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August 3, 2024 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 03 August 2024

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General Debate

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Scott

I know people are frustrated about the amount of work that still needs to happen on the issue of race. But the fact of the matter is the previous government, with the support of a supine media, implemented so many anti white racial measures that it’s taking time to deal with them all.

David Seymour’s latest newsletter informs us that “Health NZ has decided to stop using ethnicity to prioritise patients on non-urgent surgical waitlists.
Actively promoting racial discrimination in the health system is not who we are as a country. New Zealanders who require healthcare should be treated according to their need, not who their ancestors were. The only possible effect of racial discrimination is to make sure a person in greater need waits longer for an operation because they had the wrong ancestors.”

Of course Chris Hipkins disagrees: “Hipkins made it clear there was evidence Māori, Pasifika, rural people, and those in low-income communities have had to wait longer for clinical care than others and have been discriminated against.”

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/523825/health-nz-drops-tool-that-factored-in-ethnicity-for-waitlists-despite-review-findings

Imagine you’re talking to your Maori neighbour over the fence. You’re waiting for surgery and he’s waiting for surgery but he’s confident he’ll get his first. And the reason he’ll get his first is because of his race. Maori and pacific islanders get priority over white people.

I can’t think of anything more damaging to social cohesion. I can’t think of anything more divisive.
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August 3, 2024 8:01am
- Close Hen Counters
  
  My son is about to complete his law degree with A- average – glowing references and CV can’t get any work in NZ diversity hire (and commercially country down gurgler) … friend who is as white as him, never did anything Maori at school either academically or otherwise gets scholarship to uni, grades lower gets job at top tier law firm …. It is a very dark place to be in
  
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  August 3, 2024 10:31am
  - Scott
    
    Close hen, very sad to hear about your son. We can hope and pray that the cream rises to the top and he gets his rightful place, based on merit rather than who his ancestors were.
    
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    August 3, 2024 1:31pm
  - softail 1450
    
    Close hen counters, I have a close friend whose daughter is married to a Māori guy ,they had a baby a few years back and a couple of weeks after the birth they started getting unsolicited emails, letters and phone calls from different Māori quango’s informing them of what was available to their baby of Māori descent,the child is as white as a sheet yet is classed as Māori because of his 1/64 heritage …
    
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    August 3, 2024 2:59pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Softail 1450: “informing them of what was available to their baby of Māori descent,the child is as white as a sheet yet is classed as Māori because of his 1/64 heritage”
      
      Ah but the child carries the very powerful “oppressed class” heritage according to the self appointed, holier than thou, minority woke overlords. Argument over. Case closed.
      
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      August 3, 2024 7:08pm
- Damocles11
  
  I think National use Seymour and his party and to a lesser extent NZ First to do a lot of the heavy lifting on these matters which are integral to our nation remaining a functioning democracy where all citizens are equal. And with the amount of abuse the likes of Seymour and Chhour have to cop because of that, it must take a heavy toll on them personally. We can see what it is doing to Karen.
  
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  August 3, 2024 10:40am
  - Scott
    
    Damocles, your comments are spot on. Act is doing a lot of the heavy lifting while Luxon is doing his best to calm the media and the wokesters.
    
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    August 3, 2024 1:29pm
  - peterwn
    
    I think Karen Chhour is returning the the left wingers’ serve that they feel ‘unsafe’, subject to unfair harassment etc. In other words the Left love dishing it out but hate to be on the receiving end.
    I hope I am right in saying this, but she will be OK.
    
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    August 3, 2024 2:12pm
Benedict Yu

Yesterday I had this vague recollection that in 2022 the last government announced an integrated single payment system for all public transport in New Zealand. I was curious to find out what had happened since. Did it join the graveyard of great Jacinda ideas that were never delivered?

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/one-stop-ticketing-solution-public-transport

Well, no. It did not die. It is still happening. Although given its astonishing cost, $1.4 billion over 10 years, that may not be a good thing.

Folk at NZTA have been working away on this thing for the last two years. The contract for the implementation of the “national ticketing system” has been awarded to a USA company, Cubic.

https://www.cubic.com/transportation

This contract with Cubic is worth $475 million.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/502805/waka-kotahi-sticking-to-planned-nts-rollout-despite-updated-release-schedule-from-us-contractor

It is not clear to me what makes up the remainder of the $1.4 billion cost. 🤡🙁 It is not buses or trains. This is just the ticketing system.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/520906/questions-over-who-will-get-national-transport-ticketing-system-first#:~:text=The%20New%20Zealand%20Transport%20Agency,on%20ratepayers%20in%20each%20region.

Why do all this? The idea is that a single payment method across the country will encourage more folk to use public transport, hence saving us from climate change. I am sceptical. Why would a new payment card make you want to catch a bus? Does it really matter that Wellington and Christchurch folk use different payment cards on their buses? Yes, it is mildly inconvenient for the few people who use public transport in both cities. But so what if they need to carry two cards? Is it worth paying $1.4 billion to allow them to use only one card?

The new system is being progressively rolled out through to 2026. Your Wellington Snapper card, and whatever cards Christchurch and Auckland folk currently use, will be redundant. ☹️ You will have no choice but to use the new system.

Now for the best part. The new card has recently been given a cool 😎 name. “Motu Move” 😀😂 No I am serious.

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/walking-cycling-and-public-transport/public-transport/national-ticketing-solution/motu-move/

I wonder if it is too late for Nicola Willis to give “Motu Move” the good old Cook Strait Ferry upgrade treatment? 😃 Like the ferries, there would no doubt be a hefty break fee payable to the American company, but it may be worth it.

One last thing. 😕

“The NTS [National Ticketing System] is largely funded by the National Land Transport Fund, the key mechanism for government to fund public transport across New Zealand.”

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/walking-cycling-and-public-transport/public-transport/national-ticketing-solution/

Yes, the cost is being funded by petrol excise and road user charges. That is $1.4 billion that could otherwise have been used to finance roads.
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August 3, 2024 8:03am
- peterwn
  
  A big feature of the new system is that any contactless credit/debit card can be used as well as the dedicated NZ card (which would be required for SuperGold users). London, Sydney and New York use this system and at least in London and Sydney you get the same discounts as Oyster and Opal cards users get. This means overseas visitors can use local public transport and not worry about having to buy local tickets, cards etc.
  The other key thing is transport operators in NZ were requiring SuperGold card holders to purchase their local card and to tap on and off to access free transport. So Winston Peters when part of the 017 – 2020 coalition pushed hard for a unified ticketing system to overcome this difficulty.
  If the proposed system was cancelled then some alternative nationwide ticketing system would have to be found, perhaps by adopting Auckland’s HOP system nationwide but this would be inconvenient to overseas visitors (but would help keep cruise ship passengers off Lyttelton and Port Chalmers buses).
  
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  August 3, 2024 8:37am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    “If the proposed system was cancelled then some alternative nationwide ticketing system would have to be found..”
    
    Why? If I were to visit Singapore, London or New York, I would fully expect on Day 1 to purchase a card to use the public transport. It is no big deal.
    
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    August 3, 2024 9:49am
    - Colville
      
      Bene.
      I think for a bit less that a Bil$ or so the Govt could put a few card vending machines around the place (international arrivals??) so you can buy a bit of plastic SHOULD you wish to use public transport??
      
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      August 3, 2024 9:55am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        Indeed. Just like there are vendors at the airport selling SIM cards. Those same vendors could sell prepaid public transport cards.
        
        I’m not saying that one national PT card is without benefits. But does it deliver net benefits at that cost? Think about it. The cost is about the same as the cost of building the Transmission Gully motorway.
        
        The ONLY benefits cited by the last government were “encouraging PT use” and climate change. The first one is vastly over stated and the second is rubbish.
        
        Here is another way to look at it. Survey Wellington Snapper card users. Ask “How much would you pay for the convenience of a National transport card vs your existing card?” If 90 percent answer “zero” or “what the fuck?”, there is your answer.
        
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        August 3, 2024 10:35am
      - peterwn
        
        There is already a card vending machine at Auckland Airport. But if a SuperGold card holder buys one, he still has to pay a fare to Puhinui where the holder can get it ‘SuperGolded’ at the ticket office (when open).
        
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        August 3, 2024 2:29pm
    - Ian
      
      Last time I visited London (five years ago), you just tapped your Visa Card on and off the underground. Also Adelaide – the tram from the CBD to the beach (Glenelg?), you just tapped your Visa card. Maybe if you had a local card, the fare may be cheaper, but…
      
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      August 3, 2024 10:45am
      - MCōs
        
        An Oyster card, more or less equivalent to an Auckland Transport Hop card, and a credit/debit card can be used on London transport for the same price as long as your bank doesn’t clip the ticket too
        That’s my understanding
        https://freetoursbyfoot.com/oyster-card-london/#Contactless
        
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        August 3, 2024 1:09pm
    - Dudley Quaffquaff
      
      And you used to “fully expect” to have to buy wads of the local currency at a horrible exchange rate, some of which you’d then either be uselessly left with at the end of your visit or exchange back at an even worse exchange rate. Or maybe you’d “fully expect” to use traveller’s cheques.
      
      We don’t have to do that any more. Advances in technology mean that easier, more efficient, more secure and less wasteful means are now available.
      
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      August 3, 2024 1:00pm
    - peterwn
      
      You are wrong with respect to London. You can use your NZ contactless credit/debit card straight off for the Tube, buses and for conventional trains as far as Surbiton/ Hampton Court etc (Zone 6). And you get just as good deal if not a better deal than with Oyster Card (the Oyster system has limitations especially for fringe areas). Same in Sydney (including regional services to Lithgow, Newcastle etc) and as far as I can ascertain New York is following suit.
      
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      August 3, 2024 2:23pm
      - Observer of Life
        
        peterwn: Can confirm, NY subway you can use your contactless credit/debit card. Bloody handy. You’ve got 7 days to use the subway and buses, as often as you like, and the max you will pay is USD$34. Works well.
        
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        August 3, 2024 4:55pm
- Grunter
  
  Thanks Bene – you’ve uncovered another clusterF by the central planners!
  
  If this $1.4 billion ticketing system was actually needed or even wanted by real people then some smart IT business would build it, operate it and make money from it.
  
  Other Peoples Money means this is a complete waste of $$$
  
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  August 3, 2024 8:37am
  - Flossie
    
    How many New Zealanders hold one of those local transport cards? Talking about what happens in London etc is rather irrelevant when you consider the huge population difference. The cost seems totally ridiculous in relation the the number of probable users. Who’s paying? Taxpayers? As a tax payer who lives where there is no public transport options I object.
    
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    August 3, 2024 2:48pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  National ticketing as a scheme has been around as an NZTA project for at least 10 years.
  
  It would be nice to think that the remainder of the $1.4B was NZTA staff and contractor time (ie that all project spend is being captured and reported), but sadly I am not confident that this is so.
  
  Put another way, if staff time is not being attributed to the project then the true price tag is likely north of $2B.
  
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  August 3, 2024 8:46am
- Cassandra
  
  The triumph of ideology over (un)common sense. Can it. Send the bill to Harvard.
  
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  August 3, 2024 8:46am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  You do have wonder what the cost benefit analysis number is on that spend.
  
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  August 3, 2024 8:47am
  - NZer In Exile
    
    The current coalition should set up a cost/benefit analysis veto team to look at likely questionable projects such as this.
    
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    August 3, 2024 7:13pm
- pdm
  
  By. At the risk of appearing over critical I want you to know that the words – great Jacinda ideas’ – never ever produced anything worthwhile for New Zealand.
  
  In fact their main objectives were always to suppress the masses.
  
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  August 3, 2024 8:56am
  - peterwn
    
    This was a Great Winston Idea. He wanted SuperGold card holders to be able to use public transport around NZ without the need to buy and ‘SuperGold’ a local card for each city.
    Jacinda would have agreed to it as part as 2017 coalition talks and no doubt Chris Luxon had to reaffirm it as part of 2023 coalition talks.
    So even if National Ticketing is not a good idea and overly expensive, it is one of the prices to pay for a MMP system.
    
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    August 3, 2024 2:38pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  I see it as nothing more than Waka coathanger doing what they do best – spend other people’s money. It gives them something to do to justify their existence.
  Scrap the whole silly deal and sack those who will now have nothing to do.
  DCM!
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:00am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    Why are you blaming NZTA? They are doing as directed by the Government. If the Minister of Transport wants to cancel Motu Move, he can do so.
    
    In New Zealand, all Cabinet Decisions of a previous government continue in force unless overturned by a new government. NZTA needs to be directed to stop. I am surprised that has not happened.
    
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    August 3, 2024 9:03am
    - Mike
      
      Tickets are boring. Much more fun to announce a war on road cones.
      
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      August 3, 2024 9:09am
      - NZer In Exile
        
        Mike you don’t think 6 months of forcing people to do 30kmph when no work has happened is completely stupid?
        
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        August 3, 2024 7:16pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      If it was started in 2022 then that Minister and Govt has already been sacked.
      The coalition should have queried the ongoing spend of $1.4B over 10 years.
      All that happened was NZTA gave themselves a 10 year job. Overturn it.
      
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      August 3, 2024 9:11am
      - AitchW
        
        Is there any demand for a nationally harmonised public transport system?
        Did anyone ask for it, or is this simply more ideologically driven virtue signalling?
        Is there not an off the shelf system already available?
        Did anyone think to look for one?
        Did Simeon Brown ask these questions?
        Can anyone else hear the music from ‘Soap’ in their head while reading these questions?
        
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        August 3, 2024 9:18am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        It was pushed by Michael Wood. His stated aims were to encourage public transport use and to combat climate change.
        
        I can’t comment on Auckland or Christchurch because I have never used public transport there. However in Wellington, Snapper works just fine in my experience. I doubt if many users are going to be thrilled to throw away their snapper cards and adopt a new system.
        
        So Simeon Brown, if this is something you have just missed, go for it 😃
        
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        August 3, 2024 9:55am
      - peterwn
        
        AitchW – yes – there is a demand. A significant impetus was that when SuperGold cards were introduced, the holders could access free public transport at off peak times without any further ado. However AT and some other regions (but particularly not Wellington or Christchurch) required SuperGold users to purchase their HOP or other card with ‘SuperGold’ status and use that to access their buses, trains etc. This irked some oldies so Winston Peters had a remedy (a national ticketing system or something else) included in the 2017 coalition agreement and this is how national ticketing came about.
        Another incentive is the operators want to dispense with cash fares. AT has already dispensed with cash fares meaning it is mandatory to have a HOP card to access Auckland public transport. This has decreased the accessibility and convenience of Auckland public transport for out of town people and other visitors.
        Hence the ‘Cubic’ contract which will put NZ public transport on the same basis as London and Sydney with regard to ticketing.
        The price seems stiff but there is a significant barrier to that type of system. Cubic would have scored a coup by setting up agreements with contactless card issuers and designing back office systems to process the ‘taps’ and arrange a single card debit for the day’s use including discounts etc. They would also have had to arrange with card providers for access to the scratch memory in the card’s chip to record the last tap-on for the benefit of the tap-off reader and so inspectors can confirm the passenger has tapped on (AT inspectors have hand held readers for this). So there is a fair amount of intellectual property involved for which Cubic is entitled to be rewarded. There is a high entry barrier to developing an alternative equivalent system from scratch.
        So NZ is basically purchasing a proven and operable system and this greatly minimises the risk of cost over-runs.
        So for these reasons and because Winston is on the scene, cancelling the proposed system would be politically and economically expensive.
        
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        August 3, 2024 10:04am
      - kiwikidsnz
        
        peterwn “However AT and some other regions (but particularly not Wellington or Christchurch) required SuperGold users to purchase their HOP or other card with ‘SuperGold’ status and use that to access their buses, trains etc.”
        
        1.4$B to solve the wrong problem, just tell / legislate if necessary all NZ councils to accept Gold cards.
        
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        August 3, 2024 2:36pm
    - Drone
      
      BY NZTA probably neglected to identify the project in the briefing for incoming ministers. Easily overlooked with all the other spending on road cones.
      
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      August 3, 2024 9:52am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        I doubt that.
        
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        August 3, 2024 10:37am
  - JackRabbit
    
    Follow the money. $1.4Billion is outrageous. And its not needed. It’s all centralisation, and just another one of hundreds of pipes to siphon money out of NZ and pay it to the Elite.
    
    HB construction, a Blackrock company, does a lot of roading charging $500k for speed bumps that (a) are not needed, and that a local contractor could do for less than $100k and still have lots of fat in the contract.
    
    They also do street resurfacing and al the council blurb says streets will be closed for a week. But they are there for a day, back again for maybe a day, and then gone. Council turn up several times with a street sweep to hoover up the louse pebbles. Very lucrative.
    
    NZTA cannot even process drivers license renewals properly with licenses being posted out to old addresses, despite a change of address submitted to NZTA. They can’t even fill potholes.
    
    At $1.4Billion, it is costing about $750 per full time taxpayer equivalent, for mostly non taxpayers to use.
    
    The plan should be:
    
    [1] Get rid of all Maori naming. You can count on one hand the number of Maoris that can’t speak English, and there is no excuse for that.
    
    [2] Ban all advancements and upgrades, until existing roads have been brought back up to standard.
    
    [3] Publish a full set of employees, what they get paid, what they do, and what they achieve. Get rid of all communication people. If the various managers and executives cannot articulate what they are doing, they are not worth the money they are being paid.
    
    [4] Publish the number of tenders and range of quotes they get for projects. If there is a huge disparity between top and bottom quotes, it needs investigating.
    
    [5] Detailed and public reports on where the money is being spent.
    
    and more….
    
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    August 3, 2024 10:01am
    - artemisia
      
      [4] Quotes are one thing, actual costs can be quite another.
      
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      August 3, 2024 10:57am
      - JackRabbit
        
        Yes, but that is part of any quote or proposal – specifying the unknown. So it may be a base fee, plus XYZ which cannot be quoted – variations.
        
        But it’s not hard to quote a speed bump.
        
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        August 3, 2024 6:47pm
- imalwaysright
  
  I remember a commentator saying that the cost of processing the fare would be greater than the fare.
  
  As you alluded to, they are trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:02am
  - JackRabbit
    
    Or in technology/big pharma it is called “a solution looking for a problem (they can create).”
    
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    August 3, 2024 10:02am
    - imalwaysright
      
      Correct.
      I think the bigger problem is how many are able to afford a bus fare, that’s if they still have a reason to go anywhere.
      
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      August 3, 2024 10:45am
      - JackRabbit
        
        And in any normal business the cost of the far includes amortised infrastructure expenses.
        
        “Sir, your ticket for that 5min journey by bus will be $227. ”
        
        “WTF, I’ll take an Uber.”
        
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        August 3, 2024 6:50pm
  - marcw
    
    There is a problem, as peterwn referred to @ 10.04. I recently spent 3 days in Auckland. I would have been able to use PT several times to get to places, but without having the “special” AT card, I borrowed cars instead. To get one of these cards, I would have to get to one of a limited number of AT outlets, buy one and put $10 balance on it. Not sure how long it lasts before expiring, but it’s used in conjunction with my SuperGold card.
    So, why would I bother for a 3 day visit?
    
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    August 3, 2024 1:36pm
    - peterwn
      
      HOP cards last 10 years and then AT sends you a new one and tells you how to transfer the balance across. You then have to validate the new one within six weeks or so by tapping on. I have not been able to validate within the six weeks so I am hoping that I can reset the six weeks via their web site for the next time I go to Auckland (I like going to Waiheke for the day when I am there).
      
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      August 3, 2024 2:43pm
- John Loveridge
  
  Jesus wept. And the buses rolling around Christchurch will still be all but empty.
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:11am
  - JackRabbit
    
    And since all buses in Christchurch are going to be electric by 2035, they will keep the Indonesian coal workers employed.
    
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    August 3, 2024 6:53pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      And child labourers in the Congo. Yay.
      
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      August 3, 2024 7:18pm
- rouppe
  
  There already is a nationwide payment system. Two, in fact.
  
  Visa and Mastercard.
  
  Would it not have made sense for this payment method to be accepted, at the discounted fare rates (ie not the cash fare) , with the government picking up the interchange fees?
  
  Pretty sure that would cost less
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:22am
  - Muttonbird
    
    That is the payment system, card or device of your choice.
    
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    August 3, 2024 9:33am
  - peterwn
    
    The ‘Cubic’ system provides the infrastructure to make contactless card payments possible, especially as bus and station readers do not have an internet connection (and validating each tap via the internet would slow things down). Also a record of the last ‘tap’ has to be held in the card’s scratch memory so inspectors can check whether you have tapped on.
    
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    August 3, 2024 2:47pm
- Interested Party
  
  SOME of the cost maybe IT network infrastructure. I was involved in setting up such for AT. Each bus station needed to have the network extended out to stations, with a WI-FI network out in the parking area to allow buses to upload recorded ticketing info etc into the system. I have no knowledge of the proposed system.
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:28am
  - AitchW
    
    Our eftpos system works on the cellphone network. Surely the busses could do the same?
    
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    August 3, 2024 9:43am
    - Interested Party
      
      Off course it’s possible, and they may have already changed to mobile connectivity. Cost may have been a factor at the time.
      
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      August 3, 2024 3:18pm
  - JackRabbit
    
    You get on a bus, you pay by VISA, Mastercard or EFTPOS. it all goes into one bank account, broken down by region, and bus number.
    
    The EFTPOS companies will provide terminals with inbuilt 4G, for less than $30 a month, the software costs for calculating the daily transactions per transport vehicle / bus / train / boat could be rolled out for a fraction of the $1.4Bn. Millions or tens of millions, not thousands of millions.
    
    A competent software team, even internal, could have a proof of concept in a few hours and a beta version running inside of a week. This part is only for tabulating the revenue.
    
    Same for the website booking system. Three good programmers could knock out a beta version inside of a couple of months. It is not rocket science. It does not all have to be singing and dancing system.
    
    It it a ‘no brainer’.
    
    The only detraction to that is that it removes all the pocket pissing, backhanders, overseas trips, Iwi Koa, and ‘commissions’ for creating $1.4Bn of work for mates.
    
    BIG contracts can be looked at in a decade or after NZTA is out of debt, and all potholes, and the cause of potholes sorted.
    
    No doubt the mothballing of Marsden Point, where oil based bitumen was produced was all part of Ardern’s agenda to make us dependent on overseas coal and water based road sealant, and put lots of money in the pockets of the likes of Blackrock.
    
    Treason.
    
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    August 3, 2024 10:19am
    - Scott
      
      Jack rabbit – last year I travelled in Sydney and Melbourne on the local trains, ferries and trams using my credit card. Just tap on the terminal and you’re away.
      Why can’t we have that system here? 🤔
      
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      August 3, 2024 11:20am
      - peterwn
        
        Melbourne – since when? As far as I know you still need a Myki card. The Sydney and London systems are the same system as the proposed NZ system. London and Sydney would also have paid a high cost to set the system up.
        The cost of cobbling together a home brew system would have been far greater than the amount being paid to Cubic.
        
        1 0
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        August 3, 2024 2:53pm
      - Scott
        
        Peterwn – my apologies, we tried to get the free tram in Melbourne but it wasn’t running that day.
        My comments are accurate re Sydney. Trams, ferries, trains, we paid for tapping our credit cards at the terminals on the platforms. It seemed to work really well.
        
        2 0
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        August 3, 2024 3:01pm
      - JackRabbit
        
        We can. But there’s nothing in that for the ~~sewer rats~~ bureaucrats.
        
        0 0
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        August 3, 2024 6:55pm
- Muttonbird
  
  You can get a Motu Move card if you want, but most people will use their eftpos or credit card or phone. Very sensible, eliminating barriers and hassle both in the city you live and for domestic and international travellers.
  
  It’s a groundbreaking legacy project by the Ardern government which will reduce emissions and congestion and increase productivity for generations to come.
  
  Thanks, Jacinda.
  
  4 19
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  August 3, 2024 9:31am
  - AitchW
    
    A “groundbreaking legacy” which, if delivered, will be delivered not by a Labour government but by a National/ACT/NZF government.
    Yet another failure to deliver by the Ardern/Robertson/Hipkins flying circus.
    
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    August 3, 2024 9:46am
    - kowtow
      
      “Groundbreaking?”
      
      Nope , it’ll be tax payer breaking.
      
      10 1
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      August 3, 2024 10:55am
    - Muttonbird
      
      Don’t try to claim the idea. That seems a little desperate, lol.
      
      0 6
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      August 3, 2024 2:05pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        Yes yes they had ideas, but couldn’t organise a pissup in a brewery. The grownups are here now to actually successfully make stuff happen.
        
        1 0
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        August 3, 2024 7:24pm
  - Drone
    
    Muttonbird you forgot the //sarc I almost believed you..
    
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    August 3, 2024 9:55am
- Burtland
  
  you have left out the money wasted by canning the existing payment systems
  
  Every one of these organisations will need to be forensically deep cleaned by a commissioner – health is just the beginning. Sacking the CEOs should be the starting point.
  
  7 0
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  August 3, 2024 10:02am
- Ghost
  
  I actually wonder why they are rolling this out first to a ~~taxi service~~ public transport system in timaru.
  
  2 0
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  August 3, 2024 10:41am
- JimBobJoe
  
  1/ I don’t think I want to tap my credit/debit card on numerous transport tap on/off terminals. The security risk around those terminals on an ongoing basis would be horrific. They will not be as secure as an eftpos terminal in terms of physical security.
  
  2/ Why bother? I still don’t know why Hop was based on a French IT offering in Auckland when Snapper was up and running in Wellington. And Snapper is a Wellington based company with some smart people in the up echelons of the company
  We not just roll Snapper out across the country??
  
  3/ On costs here are a few things to consider:
  a) Infrastructure costs – what is covered in the Cubic contract and what sits outside. So backbone secure network, regional connectivity etc. Will need to be highly available but to what level? 99.99 or higher? If higher the redundancy require increases as does the cost. Note most telcos offer 99.99 up time as a standard product and One, Spark etc core and regional backhaul are pretty resilient and redundant
  (Note: Transpower command and control systems are triple redundant and run at 99.999 available I understand so their IT network cost are pretty high)
  
  b) Internal and supplier staffing (so NZTA project team, external suppliers like One NZ, Datacom etc etc). The top resources like Security Consultants, Architects, Programme Managers run in the 200 to 250 dollars an hour range. And if say an IBM, PWC etc is involved up those rates because ‘international best practice’
  
  c) Systems integration costs – the Cubic system to NZTA systems. The security wrapper in the integration layer could be very expensive.
  
  d) Environment costs while project is in development (Test, Dev, Pre-Prod at scale for NF Test, Production build). Even if cloud based systems multiple environments with associated data storage will rack up cost over a long duration project
  
  I would imagine there would need to be a scalable Data Warehouse attached to all this stuff to allow analysis of usage patterns by time, in response to price signals, usage of integrated trips (road and rail journey). And that is not particularly cheap
  
  e) Communications and PR – this won’t be huge but will tack on
  
  f) Potentially other ‘in trouble’ projects costs are being wrapped up in the NTS project to get them completed – you just tag an ‘extension’ of the existing project as being needed by the NTS project an voila those in trouble project costs can be partially dumped in.
  
  g) Roll out and fitting of in bus station, bus, train station, train, ferry, cable car point of sale equipment
  
  Given the scale of the NTS business case at 1.4 billion over ten years, Treasury should be all over the costing and economic payback in a big way
  
  I am not sure how you justify that cost in a brand new system build when contactless payment systems like Hop and Snapper are already in place…
  
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  August 3, 2024 12:42pm
Chuck Bird

Sorry Premium

Audrey Young: Cabinet report card – the ministers thriving and those just surviving

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/rating-the-cabinet-who-is-thriving-and-who-is-just-surviving-audrey-young/GQ5TJPMZY5H2DDNMQ4SFK2FMUA/
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August 3, 2024 8:04am
- Benedict Yu
  
  The copyright law does allow you to provide a summary of the article. Otherwise, what is the point in posting links to pay walled articles?
  
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  August 3, 2024 8:19am
  - Chuck Bird
    
    The point is that it is for those who pay for premium. I also pay for The Platform to be kept well informed.
    
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    August 3, 2024 8:35am
    - Damocles11
      
      Reading paywalled opinion pieces won’t keep you well informed though. Facts keep people informed, opinions don’t.
      
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      August 3, 2024 8:44am
    - Cassandra
      
      Those who pay for premium will read it anyway, won’t they? Or are they the folk who designed a $1.4 billion ticket system?
      
      14 0
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      August 3, 2024 8:48am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      You are completely missing my point.
      
      I am not being critical of your decision to subscribe to the Herald. I am saying that posting pay walled links in a public forum, without even providing a precise of the article, is at best, a waste of time.
      
      41 3
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      August 3, 2024 8:57am
      - pdm
        
        I agree BY.
        
        I never include paywalled links when I use Herald articles as the basis for posts at No Minister.
        
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        August 3, 2024 8:59am
      - Mike
        
        I didn’t realize that you contribute to the outstanding No Minister blog, pdm. I usually only look there to laugh at Tom Hunter’s posts.
        
        5 23
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        August 3, 2024 9:19am
      - Matt Long
        
        Downticked by accident, I certainly agree BY, if you can’t post a summary, don’t bother posting paywalled links.
        
        13 0
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        August 3, 2024 9:24am
  - Mike
    
    Chuck is demonstating his independence from common Kiwiblog opinion – he clearly values mainstream journalism.
    
    3 18
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    August 3, 2024 8:51am
    - JackRabbit
      
      MSM = MainStream Manure.
      
      10 4
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      August 3, 2024 10:20am
    - Damocles11
      
      Opinion is ‘journalism’? Oh dear. 🤦🏻‍♂️
      
      6 3
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      August 3, 2024 10:41am
      - Mike
        
        That’s precious – someone believes that journalism is unaffected by opinion.
        
        2 13
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        August 3, 2024 11:06am
  - Michael Sommerville
    
    BY She ranks all the minsters from the PM down to the lowest. A very balanced assessment of all of them and how they are performing. PM gets 8/10 down to Melissa Lee who got 3/10.
    Winston 8
    Chris Bishop 9
    Nicola Willis 8
    Shane Reti 7
    Simeon Brown 9
    Erica Stanford 9
    Upston 6
    Collins 7
    Penny Simmonds 4
    Seymour 8
    Brook VV 7
    McKee 7
    Chhour 8
    Etc but you get the drift. I think the assessments were pretty accurate and quite objective.
    
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    August 3, 2024 9:09am
- Simon
  
  Rating the ministers? MSM shit. They should be rating the CEO of govt departments.
  
  Look at this collection for eg. (at least 2 possible DEI hires) Their performance should be under the microscope. Who gives a fuck about the actual minister for Justice.
  
  https://www.justice.govt.nz/about/about-us/our-people/
  
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  August 3, 2024 8:29am
  - imalwaysright
    
    S
    Correct.
    The public service are a far more effective opposition than the Opposition.
    Does anyone think that Labour/Green/Maori voting public servants will be giving an honest days work?
    
    I said at the election that the new government needs to immediately sack the top 10% in every ministry, and if that doesnt work sack the next 15%…
    
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    August 3, 2024 10:15am
- artemisia
  
  Top performers according to the article –
  Chris Bishop, Simeon Brown and Erica Stanford 9/10
  All 3 leaders at 8/10.
  
  How does that compare to the last government’s party leaders?
  
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  August 3, 2024 8:31am
  - Damocles11
    
    Wow. I’m genuinely no further informed as to who is doing well and who isn’t, I just have the opinion of one person out of over 5 million.
    
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    August 3, 2024 8:35am
    - artemisia
      
      Actually it was a long article with her reasons for the ratings.
      
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      August 3, 2024 10:59am
      - Damocles11
        
        Cool.
        
        2 1
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        August 3, 2024 11:51am
  - Jethrod
    
    Knowing Aud, she gave them 10’s!
    
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    August 3, 2024 8:55am
  - MCōs
    
    Depends on Audrey Young’s view of the world of politics
    
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    August 3, 2024 9:00am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    Thanks that is all that was required in the first place. 🙄
    
    I disagree on Erica Stanford. I won’t bother repeating why. 😐
    
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    August 3, 2024 9:00am
    - John Loveridge
      
      Rodney Hide agrees with you. Have you seen his recent article on BBH?
      
      12 2
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      August 3, 2024 9:16am
    - Pope Punctilious II
      
      Several weeks ago I wrote to Erica Stanford asking why maatauranga Maaori is still in the science curriculum. No reply.
      
      20 1
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      August 3, 2024 9:31am
      - Damocles11
        
        She is woke I believe.
        
        8 1
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        August 3, 2024 10:43am
  - pdm
    
    I would include Brooke van Velden and Karen Chhour in the top tier.
    
    Bishop seems a bit high – said a lot not produced so much.
    
    14 2
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    August 3, 2024 9:00am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      I agree on Simeon Brown. An example of a politician who has perfectly transitioned from opposition to government. As a Transport Minister he is approving as effective as Steven Joyce.
      
      I am sure that he is aware of the urgency of getting much needed roads locked in to prevent them being killed off by the next ethno communist government. Let’s face it. Such a government could have Julie Anne Genter as Transport Minister.
      
      It is interesting to contrast Australian and New Zealand transport policies. All the States have more often than not had ‘left’ governments. Yet road building in Australia has been going full steam ahead for the last 40 years.
      
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      August 3, 2024 9:17am
      - MCōs
        
        The problem with mega projects such as major highways is there is an enormous amount of preliminary work required before work is started on site.
        Unfortunately work has to start and be progressed to a point of no return within the term of the government, even if it means all the i’s aren’t dotted and t’s aren’t crossed, if it’s known the opposition will can the project
        A lot easier before MMP, by the way.
        
        5 0
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        August 3, 2024 9:46am
      - imalwaysright
        
        “Mega projects ”
        
        That’s a laugh. The only thing “Mega” about NZ projects is the exorbitant prices and the corruption.
        
        8 1
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        August 3, 2024 10:21am
      - Flossie
        
        I actually saw a bit of tv news on three last night showing a split screen with the newsreader and also Jenna Lynch and Tova O’Brien. I foresee ructions there between the Head Political Reporter and the Senior political Reporter. Jenna looked extremely miffed and I couldn’t really blame her the way Tova muscled in.
        Having one of those women giving their biased opinion is bad enough – surely both is very unnecessary. I though that company was cutting costs?
        Anyway I won’t watch again.
        
        6 0
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        August 3, 2024 11:42am
    - artemisia
      
      Karen – 8. Brooke – 7.
      
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      August 3, 2024 11:04am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    I thought they were try hard tyrants, not leaders.
    
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    August 3, 2024 9:04am
- Damocles11
  
  Trying to get us all to subscribe to the Herald perhaps? A lot of what that execrable leftist rag puts behind the paywall is the gossamer thin opinion stuff that effective critical thinkers surely don’t require. We can form our own opinions on how individual ministers are performing. The opinion of ‘Audrey Young’ – or Uncle Tom Cobbley for that matter – is of absolutely no interest. Why someone would pay good money to read mere opinions is beyond me.
  
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  August 3, 2024 8:32am
  - Burtland
    
    Seems the media is just Holden verses Ford bullshit when all we want is car stuff
    – is there a website that just distills the facts and leaves it at that ?
    
    4 0
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    August 3, 2024 10:27am
- Inandout
  
  CB, another NZ site has screen shots and commentary on each chosen by Young. Hardly worth the effort really, especially to those of us who follow politics.
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:08am
- John Loveridge
  
  If you’re going to post a paywalled link please give us a brief precis, Chuck, otherwise there’s no point. Not many here have enough regard for the NZH to cough up a subscription.
  
  4 0
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  August 3, 2024 9:14am
  - Burtland
    
    the NZH paywall is a joke – firefox’s pocket goes straight through it – many of their associates like Listener dont so you would have to think its deliberate.
    
    3 0
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    August 3, 2024 10:41am
greenfinger

Swarbrick is all bark and no bite! Why is Darleen still on my payroll?
11 0
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August 3, 2024 8:09am
- Burtland
  
  because the tax payer pays, not the greens
  
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  August 3, 2024 10:43am
  - peterwn
    
    The Greens want Darleen off the payroll but the process is more tricky than a pink slip in her pay packet.
    
    4 0
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    August 3, 2024 11:07am
Damocles11

Damocles ratings of the performance of various government ministers, at absolutely no charge to you:

Chris Luxon: 5 out of 10
Winston Peters: 6 out of 10
Karen Chhour: 9 out of 10
Chris Bishop: 10 out of 10
Nicola Willis: 6 out of 10
Simeon Brown: 8 out of 10
Shane Jones: 6 out of 10
David Seymour: 7 out of 10
Tama Potaka: 5 out of 10
Mark Mitchell: 5 out of 10
Paul Goldsmith: 5 out of 10
Shane Reti: 7 out of 10
Judith Collins: 6 out of 10
7 4
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August 3, 2024 8:41am
- MCōs
  
  Gossamer thin opinion stuff that effective critical thinkers surely don’t require. We can form our own opinions on how individual ministers are performing. The opinion of Damocles11 – or Uncle Tom Cobbley for that matter – is of absolutely no interest.
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:51am
  - Damocles11
    
    I’m making a point that *we all* have opinions, and mostly they are *free*. That probably went over your head.
    
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    August 3, 2024 10:45am
    - MCōs
      
      I’m making the point that you made your bed and now you have to lie in it
      
      1 6
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      August 3, 2024 11:00am
      - Damocles11
        
        Quite happy to. Opinions are not worth paying money for, including mine.
        
        6 0
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        August 3, 2024 11:52am
Damocles11

The Free Speech Union reports:

‘Hounding individuals out of universities for ‘wrongthink’ is the definition of a ‘purge’. We wont stand for it.
We are representing Prof. Elizabeth Rata whose role (at Auckland University) is in scope for disestablishment. That in itself isn’t a speech issue- the fact whether she retains her role could be based on whether she believes Matauranga Maori is the equivalent of science is.’

https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech/status/1819133709599363479
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August 3, 2024 8:48am
- imalwaysright
  
  D
  
  That is shameful.
  
  Is this the Fourth Reich or the Fifth Reich?
  I’ve lost count in the last six years.
  
  8 0
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  August 3, 2024 10:25am
- Burtland
  
  the current restructuring will be used to hound “wrongthink” from ALL the government agencies, not just UoA
  
  heres whats going on at GNS
  
  https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2024/08/professor-jerry-coyne-science-or-not.html#more
  
  and more at UoC
  
  https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2024/08/professor-jerry-coyne-unsettling.html
  
  how much evidence do you need that the governments organizations are stuffed
  
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  August 3, 2024 11:17am
  - Damocles11
    
    Disgusting. Central government must step in. Persecuting people for holding views is simply unacceptable, we are all entitled to freedom of thought and freedom to hold our own views and beliefs. Anything else and it really is 1984 playing out before our eyes.
    
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    August 3, 2024 11:54am
Biscuit

Did you notice the delicious irony in Australia, of all countries, moaning that a dastardly Chinese swimmer had apparently done something ‘humanly impossible’ in winning his race against some sainted Australian.

It seems the Chinese fella had improved by ‘one body length’ … not, on the face of it, something I would call ’humanly impossible’…

But a life ban [he’s been found 101% guilty, natch, in Kangaroo Court] would be too good for him … according to the pure-as-the-driven-slush Australians…

My mind is cast back to the ball-tampering Australian Cricketers who most certainly didn’t life ban THEIR (two) proven crooks.

Part of me is really, really hoping that the Chinese swimmers have found a way to, erm, perp some ball-tampering in response.

Hopefully not, Ouch!, with sandpaper, mind…
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August 3, 2024 8:53am
- pdm
  
  Biscuit – on what part would swimmers apply said sandpaper so as to add length to their anatomy? Oops I mean swimming speed.
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:03am
- MCōs
  
  It was one Australian, Brett Hawke, who whined about the super fast Chinese swimmer, Pan Zhanle, who in turn had had his nose out of joint about perceived slights by some Australians.
  I think the latter misunderstand may have been smoothed over in the interim, but this Hawke chap sounds like he’s not going to back down.
  https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-Gowv2ykco/?igsh=MTR1Z3l1bHU3MDFxeQ==
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:15am
  - Biscuit
    
    MCōs, lest folk out there think that I regard Australians as humourless souls, I saw this withering putdown the other day:
    
    US interviewer: Why are you Australians so good at Swimming?
    Australian Swimmer: In School we have Swimming lessons instead of active shooter drills.
    
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    August 3, 2024 9:30am
  - Jack5
    
    The Sydney Morning Herald today on China’s Pan Zhanle taking the gold in the 100m freestyle by more than a second from Australian Kyle Chalmers:
    
    Pan complained after his final that Chalmers and other swimmers had snubbed him, but what else could he expect after revelations in April that CHINADA, the country’s anti-doping agency, had cleared 23 swimmers to compete in the Tokyo Games despite testing positive to a banned heart medication?
    
    WADA [The World Anti-Doping Agency] accepted China’s claim that contamination in the kitchen of the hotel where the athletes were staying had been at play, although nobody has ever explained how the heart medication found its way into the air vents and spice racks.
    
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    August 3, 2024 9:32am
    - MCōs
      
      Mister Pan wasn’t one of the twenty three
      I’m not saying he’s innocent, but he’s also no more guilty than any of those Aussie hotshots
      
      3 2
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      August 3, 2024 9:55am
- peterwn
  
  Remember a bit of a scene years ago at junior swimming champs at Newmarket Pool. A school contemporary was a very good swimmer. Before his race some brat (whose father was a swimming official) came up to schoolmate and announced he was the current champion. Schoolmate licked him in the race. Brat must have gone screaming off to dad as brat then informed schoolmate that something was wrong, result nullified and race would be held again at end of programme. Schoolmate beat brat by an even bigger margin!
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:15am
- Yvette
  
  If the sainted Australian had gained 21 mm per metre on the dastardly Chinese swimmer, the Aussie bloke could have also have apparently done something ‘bigly humanly impossible’, like beat the dastardly Chinese swimmer by a hand length.
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:16am
- Philview
  
  I generally struggle to watch the ideologically biased TVNZ News reports these days. I have picked up this week that they have got behind the Clark/Brash criticism of NZ’s foreign policy. Last night TVNZ News managed to promote a story line that the last NZ Labour Government was very critical of AUKUS. It seems like more bending of history by the media.
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:19am
- AitchW
  
  Let us not forget the shark suits designed purely to give the Aussie swimmers an unfair advantage in the pool. They were subsequently banned by the IOC.
  Should I mention the underarm bowling incident of 1981?
  The Aussies have a long history of, shall we say, less than sportsmanlike behaviour.
  Let he who is without sin and all that…..
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:26am
- Anthony Melchett
  
  Was this the famous chinese swimmer – Wi Dohping?
  
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  August 3, 2024 9:35am
imalwaysright

Starmer is predicting a “summer of violence” in Britain.

That’s quite an odd thing for a PM to say.
Normal procedure would be to call for calm and offer ways to resolution.
Is this his prelude to implementing draconian restrictions on British citizens?
Yes, 100%

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/starmer-police-far-right-summer-violence-southport-b2589756.html
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August 3, 2024 9:11am
- kowtow
  
  Interesting to contrast police reaction to “disorder” events .
  
  In one lot they literally prostrate themselves ( take a knee) in another they simply stand by and do nothing (oil) but when the cough cough local lager louts get uppity , it’s dogs and batons .
  
  How very odd. Innit.
  
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  August 3, 2024 10:02am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Kow.
    
    Yes, I see they have deployed and used the attack dogs.
    One commentator criticised Starmer for labelling those present as “far Right”.
    A more accurate label is “right so far”.
    
    The London Met shut down central London the other day and provided an escort for an impromptu Muslim religious march.
    There were thousands there and the cops were clearing non muslims from the route and arresting them.
    
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    August 3, 2024 10:52am
    - kowtow
      
      Thank goodness no one in Central London on that occasion was “openly Jewish” otherwise there’d have been mass arrests.
      
      ‘Another officer told Falter he would be arrested if he did not leave the vicinity of the protest, as his presence was “antagonising”’
      
      https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/21/met-police-chief-mark-rowley-faces-calls-quit-officer-openly-jewish-comment-protest
      
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      August 3, 2024 1:11pm
  - Damocles11
    
    If you are a brown rioter you will be treated with an aching degree of cultural sensitivity and deep understanding. Please excuse the feel of these kids gloves as I gently restrain you.
    
    If you are a white rioter it goes without saying you must be a ‘racist’ violent thug, and will be dealt with in the harshest way possible. Taste baton you vile scumbag.
    
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    August 3, 2024 11:59am
Matt Long

It was amazing and horrifying seeing the UK police under the Conservatives turn into a thought control farce.
https://christianconcern.com/news/councillor-will-keep-exposing-police-treatment-for-free-speech-tweet/
https://youtu.be/YyMGO2MO6GU?si=FB8pvcujTYNvK3nn
Now under Luxon the NZ police are moving in the same direction.
https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech/status/1819160909341991069
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August 3, 2024 9:18am
- imalwaysright
  
  I’m starting to wonder why we bothered to have an election.
  
  10 2
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  August 3, 2024 11:07am
  - Damocles11
    
    You don’t enjoy ‘more competent economic management using corporate measurability techniques’?
    
    1 0
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    August 3, 2024 12:01pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      What is the point if we don’t have freedom of speech?
      
      3 0
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      August 3, 2024 2:10pm
- Scott
  
  I think it’s a case of whack a mole. This govt told the law society to stop all work on hate speech laws. That the police are now working on hate speech initiatives is their own work. There are no hate speech laws. But the police on their own initiative are acting as if there are.
  
  To be fair to the govt this kind of woke stuff is not coming from them.
  
  5 0
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  August 3, 2024 1:42pm
Inandout

Churrr…good for some bro..
‘Emirates Team New Zealand and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei are proud to announce the participation of Te Kawau, a traditional Māori waka (canoe) from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei that will escort Taihoro and the team out to the America’s Cup race course each day during this year’s Louis Vuitton America’s Cup’.
14 1
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August 3, 2024 9:20am
- AitchW
  
  Given the speed at which they tow those boats out I guess the Waka will have a 200 hp Honda on the stern?
  
  14 3
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  August 3, 2024 9:38am
  - Countrygirl
    
    Or they might leave the night before the race.
    
    5 0
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    August 3, 2024 3:50pm
- OlderChas
  
  Can anyone find a cost breakdown of this exercise? A canoe shipped to Spain and back, air fares for the paddlers AND the kapa haka group in company, accommodation and food for same, etc etc.
  And more importantly – where is the money coming from? Is Emirates paying? Team NZ? NZ Govt? Ngati Whatua?
  
  12 1
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  August 3, 2024 10:00am
  - Ghost
    
    It is reported as a partnership with team nz, so I expect it is their sponsors covering it
    
    4 0
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    August 3, 2024 10:09am
- pdm
  
  As long as no taxpayer money is involved – who cares?
  
  I assume all benefits ceased for the Waka crew as they are obviously now based overseas permanently.
  
  9 1
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  August 3, 2024 10:07am
- Jack5
  
  “Churr” in the post of Inandout at 9.30 … what’s the origin of the word?
  
  Definitions:
  
  – Going back to 1555, as in Shorter Oxford, Webster, Collins etc dictionaries: “To make a deep trilled or whirring sound, as some birds; to make this sound; any bird that makes this sound, e.g. partridge. Current versions of the complete OED online seem to regard the word as NZ slang.
  
  – The web site NCESC Geographic : ‘Chur is a slang term in New Zealand that is essentially used as a way to say “thank you” or show gratitude and appreciation. It can also be used to mean “sweet as” or “that’s awesome”. For example, if someone offers to help you change a flat tire, you can respond with “Chur, bro”.’
  
  – A book of NZ slang suggests “churr” comes from “cheers”.
  
  – “Chur” provides the title of a web site on NZ slang: https://churnewzealand.com/new-zealand-slang/
  
  4 0
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  August 3, 2024 10:54am
- Damocles11
  
  Corporate ‘maori washing’ for propaganda purposes, to sit alongside the ‘green washing’ and DEI and all the other deeply cynical performative posturing our corporates engage in.
  
  3 2
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  August 3, 2024 12:03pm
- Paulus
  
  Who is paying for all this Maori attendance and bum showing in Barcelona.
  Nice if you can get it as lovely place to have a decent paid for holiday now too.
  
  5 1
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  August 3, 2024 2:57pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  What does “churrr” mean?
  
  0 0
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  August 3, 2024 7:34pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Maori want to take responsibility for the genetic data of the little bush moa.

https://business.scoop.co.nz/2024/08/02/researchers-make-the-case-for-extending-indigenous-data-sovereignty-in-science/

I think they are 500 years too late.
24 1
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August 3, 2024 9:44am
- JackRabbit
  
  “Oops, we ate the evidence.”
  
  14 2
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  August 3, 2024 10:23am
- Taieri
  
  Maori want to take responsibility for the genetic data of the little bush moa
  ———-
  
  They already have. By using it as a culinary ingredient.
  
  16 1
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  August 3, 2024 10:26am
- Burtland
  
  interesting read
  
  Tahu Kukutai (University of Waikato) and Professor Amanda Black “make the case for non-human genomic data to be held in similar esteem as human genomic data”
  
  Tahu Kukutai has a PhD from Stanford titled “The thin brown line: re-indigenizing inequality in Aotearoa New Zealand
  
  Amanda Black has been awarded a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship to reconstruct the kauri soil ecosystem using soil DNA and integrating matauranga Māori of the ngāhere forest, to build whakapapa of the soil.
  
  https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/what-we-do/funds-and-opportunities/rutherford-discovery-fellowships/rutherford-discovery-fellowship-recipients/amanda-black/
  
  5 0
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  August 3, 2024 12:12pm
  - Pope Punctilious II
    
    Yes, that’s where your tax dollars are going. “Whakapapa of the soil”.
    
    1 0
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    August 3, 2024 8:24pm
Ghost

Olympic committee statement

Joint Paris 2024 Boxing Unit/IOC Statement
6 2
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August 3, 2024 10:01am
- Maggie Pie
  
  We were talking about this at tennis earlier this morning….
  
  https://x.com/CrazyVibes_1/status/1819429406886318148
  
  6 5
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  August 3, 2024 10:41am
  - Ghost
    
    Did your discussions at pretend tennis focus on the fact female Olympic boxers wear breast and groin protection?
    
    4 13
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    August 3, 2024 10:45am
    - Maggie Pie
      
      I can see right thru you ghost.
      
      11 4
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      August 3, 2024 11:40am
    - Mike
      
      Ghost
      People are saying that ‘tennis’ refers to a shelf-stocking shift at Fresh Choice Otahuhu.
      
      3 11
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      August 3, 2024 1:00pm
      - Ghost
        
        No no, people in the know who have seen her step out of character say the north shore. They could go further but she’d claim they’re witches casting spells.
        
        3 7
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        August 3, 2024 1:54pm
Maggie Pie

‘A 17 year old MAN has been arrested in Kerikeri for impersonating a Police Officer’

– NewtalkZB @10am

ZB news earlier in the week….

‘Police in the UK have arrested a 17 yeard old BOY for the stabbing of nine people and killing of 3 children’

Wouldn’t mind betting the accused man up North is a white guy.
9 5
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August 3, 2024 10:21am
- imalwaysright
  
  Apparently the “boy” has mental health issues.
  
  I think we somehow guessed that.
  
  5 2
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  August 3, 2024 11:17am
  - Maggie Pie
    
    But what about the guy up North?
    
    Rigged his car up with flashing red & bloo lights then pulled over unsuspecting women who were out driving alone.
    
    Sounds like another complete nutter as well 🙁
    
    9 3
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    August 3, 2024 12:18pm
    - Albie
      
      How’s this for an idea? Before pledging countless billions to build a 4 lane highway to Whaaaaaargarei, how about getting the locals to get their treaty settlements sorted and get the welfare and associated social issues addressed? May take a bit of doing but a Waikato expressway up there ain’t going to sort out the deep underlying issues IMHO.
      
      4 0
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      August 3, 2024 5:48pm
      - Maggie Pie
        
        Soo right Albie!
        Nobody we know would ever be in a hurry to get to Fon gaaaa ray.
        With retards like that inhabiting the place, avoid at all costs i’d say.
        
        2 2
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        August 3, 2024 6:34pm
  - Paulus
    
    Problem is today that we are seeing an enormous increase in mental cases, most genetical in origin.
    And extrapolating at an enormous rate, and of course taxpayers costs.
    Didn’t Labour put up additional $1.9 billion for Mental Health last year, and where did the money go ?
    Audited Yea !~
    
    4 0
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    August 3, 2024 3:02pm
mogg

Starmer is using accusations of Far Right violence in an attempt to cover up for the murder of three innocent girls. Also another 6 young girls and adults who tried to protect them are still in hospital with life threatening injuries from stab wounds caused by
Axel Rudakubana, who is the son of Rewandan immigrants .
7 4
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August 3, 2024 11:00am
Jack5

Royal Navy submarine engineers are using software whose coding was contracted out to teams in Siberia, and Minsk, the capital of Belarus, Putin’s closest ally.

The Telegraph reports: “Ben Wallace, the former Defence Secretary, said the breach “potentially left us vulnerable to the undermining of our national security”.

Wallace added: “Time and time again, countries like China and Russia have targeted the supply chains of our defence contractors.”
7 0
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August 3, 2024 11:03am
- Mike
  
  What did anyone expect once political parties came to rely on Russian oligarchs for funding?
  
  4 3
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  August 3, 2024 11:44am
Prince

Just received my Wgton Rates invoice .
Don’t believe the lying bastards when they say rates increased by 16%.
Mine are up 21%. Yes, 21%.
They lie, they waste money. I despise them all.
19 3
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August 3, 2024 11:32am
- Damocles11
  
  Some far left merkin downticked you. How empathetic!
  
  5 4
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  August 3, 2024 12:05pm
- mogg
  
  I saw that management of Wellington Water was judged as ‘shambolic’ in a recent report.
  
  9 0
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  August 3, 2024 12:36pm
- kevn
  
  Price… Friend in Porirua is paying $6k pa. Not a castle, just a roomy 90’s family place.
  
  2 1
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  August 3, 2024 3:49pm
Maggie Pie

On the matter of dress standards in Parliament….

‘Many s0 called MP’s today are nothing more than radical protestors.
They certainly aren’t Parliamentarians’

– Winston Peters (Deputy PM)
22 4
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August 3, 2024 11:37am
- Mike
  
  But what are his views on lapel pins?
  
  3 19
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  August 3, 2024 11:45am
  - Damocles11
    
    Trust you to see no distinction between a tiny lapel pin and an ornate feathered headdress or cowboy hat.
    
    21 4
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    August 3, 2024 12:06pm
    - Mike
      
      Yes, you can trust me. Might I advise you to write to Mr. Brownlee to ask that the next review of standing orders addresses these declining standards?
      
      7 8
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      August 3, 2024 12:41pm
  - Paulus
    
    Understand they were originally allowed in the same way as Labour MPs had labelled red boxes on show in their seats.
    
    4 2
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    August 3, 2024 3:04pm
    - Mike
      
      Did that mean MPs could ignore the new rules?
      
      2 1
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      August 3, 2024 5:13pm
    - Ghost
      
      The business committee decided to ban them
      
      2 0
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      August 3, 2024 5:17pm
- MCōs
  
  Mr Peters may be the smartest dressed MP of this or any other parliament, but he has been ejected from the house more than fifty times
  Every time an innocent man!
  
  4 4
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  August 3, 2024 2:03pm
Maggie Pie

Taking lunch while reading where the Iranian-Defence-Minister has implied they’re about to destroy Israel….”In the coming hours, the world will witness very important developments. Our response will be decisive and unforgettable”

My partner reckons it might be time to get out the 3D glasses.
But bet’s they do SFA as usual. They know Biden has everything under control 😀
5 2
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August 3, 2024 1:31pm
thirteenstars

Shades of the Posie Parker beat-up last year. GB News headline:

“Olympics official’s WHITE SUPREMACY symbol sees his accreditation REVOKED”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2oq89boERA

Remember the Newshub story accusing Parker of making a similar hand signal, blurred out for dramatic effect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUwFvOoc1lI

After which more than a thousand trans activists, whipped up by such media reports, violently assaulted a small gathering of mainly middle-aged women at Albert Park while the police stood by and watched it happen.

Same shit shit, different day.
8 2
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August 3, 2024 1:58pm
Muttonbird

This is really sad. National have been so negative, so destructive, and screwed the economy so bad, our youngest and brightest have very little hope of finding work:

https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/350365572/hiring-graduates-luxury-says-recruiter-young-people-struggle-find-work/?utm_source=stuff_article&utm_medium=referral

Can only hope this is a one term government so we can get our mojo back with a bit of positive leadership.
2 26
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August 3, 2024 1:59pm
- Paulus
  
  Where is the positive Labour leadership.
  Must be blind as cannot see anybody.
  But must be female anyway as they were sucessful with anointing Arden.
  
  9 2
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  August 3, 2024 3:06pm
  - JackRabbit
    
    mojo: “a magic charm, talisman, or spell”.
    
    He’s hoping for another Ardern escapee from the Mad Hatter Tea party that is well experienced in sprinkling or using “fairy dust”.
    
    2 0
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    August 3, 2024 7:12pm
- lifesgood
  
  That statement is ridiculous. An economy does not get ruined after just a few moths. It’s the 6 previous horrendous years under Labour that have done it.
  
  15 3
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  August 3, 2024 3:07pm
- Ghost
  
  Completely agree, it is sad that the Ardern/Hipkins governments screwed the country so badly that people are leaving because of the damage done to so much public sector positions, health, education, police, even military. It’s actually a shame and strange that a government who claimed they would have no strikes had endless strikes. The a government that set out to accomplish so much actually made everything they touched worse. So bad that it is going to take years to fix.
  
  12 2
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  August 3, 2024 3:22pm
  - JackRabbit
    
    You are mistaken. Labour never set out to accomplish anything, except totalitarian rule.
    
    And Robertson was borrowing billions in preparation for Covid and the lockdowns, the damage they could do, and the laws they could pass under emergency provisions, even before Covid-19 was discovered. Agenda 201.
    
    2 3
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    August 3, 2024 7:16pm
    - Benedict Yu
      
      He attention seeking. It is a parody account.
      
      1 2
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      August 3, 2024 8:08pm
    - Ghost
      
      Good to know I’m a parody account, never knew that,
      
      0 0
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      August 3, 2024 10:29pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  our youngest and brightest
  
  Are they really?
  
  50+ years ago I don’t recall that I or my peers could just walk into a choice job with a basic bachelor’s degree in the arts or sciences.
  
  Perhaps those with an applied degree – Engineering, food tech, Law, could.
  
  It definitely paid to have had some previous work experience (holiday/part-time) when my daughters ventured out into the real working world after graduating .
  
  They had references which indicated that they were reliable, capable of working in a team, and were pleasant workmates.
  
  As an employer, I would want to see more than an educational qualification.
  
  13 2
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  August 3, 2024 3:49pm
  - fernglas
    
    Not even with a law degree; around 50% of graduates in my year couldn’t get law jobs and about the same time Auckland University, at the request of the Accountants Society, failed a sizeable chunk of final year students because there weren’t enough accounting jobs to go round.
    
    3 2
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    August 3, 2024 5:05pm
    - Jack5
      
      If the Accountants’ Society requested universities to reduce accounting passes, the society acted as a restrictive monopoly.
      
      0 0
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      August 3, 2024 8:05pm
- mogg
  
  You’re eff-ing joking right? After Labours six years of borrow, print and spend economics forcing inflation up to 7.8%, it is now estimated that the last quarters 4.3% inflation has been reduced to under 3% which is within RBNZ target.
  The big risk now is that high interest rates which are being used to try and repair Labour’s economic vandalism will tip us into recession.
  After an 1,100 point drop yesterday on the Dow, Wall Street is worried about the American economy going into recession, the same thing applies here, I would bet that secondary market rates plummet here next week.
  
  6 2
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  August 3, 2024 4:01pm
  - greybeard
    
    You are spot on. Our current exchange rates are a big worry.
    
    9 2
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    August 3, 2024 4:19pm
    - Jack5
      
      Our current exchange rates are a big worry…
      
      But not for exporters and the NZ tourism industry.
      
      0 0
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      August 3, 2024 7:59pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  Mutton it would appear you live in some kind of sheltered bubble. The toxic clown show of the last 6 years divided the country like never before, promised the earth, wasted billions and achieved FA.
  
  4 0
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  August 3, 2024 7:42pm
Steve Todd

This is 41 minutes of very interesting, and enjoyable, viewing.

Tim Miller at The Bulwark talks to George Conway, primarily about Trump’s psychopathy and his fears of going to jail, plus other topics. (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ5yhVSCl-E.)

The splurge says—

“Donald Trump checks all the boxes of a person with narcissistic personality disorder, but the mainstream press goes out of its way not to cover his apparent pathologies—and ends up normalizing them. George Conway wants to change the media narrative to stop the guy who only cares about himself from getting back in the Oval Office. Conway joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.”

George’s Anti-Psychopath PAC: https://www.psychopac.org

Rolling Stone piece by Alex Morris that George references:
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics…

Post story on whether Trump took a $10 million payout from Egypt: https://www.washingtonpost.com/invest…

The breakdown, for your benefit—

2:34 – George Conway’s Anti-Psychopath PAC
13:32 – Anti-Psychopath PAC’s Ad
19:06 – Affectively Communicating Trump’s Level of Sociopath
21:46 – Trump’s Fears of Going to Jail
25:44 – Joe Biden’s Proposed Supreme Court Reforms
29:23 – Secret Probe into Whether Trump Took Money from Egypt
33:15 – George Conway’s Support for Kamala Harris
37:57 – Kellyanne Conway Being Blamed for Bad JD Vance Coverage

George has suggested to Kamala that she do what he is doing, right through to 5 November — that is, hammer Trump relentlessly about his failings, to expose his malignant narcissistic personality disorder for all to clearly see.

The next 95 days are going to be fascinating; “required viewing”, as they say.
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August 3, 2024 2:15pm
- Steve Todd
  
  Alex Morris’s 2017 Rolling Stone article about the possibility of Trump having pathological narcissism—
  
  https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trumps-mental-health-is-pathological-narcissism-the-key-to-trumps-behavior-126354/.
  
  2 7
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  August 3, 2024 2:43pm
  - Steve Todd
    
    Sorry. Both the Rolling Stone and Washington Post articles are paywalled.
    
    1 5
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    August 3, 2024 2:50pm
    - Don Beckett
      
      Well Steve, you just keep on shilling for Kackling Kamala – you’re really on a winner there //
      
      7 5
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      August 3, 2024 5:25pm
      - Steve Todd
        
        I have no more idea as to who is going to win on 5 November than you do, Don.
        
        What I do know, is that there is now a competitive race — whereas two weeks ago there wasn’t — and who I prefer to win that race, just as you know who you prefer.
        
        2 4
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        August 3, 2024 5:51pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

They’re running scared. The United Spot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTyVyU5WQqE
3 6
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August 3, 2024 2:15pm
Maggie Pie

TRENDING
Our sources from within Israel are saying that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assasinated by a WOMAN who snuck in with a bomb under her Burqua, thereby disqualifying him from the 72 Virgins!

Although looks like he does get the goats as a consolation prize…. 😛

https://x.com/ImtiazMadmood/status/1819287635053199453
7 3
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August 3, 2024 2:46pm
- Inandout
  
  Maggie, a comment was ’72 transgenders’….ouch.
  
  5 2
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  August 3, 2024 3:55pm
MCōs

Jack Lovelock of Timaru wins the 1500m at the 1936 Berlin Olympics with the best commentary you’ll every hear by former British gold medalist Harold Abrahams (Chariots of Fire)
https://youtu.be/nr0ihgPjo3k?si=DEpL8-echktAlXha
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August 3, 2024 3:31pm
- thirteenstars
  
  130 golds were awarded at the Berlin Olympics and each gold medal winner was presented with a small oak.
  
  Lovelock on dais holding his oak:
  
  https://register.notabletrees.org.nz/imagestore/b1b0432ceafb0ce714426e9114852ac7.large.jpg
  
  Lovelock’s oak stands at my old school, Timaru Boys’ High, and is now 88 years old.
  
  https://register.notabletrees.org.nz/imagestore/697e382cfd25b07a3e62275d3ee132b3.large.jpg
  
  Lovelock statue outside Memorial Library, TBHS:
  
  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/2015-01-05-08930-Timaru.JPG/1280px-2015-01-05-08930-Timaru.JPG
  
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  August 3, 2024 4:00pm
  - newview
    
    Great piece of history. Very cool.
    
    4 0
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    August 3, 2024 5:27pm
Inandout

https://www.finder.com.au/energy/average-energy-bill-australia

We could have these choice power prices if the bloody Greens and iwi clippers kept out of the energy field.
4 3
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August 3, 2024 3:40pm
Maggie Pie

Brilliant vid Cos! Thnx for posting.
Runs rings around the current crop of bias poms on Sky 😀

Here’s an event you might remember as well Cossie….

https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1549771115882356736
4 2
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August 3, 2024 3:57pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/350366116/huang-ya-qiong-wins-badminton-gold-paris-olympics-then-says-yes-wedding-proposal
The best and most surprising thing about this is that it is a normal human male proposing marriage to a normal human female. Sort of contradicts the tenor of the opening ceremony !
9 3
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August 3, 2024 4:16pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  What is this “normal” you speak of Kemosabe?
  
  3 7
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  August 3, 2024 5:53pm
  - greybeard
    
    Normal: “conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.”
    If there wasn’t a condition known as “normal” then there would not be the word to describe that condition.
    i.e “normal”, or the opposite : “abnormal”.
    Some things can be defined as “natural” without being “normal”.
    
    1 2
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    August 3, 2024 6:45pm
- AitchW
  
  I reckon that there a LOT of normal heterosexual couples out there despite what is depicted in the media and online. If we were to believe tv ads every second couple is rainbow…..
  
  2 0
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  August 3, 2024 7:26pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Well the leftist media saying Trump is scared of debating Kamala Harris?
Want a link? Try the google machine.
Sept 4th.
Sept 10th was terminated when POTUS Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/trump-says-he-s-agreed-to-fox-news-debate-with-kamala-harris/ar-AA1oa3C7?
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August 3, 2024 5:59pm

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