphrasing, but that is exactly what they said).
    
    From their point of view, I absolutely understand it.
    
    I’m just one person.
    
    They have no need to account to me.
    
    And since they have already nixxed my practising certificate, they have no need to worry.
    
    Unless and until, peasants, pitchforks, castle analogy.
    
    But, and I think they are correct based on the people I speak to in my community, the New Zealand populace will never rise to that level of indignation.
    
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    May 29, 2023 5:43pm
    - artemisia
      
      There is still the Privacy Act and that is very wide. Suggest make a face to face appointment with their office to work through making a personal request to any organisation, about policy and process followed in your case. Your tax dollars at work.
      
      Depends what info comes back, but never know what could emerge.
      
      Health and Disability Commissioner?
      
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      May 29, 2023 6:08pm
      - Keith White
        
        At the time of writing, neither the Medical Council nor the Ministry of Health will accept any face-to-face appointments.
        
        Of course, there is always the option of turning up in person on the date defined, at the time defined.
        
        Ask me how I know 🙂 Or not,. Doesn’t matter to me.
        
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        May 29, 2023 6:55pm
      - artemisia
        
        Was meaning face to face with the Privacy Commissioner’s office.
        
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        May 29, 2023 7:21pm
    - kevn
      
      @Keith… Seems to me there is a low threshold with a ‘just collateral damage, move on’ mindset.
      Driven by MOH who hold the cards at this time.
      
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      May 29, 2023 6:42pm
      - Keith White
        
        I agree, they are trying to limit consequences, without any appropriate understanding of how many people are energised against them.
        
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        May 29, 2023 6:53pm
  - Keith White
    
    Thank you for the suggestions artemisia.
    
    As mentioned, I have previously tasked and paid a very good lawyer (IMO) to comment on what could work, and could not work (IHO). Given that she is entirely dispassionate, I tend to trust her because she doesn’t have “a dog in this fight” – as the Americans would say. Well, they would, if they were ‘flyover’ Americans.
    
    That’s stipulated, it doesn’t mean that I’m gonna take good legal advice and settle down – because I don’t want to take her advice even though it is logical, well reasoned, and entirely situationally correct.
    
    If you’re a father, and you have a daughter crippled by the vaccine mandate, you’ll probably agree.
    
    If you aren’t, and you don’t, then whatever. I do not care to engage with you.
    
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    May 29, 2023 8:16pm
kevn

@Keith… Tell it like it is. Good on you.
In NZ we give/gave them a gong and accolades.
A dark time in our history with more to come.
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May 29, 2023 4:29pm
Maggie Pie

“Was it them again, Yogi?….. “It’s always them Boo Boo”

I know my partner’s mum has always had a wet spot for Winnie…. she reckons he’s the only one that truly stands up for oldies 🙁

https://twitter.com/winstonpeters/status/1663025225129414656
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May 29, 2023 4:30pm
- mandk
  
  Peters only truly stands up for himself; he only pretends to stand up for others in order to gain popularity.
  
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  May 29, 2023 4:48pm
  - Mike
    
    He has actually delivered things for the oldies – even though they were already NZ’s most coddled beneficiaries.
    
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    May 29, 2023 5:07pm
    - Keith White
      
      So, we are to assume Mikey, that you don’t think people who have worked and delivered in excess of taxes compared to benefits they received over their working lifetimes, should get paid back some form of return on investment in their old age?
      
      It must really suck to be you. Can you not see any good in anybody?
      
      And why am I asking this rhetorical question of an internet troll. I hereby denounce myself, and will report to my local Soma clinic for more effective medication.
      
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      May 29, 2023 5:34pm
    - kevn
      
      @milkk… ‘He’ (winnie) is a ‘they’.
      The old us/them stance. Does you proud.
      
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      May 29, 2023 6:44pm
    - mandk
      
      I’ll give him that; he visited Jacinda Ardern upon them and saddled them with the burden of inflation.
      
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      May 29, 2023 6:57pm
- Keith White
  
  He probably does stand up for oldies, but not in a way that we should contemplate for fear of needing copious amounts of mindbleach, Maggie.
  
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  May 29, 2023 4:50pm
  - Keith White
    
    Eff off all over again, downtickers. If you support Winston Peters after he foisted Ardern & Co. upon us Kiwis, then unless you are actually mindless in the psychiatric sense (in which case you are absolved of responsibility), you are one of the reasons our country is in dire, irremediable straits.
    
    [One of the blog rules which allows us to delete posts is telling others to fo. Just a warning (Applies to other posters as well). mod.]
    
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    May 29, 2023 8:04pm
- RightNow
  
  I never thought it would happen but I’m seriously thinking of voting for NZ First.
  Winston resonates with me.
  
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  May 29, 2023 7:23pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Read up on your Winston history, and reconsider
    
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    May 29, 2023 8:11pm
  - RightNow
    
    I was planning to vote for Democracy NZ but that would be a wasted vote.
    I can’t bring myself to vote for Seymour due to his pro vax mandate stance and the same for National with Get Boosted Bishop.
    It was seeing Rodney Hide in the house taking Winston to task that first inspired me to take a bigger interest in NZ politics, so yes I do know the history.
    It’s a dilemma
    
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    May 29, 2023 10:35pm
Jack5

Immigration blamed for surge in house rents in Britain …

Record immigration has driven up rents by 8 per cent, reports the Telegraph.

It says a huge number of people moving into the rental market from overseas was behind the bulk of the record rent growth recorded across the UK over the last year, analysis shows.

Imogen Pattison, of Capital Economics, said net immigration had led to new demand for an extra 205,000 rental homes.

Meanwhile Home Office data shows up to 12,800 Albanians who entered the UK illegally have broken their bail conditions.

The authorities know that last year more than 12,300 Albanians entered Britain illegally by small boats last year or by hiding in cross-channel ferries, or in trucks, or cars carried on these ships.

Many of those caught have been released on bail on condition they wear electronic ankle bracelets, but sites on the TikTok internet video hosting site have offered help in removing them.
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May 29, 2023 4:47pm
- Keith White
  
  Gosh. You mean unlimited immigration to ensure we have access to every type of ethnic food we want, could come with a downside? Say it ain’t so!
  
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  May 29, 2023 4:49pm
  - Keith White
    
    [Mod – just ignore the the down ticker]
    
    Just refresh yer internet history on what is actually happening in the ChiCom Uighur concentration camps, and try and get yourselves a bit of self-respect back in view of the worst and most genocidal Communist regimes in modern history.
    
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    May 29, 2023 6:49pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  “TikTok internet video hosting site have offered help in removing them.”
  
  As much as I dislike TickTok, I think it’s inaccurate to state that “TikTok” per se, is offering help to remove ankle bracelets. People on TikTok are, yes.
  TikTok itself? No.
  Is the phone company or the electricity lines company offering help in selling drugs? Do drug sellers use these facilities?
  
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  May 29, 2023 5:02pm
- Mike
  
  What % of UK immigration is estimated to be illegal or asylum seekers?
  NZ is fortunate that only a very small proportion of our immigrants are asylum seekers or overstayers. We compensate for this trickle by having the largest, per capita, planned immigration program in the OECD.
  
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  May 29, 2023 5:11pm
  - Keith White
    
    The people who are planning our immigration, are the same people who want to secure themselves votes in the future, while at the same time, overriding the fundamental securities and safety of the next generation.
    
    Go ahead, prove me wrong. You can’t, because – Mogadishu in Minnesota.
    
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    May 29, 2023 9:05pm
kevn

@Jack5… The Chinese must love how TikTok gives them a window to the west. Then supplying the ‘tools’ for dismantling from within.
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May 29, 2023 4:58pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  Meanwhile, the uber-brainless crap that is peddled on western TikTok is banned in chynah.
  
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  May 29, 2023 5:04pm
  - Mike
    
    Is that an anti-TikTok, or a pro-China view?
    
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    May 29, 2023 5:21pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      See if you can work it out.
      
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      May 29, 2023 7:02pm
- Mike
  
  One of the US states is purporting to ban Tiktok.
  
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  May 29, 2023 5:05pm
  - Keith White
    
    Did you have a point to make Mikey?
    
    No, of course you did not.
    
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    May 29, 2023 6:45pm
    - Mike
      
      Yes, but not one you seem willing to appreciate. I’ll explain for you:
      Banning specific apps could only be done within a controlled information environment. The US military can, and does, ban specific apps and technologies where it can control locations and people. NZ government agencies could do the same and may perhaps have done so. Kiwibloggers might recall DPF’s pleas on behalf of Huawei when GCSB blacklisted its technology.
      Those cases are far removed from a democratic polity telling its citizens which apps its citizens may install. Montana is purporting to do so but is unlikely to succeed for reasons too obvious to need further explanation, even here.
      
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      May 29, 2023 7:17pm
      - Keith White
        
        In that narrow perspective, you are entirely correct.
        
        I do not appreciate your faux-concern. You are mindlessly, thoughtlessly, inappropriately, entirely out of contact with reality.
        
        Hopefully, that was sufficiently non-nuanced for you to understand how far outside of the mainstream you are with your witless verbiage Mikey.
        
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        May 29, 2023 8:07pm
      - Mike
        
        I feel a little bit sorry for those misanthropes who discover Kiwiblog and assume, from the prevailing tone of the comments, that they are part of something more than a niche discourse. Particularly sad are those who come to believe that their fringe positions on medicine, gender, race, politics, justice, and so forth are somehow shared by most people, despite ample evidence from polling and voting that this is very far from the case.
        
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        May 30, 2023 7:13am
- Keith White
  
  The Chinese Communist Party are not stupid.
  
  They are not moral, ethical, and anything else, but they are absolutely not stupid.
  
  I lived and worked in mainland China for a number of years, and it’s all about subjugating the barbarians. Not at a “I meet your as a person and say hello” level, but at a Party level.
  
  Come to think of it, that is exactly the New Zealand Labour and Maori parties.
  
  The Green party, they never meet anybody in the street. They’re too busy signalling-virtue from their virtue-signalling position from their Waiheke Island or Parnell location.
  
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  May 29, 2023 5:38pm
Maggie Pie

Just on the 3rd Chablis befoer we head outside for a Spa 😛

Recall me posting how much i hate peoplel who don’t bring their bins in?
Lookz like I’m not the only one… OMG chek out the comments!

https://twitter.com/NoContextBrits/status/1662819970433122305
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May 29, 2023 7:28pm
- Keith White
  
  Chablis is insufficiently therapeutically active.
  
  Even Chardonnay lacks appropriate potency in that environment.
  
  In that context, I really think you need to go full Shiraz.
  
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  May 29, 2023 8:09pm
  - Maggie Pie
    
    sound like my partner!
    Luvs his big aussie shirazs…was jhalf way thru a bot of velvet glove and i made him put the cap back on! 😀
    
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    May 29, 2023 8:40pm
Jack5

Stuff rolls out a piece by a Massey academic as it snipes at National MP Simeon Brown’s concern about Maori activists’ drive for bilingual road signs in NZ.

Richard Shaw quotes the NZ Transport Agency as saying:

” ….. bilingual traffic signs can both improve safety and respond to cultural aspirations.”

AND

“In regions of Aotearoa New Zealand where people of Maori descent are over-represented in vehicle crash statistics, or where they represent a large proportion of the local population, bilingual traffic signage may impart benefits in terms of reducing harm on our road network.”

No evidence offered, none, whether Maori people have any problem with road signs in English, and whether these have been proved to cause accidents.

Shaw brings in the Treaty of Waitangi, as if the parties to that had magical foresight of motor-road networks.

Without offering details of the source and its method, Shaw says that 56 per cent of New Zealanders think “(road) signage should be in both te reo Maori and English”. Take that statement with a shipload of salt.

Shaw also makes this statement:

“ChatGPT also suggests that by providing information about speed limits, directions and warnings, bilingual traffic signs ‘accommodate diverse communities and promote road safety for all drivers’.”

Again, no ultimate source.

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot, of which its “Wikipedia” entry notes, “a notable drawback has been its tendency to confidently provide inaccurate information.”

Richard Shaw, Massey professor in politics, is an in-house product of the university: from Bachelor of Social Work up to Ph.D. His blurb on the Massey web site includes that he teaches “Turangawaewae: Identity and Belonging in Aotearoa New Zealand, one of the core first year papers in the BA.”

The online Maori dictionary translates turangawaewae as “domicile, standing, place where one has the right to stand – place where one has rights of residence and belonging through kinship and whakapapa.”

With the General Election 138 days away, expect more Stuff attacks on National.
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May 29, 2023 8:23pm
- Keith White
  
  “Objective evidence be rayciss” sez all the racists.
  
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  May 29, 2023 9:00pm
- Chris Nisbet
  
  National apparently have no issue with bilingual signage. Does that mean they’ve actually seen the results of studies that show they’re just as clear as English-only signs, or is it simply a political decision based on number of votes gained/lost?
  Personally, I doubt the millions spent changing them all would gain us much at all, so cost/benefit wouldn’t stack up.
  
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  May 29, 2023 10:03pm
  - Jack5
    
    Chris Nisbet’s …National apparently have no issue with bilingual signage.
    
    Here’s Simeon Brown, National MP for Pakuranga, and listed on the National web site as a spokesman for Transport:
    
    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/introducing-te-reo-maori-road-signs-would-make-then-more-confusing-nationals-simeon-brown/PGCBT4QBANBENAAKWG4NHKZXF4/
    
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    May 30, 2023 12:21am
kevn

@Jack5… Considering there are more Asian folk in NZ (Auckland mainly of course) than maori, there should (also?) be road signage in Chinese/Mandarin/ Cantonese.
Big road safety benefits. It’s only our money.
Ask Maggie Pie. She has noted the driver issue many times here on KB.
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May 29, 2023 8:47pm
- Jack5
  
  Of Chinese immigrants, most, if not all of those who drive, will have understanding of written English, but those who can read Maori will be rare.
  
  Nearly all Indian immigrants will have at least a workable command of English, given its official use in India.
  
  For tourists, English is the world lingua franca.
  
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  May 29, 2023 8:54pm
Keith White

I don’t suppose this will resonate with many, because, like me a few years ago, it would have not had any impact upon me.

I was one of those people who believed that if you paid your taxes, paid your rates, paid your bills, met your obligations, and did a full day’s work for a full day’s pay, you were entitled to some reciprocity from the authoritarian structures that wanted to run your life.

Then.

My child got damaged irrevocably by the vax mandate.

If my so-beloved child wanted to graduate and take up employment, my child had no choice other than to accept the injection. Subsequently she ended up extremely unwell, and my own country’s “health care” system would not acknowledge the damage or help her, so we had to fly her overseas for treatment.

She got it, my wife and I were lucky to be able to afford it, but she was unlucky enough to keep needing it.

I myself while overseas on work, and paying taxes in New Zealand, was locked out of my own country, and denied any assistance from the NZ Embassy there. Even when I tried to get a letter to say that I was locked out of my own country and was not overstaying by choice, the NZ embassy would not help me. I was in violation of that country’s immigration laws, and I can never go back.

I was not permitted to come back to my own country for my in-laws’ or my father’s dying, and my beloved wife was not permitted to hug her father before he died. Fortunately for her, she broke the rule, and could say goodbye to him.

But wy should I ever forget or forgive the people who instituted those rules.

I had to participate in a humiliating lottery to come back to my own country, I had to accept the jab, even though I didn’t want it, unless I accepted to stay overseas for an unknown extended period away from my family. I took the jab to be able to come home.

I will never forgive or forget the people who coerced me to that.

And if you think I should have said no, well okay, you be you. I am me, and I will not, to repeat, forgive or forget.

While I was in so called “managed isolation”, unlike rapists, thieves, murderers and worse, I had to pay the costs of my own imprisonment.

I was bullied by the police and the medical staff, altho’ – to their credit – the NZ Army people I interacted with were the best of the bunch. But like me, they were coerced, ordered and bullied.

As I have previously and politely advised to the New Zealand Medical Council, the New Zealand Ministry of Health, and New Zealand Members of Parliament who not only agreed to but actively approved of this type of citizen subjugation:

Not only were you wrong, but you knew that you were wrong, we pointed out to you that your were wrong, we gave you more than sufficient information to prove that you were wrong, but you still went ahead in full authoritarian WEF-ruled mode to subjugate us.

Why ever would you think that we should forgive and forget?
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May 29, 2023 8:59pm
Tauhei Notts

I was surprised that somebody more erudite than me would have commented on this carry-on.
I’ve been watching Aljazeera and they have been scathing in their criticism of the ethics displayed by the Australian division of PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
Maybe it will come out tomorrow.
I look at the wall of my home office and on 28th May 1974 I was admitted as member 14853 to the New Zealand Society of Accountants.
PWC’s behaviour in Australia has been so despicable that it brings ALL chartered accountants into disrepute.
I became an accountant because, although we were all known as boring people, we were as honest as the day is long and we were precise with the truth. 49 years later and accountants are becoming the sludge of society; not the scum, because scum rises to the top; the SLUDGE.
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May 29, 2023 9:18pm
Jack5

A section of the Twickenham crowd booed Israel Folau every time he touched the ball on Sunday. He was playing for Steve Hansen’s World XV, who were defeated 48-42 by Eddie Jones’ Barbarians.

Britain’s Rugby Football Union flew a Pride flag during the game and donated 100 tickets to a local LGBTQ group.

Folau scored a try:

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/folau-scores-to-the-sound-of-boos-20230529-p5dc4x.html
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May 29, 2023 10:38pm

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