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July 13, 2023 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 13 July 2023

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General Debate

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Warren

The Government is promising to stamp out unfairness in the Health System, releasing hundreds of pages of strategies for how it will achieve it.
But the equity adjuster tool that Clinicians devised to address inequitable surgical wait lists is still on hold and is being reviewed after the opposition attacked it.
The strategy put it in black-and-white white : “Racism is the root cause of health inequity, the Health Minister said.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/07/government-promises-to-stamp-out-unfairness-in-health-with-new-strategies.html
More promises and reports from a Health Minister Ayesha Verrall who continues to look out of her depth.
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July 13, 2023 8:01am
- Scott
  
  Thanks for posting this Warren. When you look at the newspaper article there are so many untruths that it is hard to know where to start?
  
  First of all the idea that discrepancy between Maori life expectancy and Pakeha life expectancy can only be because of racism.
  This slanders the existing people in our health system who presumably are racist when they treat Maori people? I hope that the health workers take note of what the Minister of health is implying about them?
  
  Secondly one needs to remember that when James Cook discovered New Zealand the average life expectancy of Maori people was about 30. He met some seemingly very old Maori men who were actually about 40. So Maori life expectancy has dramatically improved through Western health practices since 1769.
  
  Thirdly, what about individual responsibility? Are there differences in lifestyle and health practices that would account for the difference? We can note that Maori women are the group most likely to smoke. That would make a big difference in life expectancy right there! The secrets of good health are the same for Maori people as they are the same for everyone else. Get plenty of exercise. Eat healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables and avoid too many takeaways. Live a sober lifestyle. If you have a medical appointment make sure you attend that appointment.
  
  Unfortunately this government is committed to the idea that New Zealand is a deeply racist society which gives them the go-ahead to overturn everything. One can only hope that divisive ideology will be banished with the new government and they will restore a proper health system that looks after people based on need and not race.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:41am
  - Stellaboxer
    
    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again the systemic racism of the health system mantra is asking us all to believe that the most diverse workforce in the country are all ganging up on Māori in order to make sure they don’t get the same health care as the rest of us. Or maybe just possibly there are other reasons for the differences. Just saying.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:26am
    - mawm
      
      Stella – It’s well known that hospital staff tiptoe around Maori patients and offer them the best they can.
      
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      July 13, 2023 12:58pm
  - Benedict Yu
    
    Equal outcomes are impossible. In fact they are undesirable. What is desirable is that everyone has equal opportunities to stay healthy.
    
    Are Maori children unvaccinated against childhood diseases because of racism? There are health services falling over themselves to get Maori children their vaccinations.
    
    Do ED doctors triage Chinese folk over Maori folk? Maybe but it just seems so implausible.
    
    Once Maori have all the help they need to stop smoking, doing drugs, etc there is not much that can be done. To say that racism is the only explanation for poor Maori health outcomes is insane.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:41am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Stop talking sense!
      
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      July 13, 2023 9:49am
    - JackRabbit
      
      Are Maori children unvaccinated against childhood diseases because of racism?
      
      Are Maori children unvaccinated against diseases such as socialism, communism, victimism, tribalism, and “Maori created everything we see today” racism.
      
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      July 13, 2023 10:36am
    - mawm
      
      Benedict – Group A steptococcal disease is more prevalent in low socio-economic groups such as Maori and results in a higher incidence of rheumatic heart disease and subsequent heart damage, etc. What they need is better housing, less overcrowding and earlier doctors visits for sore throats. A lot of this has to come from the community. As an aside – where have the Treaty settlements been spent?
      
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      July 13, 2023 12:56pm
  - alwyn.a
    
    You are aware, I presume, that the average lie expectance in Britain in 1770 was 35.33 years?
    Perhaps we can assume that the great improvement in the life expectancy in Britain since that time was due to the people there having been introduced to the life extending practices of the indigenous people of Aotearoa?
    And no. I really don’t think so either. But I also think that your assumption is equally flawed.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:53am
    - Scott
      
      Western health practices and the advancement of medical science since the 18th century has benefited everyone. I don’t think that’s difficult to understand?
      
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      July 13, 2023 10:02am
      - alwyn.a
        
        Why are you such a fan of Western health practices?
        The top 5 countries for average life expectancy in 2023 are, in order, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, Switzerland and Singapore.
        Shouldn’t we be celebrating Asian health practices?
        
        https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/life-expectancy/
        
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        July 13, 2023 10:15am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        The big improvements in life expectancy pre ww2 were mainly a result of the massive improvement in childhood deaths and maternal deaths. Even in the 1700s if you could survive childhood, you had a decent chance of living to 50s or even 60s. For example the wife of Captain James Cook lived to 93.
        
        https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/lifeexpectancies/articles/howhaslifeexpectancychangedovertime/2015-09-09
        https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/lifeexpectancies/articles/howhaslifeexpectancychangedovertime/2015-09-09
        
        From the 1960s childhood and maternal deaths had been fixed. The last 50 years has been about extending life at the other end. Stopping smoking. Better diets. Cancer treatment and so on.
        
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        July 13, 2023 10:23am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        “Why are you such a fan of Western health practices?”
        
        If you are talking about medical and surgical care, practices in Singapore and Taiwan are the same as in Sydney and Chistchurch. They have more money so there is better access. They also don’t have gang families and extensive under classes.
        
        They also have better diets. You don’t see many fat people in Japan.
        
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        July 13, 2023 10:28am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        Just an addendum on life expectancy. In the 1800s in the USA, you could expect to live until your early 70s on average, but only if you survived childhood, which many did not..
        
        https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2625386/
        
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        July 13, 2023 11:03am
      - kowtow
        
        BY .
        
        Now that we’re told men can have babies too , perhaps that’s another reason for men not living as long as persons with bonus holes .
        
        Paternal child birth mortality . WHO should create that as a category , in the name of equity .
        
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        July 13, 2023 11:18am
      - kowtow
        
        alwyn.a
        
        HK and Singers were British colonies .
        Macau , Portugese .
        Colonialism can’t have been that bad !
        
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        July 13, 2023 11:26am
      - mawm
        
        Scott – you are absolutely correct. I’d add to that by including better diets, better living conditions and hygienic practices such as water-borne sewage. Some were introduced into ~~Aotearoa~~ New Zealand with colonisation and others as Western development has progressed.
        
        Unfortunately Western societies are now experiencing a decrease in life expectancy…. since 2021.
        
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        July 13, 2023 1:06pm
      - I remember when
        
        Sorry BY: Always seem to be getting it wrong.
        Was just going to add to your comments about early life deaths in historical UK.
        A walk through some of the old cemeteries in London viewing some of the family plots highlights this.
        Many record the deaths of those who hadn’t reached, or were in their early teens.
        The reason for the rapid growth of the world population, once childhood health improved.
        
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        July 13, 2023 2:14pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        alwyn.a “The top 5 countries for average life expectancy in 2023 are, in order, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, Switzerland and Singapore. Shouldn’t we be celebrating Asian health practices?
        
        No they all use western health and scientific methods in their hospitals. Sure there is a bit of voodoo stuff on the side (like most of TCM), as in users go to TCM shops for “treatments”.
        
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        July 13, 2023 9:33pm
    - NothingLeft
      
      Prior to 19th century and industrial revolution the average life expectancy everywhere was 20-30. It had to be because there wasn’t enough food for all the 3-4x surplus of kids born – they had to be prevented from breeding by some mechanism, generally death; disease, famine, war, execution, slavery, hypothermia, enforced celibacy…
      
      No culture could avoid this problem – it made all places and cultures brutal and unforgiving. Industrial/scientific revolution bought time with rapid increase in farm productivity, and then cheap effective contraception saved us.
      
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      July 13, 2023 3:47pm
  - Piniwi
    
    This dross from the Minister of Health was released just ahead of a scathing report about the dismal performance of Te What Ever obviously as a counter.
    
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    July 13, 2023 2:27pm
  - Loddenthinks
    
    Personal responsibility, you say? Personal responsibility?
    
    You’re having a laugh.
    
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    July 13, 2023 6:23pm
- Nigel Kearney
  
  Does anyone know of any analysis on the actual level of ‘inequity’, after controlling for smoking, obesity, alcohol and drug use, and other individual choices?
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:43am
  - rockape
    
    Of course not, that would be racist ! Sarc
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:03am
    - pdm
      
      Or too much like hard work rocky.
      
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      July 13, 2023 9:05am
      - Stellaboxer
        
        Or it might spoil the narrative pdm.
        
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        July 13, 2023 9:27am
  - wsk12345
    
    My partners urologist, when talking about prostate cancer, said that the prostate cancer type Maori get is more aggressive. He said that when controlling for the variables they still do worse. He also said they get diagnosed later (which probably accounts for much of it and the fault for which lies with the individual).
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:33am
    - cmm
      
      “He said that when controlling for the variables they still do worse.”
      
      That’s a crock.
      
      I am not a urologist, but I am trained in statistics and controlling for variables is a statistical mechanism so I am somewhat qualified to talk about it.
      
      When people say they have controlled for variables in a regression it means they have taken measures to remove the influence of those variables by tweaking the sample set to adjust for them.
      
      But this is fundamentally impossible to do unless you know what all the variables are.
      
      So in this case they will pick up some obvious thing like obesity and control for that. To do this they much pick a sample of Maori who have the same obesity profile as the general population, then say “see, Maori still do worse”.
      
      OK, maybe it is income because Maori generally have worse income. So now pick a sample of Maori who have the same economic profile as the general population and try again. Nope, Maori still do worse.
      
      So rinse and repeat with other variables….
      
      But what did they try? KFC consumption? Fizzy drink consumption? Smoking? Alcohol? Vit D deficiency? Literacy? Intelligence? Exercise?
      
      There are literally thousands of possible variables – you can’t control for them all.
      
      “Controlling for variables” sounds far more scientific than it is and means SFA unless the variables are listed and the assumptions and methodologies are reported.
      
      Generally though “controlling for variables” is a bullshit get-out-of-jail card used by researchers pushing an activism line.
      
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      July 13, 2023 12:41pm
      - mawm
        
        Unfortunately various race groups are susceptible to a varying degree to certain diseases and despite attempts to prevent/treat such diseases they have poorer outcomes. This cannot be looked at purely from being able to control variables because it is genetic. Sure certain race groups have confounding behaviours but it is not always so.
        
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        July 13, 2023 1:13pm
      - cmm
        
        mawm: Yup, there are certainly genetic factors that play an interesting role in people’s lives.
        But that can’t be exploited – far better to blame colonialsm, racism, etc.
        
        “Unfortunately various race groups are susceptible to a varying degree to certain diseases”
        
        Why unfortunate? We’re all going to die. If we don’t die of disease X, then we’ll die from Y.
        
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        July 13, 2023 3:28pm
      - mawm
        
        cmm – any disease is unfortunate. Think of Tay-Sachs disease in Ashkenazi jews.
        
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        July 13, 2023 4:49pm
    - Loddenthinks
      
      This is most unfortunate and quite distressing to hear, because only very recently the Maori Pardy stated on their website that “it is a well-known fact that Maori DNA is superior to other races'”.
      
      Like many I complained to the HRC and got their boiler-plate response, although some weeks later I checked again and it had been removed. Go figure.
      
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      July 13, 2023 6:26pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        The far left don’t like people noticing their hideous bigotry.
        
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        July 13, 2023 10:01pm
  - cmm
    
    There is some research around Vitamin D – that Maori (and other darker skinned people) can likely get heath improvements by increasing Vit D levels.
    
    Low Vit D levels are linked to all sorts of ailments from colon cancer at one end to mental health at the other. Pretty much take the Maori ailment list and it looks the same.
    
    It is not clear to me how restructuring the health system and renaming ambulances to Waka Manaaki is helping to improve Vit D awareness and consumption.
    
    Spending $30 a year on funding Vit D for all dark skinned people could make a huge difference.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:55am
    - JackRabbit
      
      Spending $30 a year on funding Vit D for all dark skinned people could make a huge difference…
      
      Getting them off the couch and out into the sunshine to work would make a bigger difference.
      
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      July 13, 2023 10:38am
      - cmm
        
        JR, I 100% agree with you.
        
        But if we really must piss money against the wall and treat Maori as pathetic victims, then let’s at least do some good.
        
        Spending hundreds of millions on Maori health initiatives and NGOs is achieving far less than spending $5m a year on VitD supplements would.
        
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        July 13, 2023 12:24pm
      - Ghost
        
        Depends how the money is spent. We have a Maori health provider here, all their services are free to everyone. They even go and get patients who have no ability to get to them. Seems to be full when ever we go past. They provide counseling, medical, food bank and even work with families making sure their kids are going to school.
        
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        July 13, 2023 12:33pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Seems Dr Ayesha Verrall is the Minister of Health, and Hon Peeni Henare Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health).
  There is your setup for Racism. Does Verrall know what the elephant in the room is?
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:06am
  - I remember when
    
    Sorry Ghost.
    Life Expectancy.: Where to live for the longest life: NZ Herald.
    “For example, in Otago (2017-19 Maori women 82.3/men 78.4) there was little difference in Maori and non-Maori life expectancy.”
    “Curiously, the Maori compared to non-Maori gaps are highest in those areas with the greatest density of Maori, for example Northland and Waikato.”
    
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    July 13, 2023 2:37pm
    - Ghost
      
      From stats nz
      
      Life expectancy at birth was 73.4 years for Māori males in 2017–2019 (up 3.1 years from 2005–2007), and 77.1 years for Māori females (up 2.0 years from 2005–2007). In comparison, non-Māori males are expected to live to 80.9 years, while non-Māori females are expected to live to 84.4 years.
      
      The gap between Māori and non-Māori life expectancy at birth was 7.5 years for males and 7.3 years for females in 2017–2019. This is down from 8.6 years for males and 7.9 years for females in 2005–2007, and from 8.8 and 9.3 years respectively in 1995–1997.
      
      The gap has grown slightly from 2012–2014, however the underestimation of the 2013 Māori population estimates may have impacted the 2012–2014 life tables. Therefore, we have focused on comparing over a longer period.
      
      Stats nz
      
      Not really a little difference is it. But alas , I was not talking about life expectancy but about how a maori run health service can work well.
      
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      July 13, 2023 3:00pm
    - NothingLeft
      
      Due to small numbers South Island Maori were mostly genetically European, and lived more culturally european lifestyles with jobs and friends who expected certain standards of behaviour… Long prosperous and productive lives with less destructive choices are the result.
      
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      July 13, 2023 3:40pm
- Prince
  
  Men die before women. Clearly sexist policies. Men should get priorities within the system.
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:09am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Men die before Women because men work harder to keep the queen bee happy……
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:52am
    - Diogenes
      
      Women don’t work as hard as men, because they do it right the first time.
      
      Or so my wife informs me. The way my Septagenarian brain is going I’m beginning to believe her.
      
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      July 13, 2023 10:00am
    - mawm
      
      I don’t know about that….. have you seen some of the videos of how some men us ladders? Scary!
      
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      July 13, 2023 1:16pm
  - Philview
    
    On a personal level I can think of many
    females who have died of cancer or who have had it in their 40s and 50s. I wonder if the statistics in 30 years time will show very different ratios of male to female life spans.
    
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    July 13, 2023 11:24am
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Most of the dead 40 & 50 year olds I know are men; their wives are widows.
      
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      July 13, 2023 7:53pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    Prince: “Men die before women. Clearly sexist policies. Men should get priorities within the system.”
    Yep that’s the logic of the “equity” cult. Unfortunately their deranged hatreds bar them from extending that logic to groups they deem inferior human beings. Lovely people.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:38pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Whether the surgical lists are equitable or inequitable seems to be a massive red herring…
  
  The fact is NZ does not have enough capacity (beds, surgeons, nursing staff) to deal with the folks requiring surgery.
  
  Hubby was prepped for his open-heart surgery on Monday… operation due on Tuesday afternoon…
  It was postponed….
  So he was prepped again for Wednesday morning…
  but that got postponed again….
  
  So, perhaps next week.
  
  We get it…
  
  He’s not being bumped down the queue because he’s an off-white , middle-class, male.
  
  He’s waiting, waiting, waiting.. because a couple of folks went critical and needed surgery before him, and after those surgeons had worked all through the night they weren’t available for hubby’s surgery.
  
  And there were no other surgical teams available…
  
  and that’s the crux of the matter.
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:16am
  - Swifty
    
    Best wishes for everything Maggy.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:24am
  - Stellaboxer
    
    I hope everything turns out well Maggy best wishes.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:28am
    - Biscuit
      
      Hugz for ya, Mags.
      
      I trust that you, personally, have folk minding for you.
      
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      July 13, 2023 9:47am
  - thetiedarch
    
    God that’s rough. Putting the constant delays and being repeated prepped aside, having to mentally prepare again and again for such a major operation must be unbelievably difficult – for both him and you! Hope it all goes well and soon!
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:45am
  - Maggie Pie
    
    Only just read your post Maggz.
    Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.
    Take care.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:53am
  - cmm
    
    Maggy: Best wishes for you and Hubby.
    
    Yup, they can only do what they can do. I got bumped 4 times just waiting for a cardioversion which takes about 10 minutes of theatre time.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:58am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Even though the surgeons are quite different, I have always said I will give up my general anesthetic prostate biopsy surgery for a patient who needed urgent surgery. Especially to those with cancer (which I have)
    Hope the surgery is soon and a good recovery for him – and you.
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:00am
  - Bloody Dago
    
    Family member had same experience, ready go Thursday night a few weeks ago, op canned due to urgent heart transplant, waited another 3 days, had her quadruple bypass, back home in a week, on the the road to recovery. Good old Ward 42 Auckland Hospital. Degree of urgency and underlying issues determine your priority not the colour of your skin.
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:14am
    - Loddenthinks
      
      For now.
      
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      July 13, 2023 6:29pm
  - JackRabbit
    
    Best wishes Maggy.
    
    I’ve been through my own medical dramas in the past 3 years, including a stint in ICU in an induced coma, with a low prognosis of survival, and if I did survive I could have all sorts of complications. My partner was stressed to the max, especially when my family started talking about which family cemetery plot I was going to be buried in.
    
    But here I am, against all odds, fit and well. Never, ever give in to the bullshit, remain positive, and visualise yourself and hubby getting through this.
    
    My positive thoughts and support are with you.
    Hugs.
    
    JackRabbit.
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:49am
    - Don Beckett
      
      So Jack Rabbit – are you actually a Jill Rabbit ? 😆
      
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      July 13, 2023 11:13am
      - JackRabbit
        
        Nope. Definitely a Jack last time I looked. Him/He/Mr. with a Her/She/Mrs partner.
        
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        July 13, 2023 11:17am
      - Don Beckett
        
        “….and visualise yourself and hubby getting through this.”
        Apologies – I mis-read this part of your comment, and pleased you are one of us blokes. 🙂
        
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        July 13, 2023 1:38pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      Cheers folks,
      
      I’m a patient wee thing…
      (all those hours sitting in silence in Quaker meeting must have taught me something).
      
      Hubby is occupying his days with crosswords and similar puzzles… He’s yet to crack the solution to accessing voicemails from his cellphone, tho’.
      
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      July 13, 2023 11:16am
  - tf78
    
    I suppose all that time he was nil by mouth as well, poor chap, how frustrating.
    
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    July 13, 2023 12:36pm
  - Tom Hunter
    
    I hope it turns out well for your husband and you Maggy.
    
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    July 13, 2023 7:21pm
- Grunter
  
  As a 5th generation Kiwi of Scottish/English descent, I want to know when the racist NZ Health system is going to stop discriminating against me so my expected lifespan can increase to be as high as Kiwis from Asian descent. This is a huge scandal that never gets covered in the media.
  
  And while I’m at it, Asians are also clearly given preferential education treatment as they seem to always perform better in school exams and universities…. There must be racism in education as well.
  
  AND….. how come there are so many Maori and Pacific guys in our rugby teams? More racism against us Scottish/English descendants.
  
  It’s all so terribly racist…!!
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:46am
  - cmm
    
    ” I want to know when the racist NZ Health system is going to stop discriminating against me”
    
    Haven’t you notices yet – it is just getting worse.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:59am
  - Matt Long
    
    Good questions to ask of aspiring members of government.
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:56am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  You can analyse disparities in NZ health outcomes in multiple ways:
  
  By Sex;
  By Location: Rural/urban;
  By Ethnicity;
  By Income level;
  By Education level, etc
  
  https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/growth-in-life-expectancy-slows/
  
  To reduce these disparities to just one factor – racism – indicates a level of intellectual laziness from Dr Verrall and her advisors.
  
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  July 13, 2023 10:06am
  - Burtland
    
    Otago University are the experts in peddling this racism
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:32am
    - Bridgenag
      
      Know a bloke insisting that his son at that facility needs to learn Te Reo in order to “negotiate” ffs
      
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      July 13, 2023 1:33pm
  - Phronesis
    
    I think you nailed it in your other post. It’s not laziness, it’s an intentional distraction from the fact the health system is failing everyone. The implication that maori don’t do “as well” is a deliberate diversion from the reality that no one is getting the health care they should.
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:33am
    - JackRabbit
      
      And that racism is the assumed cause because of worse outcomes for Maori.
      
      And because the cause “could not be” a failure in personal responsibility, lack of exercise, eating junk food, drinking too much beer, and not working.
      
      “Nah, keeping fit, keeping off the booze and KFC, and having a job is just colonial bullshit. Pour me another glass, while I place my next bet on the TAB.”
      
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      July 13, 2023 11:26am
    - Gravyman2
      
      Correct. In 27 years of public specialist practise I have never worked in a fully staffed service in NZ.
      
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      July 13, 2023 12:30pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    “You can analyse disparities in NZ health outcomes in multiple ways:”
    
    Lifestyle choices.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:41pm
- krazykiwi
  
  Whenever I hear the inane assertion that “Racism is the root cause of [something]” I immediately classify the speaker as either: –
  
  (a) A moron, incapable of rational thought [the majority]; or,
  
  (b) A social engineer, someone using race as a weapon to cause division that can be leveraged for their benefit [the tiny minority]
  
  Laugh at the a’s, and attack the b’s head on with logic that shows them.
  
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  July 13, 2023 11:35am
  - JohnRidd
    
    It’s because they are “cultural marxists”.
    All differences are because of oppression.
    When Maori health outcomes are not equitable they believe it is caused by systemic racism.
    They try to fix the problem by getting rid of systemic racism. How do they want to do this? By making ethnicity a factor when deciding you place on the waiting list. Which is, of course, systemic racism.
    
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    July 13, 2023 3:26pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

So, is anyone running a book on how many WWC players and fans will do a runner & not return home after the tournament?
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July 13, 2023 8:02am
- Mark Hanley
  
  Who is paying for the predictable woman’s soccer world cup financial disaster?
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:00am
  - Biscuit
    
    Mark, it is pretty rare for World Cups to actually return a profit.
    
    The previous ‘biggest event in New Zealand sporting history’, Rugby World Cup 2011 posted a tournament-end loss ’20 per cent better than forecast’ with Rugby New Zealand 2011 announcing a loss of $31.3 million.’
    
    Dunno what the Women’s RWC figures were for last year but I’d hazard to guess they were pro-rata equivalent.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:59am
    - Mark Hanley
      
      Biscuit. you are correct in that most sporting events make a loss.
      
      However, before spending our money on a sporting event the government should complete a cost benefit analysis which weighs the cost of the tournament against the income (ticket sales) and the intangible benefits (promotion of NZ on the world stage).
      
      The government should also weigh the money spent against the benefits of spending that money elsewhere. e.g., An Americas Cup regatta gives NZ a lot more exposure than a WWC and it targets the wealthy which are surely the people we want noticing NZ.
      
      There are now reports that spectator attendance of wwc is a long way below budget which can only mean one thing…
      
      A COST BLOW OUT WHICH WE WILL BE PAYING FOR!
      
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      July 13, 2023 12:07pm
      - Drone
        
        @Mark Hanley the NZ goverment never does a cost-benefit analysis on anything, and neither do the city councils. Many things have to be done for the benefit of the citizens of the country to give them something to live for, otherwise life would be desperate, having said that many things often don’t need to be done 3/5/10 Waters is a classic example of no cost-benefit exercise being done. Some would say bringing Taylor Swift to NZ to do a concert would have been of value to a flagging nation, maybe Robertson should have tried harder.
        
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        July 13, 2023 1:40pm
  - Piniwi
    
    Right Mark and who is paying for the $20k of free tickets they are giving away just to have some faces for the crowd shots. NZ men’s soccer is bad enough but girls soccer? Yeah….No thanks.
    
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    July 13, 2023 2:36pm
- imalwaysright
  
  Nevermind, I’m assuming you are referring to kiwi players and fans defecting to Aussie !
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:33am
Simon

Today is the 160th anniversary of the British army, with considerable assistance provided by Maori auxiliaries, invasion of the Waikato on behalf of the settler government and various Māori tribes.
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July 13, 2023 8:06am
- Scott
  
  Simon – thanks for another attention-getting post. The word “invasion” implies invading a foreign country. That was the very point at issue. It was a police action to subdue rebellious tribes and restore the rule of law in early New Zealand. I have no problem with it.
  
  I think the land wars were regrettable but at the end of it we had one country with one rule of law for all. Which is all anyone can reasonably expect.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:44am
  - Nickc2
    
    IMO, we may need to repeat the process if Labour’s Maori Caucus has its way.
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:03am
- sirknz
  
  But Mike said this was yesterday…
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:08am
  - kowtow
    
    yer ,now the troll has a clone.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:27am
    - Biscuit
      
      Let ’em fight, kowtow!
      
      ‘Thou shalt have no troll but me!’
      
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      July 13, 2023 10:00am
  - Jethrod
    
    Yeah….but it went on for more than 1 day.
    
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    July 13, 2023 11:02am
- Ghost
  
  War in Waikato
  
  The British invasion of Waikato began on 12 July 1863. Because of their comparative lack of men and supplies, the Kīngitanga strategy was to construct defensive lines to obstruct the British advance, an approach that had been effective in Taranaki in 1860–61. The first line of defence was at Meremere. After this was bypassed, Rangiriri and Pāterangi provided a second and then a third barrier.
  
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  July 13, 2023 10:06am
  - Matt Long
    
    How does one invade your own sovereign territory?
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:58am
- Cassandra
  
  mike posted this yesterday. So tedious. It’s the 500th anniversary (and the 400th, 275th, etc) of Ngati Whatever invading Ngai Whatsit and then enslaving and/or eating the PoW. They were tough days. Everywhere, by everybody.
  
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  July 13, 2023 11:10am
- rouppe
  
  Māori managed plenty all by themselves
  
  From the late eighteenth century Ngāti Toa and related tribes, including Ngāti Raukawa, were constantly at war with the Waikato tribes for control of the rich fertile land north of Kāwhia. The wars intensified whenever a major chief was killed or insults and slights suffered. Te Rauparaha was involved in many of these incidents as tensions mounted. He led a war party into disputed territory north of Kāwhia and the Waikato chief Te Uira was killed. On another occasion he led a war party by canoe to Whāingaroa (Raglan Harbour) to avenge the killing of a group of Ngāti Toa; his nieces had been among the victims. Young warriors gathered around him as he was an aggressive war leader.
  
  As warfare intensified Ngāti Toa killed Te Aho-o-te-rangi, a Waikato chief, who had led an attack on Kāwhia. Te Rau-anga-anga, Te Aho-o-te-rangi’s grandson and father of Te Wherowhero, led a large war party to avenge his killing. Ngāti Toa were driven back to the pā of Te Tōtara, at the southern end of Kāwhia Harbour, where peace was made, but it was broken when Te Rauparaha led a fishing party into grounds claimed by Ngāti Maniapoto. Waikato came to the assistance of Ngāti Maniapoto and took the pā of Hikuparoa after a feigned retreat. Te Rauparaha escaped to Te Tōtara pā and after much fighting peace was restored.
  
  Te Rauparaha left Kāwhia after this episode but on his return joined a war party seeking revenge for the death of a prominent Ngāti Toa warrior, Tarapeke, in a duel outside Te Tōtara. Under Te Rauparaha’s command they went north and killed Te Wharengori of Ngāti Pou.
  
  White people were a means to an end then (muskets) and are a means to an end now (guilt-trip money)
  
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  July 13, 2023 12:47pm
  - Countrygirl
    
    All these long names! Do you think they got shortened to save time.
    
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    July 13, 2023 2:45pm
  - Mike
    
    Having brought wonderful concepts such as the ‘rule of law’ to this heathen wasteland, no one could reasonably expect the British to follow those concepts. That might have set too high a standard for the savages to emulate as they continued their long journey towards a semblance of civilization.
    
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    July 13, 2023 3:51pm
    - rouppe
      
      Well given the life expectancy of Maori has doubled since the British brought the smallpox, the tendency for mindless revenge gone except in the gangs emulating that pre colonial life, women no longer subject to slavery except in those same gangs, I reckon on balance life is demonstrably better
      
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      July 14, 2023 9:14am
slightlyrighty

Listening to Jan Tinetti on ZB this morning when she said to Mike Hosking, “Any money that we spend on our kids is good money”

This one statement encapsulates the problem with this government.

They knew this money would have no measurable outcome, but they spent it anyway. Why?

Because, as Tinetti’s Freudian slip showed, the outcome of the spend is less important that the spend itself.

To this government, Spending money is a virtue, and this government has turned virtue signalling into an art form! The outcome doesn’t matter, it’s more important that we are seen to be sepnding the money.

This mentality is why our polytechs are a basket case after a 1 billion dollar spend. This is why we have wasted $500 million on RAT Tests. This is why we had the talk of the RNZ/TVNZ merger (so pleased that didn’t happen), why 1.9 billion on Mental Health resulted in fewer in paitient beds, why the retructure of health into Te Whatu Ora has resulted in a huge loss in capacity.

October cannot come soon enough.
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July 13, 2023 8:08am
- mandk
  
  “But the money has been spent!”
  (Andrew Little on being asked by a reporter what outcomes his $1.9bn mental health package has achieved)
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:48am
- Mark Hanley
  
  Does Tinetti’s husband own an advertising agency?
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:54am
- cmm
  
  It’s because it is easy to spend and easy to measure it and easy to claim that as an accomplishment.
  
  Actually achieving outcomes is much harder. And measuring change even harder still. It takes decades to fully measure the impact of a change of some policies.
  
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  July 13, 2023 10:02am
- Handyman
  
  What everyone missed…
  There was never any measurable outcome for school attendance for the ad campaign so no follow-up study was done.
  
  However, you can bet there was follow-up in the focus groups and Labour party political surveys. Tinetti was correct form her point of view. Any announcement spending money in schools (preferably with photo op) is money well spent. Not for the kids but for the polls.
  
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  July 13, 2023 10:52am
- Paulus
  
  Do you think that RNZ/TVNZ will not merge – look at some of the people recently appointed to the senior staff and Boards.
  
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  July 13, 2023 10:57am
Maggie Pie

‘New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins finds himself standing next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in urinal.
Immediately pledges another $4million towards war effort’.

– ZB News

What we’d like to know is where does Chippie keep finding all this money?
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July 13, 2023 8:09am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Grant Robberson tells Chippie there is plenty of dosh if you want to grind NZ into the mud further.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:14am
  - Waipuk
    
    They know they have lost the election so why not splash the cash.
    
    Every week there will be an announcement for some pet project getting a few million. Let the next lot clean up the debt.
    
    If they could buy back kiwirail again they would.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:13am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      “They know they have lost the election so why not splash the cash.
      Same as those bastards Clark and Cullen did. That was just plain nasty, and they also resigned!
      Kiwirail? Nope, but there will be something else in the pipeline.
      
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      July 13, 2023 10:09am
      - Ian Boag
        
        Same as those bastards Clark and Cullen did.
        
        OTOH they ran surpluses, paid down debt and left a net debt of approximately zero. Also introduced Kiwisaver and the Cullen Fund over the protests of those who just wanted tax cuts …..
        
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        July 14, 2023 10:04am
    - JackRabbit
      
      Or,
      
      Borrow and spend the money to buy votes in 2020, as they did in late Nov 2019, when they were sliding in the polls, borrowing / printing $19Bn to be spent “after the election” in 2021 – 2023.
      
      Knowing about the $19Bn “red flag”, I posted on here in early January 2020 that Labour was going to run a very dirty election in 2020, and National should needed to be prepared. All I got was lots on downticks.
      
      And we all know how 2020 turned out don’t we?
      
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      July 13, 2023 10:57am
- Prince
  
  His Govt currently borrows $74M each day, so he probably figures ‘what the hell’.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:15am
  - Piniwi
    
    While also having to spend another $22 million plus a day on interest alone. That’s the only way to get the figures down is by massaging it down from Y – M – W – D.
    
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    July 13, 2023 2:44pm
- Inandout
  
  Maggie, well at least Hipkins stands up at the urinal.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:15am
  - Chuck Bird
    
    I wonder if the Javalin missles passed there use by date and were scrapped.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:02am
    - cmm
      
      Most of these more expensive weapons don’t have a use-by date like that.
      Most can be refurbished/serviced.
      
      There are three parts of a missile which age:
      * The explosive charge (the bit that goes bang). Cheap.
      * The battery for the electronics. Cheap.
      * The propellant (rocket fuel). A little less cheap.
      
      By “cheap”, I mean cheap compared to cost of the whole thing.
      
      Some of those are good for 20+ years, some like the battery, probably need changing every 5 years.
      
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      July 13, 2023 10:08am
  - pdm
    
    Can we be sure?
    
    Have you seen him and if you have I hope you weren’t peeking.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:07am
    - Biscuit
      
      pdm, I would’t have put it past Chippie to have flown his Mummy in to hold it for him…
      
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      July 13, 2023 10:02am
  - JackRabbit
    
    Do we?
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:58am
- emmess
  
  4 million is absolutely nothing, compared to the 50 billion or so they spent on the Covid scam
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:20am
  - JackRabbit
    
    4 million is absolutely nothing, compared to the 50 billion or so they spent on the Covid scam.
    
    You will find that the total borrowing and printing since 2019 is way way more than that. If the total was less than $100Bn I’d be very surprised. I’m picking $100Bn to $200Bn.
    
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    July 13, 2023 11:01am
  - Ghost
    
    Do we have $4 million to give away? No.
    
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    July 13, 2023 11:06am
- Tempist
  
  So literally pissing it away…
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:54am
- Scott
  
  I think the important thing is if you have the opportunity to stand next to Chris Hipkins at the urinal make sure you plead poverty. Who knows he might have a spare million dollars that he can put your way? Even $400,000 would be fine. 🙂
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:12am
- Tauhei Notts
  
  Pledges $4mil at the urinal.
  Is that what one calls “taking the piss?”.
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:22am
  - Scott
    
    That’s funny 😁
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:07am
  - Beach Haven expat
    
    Presuably this was one of those facilities with one urinal at the end lower to the ground for the “children” to use
    
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    July 13, 2023 12:25pm
- imalwaysright
  
  First time Baby Vlad was face to face with someone at a urinal.
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:37am
- the deity formerly known as nigel6888
  
  Guess that’s why they call it a “pull aside”?
  
  /s
  
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  July 13, 2023 10:14am
- Beach Haven expat
  
  Hipkins should have told him zelensky about his air force plane that keeps breaking down – then Ukraine would have taken pity on us and we’d have saved $4m!
  
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  July 13, 2023 12:28pm
  - Ghost
    
    Should have told him, “look, you’ve lost, you know you have, we know you have, stop letting the USA destroy your country and go have peace talks now while you still have a country”
    
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    July 13, 2023 12:37pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Hipkins meets Zelenski. Chippie just walked into the hallway and there he was.
Now if you think that was not staged, then I have a bridge for sale. Actually I have a catalogue of bridges for sale.
Chippie was around the corner and someone off camera gave him a signal, it my bet. Also see Zelenski’s supporters backed off.
Seen better acting on a primary school stage.
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July 13, 2023 8:12am
- G152
  
  With the intelligence that Skippy shows who is managing him?
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:14am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    H1 relayer.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:15am
- Tony Stuart
  
  His official meeting was canned because Zelenski’s meeting with Biden went over time.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:34am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Chippie must have taken a crash course in Ukrainian/Russian Language.//
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:34am
  - rangitoto
    
    Zelenski speaks English quite well, along with Russian and Ukrainian.
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:17am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Yes I know. It was a little poke.
      Both Zelenski and Putin speak fluent English.
      Fluent enough to correct their interpreters.
      
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      July 13, 2023 11:10am
- kevn
  
  @SteveO… One thing hipkins has mastered is his fake smile.
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:27am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    He smiles?
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:24am
    - Countrygirl
      
      Haven’t you seen that Awful grimace he uses for a smile where his eyes are completely shut?
      
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      July 13, 2023 2:51pm
Tony Stuart

I don’t know which National Party staffer came up with the line Labour loves tax like a shark loves blood, but give them a bonus! Not only is it a fantastic analogy, but it’s also the truth!

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=861768945519387&set=a.501439014885717

Labour has kicked the wealth tax down the road to take it off the agenda for the election. National will ensure it is debated, no matter how much Labour denies they still have plans. You can’t trust Labour on tax!
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July 13, 2023 8:14am
- Tricati
  
  I see on Newshub, Jenna Lynch infers Chippy dumped the taxes due to likely Farmer backlash. I haven’t seen any farmer groups come out and confirm this, so a little skeptical on Lynch’s statement as likely just to wind urban Labour voters against the rural sector.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:17am
  - Nigel Kearney
    
    Why would they suddenly start caring about farmers? They never have before and there can’t be many votes there compared to the ones they can buy with money from shafting the farmers.
    
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    July 13, 2023 8:45am
    - rockape
      
      Yet farmers and miners down the West Coast will still vote for Damien O’Connor.
      
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      July 13, 2023 9:07am
      - Paulus
        
        It is reputed than Damien O’Connor will stand down for the next election to List now that the so called EU FTA has been signed.
        
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        July 13, 2023 11:00am
      - JackRabbit
        
        That is what we are lead to believe. But I have not met a farmer yet that admits to it.
        
        Miners maybe. Oh, I forgot, Season 4 of the ~~Twin Peak~~ Pike River series is about to go to air.
        
        Perhaps in a few years Billy McBride (Billy Bob Thornton) can make a series about Pike River.
        
        Season 4 was brilliant and while fiction, was based on fact of an actual case of Big Pharma being caught out.
        
        https://closernewsweekly.com/goliath-season-4-review-billy-mcbrides-last-case/
        
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        July 13, 2023 11:08am
      - JackRabbit
        
        That is season 4 of Goliath.
        
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        July 13, 2023 11:29am
      - Countrygirl
        
        Idiots.
        
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        July 13, 2023 2:52pm
  - kowtow
    
    It’s what the media pardy does .
    
    Stirs up hate and division and then gleefully reports it .
    
    Today’s Herald cartoon thinks wealth tax is the way for Labour to win again .
    The Herald is Centre right media ? Pffft .
    
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    July 13, 2023 8:51am
  - Dougal10
    
    Lynch is parroting jimmy shaw
    
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    July 13, 2023 8:53am
  - Tony Stuart
    
    Maybe someone from the Act Party fed her that morsel of information; just sayin’…
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:16am
  - RoboRob
    
    That story is total BS. She even portrays the tax changes as good and that it is somehow sad that most people wont now get the tax cut! Lol, as if just about everyone in NZ wouldn’t be worse off with a wealth tax. Think housing and Kiwisaver.
    
    The ENTIRE reason for Labours apparent* reversal on a wealth tax is the poll results released the day before. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to work that one out.
    
    * I say apparent because the promise wasn’t that Labour isn’t going to introduce a wealth tax, simply that it wouldn’t happen while Chippie is leader. That’s a very important qualifier.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:21am
    - amospicton
      
      Likewise TVNZ reporter (Maiki Sherman) described the wealth tax as something we’d been hoping to see!! Unbelievable from a state funded entity.
      
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      July 13, 2023 11:03am
    - Beach Haven expat
      
      Yes, you’re not telling me that the most important thing for the Prime Minister to do while overseas was to make an announcement (with his Labour leader hat on) about domestic tax policy.
      
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      July 13, 2023 12:31pm
- Salacious Crumb
  
  Ironic given the “communism by stealth” working for families Key was so critical of was just added to by successive national governments. What’s that about trust again Tony?
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:20am
  - Libertarians are right
    
    It would have been political suicide for National to simply remove WFF so they reduced it in multiple ways. Abatement levels etc were used to bring it down. It’s not ideal but it was the only option. No point kicking it out then getting yourself kicked out and Labour brings it back in – best to mitigate the damage.
    When Labour gives people free stuff it’s very hard for National to take it away. This seems obvious?
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:23am
    - wsk12345
      
      They could have removed wff and replaced with an actual reduction in tax at the same time.
      
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      July 13, 2023 9:39am
    - plc
      
      So focus group driven then?
      
      Perhaps it would have demonstrated greater leadership to say that “we believe in smaller government and less involvement in people’s lives” and then let the electorate decide.
      
      Rather than maintaining the slow march left
      
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      July 13, 2023 10:12am
  - kiwikidsnz
    
    Because WFF is corporate welfare wage/salary subsidies paid for by all taxpayers.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:33am
- pdm
  
  `You can’t trust Labour on tax!’
  
  Inv I think you are wrong there.
  
  You can trust Labour to seek every possible way to extract more ENVY TAXES from any New Zealander who is even slightly successful in their financial lives.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:33am
  - Libertarians are right
    
    Labour even found a way to use the idiot tax (Lotto) for the Cyclone repairs – Labour never met a tax they didn’t love.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:24am
    - mawm
      
      Libs – Labour loves taxes but they never seem to get the improved in outcomes that they so desperately need the additional revenue for.
      
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      July 13, 2023 1:32pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Nah, Labour will seek every avenue to extract more from us, so in that sense they can’t be trusted.
    What next, a window Tax as in England, wales, Scotland, and France? They are not to be trusted – and they lie!!
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:35am
    - Piniwi
      
      And Sydney don’t forget. There was still a Pub near the harbour with painted windows done to avoid their window tax. Had a free limo tour by a born and bred local when I was there some time ago and he knew all the highlights.
      
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      July 13, 2023 2:56pm
- alloytoo
  
  Am I the only one really irritated by the current Labour bots treating Tax cuts like a benefit and comparing the tax cuts of the wealthy to the tax cuts of the supposed average.
  
  The big difference between tax cuts and benefits is merit.
  
  There is no merit basis to the Benefit but plenty to tax cuts.
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:44am
- Tom Hunter
  
  You know the thing about a shark, he’s … got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn’t seem to be livin’… until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then…. Oh… then you hear that terrible, high-pitched screaming. The ocean turns red, and in spite of all the poundin’ and the hollerin’ … they all come in… they rip ya to pieces.
  
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  July 13, 2023 7:28pm
mandk

You’ve got to hand it to Grant Robertson – his productivity is impressive.

It took Michael Cullen nine years to spend all the money, but Grant has done it in six!
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July 13, 2023 8:15am
- pdm
  
  Actually m&k he did in about three.
  
  He has spent the last three years just increasing the debt burden on New Zealanders.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:35am
  - Piniwi
    
    Funnier still is that corporate taxes are down as are most other tax revenue hence the fuel tax cut did not get extended and Labour are struggling along with substantial reduced income. Yet the welded on REDS say it is only a 1% odd recession. They just don’t get it at all from the grass roots to the limo driven lumps.
    
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    July 13, 2023 3:02pm
- Tony Stuart
  
  Even less than that, because when the available money ran out, Grant printed more, and borrowed even more!
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:13am
Paulus

Understood that Hippy did not meeet Zelenski, as his so called bottom of the line time was taken up by Biden – lets face it Biden is where the money comes from in Billions to Ukraine – not New Zealand.
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July 13, 2023 8:16am
Matt Long

The recent rise of the Woke Corporation as typified by Spark, in fact the capture of multinational corporations by ESG and DEI, with one of the most worrying aspects being the removal of financial services for people who do not use “right think,” was enabled by Twitter? With Social Justice Bullies carrying the Narrative?
This article suggests that Musk’s changes to Twitter have enabled consumer boycotts of evil corporates to work.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/10/conservative-boycotts-twitter-social-media-progressives/
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July 13, 2023 8:16am
- Matt Long
  
  Withdrawal of a person’s ability to access banking because you don’t like their political views should be made illegal, it is now almost impossible for a business or individual to function in the modern world without access to bank services.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:21am
  - Blog-aholic
    
    Methinks that may be the point of the exercise.
    
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    July 13, 2023 8:27am
  - Inandout
    
    Matt, I can’t imagine a beneficiary wouldn’t have access to the benefit in the bank account.
    
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    July 13, 2023 8:32am
    - david
      
      exactly I&O. It is necessary to have a bank account into which the benefit can be paid, otherwise no benefit.
      
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      July 13, 2023 1:39pm
      - kevn
        
        @david… “Tell us who the father is”.
        
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        July 13, 2023 2:36pm
  - kowtow
    
    Yet again we copy totalitarian tactics .
    
    It’s the west’s version of social credit scoring.
    
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    July 13, 2023 8:53am
  - Bridgenag
    
    They did it in Canada to the truckies
    
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    July 13, 2023 11:01am
Maggie Pie

And while I’m here…can anyone enlighten me WTF a “Pae-Ora-Future” is?

https://twitter.com/drayeshaverrall/status/1678994987537825793
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July 13, 2023 8:21am
- Simon
  
  a “Pae-Ora-Future”
  
  This is 10 yrs later when the “doctor” you met in a govt hospital is a diversity hire and you should get a second opinion straight away. From someone who isnt a diversity hire. This will be easy to work out.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:29am
- graham
  
  No idea.
  
  When people use words that, realistically, they know the vast majority of people will not understand, I ignore what they’re saying. It’s obviously not important or relevant to me – how can it be? If it were, they would use words that ensure the maximum number of people can understand what it is they’re saying.
  
  It’s called communication.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:29am
  - RoboRob
    
    The problem is the vast majority of people using such language do so to obfuscate what is really hapening. Remember 3 waters and co governance?
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:24am
- Blog-aholic
  
  Given that the Pae Ora legislation considers all folk who are non-maori as ‘other polutations’, (yes it is written like that in the law), then you can assume wholeheartedly that the Pae Ora futures excludes 86% of New Zealand citizens.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:30am
- Benedict Yu
  
  The Pae Ora Act is the legislation that governs the entire health system.
  
  https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2022/0030/latest/versions.aspx
  
  I confess I had to look it up. It comes as much as a surprise to me. 😅
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:36am
  - pdm
    
    And here I was thinking it meant `have a pie at morning smoko’.
    
    Actually I know a guy whose nick name was two pie because he (alledgedly) had two pies at smoko. He would have fitted into Pae Ora well.
    
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    July 13, 2023 8:40am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      A couple of days back I was next in line behind a big guy at the checkout in New World. He had a loaf of cheap bread. A packet of frozen pies. Three 6 packs of beer. Then he asked for a packet of tobacco. The check out girl had to call a supervisor to get the tobacco out of a locked cabinet. The tobacco was $77. 😳
      
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      July 13, 2023 8:46am
      - kowtow
        
        The tobacco behind covers etc has to be one of the biggest , most pointless virtue exercises going.Not to mention expensive regulation foisted on business .
        
        Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t it National under Key in cahoots with the Maori Party who brought in that egregious attack on private property rights.
        
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        July 13, 2023 8:57am
      - Ruawai
        
        You could buy a lot of good quality Vogels for $77 and leave the white bread on the shelf.
        
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        July 13, 2023 9:38am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        “You could buy a lot of good quality Vogels for $77 and leave the white bread on the shelf.”
        
        You could buy healthy food for an entire week for that money. Which is why I never agreed with punitive tobacco taxes.
        
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        July 13, 2023 10:03am
      - Bridgenag
        
        He will be off to the food bank next for the sausages to use the bread
        
        9 0
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        July 13, 2023 11:02am
      - KH
        
        The tobacco (and cigs) is locked up mostly because it is small and expensive and gets stolen if they didn’t.
        
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        July 13, 2023 12:28pm
      - blue collar
        
        Thought you were standing behind me for a mo brother Benny ( welcome back cob )
        But a naki man wouldn’t just get 3 six packs ….. it’d be a carton minimum !
        
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        July 13, 2023 3:39pm
    - Dead Earnest
      
      Shouldn’t your friend’s name be Ruapie?
      
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      July 13, 2023 9:28am
  - Burtland
    
    obfuscation by using maori is part of the plan
    – 87% of the population switches off
    
    whats worse, its mostly recently invented metaphors
    
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    July 13, 2023 11:00am
- Ghost
  
  A better way of saying “the apartheid strategies for the health system”
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:35am
- Ruawai
  
  Pae Ora is a “community-based service aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of Māori clients and whānau.” So looks like just for Maori yet in the announcement yesterday the sign beside Verrall said “achieving healthy futures for all”. Seems this isn’t actually true, it is achieving healthy futures just for Maori.
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:46am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    ” achieving healthy futures just for Maori.”
    But it isn’t racist.
    
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    July 13, 2023 11:43am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Do as I say, not as I do.

https://roccistuccishow.com/leonardo-dicaprio-busted-again-the-king-of-climate-catastrophizing-caught-cheating/
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July 13, 2023 8:29am
- Blog-aholic
  
  The answer to this is to accept you do not give a shit, keep you mouth shut and fly, fly, fly.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:32am
- Inandout
  
  SO, common activity for the climies. Kerry, Obama, Andrew Cuomo care little for the plebs.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:40am
- cmm
  
  What else do you expect from a guy who quite literally flew around the world in a private jet to accept a climate award.
  
  IIRC, he was at Cannes, flew by private jet to LA to accept the award and flew straight back to Cannes.
  
  Approx 10,000 litres of fuel burned. Ballpark same as Cindy burned on her milk run with the 757.
  
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  July 13, 2023 1:04pm
igm

A vote for Labour is more of this vile and detestable behaviour . . .
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/132535763/givealittle-set-up-for-terminal-cancer-patient-robbed-and-left-for-dead
What have you got to say here Andersen, or maybe Hipkins, Workman, Becroft, et al, have solutions, or is it a National/Act-driven myth?
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July 13, 2023 8:38am
Matt Long

The Woke Axis is incensed that a, their bs offerings like Indy 5 are failing, and b, that crowd funded conservative movies are attracting viewers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/business/sound-of-freedom-trafficking.html
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July 13, 2023 8:39am
- Matt Long
  
  Has anyone wondered why the left are set on reparations for events that occurred hundreds of years ago, but are quite happy for modern slavery to flourish?
  Like for example the overseas Labour interns under Matt McCarten as I recall.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:43am
- Inandout
  
  Matt, as a disgusting aside, it has been suggested that many of the flood of illegal child immigrants into the US end up as sex toys. The reason why Biden refuses to stop the flow now becomes clear; and the TDS mob continue to hound a man who prefers women.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:46am
  - Libertarians are right
    
    Which is what the movie is about – and why they are against it.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:28am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Something I have always thought, JFK was killed by his own. The nasty Democrats did not like the way JFK was heading, so he was stopped.
The corrupt Democrats are the same today, hold power at all cost.

https://rantsofizzo.com/dominick/reminding-america-jfk-was-likely-assassinated-by-his-own-government/
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July 13, 2023 8:40am
goNZ1

Thursday Teasers –

Who killed Cock Robin ?
or was it suicide…

WINZ have a huge lot of your money to give away with absolutely no tags to the Great Unwashed & Unmotivated.
There is talk of people applying for the new Robinson Grant
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July 13, 2023 8:45am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

We all know someone like this. Word soup waffle, Kamala is the winner.

https://rantsofizzo.com/dominick/vice-president-kamala-harris-draws-ridicule-for-obvious-nonsensical-word-salad-reputation/
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July 13, 2023 8:45am
- NZer In Exile
  
  Got to be on something!
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:43pm
Matt Long

Was there a Curia poll out?
The one that was going to show National steaming ahead of Labour and The Maori Party at 1.5% where it ought to be?
There’s a bit too much wishful thinking floating around.
I think it’s time to spread the idea that the only way to keep centre right ACT out of government is to vote National.
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July 13, 2023 8:49am
- Matt Long
  
  It’s too late to change from Luxon as leader now, and I don’t think Willis would fly as the B&D Jacinda.
  I think we had better start hoping the protest vote coalesces behind Peters, because a government with 15% Greens and racists would make the current mess look like a gravy train.
  
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  July 13, 2023 8:54am
  - RoboRob
    
    Personally I suspect that the polls are right, in that when contacted people say they support Labour or Green or Maori. Thats easy. Will they actually go out and vote for them on the day, thats another question.
    
    I know / know of a number of lefty voters. They are unhappy with labour. Will they go out and vote Green / Maori / Winston or will they just stay at home and not vote at all. I suspect the latter.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:36am
  - coge
    
    That poll was bang on. National, under Chris Luxon has shed approx 33% of National’s votes. There are aiming for 45%. That is impossible, when you have a leader who steadfastly supported the Ardern covid doctrine of early 2022. Dehumanisation, segregation and economic persecution are abhorrent to the wider electorate. Even last week, Luxon was even filmed telling those who objected to those denial of their rights to vote for another party.
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:45am
    - mawm
      
      The problem is the “other” party is also in denial about voters’ concerns.
      
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      July 13, 2023 1:38pm
  - peterwn
    
    Chris L is in a far better position now than Simon Bridges was at a similar time in 2020. While Chris may lack in charisma he makes up for it in quiet leadership and encouraging team cohesiveness. Jacinda was a Squealer trying to be Napoleon. Chris L is Napoleon but a bit short on Squealer skills.
    
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    July 13, 2023 5:46pm
    - Matt Long
      
      Bridges was rolled May 22nd 2020 in the Klutzes Coup when the gullible believed in the COVID Messiah.
      Luxon is facing the weakest opposition since Bill Rolling.
      
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      July 13, 2023 5:58pm
- Cinematic
  
  That poll was skewed by a highly implausible TPM share. It’s a slim but comfortable CR result as things stand. The disgust for Labour is real and getting worse, for them.
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:26am
  - Matt Long
    
    The Tax Payers Union – Curia Poll shows a hung parliament.
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:06am
    - mawm
      
      How can the worst government ever poll the same as National? //sarc
      
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      July 13, 2023 1:40pm
Grunter

It’s reported that Zelenskyy spat the dummie at the NATO meeting after Biden’s teleprompter stuttered “…..Ukraine can’t come into NATO until after the war has finished….” This just days after saying “……here’s some cluster bombs, that’s all we have in stock at the moment, we’ve actually run out of ammo….”
And just a week after the UK announced that they have no more tanks to donate because they are down to their last 40 battle ready tanks…..
But at least Zelenskyy got some good news from Hipkins, his “….continued support from NZ….” would have given him renewed confidence. The Ruskies must be trembling…
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July 13, 2023 8:50am
- mawm
  
  Essentially, as I see it, Nato does not want to take on a war where they visibly will be munted by Russia. It’s far better to just keep on funding/supplying Ukraine so they are the ones dying while trying to destroy Russia. Lindsay Graham would be proud of them.
  
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  July 13, 2023 1:47pm
Rusty

Just wondering why the ABs are playing the Boks at Mt Smart stadium tomorrow and not Nth Harbour stadium?

Nth Harbour stadium doesn’t seem to be used for anything anymore, no super rugby games or league and union tests.
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July 13, 2023 8:50am
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  Why aren’t they playing at Eden Park? Have I missed something?
  
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  July 13, 2023 10:18am
  - Nickc2
    
    Some Shielas wanted it for something. //
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:20am
  - Rusty
    
    @Captain
    
    Some women’s soccer tournament going on.
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:33am
  - Jethrod
    
    Perhaps they didn’t want the “no losses at Eden Park in 30 odd years” to happen !!
    
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    July 13, 2023 11:15am
- mawm
  
  Rusty – there are too many South Africans out North Harbour way. We can’t allow them a home game advantage.
  
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  July 13, 2023 1:48pm
Maggie Pie

RANDOM IMPERTNENT QUESTION

Now that Robbo’s thrown in the towel, if it comes down to a choice between the Eritrean born Labor-list MP Ibraham Omer and new Green-Party candidate Tamatha Paul…..come October 14th, will Wellingtonians get the parliamentary representation they deserve?

‘Being a renter myself, and living in one of Wellingtons stereotypical dark, cold moldy flats in Aro Valley, really sets me up well to advocate strongly for solutions in the electorate’

– Tamatha

https://twitter.com/NewsroomNZ/status/1679206151051702279
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July 13, 2023 9:01am
- fightingtemeraire
  
  That means that Welly Central will be “represented” by awoke Labour or Green MP and a Woke Green Mayor.
  
  They deserve them.
  
  At least Omar worked as a cleaner and put himself through Uni at the same time. More than the other two Wokerati have done.
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:37am
- goNZ1
  
  fluency in English should be mandatory for MPs so we know what the hell they are saying in Parliament.
  
  better Red than Dead for these try-hards – If V. Lenin was standing in Wgtn Central he would be a shoo in!
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:40am
  - Ian Boag
    
    There are Nat seats like that too …. always have been
    
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    July 13, 2023 10:24am
- oldpark
  
  @Maggie Pie 9.01 am
  
  Tamatha Paul from Waikato same person who voted 260,000,000 Million Dollars for bike paths in Wellington .Wonder will Ratepayers in that Labour/Green controlled City vote for same woman when she stands at the General Election on October 14 2023 .Asking for many many fixed income voters and pensioners .
  
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  July 13, 2023 10:55am
- Burtland
  
  Tamatha Paul is a marxist hypocrite …
  
  quote “We need real people being our decision makers … we need normal people, everyday people in positions to change things and positions of power … like teachers, nurses, people with a criminal record, people who have been members of gangs before, people who didn’t go to uni” October 2021
  
  from her bio …
  BA in International Relations and Political Science, VicUni
  2018 President Victoria University Students Association
  
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  July 13, 2023 11:12am
  - krazykiwi
    
    “we need normal people, everyday people”
    
    Nope. We need leaders who have demonstrated integrity and who commit to representing the interests of all New Zealanders before themselves. Paul’s laundry list of normal types is low resolution junk.
    
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    July 13, 2023 1:24pm
Matt Long

A review of compulsory orders for treatment of mental disorders.
I’m concerned by this, there are too many people who will not take medication without compulsion, and become totally dysfunctional and dangerous to themselves and others without it.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/07/12/m-ental-illness-compulsory-treatment-fundamentally-disempowering-commission-told/
Of course a compulsory order is disempowering but without viable alternatives changing the law will likely result in a lot of assaults and deaths.
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July 13, 2023 9:02am
- alloytoo
  
  Mental illness can by it’s very nature affect your judgement.
  
  If we do away with compulsory treatment then mental illness should cease to be a mitigating factor in anything (including criminal matters)
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:54am
Hugh Jarse

In a cafe near Parliament yesterday when Grant Robertson and the Wood brothers came in. Grant visibly upset and sobbing over Chippys rejection of Grants tax policies. Being comforted by Megan and Michael. Heard talk of “rolling the little ginger prick”, “time for him to go”. With his disastrous polling in the Curia poll, the media will be starting to ask the question on rolling him like they did to Luxon I am sure. It’s going to be on.
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July 13, 2023 9:03am
- Biscuit
  
  Say what you like about Grant – and a lot of folk here usually do, ha – but he was very perspicacious in sitting out the ‘Who Wants To Replace Jacinda?’ wheeling-and-dealing when said Jacinda tossed in the towel.
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:44am
  - fightingtemeraire
    
    Grant will bide his time and hopes he will be high enough on “der list” to get back in to Parliament.
    
    Then he will do a Brutus and roll Le Petit Caesar and become Leader of Labour.
    
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    July 13, 2023 9:59am
    - Captain Mainwaring
      
      If the Chipster has anything to do with the list Robbo will be well down it.
      
      10 2
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      July 13, 2023 10:21am
      - Paulus
        
        Chipster has lillte to do with the Lists – it is a Party matter.
        
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        July 13, 2023 11:10am
    - Paulus
      
      Expect Grant to be number 2 in the Labour Lists – remember the Lists are done by the Labour Party not necessarily the political wing, and Grant is still a lovely boy in the party, whereas little Hutt boy was Ardern’s choice.
      
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      July 13, 2023 11:09am
    - JackRabbit
      
      Alternately, if Labour loses, being on the list almost guarantees he can segue silently out of parliament and off to the Budgie Smuggler Islands to retire.
      
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      July 13, 2023 11:16am
      - Yabster
        
        thought he would be retiring in Indonesia…..
        
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        July 13, 2023 3:08pm
I remember when

Ex-All Black Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray’s Westmere helicopter pad application on hold for ecological assessments: NZ Herald.

At least the important things are still being covered by the media.
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July 13, 2023 9:04am
- Maggie Pie
  
  And I see there’s been about 20 objections to the Helipad filed by neighbors.
  People just need to butt-out and mind their own business.
  
  Just saying.
  
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  July 13, 2023 9:45am
  - alloytoo
    
    I think it would be very useful to have a neighbour with a Helipad. Useful for the Medical chopper.
    
    12 0
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    July 13, 2023 9:55am
    - sirknz
      
      Yeah, it would sure save that 20 minute drive to the nearest hospital with a helipad.
      
      8 0
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      July 13, 2023 10:44am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Many parks for that very reason. There are two near me. The Shore has a lot.
      
      4 1
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      July 13, 2023 12:08pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        A friend of our host families in Alaska has an 80 acre block west of Wasilla. Very first thing he built even before a cabin was make a helicopter pad.
        Accidents in the Interior happen.
        
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        July 14, 2023 8:23am
- Rusty
  
  @I remember,
  
  Is Ali Williams one of the rich and famous– what does he do for a job?
  
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  July 13, 2023 10:38am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Sounds like a good idea. Hipkins may stop telling what he won’t do, and maybe tell us what he will do.

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/risk-of-revolt-from-farmers-wrecked-labour-s-tax-switch-idea/ar-AA1dKz87
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July 13, 2023 9:25am
Waipuk

Thank the lord for the American Supreme Court.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAOVUVi39NM

It’s the usual manic Russell Brand but the information in the clip is great.

It also applies to the Ardern Christchurch Call.
8 1
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July 13, 2023 9:33am
- Ra Henare
  
  I was overseas and lucky enough to read Tarrants manefesto.
  ABSOLUTLY no reason to censor it, just some rambling thoughts.
  
  3 0
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  July 13, 2023 2:24pm
Tauhei Notts

Pledges $4mil at the urinal.
Is that what one calls “taking the piss?”.
18 0
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July 13, 2023 9:34am
Ghost

Popcorn hearings coming this month

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., will lead the House Oversight hearings into UFO whistleblower claims. Burchett says one of the hearings will happen before the end of July and that he wants to “get to the bottom of it.”

YouTube

I filed an amendment to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act that would require the Secretary of Defense to declassify records relating to public sightings of UAPs. Thanks for having me on,

Twitter
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July 13, 2023 9:52am
kowtow

Hugh Edwards , another diversity hire.
7 1
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July 13, 2023 9:55am
Jack5

For those interested in property investing compared with buying shares (incidently, both protected by NZ’s internationally untypical, extremely light capital gains tax):

https://www.landlords.co.nz/article/976521975/opinion-kiwi-property-vs-kiwi-shares
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July 13, 2023 9:59am
- surfing
  
  I agree with him but he misrepresents the situation too.
  
  He compares property/share returns between 2003 and 2023, but ignores leverage. If you buy 200k of shares back in 2003 then you have paid 200k for those shares. But, if you bought a property in 2003 then 200k could have been enough to put deposits on 2 million dollars of property… if you chose wisely, the capital gain would be magnified through leverage.
  
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  July 13, 2023 10:11am
  - Matt Long
    
    There’s a whole bunch of ways to leverage securities, leveraged property just seems a safer bet.
    
    3 0
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    July 13, 2023 12:39pm
- stiff cheese
  
  You’re right, we do have ‘some’ Capital Gains Tax (CGT) but it’s for SOME people and not others — it’s discriminatory. Here’s an example which is seemingly designed to STING the Middle Class…. not the Top 1%.
  
  From IRD’s website:
  “If you sell a residential property you have owned for less than 10 years you may have to pay income tax on any gain on the sale, unless an exclusion or rollover relief applies. This is the bright-line property rule and it also applies to New Zealand tax residents who buy overseas residential properties.”
  
  If you’re caught out by the Bright Line* test you have to pay up. But there’s nothing similar for COMMERCIAL property owners…. How strange! — I suspect some pretty ordinary folk are paying MORE “CGT” than the top 1%. . . Is that fair??
  
  For example, a widow who sells her rental (to pay for urgent surgery) could be stung by this tax.
  
  *IIRC, introduced by Key’s govt.
  
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  July 13, 2023 1:52pm
  - artemisia
    
    Originally the bright-line test was 2 years, then extended to 5 by Labour, then 10.
    
    National have said it will go back to 2 years.
    
    There was a real issue with the ‘intention test’. That is, whether or not CGT was payable depended on the (provable) intention of the buyer at the time. Often very grey and the bright-line was intended to be just that.
    
    This CGT is at the marginal tax rate, easily could be 39%. So unless really desperate owners won’t sell, yet. The 2 year bright line is well past, and the 5 year has just started to expire. A stream of rentals onto the market will impact prices, availability and rents. Good or bad impact depends on the POV.
    
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    July 13, 2023 4:05pm
surfing

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/largest-net-migration-loss-to-australia-since-2013-as-kiwis-pursue-higher-wages-and-cheaper-living-costs/AUPD5PBZAVGEZPDEXRSZORZSFM/

Another reason to leave is because non-maori are now actual second class citizens. Maori have real potential to take political control over NZ, only tribal thinking and time is holding them back.
16 1
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July 13, 2023 10:02am
- Blog-aholic
  
  The Pae Ora Helath legislation makes that very clear. Anyone considered non-maori is classed as ‘other populations’, so 2nd class citizenry if very, very real.
  
  17 0
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  July 13, 2023 10:24am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    But it’s not racist right?
    
    6 0
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    July 13, 2023 12:16pm
  - mawm
    
    Serious question – Once Maori have awarded themselves super citizen status will the rest of us, the disadvantage, start getting special care and have departments set up offering us better opportunites, etc?
    
    7 0
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    July 13, 2023 1:55pm
- kowtow
  
  The more the Blob push this stuff , the more the majority , eventually will push back.
  
  So the Blob will be entirely responsible for making a majority of New Zealanders second class citizens in their own country and whatever the consequences may be .
  
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  July 13, 2023 11:01am
- Paulus
  
  But any New Zealander can only get into Australia with a clean criminal record
  – is this why many Maori do not go to Australia ?
  
  6 0
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  July 13, 2023 1:30pm
  - stiff cheese
    
    But we’re getting the “501”s back!
    
    2 0
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    July 13, 2023 2:11pm
mandk

Latest Performance of Manufacturing Index reads 47.5: Contracting at a faster rate. Worst reading since NZ first went into lockdown.

Why aren’t Labour and the Unions calling this a Manufacturing Crisis, like they did under National, when the sector was actually growing?
13 0
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July 13, 2023 10:39am
- 70andstilllearning
  
  Don’t think they need any more “crises” for election campaign purposes. Suspect the latest annual Food Inflation number being back up to 12.5% isn’t quite the number they would be looking for to support their COL “crisis” management 🙂
  
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  July 13, 2023 1:22pm
sirknz

Usual suspects dump rubbish on Maori land, Maori most affected.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/whenua-maori-car-crashing-highway-used-as-a-dumping-site/MSZX6ZWPBBGJRPT4W2SDCXXWHA/

I would put dollars and donuts on it that it isn’t whitey doing this…
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July 13, 2023 10:41am
Maggie Pie

How long till the next round of lockdowns?

From Covid-19 to Monkey-Pox…this is how it all begins 🙁

https://tiktok.com/@thaboandray/video/7245070841921195307
8 1
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July 13, 2023 10:51am
cas

Instead of Robbo fronting to urge people to buy FIFA world cup tickets ( and it sounds like you just can’t rock up on the day), he would be better getting Ruby Tui to promote the event.
8 0
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July 13, 2023 10:54am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

This is what is needed desperately in NZ.

https://independentminute.com/2023/07/11/when-she-heard-the-judges-punishment-this-teenagers-jaw-went-totally-2/
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July 13, 2023 11:01am
Benedict Yu

Back in February, DPF posted an obituary of Jimmy Carter, noting his immenent death in hospice care.

Well the guy must have amazing genes. He has been released to the peanut farm to celebrate his wedding anniversary. 🙂

https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2023/02/vale_jimmy_carter.html

https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-carter-rosalynn-anniversary-hospice-930e327d46fb487401a352ef7af8036f
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July 13, 2023 11:10am
Maggie Pie

And I’ll tell you something else that REALLY pulls my panties aside!

People who phone into Talkback and the first thing they say is…..
“Thanks for taking my call”

SHEESH!!
8 2
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July 13, 2023 11:33am
- Ghost
  
  No wonder you listen to zb if you’re that easy
  
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  July 13, 2023 11:58am
- H. Upmann
  
  The first thing 99% of callers say is “How are you?”
  All day every day, as if the host has suffered a heart attack in the 5 minutes since the last mug asked exactly the same question.
  
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  July 13, 2023 12:20pm
- cmm
  
  Maggie, it’s a while since I’ve had to hit the singles bars so I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
  
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  July 13, 2023 12:54pm
- H. Upmann
  
  You didn’t happen to be a regular at The Veranda Bar in Parnell back in the day were you Maggie?
  
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  July 13, 2023 1:16pm
Warren

The one thing I like about Academic’s and Labour is how they kick Labour Prime Minister’s when they don’t get what they want or don’t like what is happening leading into a General
Election, and Morgan Godfrey proves my point.
Godfrey says “Chris Hipkins is leading a Government which is against the ropes but showing little inclination to fight”.
In a ordinary year this might mean the Government’s MP’s and Minister’s who are facing the prospect of a very public redundancy would fight , but if anything defines the Government of the last two months it’s creeping onset of malaise.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/opinion/132532160/chris-hipkins-needs-to-tell-voters-what-he-will-do-not-what-he-wont
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins policy programs most notable for what he is promising what not to do : Cancelling the RNZ -TV Merger and sending Hate Speech reforms back for consultation in February, dropping clean car upgrade and narrowing the scope of speed limit changes in March.
Now on that I’m sure Godfrey won’t be happy over the Prime Minister’s latest flip-flopping in saying there will be no Capital Gains or Wealth Tax under his watch while he is Prime Minister.
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July 13, 2023 11:38am
- Blog-aholic
  
  The left adore kicking their own when they are down. The intersectionality rules when it comes to picking your affiliation and Godfrey is the type that picks and chooses when it suits his mood.
  
  10 1
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  July 13, 2023 11:49am
mandk

Annual food price inflation in June was 12.5%, up from 12.1% in May.

Grocery prices up 12.8%.
Fruit and veg prices up 22%.

Just as well we have a gov’t that cares so much about poor people.
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July 13, 2023 11:45am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Poor people on fixed income (super)
  No matter how high inflation goes, the pensioners still have the same fortnightly money.
  
  17 0
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  July 13, 2023 12:26pm
- kowtow
  
  Grocery kommissar will fix that . //
  
  If anything employing even more useless Blobberites will only be inflationary as well as being a drag on business.
  
  11 0
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  July 13, 2023 12:37pm
- Benedict Yu
  
  Yep. I have gone from buying anything I want to walking around the fruit and vege shop choosing carefully.
  
  10 0
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  July 13, 2023 2:12pm
Swifty

Unbelievable irresponsibility from the bus drivers and their union:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-bus-drivers-to-give-free-travel-for-a-week-as-industrial-action-continues/7NZMBVGPU5CR7G352KKGKS3K6E/

“Stuff the ratepayers. So what if they lose a few hundred thousand, or more, in fares, our pay is what matters most.”

//
15 0
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July 13, 2023 12:18pm
- Libertarians are right
  
  That’s theft.
  The Police must prosecute.
  
  9 0
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  July 13, 2023 1:01pm
  - Benedict Yu
    
    I don’t think it meets the definition of theft in the crimes act. But the bus companies should just lock all the buses up at the depot and blame the drivers.
    
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    July 13, 2023 2:11pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

I put this on Facebook. It got flagged as missing context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgldG9r-i9M

They gave me this shit:

https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/analysis-adverse-event-variation-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-batches-doesnt-indicate-safety-problems-contrary-john-campbell/
Strange that Twitter, Youtube, Rumble has not flagged it.
7 1
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July 13, 2023 12:38pm
- cmm
  
  The farm animals stood around in amazement as the farmer brought them more food. Look at all this wonderful free grub. Free, free, free! The farmer is just such a nice guy.
  
  Then one day, the truck comes and carts them all off to the works.
  
  Just remember this when you use “free” services: Any time you don’t pay then you are not the user. You are the product.
  
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  July 13, 2023 12:52pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  Have you considered not supporting hideous platforms like FB?
  
  Disconnecting from these leeches may actually also improve your life!
  
  2 0
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  July 13, 2023 9:56pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    I use it for video with our host families in Alaska.
    
    0 0
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    July 14, 2023 8:31am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Add. If those Facebook wanks delete or flag something it is them with a problem not me.
      
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      July 14, 2023 8:32am
cmm

Chalk another one up to Cindy

Can’t even give the crap tickets away!
Can’t wait for her book…. and watching people trying to hand them out for free on street corners.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/fifa-womens-world-cup-2023-lack-of-sales-prompts-20000-free-ticket-giveaway-in-new-zealand/VRBHN2SOEVBZ7KDLE5WCYGLL3Y/
14 1
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July 13, 2023 12:47pm
- Ra Henare
  
  Same thing happened for ASEAN games in Cambodia. In the end the PM made all tickets free.
  So waiting for NZ to do the same.
  
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  July 13, 2023 2:38pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Last year.
https://www.theonion.com/elon-musk-tries-to-back-out-of-twitter-deal-by-deleting-1849169663
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July 13, 2023 12:48pm
Maggie Pie

Some things that make you go hmmm…

It’s really incredible the number of lefties on Twitter that are suddenly expressing their total disillusionment with whats happened to New Zealand over the last six years.

One, purporting to be an EX-Labor voter, lays the blame fairly and squarely at the feet of Cindy. Saying she spent the entire time as PM f**king her voters over, only to up sticks before the shit really hit the fan, and depart with 25 million and a damehood. Never been heard from since.
21 2
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July 13, 2023 12:52pm
- cmm
  
  It’s park of the throwing people under the bus mentality.
  
  Once you’ve figured out who is the lowest chook in the henhouse you better peck them to death. If you don’t then you’re going to be picked on too.
  
  Cindy is out. She has been replaced by Hipkins. All the faults of Labour have been attached to Cindy so that Hipkins can represent a fresh new start etc.
  
  Just 8 months ago she was a media darling, now she’s just a lower-than-shark-shit has-been. The more that can be packed on Cindy, the more they can convince themselves Chippy’s got it sorted.
  
  Cruel game you play there Cindy – not surprised it blew back in your face.
  
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  July 13, 2023 1:42pm
  - kevn
    
    @cmm… But, arden said, they gave us gongs and accolades.
    
    6 0
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    July 13, 2023 2:38pm
    - cmm
      
      I wonder if it was something along the lines of H2 taking her aside and saying: “Now look here Cinders… You’re turning into a pumpkin and you’re a toxic liability only getting worse and worse. If you just foff now we’ll fix you up a sweet deal. But if you hang on any longer we’ll just disown you and feed you to the media.”
      
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      July 13, 2023 4:07pm
- crikey
  
  Maggie Pie: If your $25 million is correct I think it’s time the serious fraud office had a wee look at its source.
  
  8 1
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  July 13, 2023 3:57pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    How do you thing Obama, Clintons, and Bidens got their mansions?
    Works the same. $24M is a small kickback for $2B of safe and effective untested product forced on Kiwis
    
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    July 14, 2023 8:42am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Maximo Alvarez. Did Jaspinda want to take us back to his past?
If you lose this place there is nowhere to run to.
Trump sat there and absorbed it all.

https://rumble.com/vajmbj-cuban-immigrant-has-jaw-dropping-words-for-trump-and-american.html
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July 13, 2023 1:34pm
Maggie Pie

According to ZB’s Jason Walls, Labor spent $118 million last financial year on ‘office refurbishment & fitouts’. One item alone was a Bookcase for the DoJ, reportedly costing over 200k.

When Jase queried the expenditure with Minister Andrew Little, he responded that it was pleasing to see the figure actually trending down, as last year it was over $160 million.

Simeon Brown chimed in…. saying National would keep the figure under $100 million. No wonder Maggy’s hubby can’t get his CABG.
9 1
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July 13, 2023 1:56pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Stop Co-Governance. Julian Batchelor.

https://www.stopcogovernance.kiwi/blog/lively-night-in-richmond-nelson-last-night/
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July 13, 2023 1:58pm
Ghost

How about we overhaul the justice system so that all those who commit crimes get a sentence deserving of that crime.

Act Party leader David Seymour wants to give judges the power to hand down longer sentences to people who commit violent crimes against people at their place of work.

Seymour announced the new plank in the party’s tough-on-crime campaign outside Jyotis Dairy in Mt Roskill, where dairy owner Bhavana Patel was brutally attacked by hammer-wielding robbers last week.

Patel told Seymour she “felt as if she had died” during the attack and feared for her life when two men attacked her with hammers as she stood behind the counter.

Police confirmed there had been no arrests in the case and they were still investigating.

Seymour wants the Sentencing Act 2002 amended so judges must take into account the fact that a serious violent offence occurred against a worker during their course of work as an aggravating factor.

Article
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July 13, 2023 6:41pm
- septic skeptic
  
  I don’t like policies that advocate punishment dependent on some characteristic of the victim. Two people walk out of a bar. One finishing his shift, the other after having a night out. Some thug king hits one of them and they break their skull falling on the concrete footpath. I don’t see how it is more serious to kill the barman rather than the patron.
  
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  July 13, 2023 7:30pm
Ghost

More labour government wastage

Treasury also uncovered that about 10,000 lunches – costing about $25 million – are left over every single day.

Article

“In fact they’re almost literally feeding taxpayers’ hard-earned money to pigs,” said leader David Seymour.

Tinetti said: “That’s a little bit insulting to be saying wastage is going through to pigs.”

I think this is pretty common, down here they are constantly putting on Facebook school lunches for anyone that wants them as the students don’t. But it is common for the pig farmers to go and get them.
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July 13, 2023 9:40pm

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