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October 2, 2024 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 02 October 2024

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General Debate

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pdm

Good to see Tim Southee take the initiative and stand down as New Zealand Cricket Captain. It just has not worked under his leadership and his form has suffered.

It is a shame though that Gary Stead does not have the same character. He is past his use by date and some of his decisions and selections leave a lot to be desired.

Come on Gary do the honourable thing and let the next Coach/Manager in line take over.
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October 2, 2024 8:14am
- imalwaysright
  
  Same with ABs dragging out the overdue departures of Perenara and Cane to enable milestones or other gestures.
  Time to select on ability and leave the mateship out of it.
  
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  October 2, 2024 8:28am
  - pdm
    
    ima I have a post on Razors first lt of tests over at No Minister which may interest you.
    https://nominister.wordpress.com/2024/10/01/razors-all-blacks-so-far/
    
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    October 2, 2024 9:26am
- john1234
  
  NZ cricket does appear to have fallen off a cliff and that’s despite having arguably the best playing roster we’ve ever had.
  
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  October 2, 2024 8:38am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  So they are in India, about to start a test against one of the toughest teams in the world, and you want the coach to stand down while on your?
  
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  October 2, 2024 8:48am
  - pdm
    
    G – he could say these tests will be his last hurrah.
    
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    October 2, 2024 9:30am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Maybe, but what will that do for morale?
      
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      October 2, 2024 9:35am
      - pdm
        
        Could well improve it – he is well past his use by date.
        
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        October 2, 2024 9:50am
      - imalwaysright
        
        If they need their morale boosted to play a game of cricket then maybe the team are the problem.
        
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        October 2, 2024 11:25am
      - I remember when
        
        It would certainly improve the morale of those who he has never selected.
        Every coach, often for what they consider good reasons, has players in this category, and never will.
        
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        October 2, 2024 4:14pm
- alex Masterley
  
  Agreed.
  Regrettably Tim S has passed his use by date going by his recent performances.
  My own view is that he should retire.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:03am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    All things must pass
    
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    October 2, 2024 9:14am
  - Sir Cullen's Sidekick
    
    Alex Master – This is the same arguement I am having with my mates. Southee should have retired after the WC 2023 in India. Similarly Tom Latham should retire from ODIs and concentrate only on tests. We need dynamic captains like Martin Crowe and Baz. NZ cricket both men and women has gone backwards by a decade.
    
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    October 2, 2024 6:56pm
- MCōs
  
  New Zealand’s problem is other teams grab our best coaches, probably by paying a lot more money than NZC
  Rugby is heading the same way with its players; particularly in the women’s game
  The big problem with rugby, football, netball is isolation down here at the bottom of the world
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:19am
  - Flossie
    
    I can’t see why being isolated down here at the bottom of the world is a problem. We have previously been world champs in most of those sports at times when world travel and communication was somewhat more difficult than today.
    Perhaps our competitors have since lifted their game higher than we have.
    
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    October 2, 2024 2:14pm
    - MCōs
      
      We clearly have never competed at football and one of the reasons is our team has so few meaningful international games and women’s rugby is the same
      The sevens teams play just as many top teams as anyone else and the women are the best in the world.
      The ABs have sagged since SA left the super competition
      
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      October 2, 2024 4:01pm
      - I remember when
        
        Women’s rugby also suffers from players switching between codes with league.
        
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        October 2, 2024 4:23pm
- Anthony Melchett
  
  Stead is what i would describe as a very dour, uninspirational captain.
  There have been some good results which were largely down to the brilliance of our all time greatest batsman.
  
  His lack of tactical nous at the last world cups and some poor coaching staff selections have continued the decline. Installing Southee as captain should have never been allowed.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:29am
  - Anthony Melchett
    
    Coach I mean….
    
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    October 2, 2024 10:03am
- cmm
  
  Bread and circuses without the bread.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:39am
artemisia

Richard Prebble in the Herald today (paywalled) – What’s gone wrong for the news media

And this other question from him – Why does the taxpayer own media outlets which the public does not trust?

And he includes this interesting and very pertinent reference – A former CIA analyst Martin Gurri has an explanation. Gurri’s job in the CIA was to analyse the world’s media. He noticed something extraordinary: “In the year 2001, double the amount of information was produced that had been produced by the entire human race from the cave paintings and the dawn of culture until now. 2002 doubled 2001.”
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October 2, 2024 8:16am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  And that was years before the advent of the iPhone.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:15am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Kamala Harris shows her hypocracy.
$3.8M on private jet flights in 6 weeks! She sure is fighting climate change.

https://pjnewsletter.com/kamala-harris-climate-change/?
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October 2, 2024 8:26am
- imalwaysright
  
  I see Trump visited the victims of the hurricane.
  Harris was embarrassed into cutting short her fundraising to go and meet their civil defense people. Still no sign of J Biddy though.
  
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  October 2, 2024 8:48am
  - MAGA, Mostly Aryans on Government Assistance
    
    Trumps “people” made recovery workers build him a little brick wall.
    Trump stopped the recovery workers and redirected their time to being his little audience.
    
    Why does Trump seem to need alt-right media sites to sane wash trump’s actions and words?…seems russian has some financial interest in those sites
    
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    October 2, 2024 10:52am
    - Media hater
      
      Interesting username. The sort of name Black with a Vengeance might think sounded clever, lol.
      
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      October 2, 2024 12:13pm
      - Dougal10
        
        Nailed it.
        
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        October 2, 2024 2:02pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  The alt left think that simply their right to fight climate change, she will think when I get in, these other assholes won’t be allowed to do this, I am important you know, right out of Dizzy Arden’s play book
  
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  October 2, 2024 8:51am
- kowtow
  
  The head of the UN , and many other leaders, political and ngo etc , say the biggest threat to the world is a trace gas CO2 ,which is essential to life on Earth.
  
  Meanwhile in the real world Russia at war with Ukraine , Sudan in forever civil war ( and other vast swathes of Africa) China militarising the South China Sea , North Korea the world’s largest concentration camp ,and as we sit at our computers 10 million Israelis in air raid shelters as a sovereign ( and theocratic) state launches 150 + missiles at another sovereign nation Israel , who is fighting to defend its people from attacks from Lebanon , Syria , Iraq ,Gaza and Yemen ( this latter who also attacks international shipping) as well as domestic terrorism ( more Israelis murdered today at a train station).
  
  and all the while our own politicians drive up the price of food , fuel and running the economy because of a crazy misguided obsession with a trace gas .
  
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  October 2, 2024 8:55am
  - Local Miller
    
    Make that 200+ missiles, possibly as many as 350.
    
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    October 2, 2024 10:44am
  - Justitia
    
    A “crazy misguided obsession”? Maybe not. The “obsession” has nothing to do with the climate and everything to do with advancing an agenda of total social control. Control energy and you control every facet of society. This real agenda leaks out occasionally through references to “climate justice” requiring “wealth redistribution” etc. These people are totalitarians who take their inspiration from the unholy alliance of the UN and the WEF. They are dangerous.
    
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    October 2, 2024 12:26pm
    - kowtow
      
      Agreed.
      
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      October 2, 2024 12:46pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      And if you look at the key figures pushing climate alarm, they have all been involved in failed predictions, skulduggery and slime.
      
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      October 2, 2024 7:58pm
Simon

China gets its oil from Iran. No real war between Israel Iran otherwise NZs biggest trade partner will hit problems then NZ has problems. Trump the peace prez the world needs.
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October 2, 2024 8:29am
- MCōs
  
  At the moment it’s Israel propped up by America on one side of the equation and a variety of designated terrorist organizations propped up by Iran propped up by China on the other.
  What’s Trump going to do different?
  Netanyahu is king of the castle at the moment. He’s faced down everyone at little cost to Israel except those hostages who he doesn’t seem to mind throwing under the bus to prove what a hard man he is.
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:11am
  - Simon
    
    Trump is a serious and capable man. As opposed to Biden and Harris who are jokes.
    
    Trump has met with Netanyahu and told him the score. Dial it down when he is prez. The Israel escalations will end.
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:24am
    - Grunter
      
      I think that Trump will be several months too late to the party to have any impact on this regional Middle East war. The USA is now being committed to a war with Iran.
      
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      October 2, 2024 11:48am
      - NZer In Exile
        
        Yes it has been said the dems need total chaos to sleaze in somehow. If Trump does get through all that, he is going to have one hell of a mess to clean up.
        
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        October 2, 2024 8:00pm
  - imalwaysright
    
    Nettanyahu is king of the castle, as you put it, because the American navy is parked off the coast and don’t seem to mind getting involved on his behalf.
    Credit where its due.
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:38am
    - MCōs
      
      If America withdrew its support for Israel they’d be gone by lunchtime and so would whichsoever American president was foolish enough to pull the plug
      So the conflict goes on and anybody who thinks any president will bring it to a permanent conclusion is dreaming. America may want a permanent solution, you and I likewise
      Why can’t they all just get along?
      The actual participants have plenty of reasons to keep the conflict going
      
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      October 2, 2024 4:19pm
  - kowtow
    
    propped up by China , Russia , North Korea.
    
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    October 2, 2024 12:48pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Idiot Noah Builds An Ark When He Could Have Just Paid More Taxes To Stop Climate Change. This Noah dude is on to it.

https://babylonbee.com/news/idiot-noah-builds-an-ark-when-he-could-have-just-paid-more-taxes-to-stop-climate-change?
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October 2, 2024 8:29am
nathie

Breaking news: TVNZ chases down former PM Jacinda Ardern demanding to know whether she is paying tax on her $300k speaking circuit fee income!

Update: Oops seems that was a leaked Tui Ad script instead!
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October 2, 2024 8:29am
- Scooter
  
  She would have to declare all overseas income what is more interesting is if she is still entitled to super if she stays overseas after the maximum period allowed to remain in NZ, I think 5 years from age 50?
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:35am
  - Flossie
    
    I very much doubt her possible future NZ pension enters into her present gravy train thinking. It’s peanuts in her world.
    
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    October 2, 2024 9:54am
  - MCōs
    
    Jacinda Ardern is not a NZ resident for taxation purposes
    Like anyone else she’ll be subject to income tax in her country of residence which right now is America
    She is 44yo. One suspects NZ Superannuation is not at the forefront of her mind.
    
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    October 2, 2024 10:18am
    - Jethrod
      
      Pray tell…. what is at the forefront of her mind?
      
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      October 2, 2024 10:33am
      - imalwaysright
        
        ***Warning: objectionable material alert***
        
        Here she is on her latest grift.
        Looks like they gave her the once over with the waterblaster and glued a couple of caterpillars to her lids.
        
        https://youtu.be/oe_VGaWdI-Y?si=Flhe1eWTu5P9yfiO
        
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        October 2, 2024 1:56pm
    - leoj
      
      Sane people would hope she remains a non NZ resident.
      
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      October 2, 2024 10:34am
      - NZer In Exile
        
        I’m guessing she has (or is building) a lower south island bolt hole like her billionaire donor buddies.
        
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        October 2, 2024 8:05pm
    - Vidar
      
      Has she sold her New Zealand home? If not, she may still have a permanent place of abode, which will make her a tax resident, even if she spends fewer than 183 days in New Zealand each year.
      
      She might be able to find a way around it, but it’s worth considering that the tax rate in New Zealand could actually be lower than what she might face in the US.
      
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      October 2, 2024 10:58am
      - Hard Cheese
        
        I don’t *think* a lower tax rate in New Zealand helps in that situation. If she’s paying tax on her US earnings to the IRS, and the rate is higher than it would be in New Zealand, the IRD don’t refund you the difference between the US tax rate and the NZ tax rate. At least that’s how it worked when I was filing an Australian tax return and a New Zealand tax return, as long as I was paying the equivalent amount of tax to the ATO that I would pay to the IRD on that income, the IRD were satisfied and I had no tax bill from them. The fact that I paid more tax in Australia, the IRD doesn’t care.
        
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        October 2, 2024 6:48pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      I’m pretty sure NZ reserves the right to tax New Zealanders wherever they are in the work, unless they state by words or actions that they don’t intend to return to the country.
      
      As an ex PM, I think Jacinda would find it very hard to pass that test.
      
      Hopefully she is in the sights of IRD’s high wealth individuals unit.
      
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      October 2, 2024 11:17am
      - Hard Cheese
        
        As long as you have a permanent place of abode or an enduring connection with New Zealand, both of which she almost certainly has, you are required to pay tax on your worldwide earnings.
        
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        October 2, 2024 6:39pm
    - MCōs
      
      One thing I found is it’s a bad idea to take free tax advice from anonymous experts on the internet, like me
      Here’s the relevant IRD handbook
      https://www.ird.govt.nz/-/media/project/ir/home/documents/forms-and-guides/ir200—ir299/ir292/ir292-2024.pdf?modified=20240125013926&modified=20240125013926
      
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      October 2, 2024 1:09pm
    - Taieri
      
      Jacinda Ardern is not a NZ resident for taxation purposes
      ————-
      
      How do you know that?
      
      In order to cease being NZ tax resident, apart from the lack of actual physical residency, one has to prove that he/she has no longer an “enduring relationship with NZ”.
      
      “The enduring relationship test is an assessment of whether the person has a ‘permanent place of abode’ in New Zealand and it considers:
      
      Social ties and links to New Zealand e.g. family, clubs, associations, etc.
      Physical links and ties to New Zealand e.g. personal property ownership
      Economic links and ties to New Zealand e.g. bank accounts, credit cards, investments, business ventures, employment agreements, insurances, superannuation, etc.
      Personal ties and links with New Zealand.”
      
      More on that here:
      https://www.ird.govt.nz/roles/screen-production-industry/deciding-whether-you-are-a-resident-or-non-resident
      
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      October 2, 2024 1:56pm
    - Paulus
      
      Am not sure that Ardern has become a US Citizen yet, and it has been said she will be back here for family Christmas at Tairua bach they say.
      
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      October 2, 2024 3:15pm
      - MCōs
        
        Irrelevant
        
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        October 2, 2024 4:21pm
    - Miritu
      
      Are you certain of this? Losing NZ tax residency is not easy. The 183 day rule is only one of a number of criteria to be considered.
      https://www.ird.govt.nz/international-tax/individuals/tax-residency-status-for-individuals
      
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      October 2, 2024 10:06pm
- kowtow
  
  Wouldn’t it be nice if te legacy media did a story or 5 on just where these eyewateringly ridiculous fees/funds actually come from and who would be stupid enough to waste even an hour of their life to go and listen to such an empty vessel .
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:07am
  - imalwaysright
    
    The tickets are bought up by “organisations”. They are then given away as a night out with free food and drink, the only drawback being the 20 minutes of word salad.
    
    Its the preferred way of showing appreciation for services rendered. Wink, wink….
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:44am
    - kowtow
      
      And the “organisations” get the money from………
      
      I’d love to know.
      
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      October 2, 2024 12:49pm
      - imalwaysright
        
        Suckers like us.
        
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        October 2, 2024 2:02pm
- peterwn
  
  As for the audiences of her speaking engagements, there is one born every minute. I would find Germaine Greer more interesting and entertaining (I did attend one of her sessions some years ago).
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:14am
  - Phronesis
    
    “Just because you lop off your dick and then wear a dress doesn’t make you a fucking woman. I’ve asked my doctor to give me long ears and liver spots and I’m going to wear a brown coat but that won’t turn me into a fucking cocker spaniel.… ”
    
    Vintage Germaine Greer.
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:18am
    - peterwn
      
      My favourite (paraphrased – cannot find original) was her advice to women – everyone knows that women get cranky at that time of the month – make the most of it.
      
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      October 2, 2024 1:24pm
Cassandra

News that the Minister for ToW matters is meeting with Ngapuhi hapu today raises interesting topics. Ngapuhi says it didn’t cede sovereignty; just about everyone else says it did. Or if it didn’t in 1840 it certainly has since. That debate is over. How do you compromise on sovereignty? It raises the bigger question – where do we go now? A significant proportion of Maori people want to be seperate – to have special treatment denied to all others New Zealanders. That’s not going to be acceptable to most of the rest of us. But perhaps there’s a solution? We could all be special. Start with race-based seats in Parliament: let’s have multiple options, you opt for one eg Indian or Pacific Islander or European, whatever you predominately identify with, Seats are allocated in proportion to votes with a minimum of say 2%. That way everyone will be happy. Or at least they might stop moaning.
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October 2, 2024 8:38am
- Blog-aholic
  
  The moaning hasn’t stopped in 60 years so I doubt it will ever really cease…..
  
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  October 2, 2024 8:45am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  NZ has many Chinese. Why don’t they have dedicated Parliament seats?
  
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  October 2, 2024 8:56am
  - nz_aj
    
    NZ has even more from Celtic nations – Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland, Wales.
    
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    October 2, 2024 9:12am
    - kowtow
      
      The English are also Celts , prior to the Roman invasion. And post the Roman departure they got a good injection of diversity from the Anglo Saxon Jutes , other Scandis and then the Normans who were also Scandi .
      
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      October 2, 2024 10:00am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    I assume that your question is rhetorical. If you asked Chris Luxon, he would remind you that the Chinese don’t have a partnership with the Crown. Simple as that.
    
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    October 2, 2024 10:24am
    - Cassandra
      
      Nobody has a partnership with the Crown. Or everyone does.
      
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      October 2, 2024 11:14am
      - kowtow
        
        In our modern democracy “we” are all collectively the Crown .
        
        One can’t be a partner with oneself .
        
        And in any event there never was a partnership.
        
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        October 2, 2024 12:51pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      I detect a bit of // Benedict.
      
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      October 2, 2024 1:46pm
  - Paulus
    
    And I suspect more of Indian extraction than Chinese or Pacifica, and shortly Maori, as we are told to understand the so called doubtful Maori made up Census figures.
    To get a Free Trade Agreement with India we must take more Indian Immigrants.
    Australia have.
    
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    October 2, 2024 3:20pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    SteveO:
    
    “NZ has many Chinese. Why don’t they have dedicated Parliament seats?”
    
    In the main they aren’t whinging grifters?
    
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    October 2, 2024 8:10pm
- Grunter
  
  Cassandra – surely you are joking….?
  
  Your multiple options of races merely illustrate how silly this whole thing is. Separatism (apartheid) always fails. So let’s not go there.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:09am
  - Cassandra
    
    I’m not joking. What I’m trying to do is break the logjam. By diluting the racism – there’d be 10 or more different racial parties – I’m hoping to make it meaningless. We’d all be “special”. Anyone else have a bright idea?
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:17am
    - Phronesis
      
      Nothing stopping us all just identifying as Maori. According to the media all those brown blokes raping girls in the UK are English. So I guess if what you are is effectively where you are. We are all maori.
      
      (Noting of course that English is an ethnicity not a nationality)
      
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      October 2, 2024 11:25am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      The racist agitators would go nuts at that idea. Only one race is super dooper special in NZ. Got it?
      
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      October 2, 2024 8:14pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Wrong direction of travel, Cassandra.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:16am
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    But inevitable. As long as politicians find it convenient to divide us into tribes that can be pitted against each other, the concept of a unified national state will continue to deteriorate.
    
    Until one day, white people will realise they also represent a voting bloc, at which point they will have racist screamed at them all day, every day.
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:16am
- alloytoo
  
  In the absence of cession of Sovereignty can they please supply a list of members so their New Zealand passports can be cancelled.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:45am
- leoj
  
  If they want to be separate there is always White Island that’s free.
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:36am
  - NZer In Exile
    
    Split NZ into two countries.
    
    Nth Island for the racist agitators and their stupid lefty enablers.
    
    Sth Island for a nation of pluralists running cantons and Swiss style direct democracy.
    
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    October 2, 2024 8:16pm
    - Anthony Melchett
      
      Yes please, but they have to be self funded
      
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      October 2, 2024 9:30pm
- PurplePen
  
  “A significant proportion of Maori people want to be seperate – to have special treatment denied to all others …”.
  
  I wonder if it really is a significant proportion, and in fact it’s actually just a noisy select elite in each hapu and they manage at times to get a few from the hapu masses to make noise as well. Actual polling would be one way to determine this.
  
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  October 2, 2024 11:36am
  - Bridgenag
    
    Ok If their non tax paying corporations pay for it
    
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    October 2, 2024 12:34pm
Anthony Melchett

https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/former-rotorua-principal-kairo-mclean-sentenced-for-forging-documents-to-claim-inheritance/

Another quality diversity hire showing his good character.

Seriously, how drug soaked do you have to be to forge documents to get the inheritance you were always going to get! And this guy was running a school!

Nice of him to get a weak as piss judge though, cant imagine I would get the same treatment as I have the wrong skin colour.

“She reached an end sentence of 12 months’ imprisonment which she decided was best served as a six-month term of community detention.

This meant he would need to be home between 9pm and 6am every night”

That will teach him…
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October 2, 2024 8:42am
Scooter

Listen to Giorgia Meloni Prime Minister of Italy described by some as far right, powerful words in very good english.

From 4mins she says the west is more than just a physical place, but a civilisation built over centuries, the person is central, men and women are equal and free, systems are democratic, the state is secular and based on rule of law.

https://youtu.be/443n-KdNi3c?si=Yx53E0wjWkgKB9G2
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October 2, 2024 8:57am
- NothingLeft
  
  Clearly a Fascist or Nazi or something. She should stop fighting the inevitable tides of history and just love Big Brother.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:35am
- cmm
  
  “Far right” means anyone with a vaguely nationalistic bone in their body.
  Someone that puts the interests of their citizens ahead of those of invading hoards from Africa: far right.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:43am
  - NothingLeft
    
    far right is more accurately “far center” to those in media and those invested in neo-marxist woke ideology beloved of the civil service / NGO ‘blob’
    
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    October 2, 2024 9:49am
  - waikatosinger
    
    And yet somehow Te Pati Maori escapes the label far right, despite advocating for explicitly race based politics.
    
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    October 2, 2024 12:10pm
- MCōs
  
  When the PM of Italy talked about “civilization built over centuries” did she mention it’s part in the holocaust, which has lead directly to the problems in the ME today
  Then there’s Italy’s invasion of what was then Abyssinia, the dictatorship of Mussolini and partnership with Germany in WWII
  
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  October 2, 2024 11:39am
  - Dave
    
    One form of the attacks on Western civilisation is to look at the very worst of the West, and there’s plenty of bad stuff to look at, while ignoring the best and its struggles against the worst, and treat it as representative.
    
    For a different perspective, here’s a map of the Democracy Index from Our World in Data.
    
    https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/democracy-index-eiu
    
    Look carefully and you can find one, small, democratic country in the Middle East and a concentration of democracy in the West.
    
    Perhaps the Middle East would be less roiled today if Mohammed’s minions hadn’t decided on forcible conversion of their neighbours nearly 1400 years ago, though to be fair, in Europe itself it wasn’t till the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, followed by the Enlightenment, that the freedoms we now take for granted began to pick up widespread support.
    
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    October 2, 2024 3:22pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  When Te Media describe a populist party in Europe as “far right” what they are really signalling is the far left march through the institutions will be exposed and halted under these parties. This frightens the crap out of woketards.
  
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  October 2, 2024 8:20pm
I remember when

Indigenous approach to water spreading: Breaking Views.
A Maori earth sciences expert says the Maori approach to the protection and sustainable use of water is gaining momentum.
Auckland University associate professor Dan Hikuroa was one of the closing speakers at last week’s Water New Zealand conference.
He says Maori input to local councils has brought a more holistic view to resource management, and more in line with a global trend to give indigenous practices more attention….

And what is the Maori approach?
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October 2, 2024 8:58am
- In Vino Veritas
  
  The Maori approach is to get rid of the wheel, go back to a pre Iron Age civilisation, wage war against anyone who is not your tribe and eat everything that moves. Including each other. Holistic.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:45am
- Eastlander
  
  It’s holistic. That means it can’t be explained solely by scientific measurement but rather by the hononga between the tangata and the wai. It’s difficult mahi to say how that will be achieved but a good koha and the appointment of a few Iwi liaisons will certainly help.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:45am
  - mandk
    
    Could we have that either entirely in English, or entirely in Te Reo? I don’t mind which.
    
    Words become gobbledygook if you create a salad of different languages.
    
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    October 2, 2024 10:23am
    - Ehlana
      
      In this case, that may actually be the point.
      
      If you want to preserve your honoured (and well-recompensed) position, the one thing you must ensure is that the ordinary people can’t work it out for themselves.
      
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      October 2, 2024 10:52am
    - Eastlander
      
      Certainly not, this is a Te Tiriti-led society and Maori has to be centered at all times. Tangata Tiriti like yourself have no business making demands of the Tangata Whenua.
      
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      October 2, 2024 10:55am
    - Local Miller
      
      Which was exactly why Eastlander worded it the way they did.
      
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      October 2, 2024 10:56am
    - Phronesis
      
      $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
      
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      October 2, 2024 11:28am
    - Burtland
      
      tangata whenua – front seat at the trough
      
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      October 2, 2024 12:46pm
- alloytoo
  
  It’s a post colonial noble savage narrative.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:46am
- Yvette
  
  I remember when – And what is the Maori approach?
  
  Taumata Arowai – (the New Zealand Water Regulator)
  Taumata Arowai recognises that it does not work alone when it comes to wai. Taumata Arowai works in partnership, taking its lead from Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We work collaboratively across Aotearoa with:
  • whānau, hapū and iwi Māori
  • Crown entities, such as the Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Health, Department of Internal Affairs and the Commerce Commission
  • public health units (PHUs)
  • regional, city and district councils, drinking water suppliers, water management companies
  • all people in Aotearoa.
  https://www.taumataarowai.govt.nz/about/who-we-are/
  
  and te Puna, the Maori Advisory Council to Taumata Arowai – a Council which the National-led Coalition retains because they recently appointed two new members to it.
  
  And, I remember when, that is the Maori approach
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:00am
- Scott
  
  It’s just the weirdest thing, the idea that Maori lived in harmony with the environment? They absolutely did not.
  
  Here are the facts. Maori were responsible for the extinction of the moa, the huia bird and the Haast eagle. They killed every seal and penguin they could find.
  
  In the musket wars they killed each other, somewhere around a third of all Maori died in the tribal wars. The Maori tribal society was characterised by incessant war and violence, up to and including brutal slavery and cannibalism.
  
  So the idea that Maori have any special ancient knowledge to bring to environmental issues is completely misguided.
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:12am
  - PurplePen
    
    I’d give that 10 upticks if I could.
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:41am
  - Flossie
    
    Instead of Completely Misguided I’d say Utter Bollocks.
    
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    October 2, 2024 2:23pm
- cmm
  
  I recently saw a video where a Maori bloke was saying civil engineers should listen to Maori engineers.
  
  If the Maori didn’t build there, then it is unsafe and don’t build there.
  
  Of course that is bullshit. If we applied that principle we wouldn’t use concrete or stress analysis. We wouldn’t build roads, dams, tunnels and bridges.
  
  And when something fails we’d just say the taniwha was pissed off – rather than understand the calculations etc.
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:47am
  - PurplePen
    
    What exactly is a Maori engineer as opposed to a university qualified engineer. I thought engineering was much like science and facts such as 2 plus 2 will always be 4.
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:43am
    - Arthur Fleck
      
      Sadly, the hard sciences have also fallen to the long march through the institutions.
      
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      October 2, 2024 1:29pm
    - Taieri
      
      2 plus 2 will always be 4
      ————-
      
      Not anymore. The Humpty Dumpty Law says that it could be anything.
      
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      October 2, 2024 2:04pm
    - cmm
      
      Sorry, my bad, I didn’t intend to write “Maori engineer”. Rather I intended to write “Maori tradition”.
      
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      October 2, 2024 5:58pm
- Paulus
  
  Easy, just saying it has to be Maori.
  
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  October 2, 2024 3:22pm
NothingLeft

Israel and Iran are now effectively in a hot-war, and both (most likely) have the bomb. So what will response to Iran’s firing 180 ballistic missiles at Israel be?

Can Israel afford to take gamble that Iran won’t stick nuclear warheads on their missiles? They’ve frequently stated their desire to destroy Israel and kill all Jews and have a nutty death-cult theocracy that regards murder and death (even their own) of millions in the name of Islam as good/righteous.

Will Biden’s + Kamala’s puppeteers see this as an opportunity to win next months election through a ‘nice little war’ against Iran? Iran’s proxy targetting of busy shipping lanes has provided extra impetus for a severe response, and the evil Mullah’s have been enshittifying the lives of the poor Persians for far too long as is.
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October 2, 2024 9:03am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Don’t think Iran is quite there yet
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:38am
  - cmm
    
    Yup, I doubt Israel would allow them to get there.
    
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    October 2, 2024 9:44am
    - kevn
      
      cmm… Indeed. The pagers might have just been a warm-up.
      
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      October 2, 2024 10:23am
      - Paulus
        
        I believe that Iran would be foolish to say the least to attack Israel.
        Israel would retaliate harshly but the point is that the people of Iran are sick and tired of the Iranian Mullahs Koranic regime.
        Women are being more harshly relegated to very low class people where from my experience in working with some here as Engineers, they are, and were a very good academic society and socially well enlightened but no longer.
        They have tried rebellion, and been crushed, but with rockets and war on the streets they may achieve more.
        
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        October 2, 2024 3:30pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        My anecdotal interactions with Iranians down-under is they really hate the regime (some have even openly wished the USA would topple the leadership) but are in the main brainwashed to think “The Jooos” are behind nearly everything evil in the world (even 9/11. I kid you not. Apparently to make the ROP “look bad”).
        
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        October 2, 2024 8:25pm
    - Media hater
      
      I have always thought in the event the Iranians tried to launch a nuclear missile, it would just meltdown on the launch pad with the Israelis saying “Well, we did warn you, LOL”.
      
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      October 2, 2024 11:57am
- john1234
  
  Iran flung about 180 missiles at Israel for a day, with little tangible impact and zeri Israeli fatalities as most were intercepted, then said “done”.
  In other words, a symbolic rattle of the sabre. They don’t have the will to take a bigger risk and are rightly fearful of Israel’s retaliation.
  Doesn’t stop the breathless panic mongering by the media.
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:36am
  - kowtow
    
    One fatality from the missiles in Israel was ironically a Gazan refugee in jericho , there’s footage of a huge piece of a fuselage falling on him.
    One person killed in Arab Jordan and a report of at least one Iranian terror missile falling in Iran itself!
    
    Many more innocent people were murdered by yet another terrorist outrage in Tel Aviv .
    
    Stand by for a tweet from OConnor.
    
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    October 2, 2024 2:21pm
- Handyman
  
  Back in the 80’s, Iran threated (as they do for time to time) to block the strait of Hormuz.
  At that time, USA and UK had strong leaders who pointed out it would take just 4 cruise missiles to destroy Kharg Island from where all Iranian oil is shipped. Iran would have had zero income for years. Iran backed down.
  
  The west’s strategy was called “Peace Through Strength”.
  How is the Obama/Biden/Harris strategy “Peace Through Appeasement” working out?
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:40am
- NothingLeft
  
  There’s a video out there now of a wrecked/non exploding Iranian Missile squashing an unfortunate West Bank Palestinian out for a walk. (can find link if search for Ian Miles Chong on Twitter, I’m not going to post link as the person clearly dies)
  Iran is targeting Jews but 20% of Israelis are Arabs.
  
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  October 2, 2024 12:21pm
Bridgenag

A Break in the Bell Jar

SIMPLICIUS

“The most eye-opening part: the diminutive town of only 4,200 population was flooded with over 2,000 Haitian migrants in only a months-long span, instantly changing the town’s landscape and overwhelming its services like some lurid social experiment. The more grassroots-oriented video is a must watch, as it hasn’t been astroturfed and carpetbagged like some of the bigger NGO-sponsored stuff now being pumped”

https://open.substack.com/pub/darkfutura/p/a-break-in-the-bell-jar?r=1aj1bv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
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October 2, 2024 9:05am
Bridgenag

On the Unjust and Ridiculous Conviction of C.J. Hopkins

EUGYPPIUS

“Twice in August 2022, the American playwright, satirist and longtime Berlin resident C.J. Hopkins tweeted cover art from his book on The Rise of the New Normal Reich. This art featured an image of a Covid-era medical mask with a barely-visible white swastika superimposed upon it. In his first tweet, Hopkins wrote that “Masks are symbols of ideological conformity. That’s all that they are, and that’s all they ever were. Stop pretending that they were ever anything else or get used to wearing them.” In his second tweet, Hopkins simply quoted Health Minister Karl Lauterbach’s notorious statement that “Masks always send a signal.””

https://open.substack.com/pub/eugyppius/p/on-the-unjust-and-ridiculous-conviction?r=1aj1bv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
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October 2, 2024 9:09am
- quarterpack
  
  I wore a mask in the vague hope it might slightly lessen my chances of catching covid. As did most of the population Those who attribute this action to taking part in some vast plot are wrong.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:55am
  - kowtow
    
    I wore a mask because a pointless , draconian rule mandated that in order to buy essential goods necessary for my survival I had to .
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:35am
    - Taieri
      
      It was very easy to get an exemption by applying for one online. I did.
      
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      October 2, 2024 2:06pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      I wore a 3% effective rag as directed by the stupid and corrupt f-wits here.
      
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      October 2, 2024 8:31pm
- peterwn
  
  If he did not want to abide by German law, he should not have moved to Germany.
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:05am
  - Handyman
    
    But but… immigrants do not have to abide by German law. /s
    
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    October 2, 2024 10:48am
  - bythesea
    
    within the article it says that he was acquitted in the first court (because he broke no law), then charged on appeal and the ruling invented a new “understanding” to convict in that one …
    … even though it makes no sense.
    
    It is a political prosecution by the state
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:29am
    - peterwn
      
      So was the unsuccessful prosecution of Archbishop Liston in Auckland for sedition many years ago. This was after pressure from the ‘Herald’ owners and Mayor Gunson.
      
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      October 2, 2024 5:39pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        A reasonably succinct account here. NZ govt site so be aware there may be sly woke BS inserted.
        
        https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/catholic-bishop-found-not-guilty-sedition
        
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        October 2, 2024 8:35pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Having given $100m away, the CEO & Board of Meridian must be sitting uncomfortably, what with the forthcoming changes to the RMA recently announced.
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October 2, 2024 9:09am
- peterwn
  
  That is what the 51% shareholder wanted and expected. The Board really had no choice. In reality this will put further upward pressure on power prices when many are squarking about power high prices.
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:01am
  - RoboRob
    
    I dont think the government (mr 51%) had anything to do with it. I think, from the articles written on it, that this is just standard practice for wealthy companies trying to renue permits. You have to pay brown tax.
    
    The sooner the new RMA comes in the better.
    
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    October 2, 2024 12:08pm
    - peterwn
      
      I think the 51% shareholder at least acquiesced to the payment. Rob Muldoon would have told the Chair of the Board in no uncertain terms what his stance would be.
      
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      October 2, 2024 1:32pm
      - NeverMindTheBollocks
        
        Rob Muldoon was a long time ago and his views are irrelevant to the point at hand.
        
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        October 2, 2024 8:29pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Shell Lane (The Terrace) bike rack report: one lonely bicycle present.
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October 2, 2024 9:14am
- I remember when
  
  All that’s needed is another one so the council can report 100% increase in its use.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:29am
- nathie
  
  Woah looking at the photo in this Post article on the bike rack it looks rather extravagant and presumably will require ongoing maintenance (more $$) to ensure the mechanical aspects of it continue to function over time?
  
  https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/350401276/designer-bike-rack-costs-out-park-councillor
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:35am
  - Jethrod
    
    There doesn’t appear to be a charging point for electric bikes.
    
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    October 2, 2024 10:45am
    - Ehlana
      
      Why would the public be providing the electricity for the bikes? Or were you thinking of a paid point?
      
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      October 2, 2024 10:56am
      - Jethrod
        
        //
        
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        October 2, 2024 1:54pm
      - wsk12345
        
        Why? Are you kidding?
        
        Everyone r knows that e vehicles are akin to godliness and all thise who can’t afford to buy them are totally on board with paying the way of the more wealthy who can afford to buy them.
        
        Go back to AUT. I’m sure they can re-educate you, heathen!
        
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        October 2, 2024 1:56pm
      - Burtland
        
        for the same reason they provide them with free cycle ways
        
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        October 2, 2024 2:16pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Unaccountably, there are half a dozen bikes chained to posts just 25m away, outside the Council offices.
  
  You’d think cyclists would be keen to try out the new facilities, but it seems 25m is a pedal too far.
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:15am
  - PurplePen
    
    Or too far to walk to their council office after their cycling.
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:49am
NeverMindTheBollocks

Nicola’s call for public sector office drones to return to the office has had its predictable effect. Queues at the cheapest cafe on The Terrace out the door at both 8.30am & 9.15, and possibly every moment in between, for all I know.
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October 2, 2024 9:24am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Walked past the same cafe just now – queue is out the door & onto the footpath.
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:12am
- Ehlana
  
  Can’t be. We were assured that if public servants were required to go to the office, paying for transport and childcare once again, they would have no money for cafe spending.
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:58am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

There’s DNA in that Pfizer. Peter’s Substack.
“At least one batch of the Pfizer covid vaccine delivered to New Zealand was contaminated with synthetic DNA.”
“Both Medsafe and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were told about DNA contamination over a year ago but appear to have done virtually nothing about it. In fact Medsafe has since granted three more approvals to Pfizer for Covid products.”

Who wants a vaccine now?

https://peterallanwilliams.substack.com/p/theres-dna-in-that-pfizer
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October 2, 2024 9:31am
- Benedict Yu
  
  Is this the same Peter Williams who used to be on ZB radio? The one that has been wailing vaccine conspiracy theories for three years? The one who thinks that climate change is a hoax?
  
  This is just another version of folk losing their minds about monkey 🙊 DNA and other types of DNA wreaking havoc.
  
  https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-misinformation-f3c1d54f2d059de0532360d638335e99
  
  I can’t wait for the Royal Commission to report next year and report that the vaccine was safe and that it saved thousands of lives.
  
  https://www.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz/
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:18am
  - imalwaysright
    
    “I can’t wait for the Royal Commission to report next year and report that the vaccine was safe and that it saved thousands of lives.”
    
    Faith is a personal matter that brings comfort to an individual.
    It is, however, unusual to see it applied to a chemical.
    Perhaps the miracles being attributed to this chemical can be regarded in the same light as other miracles.
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:05am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Yes. The Peter Williams of the Taxpayer’s Union as well.
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:06am
  - mandk
    
    Why do you keep claiming that the vaxx was safe?
    
    You can’t possibly know because there was no compulsory or systematic reporting of adverse effects.
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:51am
  - kowtow
    
    Man made climate change is a hoax .
    
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    October 2, 2024 12:44pm
  - Scott
    
    My dear Benedict. You are on a roll! Yesterday you wanted children to be compulsorily vaccinated even against their parents wishes. You admit to have been vaxxed and boosted 7 times!
    
    Now you condemn Peter Williams, a much respected broadcaster of many years standing, for not believing in climate change.
    
    Gosh you are on a roll.
    
    Of extremely doubtful opinions. 😎
    
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    October 2, 2024 2:43pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    BY does it it ever give you pause to observe the key players in the climate alarm movement (Hansen, Gore, Mann, Cook, Oreskes etc) have all trotted out pathetic/flawed methodology, failed predictions and smears of legit doyens of climate science? Does the degree of censorship in the climate related scientific community ever make you wonder?
    
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    October 2, 2024 8:39pm
alloytoo

It’s not a vaccine.

It doesn’t do what a vaccine is supposed to do and has a number of severe side effects.

I’d call it Vapourware, but it does exist and does make some people seriously ill.

Bio-Weapon too strong?
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October 2, 2024 9:50am
- Benedict Yu
  
  Your last question is ridiculous.
  The COVID vaccine is about as effective as the influenza vaccine. Everyone has been getting that every 12 months for 30 years.
  
  So you need to be vaccinated every 12 months, or every 6 months if you want a high assurance of not getting COVID. I don’t see what the problem is.
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:22am
  - Yabster
    
    so you think the “vaccine” stops you getting Covid?
    
    23 3
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    October 2, 2024 10:38am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      I don’t “think” anything. I rely on evidence.
      
      The answer is that it significantly reduces the risk of catching covid. If you get a booster every 6 months. I may catch covid but it is unlikely.
      
      It would be helpful to get some rational debate on this topic. In 5 minutes you could have looked at the headline evidence for the effectiveness of 6 monthly boosters. It is all public information.
      
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      October 2, 2024 2:45pm
      - Jake Dee
        
        “I don’t “think” anything. I rely on evidence.”
        
        What an amazing statement.
        Perhaps you might want to think about that one a little more Benedict?
        Oh sorry of course you don’t think (or is that “think”?) because you have evidence (or should that be “evidence”?)
        All evidence has to be considered, accuracy, relevance, bias, reliability, consistency etc. etc. To say something, even off the cuff, like “I don’t “think” anything. I rely on evidence” to me sounds something like you feel that as you have been given information from official sources that is called evidence then you don’t have to do the hard work of having to think too much about it.
        You have been served some stuff on your plate called food and now all you have to do is eat it.
        Here is a cute little statement about “evidence” that I saw on a Rationalist blog,
        “There is no evidence that Napoleon Bonaparte had a liver”.
        I mean nobody ever saw it did they? Certainly not a doctor or qualified 18th century hepatologist, all we have are inferences and inferences are not evidence.
        But there IS evidence for the existence of The Loch Ness Monster, I’ve even seen photos. Not to mention there is an enormous amount of evidence for ghosts not only photos but what must be millions of eye witness reports going back over thousands of years.
        But thought must come first, don’t abrogate your responsibility to think about things just because someone in a government position has presented you with information that they call “evidence”.
        
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        October 2, 2024 10:48pm
  - cmm
    
    “The COVID vaccine is about as effective as the influenza vaccine.”
    
    Absolute nonsense.
    
    The influenza vaccine is a “real” vaccine and covers multiple different strains of influenza.
    
    The Covid vaccine is a one-trick-pony and only knows last years tricks.
    
    When the influenza vaccine “fails” it is due to the patient being exposed to a variant not covered by the vaccine.
    
    To conflait them is incredibly disingenuous.
    
    But it is a relatively free world. Continue jabbing yourself with whatever you like.
    
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    October 2, 2024 10:55am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      What is the difference betwen an influenza vaccine and a covid vaccine? Saying one is real is a waste of time.
      
      Also it is inevitable that the flu and covid vaccines will be combined into one shot. What are you going to do then?
      
      https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/482223/trial-begins-for-combined-covid-19-and-flu-vaccine
      
      It is most likely they Pfizer will only offer a combined vaccine for the flu and covid. Seems a great move.
      
      https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-provide-update-mrna-based-combination
      
      Looks like there are some bugs to iron out but hopefully by 2026 we will only need one shot rather than two.
      
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      October 2, 2024 2:51pm
      - Don Beckett
        
        While my own immune system has been bouncing the common ‘flu for 10 years, and bounced covid with only 2 days of very mild illness – a chest cough – I will continue to not bother about any of that type of vaccine, or the “vaccine-which-isn’t” – Phizer – or is it Phizzer.
        
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        October 2, 2024 3:38pm
      - cmm
        
        I assume you really want to know.
        
        Flu vaccines have been used widely since 1945 and went through rigorous testing. They have gone through many refinements in the last 80 years and still are not nearly as good as the gold standard vaccines such as polio, smallpox etc.
        
        A flu vaccine is a “true” vaccine cultivated using biological processes. As a result they attack the virus in many ways and can tolerate a relatively large degree of mutation.
        
        The Covid mRNA vaccine is a completely different beast. It is created by making a synthetic spike protein gene then using inserting these in a piece of DNA which is then replicated, infused into lipids and then packaged. This is an entirely synthetic process.
        
        This only provides one attack vector – the spike protein.
        
        Analogy time: Your immune system is a “police force” on the look out for illegal invaders. A vaccine essentially gives the immune system a description of what an invader looks like.
        
        A “real”/natural vaccine gives a general description of multiple attributes: about 6ft, dark complexion, walks with a bit of a limp. There might be dozens of such attributes. The virus can mutate and change some of those attributes but still fits the general description so gets arrested.
        
        An mRNA vaccine, on the other hand only gives the immune system information to look for a very specific spike protein. Effectively: put all your effort into looking for a person wearing a blue cap with a MacDonalds M on it. The virus then mutates the cap slightly (still blue, but now a Burger King logo) and the immune system no longer sees it.
        
        That is just a simple explanatory analogy to get the idea across. It is not “science” in any way.
        
        Respiratory viruses like flu etc are very difficult to control with vaccines. Sometimes they get the recipe wrong and there’s a big-flu year.
        
        I don’t think it was realistic to expect the mRNA vaccine to give results anywhere as good as even the flu vaccine, yet the promises were huge. I was not at all surprised that they didn’t pan out. Perhaps others had a solid reason to believe that it would.
        
        I am in no way a virologist, so I recommend people do their own research and make their own determination.
        
        However I will comment that many of the professionals with a duty to inform accurately have clearly lied and are no longer worthy of an audience or trust.
        
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        October 2, 2024 6:59pm
  - Yvette
    
    vaccine – a substance used to stimulate immunity to a particular infectious disease or pathogen, typically prepared from an inactivated or weakened form of the causative agent or from its constituents or products.
    
    The covid vaccine differed from vaccines of three decades ago, in that the stimulant was a chemical compound which presented as a covid antigen spike, rather than using “an inactivated or weakened form of the causative agent”. The other difference was that instead of multiplying the artificial spike up to millions in laboratory conditions, the injected compound entered cells (but not the nucleus containing DNA) so the body multiplied the compound up as the immune system would with its own antibodies.
    
    The covid vaccine did not stop anyone from being infected, but was intended to lessen the severity of the illness for the recipient – by allowing a more rapid immune system response – and could reduce the strength (volume) of the virus passed on to others.
    
    For this last reason many people had the vaccine hoping to help protect older family members in the sense of not passing a full strength impact of the disease to them.
    
    The Government, although spending millions on particularly seeming-endless television ads, did not explain vaccines (and variations in delivery) to the public, and no television current affairs programmes were made (á la Compass, Inquiry, or Gallery of the 1980s) to discuss the covid pandemic or steps to combat it.
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:33am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      “The covid vaccine did not stop anyone from being infected..”
      
      That is strictly correct. However if you are vaccinated every 6 months your chances of being infected are greatly reduced. I don’t expect to ever get covid.
      
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      October 2, 2024 2:53pm
      - Inandout
        
        BY, your belief in the Covid vaccine is well known on here but you do have an escape clause; ‘I don’t expect ever to get covid’. I trust my body has enough sense to set up antibodies if I am exposed to the flu or its offshoots. I will add a rider though that my body is relatively healthy at this stage and I do rely on citrus fruits, vegetables and eat healthily. Some people have many health problems and I can sympathise with their vaccine regime.
        
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        October 2, 2024 3:26pm
      - cmm
        
        “I don’t expect to ever get covid.”
        
        Every one of the people I know who has been vaccinated has had covid. Many of those multiple times.
        
        Are you sure you have not had covid? Many people have had it with few, if any, symptoms.
        
        The person I got covid from was vaccinated and has had boosters many times and has now had covid at least twice. Another colleague has had covid at least 3 times – even though he has been boosted many times.
        
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        October 2, 2024 7:04pm
  - Local Miller
    
    Lets see BY, We went to Safe And Effective (this statement has been recorded from multiple official sources), with only a single Jab, to One booster.
    Oh , no it went to two boosters, then three, then 4, now it’s every 6 months!
    It was effective: “if you have the ‘vaccine’, you won’t get Covid” became “you may get it but it won’t be as serious, and you won’t pass it on”, to ” you can still catch Covid and pass it on”
    
    Where do you come to “or every 6 months if you want a high assurance of not getting COVID”? Actually I note it’s “a high assurance”, not a guarantee! So you have actually admitted it doesn’t actually work.
    
    I didn’t have the jab, neither did my wife, and one of my children. My wife and I both had relatively mild infection (I was off work for 12 hours over the 3 days I was sick), and my son has never had it as far as I know, and certainly none of us have been sick more than once. BUT, I’m aware of several people who are fully jabbed and are still frequently ill, some of them quite seriously.
    Yes, anecdotal evidence, but you have to be burying your head in the sand to not see that the jab isn’t working!
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:36am
    - imalwaysright
      
      Local,
      Consider me another anecdote.
      No mask, no jabs, no sickness.
      
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      October 2, 2024 11:57am
      - MCōs
        
        That’s the same as saying you’ve never wore a car seat belt and never had an accident
        
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        October 2, 2024 1:52pm
      - Taieri
        
        That’s the same as saying you’ve never wore a car seat belt and never had an accident
        ————-
        
        Seat belts actually save lives. Saved mine many years ago.
        Although, there are exceptions. Someone I once knew was involved in a head on collision when travelling on the shuttle bus. He was the only passenger with the seat belt done up and the only passenger that was seriously harmed. It was the lap type seat belt, which on the crash impact, nearly cut my acquaintance in half. Anyway, he survived, but spent many days in hospital in a very serious condition.
        
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        October 2, 2024 2:15pm
      - imalwaysright
        
        Invalid analogy.
        I was undoubtedly exposed to the flu but didn’t get it.
        For your analogy to be correct I would have had to emerge, unscathed, from a car accident endured while not wearing a seatbelt.
        
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        October 2, 2024 2:18pm
      - AitchW
        
        I’m another anecdote. First two jabs, neglected to get boosted then earlier this year got Covid and was laid low for 3 weeks, full recovery took 6 weeks. You can bet your boots I’ll be getting 6 monthly boosters, Covid sucked!
        
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        October 2, 2024 6:58pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        AitchW I got 2x AZ (virus vector type) Oxford-AstraZenica covid vaccines when it first became available in Aus (May 2021 then Aug 2021 I think). First shot I thought I was about to black out and/or die. After a week I came right. Then got the govt nags (texts then real-person phone calls) to get mRNA (Pfizer) boosters. I refused. By then I’d read enough to be cautious. Fast forward to mid 2024 and I got Covid for the first time (confirmed by RAT test). I was uncomfortable and sick (fever, chills and body aches) but not debilitated. Since the onset of Covid I had been taking good levels of vit D, Zinc, Magnesium and vit C. With Covid I doubled the Vit C and Zinc and took another 1000iu of Vit D per day. I was able to clear Covid within 5 days. Prior to this vitamin regime ANY cold or flu would make me sick to varying degrees for about two weeks. Oh and prior to Covid I would take a flu vaccination every year. I’m now somewhat paranoid that normal vaccines (not mRNA) will now have Covid mRNA vaccines inserted in them “for my good”.
        
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        October 2, 2024 9:08pm
    - Benedict Yu
      
      “BUT, I’m aware of several people who are fully jabbed and are still frequently ill, some of them quite seriously.””
      
      What does “fully jabbed” mean? That is hardly a medical term.
      
      If they have had 3 or 4 shots, they now have close to zero protection. Is that what you mean? Of course they are getting covid 🙄
      
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      October 2, 2024 2:55pm
      - Sir Henry Morgan
        
        How many times a day must one take this “vaccine” to benefit? Seems very different to previous vaccines.
        
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        October 2, 2024 5:23pm
      - cmm
        
        “What does “fully jabbed” mean? That is hardly a medical term…. If they have had 3 or 4 shots,”
        
        Fully jabbed might not be a medical term. Nor is shots.
        
        You know what the person was saying.
        
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        October 2, 2024 7:06pm
  - wsk12345
    
    “Everyone”
    Has most certainly not been getting the flu vax for 30 years. I for one, in my 50s have never had one and in fact never even been offered one until this year when suddenly I was entitled to a freebie due to the auto immune diseases I have had for 20 years. No thanks. I’d rather have the flu. Not had that in 20 years either.
    
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    October 2, 2024 2:00pm
    - Benedict Yu
      
      IMO that is very foolish but you can do what you want.
      
      Would you get a tetanus injection if you stepped on a rusty nail? Or are they evil too?
      
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      October 2, 2024 2:56pm
      - Tom Hunter
        
        Re the latter, yes, and I have.
        
        But I also have rejected the flu vaccines and was getting them offered every autumn when I worked in the US. My reason was that they weren’t very effective because picking the flu strain that will take off is difficult to do, even with best efforts.
        
        It’s been a while since I looked at the stats but IIRC the best result in three+ decades of North American experience has been 60% (meaning 40% of the injectees caught the flu) and the worst one season was 19%.
        
        That tracked with what I saw with my co-workers: some who got the jab caught the flu anyway, others who didn’t get the jab did not catch the flu (and obviously the mirror of both those as well). As I said, pretty hit and miss.
        
        Since I’ve caught the flu a number of times in my life I figure my immune system is pretty well primed and that’s how it’s turned out.
        
        Once I hit 70 and the immune system is declining I’ll probably start taking the annual flu jab.
        
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        October 2, 2024 5:56pm
      - cmm
        
        BY: That is Cindy-level misinformation.
        
        The effectiveness of the flu jab is nowhere near as high as tetanus.
        
        Many people get flu after flu jabs. Getting tetanus is extremely rare.
        
        Government: “There has been a median of two cases of tetanus per year since routine infant vaccination against tetanus was begun in New Zealand in 1960. The last death attributed to tetanus occurred in 2007.”
        
        Flu? If you counted them the PCA test way there would be thousands of deaths a year.
        
        So please stop with this conflation.
        
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        October 2, 2024 7:12pm
      - Tom Hunter
        
        Flu? If you counted them the PCA test way there would be thousands of deaths a year.
        
        Funnily enough, “cmm”, that was exactly the argument Michael Baker put forward a few years ago – in an article in the NZ Herald, I think. He wanted complete testing for deaths in NZ to see if they had the flu because he reckoned that flu deaths could by 10-20 times greater than what is thought. In other words 4000 to 14,000 deaths for “good” and “bad” flu seasons, rather than 400-700.
        
        And the reason he wanted this was that IF such numbers could be proved then it would pave the way for all sorts of wonderful measures to prevent such a death toll, like compulsory vaccinations and masks.
        
        He didn’t mention lockdowns but then no pandemic plan did, and of course he finally got all that he wanted and more with Chinese Lung Rot.
        
        The little shit!
        
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        October 2, 2024 7:34pm
Jack5

Defence of free speech in Irish Republic …

The Irish Government drops plan for hate-speech laws:

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/politics/arid-41480518.html

AND, confirmation — for now:

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/politics/arid-41484253.html
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October 2, 2024 10:22am
Flossie

Partner got an email yesterday advising the results of his bowel screening test (pleased to say it’s negative). What was more curious is that in the same batch of emails there was one from University of Otago asking him to complete a survey with regard to bowel cancer. Coincidence or breech of privacy somewhere along the line?
He declined to participate because (a) the introduction was in a language foreign to him, and (b) he is not prepared to give U of O the time of day.
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October 2, 2024 10:29am
- Local Miller
  
  And maybe he should complain to the privacy commission that his details have been given out without his consent.
  If they gave out his details then they have given out a lot more, which is a massive breach of privacy.
  
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  October 2, 2024 11:40am
  - peterwn
    
    In fairness to OU these surveys can be done with approval from an ethics committee and as long as things stay within the medical faculty. Staff and senior medical students have access to medical records but only in the course of their work/duties. Breach of confidentiality is a very serious matter and the Medical Council would take an extremely dim view of breaches, or in the case of medical students could see them banned from the teaching hospitals.
    
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    October 2, 2024 6:38pm
- MCōs
  
  You don’t say what the nature of the bowel screening test was.
  I expect it was one of those mass mail outs whereby one returns a stool sample for analysis, rather than a colonoscopy
  To my mind sending out the survey to the same people is hardly a breach of privacy.
  If you’re shocked that whoever was conducting the cancer tests was sharing some information with the university you’ll be apoplectic at what else is shared around for commercial gain.
  
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  October 2, 2024 2:18pm
  - rouppe
    
    I think you don’t understand.
    
    Ministry of Health sends out bowl screening tests every 2 years to all people over 60.
    
    If Otago university sends out a survey at the same time they must at least know your date of birth and email address otherwise they’d be sending it to vast numbers who can’t respond. If they know those things, they’d know others.
    
    So the question is, is the survey a collaboration between UoO and MoH, or have UoO got details some other way.
    
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    October 2, 2024 4:32pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    MCōs we live in a wild west of absolutely dangerous privacy abuse courtesy of big tech and their hangers-oners. Our politicians are in the main too ignorant to realise what’s going on and just don’t keep up. You too SHOULD be apoplectic.
    
    Even spammy far left propagandists The CONversation recognise what’s going on:
    
    https://theconversation.com/the-ugly-truth-tech-companies-are-tracking-and-misusing-our-data-and-theres-little-we-can-do-127444
    
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    October 2, 2024 9:18pm
peterwn

“But as recently as two weeks ago, a meeting of the region’s mayors were updated about the hospital project by officials, and told that despite budget pressures it was all still go, Cadogan [Clutha District Mayor] said.”
Taking this at face value, the officials merely indicated what they understood at the time. Nothing they indicated could be taken as binding the Government. If the local Mayors wanted a cast iron assurance they should have asked Shane Reti. I strongly suspect the officials chose their words very carefully and the Mayors put an overly optimistic interpretation on the words. Interestingly, no one else in NZ seems to care less apart from Dunedin and elements in Otago/ Southland.
Similarly with the cancelled rail ferries. If someone asked Kiwirail officials if the project was still on just before the 2023 election they would have said a guarded ‘yes’, What else could they say (the status of the pending Cabinet submission for more money was highly confidential until Cabinet had made a decision). They could hardly say that Robbo was dragging the chain until after the election!
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/529481/otago-mayors-told-two-weeks-ago-dunedin-hospital-build-was-still-all-go-bryan-cadogan
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October 2, 2024 10:38am
- Taieri
  
  no one else in NZ seems to care less apart from Dunedin and elements in Otago/ Southland
  ———–
  
  Why should they? It isn’t going to affect the people from the outside of Otago and Southland.
  
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  October 2, 2024 10:46am
  - MCōs
    
    The proposed $20bill tunnel in Wellington that is currently being investigated has little impact outside the capital except it’s money that could be spent elsewhere for example to build the new Dunedin hospital and spruce up every other shabby hospital in the country.
    
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    October 2, 2024 2:26pm
    - peterwn
      
      Ah! That is the money saved by not building Light Rail to the Airport and making Lambton Quay even more of a ghost town.
      
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      October 2, 2024 5:43pm
    - JimBobJoe
      
      A Wellington Motorway under the City Tunnel for SH1, is the stupidest proposal the current government is considering. Its a waste of time, resource and money doing the feasibility study.
      
      Adding a south bound lane to the Terrace Tunnel to make it 2 lanes each way, doing the second tunnel at Mt Vic (the land and pilot tunnel is already in place), then double lane Ruahine St and Wellington Road sorts the problem in bite sized chunks at less cost and much more rapidly.
      
      The Airport to SH1 beyond the CDB has choke points from Kilbirnie to the Basin Reserve and at the Terrace Tunnel South bound. Fix those and then the most irritating points on the trip are sorted…
      
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      October 2, 2024 6:16pm
Jack5

Afghanistan thinks NZ progressing in treatment of women?

From the UN: 9 September – 9 October 2024 Agenda item 6 – Universal Periodic Review report of the working group – New Zealand.
During interactive dialogue …

36. Afghanistan commended the efforts to combat violence against women and to increase women’s representation in leadership roles in the public sector.

https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g24/089/58/pdf/g2408958.pdf
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October 2, 2024 10:45am
- Ehlana
  
  The mind boggles.
  
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  October 2, 2024 11:47am
- Arthur Fleck
  
  Perhaps Afghanistan could also give us some advice on modernising our military fleet, as they have made excellent strides in this area recently.
  
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  October 2, 2024 1:47pm
Gravelroad

Re the US elections:
I am not a great follower of US politics or the current election campaign- but have family members who are.
One was watching a US TV “news” channel here this morning and there was an interview with Governor Josh Shapiro D.
This guy seemed to be rational, informed, intelligent and moderate.
Family member said Mr Shapiro had been in the running as a Democratic nominee for Vice President.
Instead they picked a cartoon character who would be right at home in an episode of The Simpsons.
Why would that be?
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October 2, 2024 11:06am
- Cassandra
  
  Shapiro is a Jew. The Moslem vote is important to Harris. Bad enough that Mr Harris is a Jew. Ergo Walz.
  
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  October 2, 2024 11:24am
  - MCōs
    
    Didn’t know that, but reminds me that there was some nervousness back in the day because JFK was Catholic (now the Micks are everywhere!)
    
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    October 2, 2024 2:31pm
  - Tom Hunter
    
    Particularly the Muslim vote in Michigan because:
    – It went for Trump in 2016 (despite not really being a swing state)
    – The local Muslims have been making very clear their unhappiness with the Biden-Harris support of Israel and saying they might not vote.
    
    Frankly it was a stupid decision by Harris. Shapiro would have delivered a true swing state, Pennsylvania, to Harris because he’s a very popular Governor there. And as you point out he’s sharper than Walz, who comes from a state that hasn’t voted GOP since 1972.
    
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    October 2, 2024 5:51pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Sideshow Bob is the Democrat candidate?
  
  Trump doesn’t stand a chance!
  
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  October 2, 2024 8:39pm
Jack5

NZ can’t build enough houses for its people. Should the homeless migrate to China?

China, reports the Wall Street Journal, could have as many as 90 million empty housing units, according to economists’ estimates.

And China’s population is shrinking because of the one-child family policy. The population could fall by 200 million over the next 30 years.

The newspaper says China’s biggest cities will absorb their surplus housing because of the population drift from the countryside.

But nearly 340 Chinese cities classified as third-, fourth- and fifth-tier—with populations from few hundred thousand to several million people—are struggling economically.
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October 2, 2024 11:46am
- NothingLeft
  
  Good plan, all those tragic asylum seekers looking for somewhere to take them, China has vast amounts of empty accommodations and a severely shrinking population.
  
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  October 2, 2024 12:26pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Perhaps the Chinese should offer Hong Kong back to the Brits. Two birds with one stone.
    
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    October 2, 2024 8:41pm
Ghost

Martyn Bradbury To host a debate with Seymour. the role of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the 21st century

Article
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October 2, 2024 12:33pm
- Inandout
  
  Ghost, why does Seymour allow himself to be ridiculed in this manner?
  
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  October 2, 2024 2:05pm
  - Colville
    
    Seymour will be well up for the battle.
    Damien Grant is a mod also. Will be good to watch.
    
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    October 2, 2024 3:57pm
    - MCōs
      
      I fancy David Seymour believes he would be smart enough to prevail whoever he was debating even if Satan was the moderator
      
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      October 2, 2024 4:37pm
- sirknz
  
  It’s a trap.
  
  – Admiral Ackbar
  
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  October 2, 2024 3:33pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  Bradbury is a far left extremist. How on earth would that be a good debate then??
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:24pm
surfing

Having returned to a bit of contracting work, I must congratulate the IRD on their online services and tax simplification efforts.

IRD could go further with simplification — eg, full costs of running a home office (GST/depreciation etc) to be based on a square meter rate, but the rules are still better than it used to be. Its dumb to waste time collecting receipts and calculating gST and depreciation when the actual savings are so tiny compared to income.

I rarely have anything positive to say about govt departments, so this means something haha.
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October 2, 2024 1:52pm
Jethrod

Have just returned from the Taxpayers Union meeting at Hastings District Council. Led by Jordan and Porky the pig and another representative. There was a bouncy castle which lent to the theme of childish things and the council babysitting the youth council. Quite a serious topic with the focus being on the Mayor and council doing undemocratic things by appointing youth council members with voting rights.
TPU willing to head to High Court to get a ruling on this. Needs sponsoring to do it.
Worthwhile meeting with approximately 100 residents, mainly with sprinkling of Grey.
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October 2, 2024 2:02pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

This is dated Sept 27th, about the Hasting Council nonsense:

https://peterallanwilliams.substack.com/p/hastings-gets-it-wrong

The reason I list it is I have an email from The Taxpayer’s Union, Peter Williams That I can’t yet find on the website.
“Please keep this to yourself (they don’t want the Council to find out in advance) but later today.”
Well it is later today so things should be up and running. From my email:

“Second, is keeping the political and media heat on the politicians. I laughed out loud when the interns told me what is in store for later today.

Please keep this to yourself (they don’t want the Council to find out in advance) but later today, the Taxpayers’ Union has arranged for an enormous ‘unicorn themed’ children’s bouncy castle to be erected right outside the Hastings Mayor’s office!

Apparently, it’s the “new, more welcoming, Hastings Council chamber”.

After all, it’s not the kids who are at fault here – it’s the local Mayor and the Councillors who are acting like children and not taking their responsibilities seriously (despite a 19% rates hike this year).

As someone with a media background, I know it will keep the pressure on the Mayor and could well force her Council to do a U-turn.

Stunts like this one ensure the public finds out what’s going on and highlight the silliness of local councils.

I know that unless the Taxpayers’ Union take this on, we’ll soon have youth councils (and every other so-called ‘representative group’) also demanding seats around council tables across the country.”

Some bits redacted – like my email.
pdm, get down there and get some photos of clowns in action!!
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October 2, 2024 2:07pm
- MCōs
  
  As far as I’m aware the youth council in Hastings isn’t demanding seats around the council table.
  There’s enough to be outraged about without making stuff up
  
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  October 2, 2024 2:39pm
- Jethrod
  
  Have several photos of the meeting, but where and how do I post.
  Jordan was very good
  
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  October 2, 2024 2:41pm
  - Tom Hunter
    
    Send it via comment to PDM over at No Minister as he’s been covering it and could make a post using your stuff, and then you can link back to it here.
    
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    October 2, 2024 5:47pm
cmm

You undoubtedly have many devices with Bluetooth on them from phones to cars, mouse, headphones etc.

When Bluetooth kicked off the Bluetooth Special Interest Group was formed with the goals of:
* Ensuring that Bluetooth devices function together by having standard protocols, testing etc. Excellent.
* Facilitating the development of new Bluetooth technologies to enhance future products. Also excellent.

This gives us what we have today – a Bluetooth ecosystem that mainly “just works” and can connect devices fairly reliably.

Like many such orgaisations, leftie infection has resulted in mission creep.

You will all be delighted to know that the Bluetooth SIG has now has some new “Codes of Conduct” – that members shall , amongst other things, “embrace diversity”.

By my very brief reading of this (as much as I could stomach), it means that is a member (eg. a company making Bluetooth devices) employs a “participating individual” who fails to embrace diversity, then their membership may be terminated. That would mean that company can no longer put Bluetooth in their products.

So does this mean no more Bluetooth for Tesla because Musk has not bowed down to DEI?

I wonder how it will go in Islamic tech companies?

https://www.bluetooth.com/code-of-conduct
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October 2, 2024 4:04pm
- JimBobJoe
  
  The communist DEI infection has one, and only one, objective: to destroy Western competitiveness to facilitate Far Left policies being adopted in response to economic crisis.
  
  Paranoid? Maybe, but hell the Far Left support for DEI is destroying efficiency and effectiveness across western economies.
  
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  October 2, 2024 5:57pm
kevn

It just won’t go away…
https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2024/10/peter-williams-theres-dna-in-that-pfizer.html
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October 2, 2024 4:36pm
- cmm
  
  Of course some will label you a conspiracy theorist as a knee-jerk reaction.
  
  They are then welcome to call WHO conspiracy theorists too.
  
  Still I wouldn’t lose my shit over this (I am far more worried about other aspects of the jab).
  
  DNA building blocks (plasmids) are used in the spike protein synthesis process and it is known that this can leave small amounts in the final product.
  
  There are also some adenovirus-based Covid vaccines which contain larger amounts of DNA.
  
  Chickenpox, MMR, hepatitus and rabies vaccines all contain DNA.
  
  None of this is disputed. Here’s a paper trying to develop guidelines for acceptable limits:
  
  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23569076/
  
  CHOP, part of the WHO “Vaccine Safety Net” even acknowledges this: https://www.chop.edu/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-safety/vaccine-ingredients/dna
  
  WHO:VSN
  https://www.who.int/teams/regulation-prequalification/regulation-and-safety/pharmacovigilance/networks/vaccine-safety-net
  
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  October 2, 2024 7:30pm
NZer In Exile

Just noticed the latest headline over at the Daily Bog:

“I’m wealthy and I’m sorted’. The tone deaf privilege of this filthy rich Christian Prime Minister”

Gosh they really are getting bitter and twisted aren’t they. Perhaps they should tally up the investments and payola of their mates from the recently booted Trifecta of Idiocy.
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October 2, 2024 7:49pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  I wonder how Helen Clark’s investment properties are doing.
  
  Certainly, we’ll never find out from the MSM.
  
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  October 2, 2024 8:44pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    Ah the sound of crickets. So soothing.
    
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    October 2, 2024 9:25pm
Ghost

Interesting article. The minister says she has the PM’s confidence, no actual comment from the PM

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello says she has Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s confidence despite public health officials, a parent lobby group and the Opposition calling for her to be sacked over her handling of heated tobacco product rules.

Article
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October 2, 2024 8:26pm
Ghost

Large flare. We really are in for some fun if this continues

SIGNIFICANT X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Fast-growing sunspot AR3842 erupted on Oct 1st (2220 UT), producing the second-strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 25. The X7.1-category blast caused a shortwave radio blackout over Hawaii and hurled a CME into space. A preliminary NASA model predicts it will hit Earth on Oct. 5th. Stay tuned for the geomagnetic storm forecast

Space Weather
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October 2, 2024 8:44pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  Direct hit or just a slight side glance?
  
  Always store cash and water.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:27pm
  - Ghost
    
    Looks like it could be direct, it was earth facing.
    
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    October 2, 2024 9:38pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  Oh and Ghost, thinking of what you’ve written re your medical situation, and possible alleviation. You may want to look at medical mary jane (not just CBD). At the very least it may help you sleep comfortably. I would not recommend it at all to a well young person, but to an older person not getting effective pain relief for a serious condition, that’s a different story. There are side effects such as next day irritability (especially if you over-indulge), some next day/s lack of ability to focus, some immediate and/or next day/s reduction in motivation, some immediate and/or next day/s reduction in general brain processing power. These are all dependent on the individual, how often it’s taken and the dose though. Probably a lot less brutal than opiates in the long run. Obviously starting light and building to what works without too many side effects would be the go I’d think. Starting strong could be very disturbing and off-putting psychologically. Oh and dry-herb-vape it, don’t smoke it (unless you want lung cancer or emphysema). Do your research first of course.
  
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  October 2, 2024 9:51pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    Probably should mention taking it breakfast, lunch and dinner tends to produce the worst outcomes re being a messed up stoner vegetable. Lethargy, confused thinking, dark thoughts etc etc. Not to mention also the build up of tolerance. As sparingly as possible is best IMHO.
    
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    October 2, 2024 11:21pm

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