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December 27, 2024 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 27 December 2024

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General Debate

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NeverMindTheBollocks

Cycling’s dirty little secret: cyclists are forever falling off their bikes and costing ACC. Top of the claims list:

“ACC claim data for Tasman, Nelson and Marlborough revealed there were 1596 claims for road cycling injuries between January and November, costing $4.4 million. In 2023 there were 1875 claims, a $4.2m cost”.

That’s just the roads. Third on the list:

“Mountainbiking resulted in 251 claims between January and November, costing $1.2m”.

Of course, that’s peanuts compared to the cost of cycleways, both in their construction and in their opportunity costs to other road users, but still.

It’s past time for bikes and e-scooters to be registered & taxed, including ACC levies.

http://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/360531236/cycling-beach-injuries-top-list-leisure-related-injuries-top-south
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December 27, 2024 8:14am
- Philview
  
  I remember talking to an American litigation lawyer once who had a low opinion of the ACC concept. He thought the negligent were free to be negligent with their high risk lifestyles covered by everyone else. He thought the ability to sue people makes people more careful in what they do.
  
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  December 27, 2024 8:34am
  - Dudley Quaffquaff
    
    Did he have anything to say about the amount spent on lawyers’ fees by all these users?
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:27am
  - In Vino Veritas
    
    Of course the lawyer thought that. The ability to sue in the States means that the burglar making a get away from your house, who trips over kids skate board in your back yard, gets to sue you. And litigation lawyers love that stuff as that’s how they make a living.
    You might recall Stella Liebeck. Sued McDonalds because when she spilt her hot coffee into her lap, she found it was hot. She won a couple of million from memory. Then there’s Seong Sil Kim, who lay down on a Manhattan railway track in an effort to suicide. It didn’t work, but she did suffer a couple of amputations and severe injuries. She sued the train company and won 9 or 10m. I think sticking with ACC is a good idea.
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:53am
    - David Garrett
      
      In vino: I am a litigation lawyer, and I entirely agree with you. Without ACC we would be like Australia – which in turn is like the US only less so – in which any idiot can sue anyone else if they sustain injury, no matter what the “real” liability actually is. For all its many faults, ACC is a brilliant idea.
      
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      December 27, 2024 10:43am
      - Ipanema69
        
        However from my own experience it is frequently necessary to take ACC to court to obtain your entitlements.
        
        If you talk to any lawyer specializing in ACC appeals they operate a system where they will initially deny claims to force a claimant to go through the appeals process.
        
        The initial appeal process is controlled by Fairway Resolution Services which is effectively part of ACC.
        
        The next appeal is to the district court.
        
        In my partners case our orthapaedic surgeon specifically told us that ACC would deny cover for a shoulder injury as my partner was older than 30. Effectively in the surgeons experience he knew that ACC would deny cover for shoulder or knee surgery on the grounds that the condition was degenerative if the patient is older than 30.
        
        The interesting thing about this is that it is quite difficult to prove that a shoulder or knee issue is a result of any accident or degenerative condition based purely on medical imaging. The assessment of the images is quite subjective. Additionally ACC has plenty of “pet” doctors who will provide opinions that the condition is degenerative.
        
        Where this gets really weird is that if you have private insurance (or can afford the surgery yourself) the surgeon can usually provide a far more definitive report post surgery ( as they actually see the defective area and can photograph it).
        
        This can then be used in the appeal process. This is particularly so as the courts by precedent attach a lot of weight to the treating surgeons opinion (in particular if he or she has actually openned the shoulder or knee).
        
        Whilst I agree with your arguement that ACC is better than the alternative, my own experience suggests that we have the worst of both worlds.
        
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        December 27, 2024 1:14pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        I had a similar experience to Ipanema. Fell down some stairs on to my extended arm and wrecked my shoulder. It all went off to their pet ortho Ray Fong. I was in my mid 50’s so it was degenerative of course.
        
        I had it fixed anyway (15k and Southern Cross claim) but decided to push it along. I tried the Medical Practitioners Disciplinary route because he was passing opinions without ever seeing me. Apparently in ACC cases that’s OK …. go figure.
        
        Anyway I fired up a review. They buried me in all sorts of rubbish. Some of the classic stuff “it’s a shame you couldn’t have an ultrasound just before and just after the fall” … All dox for the review had to be submitted three weeks before and they dropped theirs on me the day before.
        
        The review was me and a reviewer in Palmy and an ACC person on the blower from Dunedin.
        
        Southern Cross paid out of course. I told them I was chasing ACC and they said “oh good” … The woman I was dealing with knew about Fong. I asked if she could provide me with any useful background doing this and she said no.
        
        Anyway much to my surprise the reviewer (Fairway) decided in my favour. He did it on the (thin) ground that Fong had not explained his opinion. Ducked the whole “was it degenerative” issue.
        
        The reviewer told me that about 30% of reviewed cases went against the corporation. Apparently Fairway was brought into existence by ACC because there was no simple appeal channel available.
        
        Court is of course another ball of wax – long time and lotsa money. In my case ACC paid. SC put their hand out. I kept about 3k because I figured any lawyer would have cost them that and them some …. they didn’t grumble 🙂
        
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        December 27, 2024 2:40pm
    - ChristopherW2
      
      In fairness, when you read the details of the McDonalds coffee case, it was clearly negligent – the coffee was scaldingly hot (at a drive-through), and her injuries were awful.
      
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      December 27, 2024 7:11pm
  - thirteenstars
    
    Of course it does, but the most often-used endorsement for ACC is, we don’t want to be like those terribly litigious Americans.
    
    No, we’d rather subsidise stupidity and provide perverse incentives to continue with the stupidity.
    
    ACC is also unjust. Drunk driver cripples you for the rest of your life but except for a temporary loss of licence, a hefty fine or perhaps a short jail sentence they get to go back to perhaps millions in assets while you live the rest of your life on 80% of the average wage while having to work the system to get any relief.
    
    What we’ve actually ended up with is the worst of both systems where as well as the ACC levies the state has gradually assumed the power to sue and fine in the victim’s stead, the proceeds going into state coffers.
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:58am
    - Dudley Quaffquaff
      
      This one should be possible to test empirically. Are accidental injuries significantly less frequent in the US and Australia than they are here?
      
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      December 27, 2024 11:27am
      - thirteenstars
        
        That would be one metric but there are many. As I said, justice is important. If I’m injured, especially if the action causing my injury was egregious, why shouldn’t I be able to sue the perpetrator to reflect the seriousness of the event?
        
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        December 27, 2024 12:25pm
    - alwyn.a
      
      “Drunk driver cripples you for the rest of your life etc “.
      
      I’ll offer you two cases under the US system.
      A. “Drunk driver cripples YOU for the rest of your life” Driver has no job, no insurance and no assets. YOU get nothing.
      B. “Driver cripples ME for the rest of MY life”. This driver is very rich and has oodles of insurance and a lot of clout with the Insurance company. He persuades them to pay out tens of millions to get it out of his hair. I am very rich for the rest of my life.
      Do you think that those outcomes are fair? Wouldn’t you rather get an income from ACC?
      
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      December 27, 2024 5:14pm
      - thirteenstars
        
        There are a thousands ways we could define what is fair but the simple fact is for all people the possibility of being financially responsible for your own actions is a powerful incentive to behave accordingly.
        
        What if the law likewise indemnified criminals for their actions? All crimes being remedied at a standard rate regardless of the enormity of the guilt. That would be a solution but would it be just? The function of harsher sentences for harsher crimes is to provide a just punishment, yet under ACC an unconscionable perpetrator is liable for about the same penalty as a diligent yet unfortunate one.
        
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        December 27, 2024 6:43pm
  - Pope Punctilious II
    
    Well if you agree with him, feel free to go and live in the USA.
    
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    December 27, 2024 12:04pm
  - Ghost
    
    I wonder why a lawyer in the USA would say that
    
    https://www.onthemap.com/blog/personal-injury-stats/
    
    …..
    
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    December 27, 2024 12:12pm
- Taieri
  
  “Finally, barbecue accidents resulted in 43 claims this year, costing $81,000. These mostly comprised burns and lacerations”
  
  Should barbecues also be registered and taxed?
  
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  December 27, 2024 8:48am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    $5,600,000 for bikes; $81,000 for barbecues.
    
    You decide.
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:20am
  - Anthony Melchett
    
    Your bbq doesn’t cause people to swerve and damage other people’s property.
    
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    December 27, 2024 10:01am
    - KH
      
      Plenty of drunk swerving people at BBQs.
      Is breath testing required there.
      
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      December 27, 2024 12:49pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        It won’t be too long before your phone will alert you to who are the dangerous loose units in your vicinity that you should steer well clear of.
        
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        December 27, 2024 5:44pm
- MCōs
  
  2% of ACC claims are the result of road accidents
  Most claims by far are domestic or sports related.
  There’s a pie chart in this article showing the distribution of the nearly two million claims during 2023; one of whom was this writer.
  I have made contributions to ACC ever since it came into being in 1974, one way or another, and then when I bust my leg they were marvelous
  
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  December 27, 2024 9:27am
  - igm
    
    Yet poor motorcyclists are required to carry the can. Wake up National, most of us supported you, many now not too happy.
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:55am
    - Flossie
      
      Maybe some are not too happy but the current lot are doing a reasonable job. When I feel the urge to critcise them I just say to myself “imagine if the other lot were in”!
      
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      December 27, 2024 12:47pm
      - igm
        
        I hopefully do not think many will defect to the left, Genter and her slime would quadruple rego for everything non-electric.
        
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        December 27, 2024 2:14pm
- judith8409121
  
  wow – the press did another cycling beatup article – who woulda thought – must have scoured the news to get that one – pretty small beer compared to all sports related injuries “2024 injury costs
  732,459,632
  The costs of all active claims in 2024 ytd”
  but keep pushing the ridiculous ‘cycling should be taxed’ rubbish – maybe rugby should also be taxed – now I wonder how much that costs ACC?
  
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  December 27, 2024 6:28pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Ya gotta hand it to Whangarei Mayor Vince Cocurullo. To hell with sister city junkets to obscure cities in dusty parts of the Mid-West or the distant provinces of China!

Not sure what’s in it for his ratepayers, though.

http://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/537544/whangarei-seals-twin-city-agreement-with-ra-iatea-in-french-polynesia
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December 27, 2024 8:28am
- 70andstilllearning
  
  “Not sure what’s in it for his ratepayers, though.”
  SFA? – but probably not much for Vince either – his popularity around town seems to be rapidly waning if comment on the streets is worth anything to go by ….
  
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  December 27, 2024 9:20am
  - Jack5
    
    “Not sure of what’s in it for ratepayers.”
    
    When “it” is in Tahiti.
    
    What a tough choice for a sister city!
    
    https://youtu.be/ab_tYof60I4?si=ddbnXuWIh9PSRwjK
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:57am
    - imalwaysright
      
      What’s wrong with Dargaville as a sister city?
      Nice people, similar customs and language, and they also usually drive on the left!
      
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      December 27, 2024 10:50am
      - Matt Long
        
        When councillors and staff are “forced* to visit their sister city for “official” business on the ratepayer purse, I just can’t see Dargaville or even Tangiteroria making the grade.
        
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        December 27, 2024 11:48am
      - 70andstilllearning
        
        Matt – now I’m starting to see where that +17% rate increase is being utilised – can’t quite see how that benefits my investment in the city tho ….
        
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        December 27, 2024 2:05pm
Souvlaki

A question for the legal fraternity please?
What is the ‘enforcable’/ legal status of ‘rahui'(if any) in NZ law?
In the below article…we have the police ‘supporting’ it…in a case of family harm, where the accused evades police , and reportedly drowns in the attempted escape.
What about a thought for the poor families bullied into keeping out of the water on long awaited holidays, or the businesses relying on watersport activitie to survive financially?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/ohope-search-rahui-in-place-as-family-gathers-for-man-who-swam-from-police/KRK57QN2HFGZXL246XDEBNIOVY
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December 27, 2024 8:35am
- sirknz
  
  They are not legally enforceable at all so quit clutching your pearls every time one is publicised in the media.
  
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  December 27, 2024 8:41am
  - kowtow
    
    It’s not “pearl clutching” when official govt organs publicise what are misleading and confusing messages to the citizenry , esp at a time when so many are out and about enjoying their birthrights and ancient hard fought for freedoms .
    
    ‘Replacement and future protection measures for all the pou in the National Park were discussed, and mana whenua plan to visit and perform karakia at the site to impose a rāhui which will deem the site tapu until further notice.’
    
    https://www.doc.govt.nz/news/media-releases/2024-media-releases/deeply-disturbing-vandalism-of-pou-whenua/
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:59am
    - thirteenstars
      
      Correct. The word rahui is used synonymously with actual legal bans on various activities, and it’s done on purpose to confuse what is legitimate with what is a matter of faith or customary usage.
      
      Case in point, the closure a couple of years ago of the Manawatu Gorge track because someone had dropped dead there had no legal basis yet it was enforced as a rahui because the local tribe said the area needed to “heal”.
      
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      December 27, 2024 11:11am
  - GJM
    
    Legal enforceability is only a recommendation for the NZ police. Remember the (illegal) lockdowns? Remember the police being heavy on people having “wrong thoughts”? Heavies raiding houses for non existent rifles then a very quiet and unpublished apology 3 years later? Investigating one of their own for breaking fire arms laws and using information out of the fire arms registry, but nothing to see here? Unusually enough, the IPCA thought differently, but only because of the publicity I assume.
    The Police have a habit of making up the rules to suit themselves or their political masters, knowing that most people won’t know otherwise, and those that do are not in a position to fight the machine.
    I expect that the rahui will be enforceable, because the cops say it is, and if you disagree, you can have ”a trip back to their place”.
    No wonder nobody trusts the cops any more.
    
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    December 27, 2024 11:27am
    - Phronesis
      
      I suspect the enforcement will come from self appointed thugs. The Police could head this off with a warning to the thugs but I strongly suspect they will let the thugs do as they wish and intimidate at will.
      
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      December 27, 2024 2:30pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    “Just” a sort of veiled threat of vigilantism thing is it sirknz?
    
    If it’s unenforceable, why do it???
    
    If it’s a publicly owned space why is one cultural/racial/tribal group putting bans on it? Makes no sense.
    
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    December 27, 2024 4:37pm
- Jethrod
  
  I wondered the same thing.
  Everymans bible, Google, gives a fairly good explanation.
  It seems a bit bound up in mystical stuff, but essentially not enforceable,
  an EXCEPTION does apply!
  Closing a beach for food gathering or swimming is a bit rich in my opinion.
  
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  December 27, 2024 8:42am
  - Simon
    
    The bull shit idea from a culture that pre-modern that was in part based on cannibalism was that if someone drowns then the fish eat the dead. Then if you eat the fish then you eat some of the dead. So not eating fish etc for a few days. Its the worst tribal garbage.
    
    At the core of this is some bunch of self appointed clowns lording over the plebs.
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:39am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Indeed, just the usual silly and self righteous muppets rubbing shite in the faces of the normies to make them “pay” for alleged sins nobody alive committed and nobody alive today was a victim of.
      
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      December 27, 2024 4:46pm
- Clyde
  
  I don’t have the knowledge to know the legal position, but if I wanted to go for a swim, use my boat, go fishing or anything else in the water, no idiotic pagan nonsense will be stopping me.
  
  How about if we of “not special” heritage place a similar ban the next time an innocent kid gets killed by their “special” parents. I’m thinking a total ban on all houses inhabited by these “specials”. No services provided to them, no entry or exit from their homes etc etc. The “rahui” would last until the perpetrators start cooperating with the Police.
  
  Bottom line is – I don’t recognise any such rahui or the authority of anyone to impose one. They can foxtrot oscar.
  
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  December 27, 2024 8:49am
  - David Garrett
    
    Clyde: Spot on Sir…Maori covering for each other every time a little one is bashed to death is a National disgrace.
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:16am
  - marcw
    
    Banning benefits would be the cruelest, but most effective sanction. A good start.
    
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    December 27, 2024 11:29am
- colinm
  
  Regarding that rahui. We were around there most of the day. Kayaking and fishing around that very area. We saw no signs etc about any rahui (we did notice the surf rescue inflatable circling about). We had traveled to there in the morning (three hour drive) and would have been quite annoyed if we were prevented from doing our thing. So, if there was a rahui, we never knew.
  
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  December 27, 2024 8:50am
- Pope Punctilious II
  
  Good question, I too am keen to know the answer.
  
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  December 27, 2024 8:59am
- Scott
  
  We’re seeing a lot of this lately, local tribe placing a rahui in an area after the death of a Maori person? It didn’t use to happen.
  
  But I see it as part of the Maorification of our country. That Maori have been encouraged to claim areas and control of NZ life. And guilt ridden white liberals allow this.
  
  My message is believe in your country, don’t be ashamed of your sex or your race. And let’s go forward as one country with equal rights for all. Not some people are special because of who their ancestors were. But one nation, united, each of us with the same rights and responsibilities.
  
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  December 27, 2024 9:02am
  - Ghost
    
    Yes it used to happen, it’s nothing new. We’d have them in taupo each time someone went over huka falls or drowned in the river/lake. They hold no legal standing unless the minister puts a closure on the area.
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:30am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Most normies will “respect” the Rahui for fear of vigilante violence. We all know this. Just roll over and get used to it?
      
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      December 27, 2024 4:50pm
  - MCōs
    
    I happen to have special rights, y’all.
    I’ve got a Gold Card which means I have the right to free public transport
    I also have a mobility card, which means I don’t have to walk for miles at the train station!
    That’s probably not the special rights you’re thinking of, but plenty of people have special rights because of their status in life.
    I have a Māori mate. Next time I see him I’ll ask him what special rights he has. I know he’s just recovering from cancer and he was in the queue for treatment just like anyone else.
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:56am
    - All_on_Red
      
      The rights you are talking about werent granted on the basis of your race.
      Maori get many special rights. Lower scores to get into medical school being one.
      And weren’t Maori being given preference for medical treatment?
      I’m sure others can come with other ‘special’ rights they have.
      You’re the master of the specious comparison and pointless comment.
      Btw- I’m Nga Puhi
      
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      December 27, 2024 10:38am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Were your gold card or mobility card issued on the basis of your racial heritage or the tribal affiliations of your ancestors MCōs? Aging and aging related deterioration happens to everyone regardless of racial heritage.
      
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      December 27, 2024 4:54pm
  - imalwaysright
    
    I think we are missing the obvious:
    
    Surely rahui apply only to Maori ?
    
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    December 27, 2024 11:00am
  - Steve Otto N Shore
    
    Equal rights for all. Strange – that’s what Article 3 says in the Treaty.
    
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    December 27, 2024 11:02am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      You forgot the magical (make them up as you go along) “treaty principles” Steve. Please check with your local Marxist/woke/idiot thought leaders to find out what they are this week!
      
      Off to re-education camp you go!
      
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      December 27, 2024 4:56pm
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    They will place a rāhui when anyone drowns in the sea, but it is not compulsory to respect it, usually for 2-3 days
    
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    December 27, 2024 11:34am
  - Flossie
    
    Scott – special because of who SOME of their ancestors were.
    
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    December 27, 2024 12:51pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  In most cases rahui do not have a legal basis.
  
  https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/01/11/calls-grow-for-rahui-to-have-greater-legal-recognition/
  
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  December 27, 2024 9:04am
  - Surely Knott
    
    But government and media will often deliberately mislead the public. They give the misleading impression a rahui is legal by putting it as a reason on council signs, on council land, on government websites and by media quoting DOC and the Iwi declaring Rahui in the same article.
    
    There are some iwi with Rahui powers in their waitangi tribunal settlements. But this article wants to go further than the full and final settlements. Council also funded the iwi $110k to come up with the illegal Rahui Proposal.
    
    Covid restrictions was the ultimate restriction by the government. An iwi with no transparent process for election or decision making being given the power to stop movement is a hard no.
    
    The government needs to get back to law. It’s either legal or it’s not and they should make it clear.
    
    Council sign supporting a Rahui that is not legal.
    https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5919021a1e5b6c940741bc9b/1575315110825-1N90ZN059CHK888ACEX7/closed+sign+large.JPG?format=1500w
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:28am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      “They give the misleading impression a rahui is legal by putting it as a reason on council signs, on council land, on government websites and by media quoting DOC and the Iwi declaring Rahui in the same article.”
      
      Fake it until you make it (legally binding).
      
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      December 27, 2024 4:58pm
  - Inandout
    
    Maggy, this ‘calls grow’ nonsense means nothing, and the media trot it out for any cause they attach to.
    Calls grow for tighter vaping rules.
    Calls grow for govt to make a stand on live animals.
    Calls grow for govt to slash interest rates.
    Calls grow to ban teachers from using social media.
    Calls grow for moratorium on seabed mining.
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:50am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Yes, it definitely is not legal
    
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    December 27, 2024 11:35am
  - Pope Punctilious II
    
    I wouldn’t be surprised if the next LINO-Rainbow-TMP government made rahui legally enforceable.
    
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    December 27, 2024 12:09pm
- All_on_Red
  
  Rahui are not legally enforceable. But Iwi
  are certainly trying to make them that way- of course.
  However under the Fisheries Act, the Minister can put in place a Temporary Closure, which is legal.
  This can be done as a result of a Rahui.
  Personally I would rather my rights weren’t impinged on the back of some Pagan belief.
  
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  December 27, 2024 9:10am
  - Jack5
    
    As traditional Christianity declined, rational non-religious beliefs were going to take its place. Weren’t they?
    
    Indigenous religion is surging on the fringes of the developed world.
    
    Not just old religious beliefs on the rise, like Voodoo in Haiti, Jamaica, and other parts of the Caribbean.
    
    Indigenous religion is springing up among North American Indians. The Native American Church, for example, uses a drug from the peyote cactus. This church began over a century ago, but in recent years it’s surged to 400,000 or more members.
    
    Meanwhile, voodoo does far more than just linger on.
    
    The American church that uses peyote:
    
    https://apnews.com/article/native-americans-peyote-spirituality-religion-762bb0d2957e9e501c0c167b23752ce1
    
    Voodoo (here spelled “vodou”) sparks massacre in Haiti — this month:
    
    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/11/haitis-vodou-murders-why-did-a-gang-kill-nearly-200-people
    
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    December 27, 2024 10:40am
    - Don Beckett
      
      ” Those who do not believe in God don’t believe in Nothing, they believe in Anything”
      G.K.Chesterton.
      
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      December 27, 2024 11:02am
      - AitchW
        
        Which god might that be?
        
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        December 27, 2024 8:50pm
- Simon
  
  rahui is mumbo jumbo. Ignore these wards of the state.
  
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  December 27, 2024 9:34am
  - Steve Otto N Shore
    
    Wards of the state. Very good description Simon.
    
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    December 27, 2024 11:12am
NK

A bike should pay an ACC levy? How do you propose a bike does that?
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December 27, 2024 8:36am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Mandatory registration and annual fees. You know, just like other road users.
  
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  December 27, 2024 8:37am
  - Taieri
    
    Mandatory registration and annual fees
    ———–
    
    WOF and a license to ride as well?
    What about fitness training/gym injury claims, which are double of biking claims. What about tennis players or dancers, do we register them and make them pay an annual fee?
    Another expensive one is rugby. Plenty of tax and rego fees could be raised there. Far more than from the cyclists.
    
    Where does it end?
    
    Or should it only apply to the activities you disapprove of?
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:33am
    - keepcalmcarryon
      
      I think that’s the point Taieri. Cultists of the left demand registration and restriction on things they don’t like – cars , motorcycles, firearms.
      But spend many many millions of other people’s money promoting a much more dangerous pastime – cycling.
      It’s rank one eyed hypocrisy.
      
      Surely the safety first mantra they forced on us for 6 years means these things need a very low speed limit and certainly registration so we know how many dangerous bicycles are in the country.
      We need to follow the science and the science says cycling is dangerous.
      
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      December 27, 2024 11:08am
    - Steve Otto N Shore
      
      Cyclist need to pass a test of basic road rules and regulations. Instant fines for breaking them.
      The amount of shit some (not all) get away with is incredible. Ignorant.
      
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      December 27, 2024 11:15am
      - NK
        
        Motorists get away with far worse shit.
        
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        December 27, 2024 11:37am
    - rouppe
      
      I think there’s value in exploring an acc levy for members of sports clubs, taken as part of the membership fee. Rate as determined by injury stats. Same with gym membership.
      
      It’s crazy that dirt bikes, which don’t require any sort of registration but by it’s very nature is a risky activity, pay no contribution. Difficult to enforce though.
      
      Doesn’t help with cyclists (unless you introduce registration, difficult to enforce, as above) or with drunks, or injuries walking (an expensive one of those recently), running…
      
      But there are certainly avenues for raising additional revenue.
      
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      December 27, 2024 11:27am
- wairarapapaul
  
  Maybe a cost at time of purchase. Slap $250 onto it. REGO like cars would probably be unworkable.
  
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  December 27, 2024 9:01am
  - Jethrod
    
    I like buying from Trade Me. How is transference done then?
    
    5 0
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    December 27, 2024 9:20am
    - Flossie
      
      Just a one-off fee for purchase when new.
      
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      December 27, 2024 2:27pm
- imalwaysright
  
  NK,
  While not in favour of governmental creep, one solution could be that all cyclists, or the over 18’s perhaps, apply for an annual online permit and pay a fee.
  
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  December 27, 2024 9:28am
  - Taieri
    
    apply for an annual online permit and pay a fee
    —————-
    
    Indeed.
    A similar permit and an annual fee should apply to all human activities.
    
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    December 27, 2024 12:00pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      I’m with you T, but my post was about a low cost easy way to get cyclists to pay a bit extra for the facilities specific to them.
      
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      December 27, 2024 12:51pm
      - Taieri
        
        While I’m opposed to reducing lanes on the public roads to accommodate cycle lanes, which virtually nobody uses, I’m in favour of local authorities building recreational cycle/pedestrian paths. Providing of course that they can afford them. We have plenty of sport grounds on the council land and paid for and maintained by general rates. Nobody seems to be complaining about the expenditure, yet, for most of the time these facilities are underused. A recreational cycle path in the right location is a wonderful facility that can be used by virtually anybody. The one we have down here attracts all age groups and is very popular. It doesn’t impede regular traffic and while it is used by a few commuters, in the main, it’s patronized by recreational walkers and riders. One of the best and most successful projects completed here in many years.
        
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        December 27, 2024 1:37pm
      - NeverMindTheBollocks
        
        Reply to Taieri:
        
        Adult sports teams each pay thousands of dollars annually for, amongst other things, the right to use the public paddock on which their games are played. For which they get the exclusive use of the grass for 12o minutes on 18 successive Saturdays, give or take. A big chunk of the subs go to the Councils who maintain the grass, which is available to children’s teams and other users without charge.
        
        By contrast, cyclists pay nothing specifically for the cycleways they demand. Not subscriptions, not registration fees or ACC levies, nothing.
        
        See the difference?
        
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        December 27, 2024 5:35pm
Ipanema69

Could somebody please conduct a welfare check on Jacinda? I am getting seriously concerned. I cant remember the last time I heard anything from her.

/sarc off

Seriously Labours internal polling must still show that the Ardern brand is still toxic to voters. I seriously doubt that we will hear anything from her in the leadup to 2026.
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December 27, 2024 8:42am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Jacinda Ardern. Less popular than Helen Clark.
  
  How the mighty are fallen.
  
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  December 27, 2024 9:22am
- Jethrod
  
  I think she is treated as though she has leprosy in Tairua.
  
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  December 27, 2024 9:23am
  - Steve Otto N Shore
    
    Is the street blocked off and access is residents only?
    
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    December 27, 2024 11:18am
    - Paulus
      
      Thought I heard she had been seen in Gissie, her still hubby’s, family.
      
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      December 27, 2024 1:55pm
- John Loveridge
  
  Ardern’s present toxicity is a striking example of the fall that comes after a vast excess of pride.
  
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  December 27, 2024 9:23am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Labour will have to bring some shining star onto the hustings soon if it wants to regain the vote of the easily influenced.
  
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  December 27, 2024 10:06am
  - JeffW
    
    I suspect a large proportion of Labour voters support them because their grandparents did, doesn’t matter who is the leader, they still vote for them. Another large proportion is “public servants” of course. Then there’s the Chardonnay socialists. Not to mention the crims. Jacinda could come back, they’d all vote Labour.
    
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    December 27, 2024 10:29am
    - Steve Otto N Shore
      
      True. They would vote for a rotten fence post if it was standing for Labour.
      
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      December 27, 2024 12:20pm
    - NothingLeft
      
      Might it be that disenfranchising those that receive the majority of their income from govt is a necessary measure for long term survival of democracy?
      
      When left wing govts can increase their voter base by growing govt and handing out more and more money to those that vote for them (but who pay no net tax) it appears to (over long term) have a strong correlation with economic collapse into left-wing tyranny.
      
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      December 27, 2024 2:29pm
  - pdm
    
    Maggy – maybe they will try and lure the young lady from the Maori Party over. You know the Parliamentary Chamber Haka instigator.
    
    Once the Maori Party lose the special Electorate Seats she will have nowhere to go in a 2.5/3% party.
    
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    December 27, 2024 11:06am
    - rouppe
      
      “Once the Maori Party lose the special Electorate Seats…”
      
      I can’t see that happening in my lifetime
      
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      December 27, 2024 11:29am
- imalwaysright
  
  Maybe a welfare check on New Zealand would be more appropriate.
  
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  December 27, 2024 10:25am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  I think I seen someone rubbishing her for returning at Christmas
  
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  December 27, 2024 11:37am
Yvette

Treaty Principles?
When David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill is defeated, it will mean Parliament has voted down a Bill which says “The Executive Government of New Zealand has full power to govern, and the Parliament of New Zealand has full power to make laws …” with which Christopher Luxon concurs –

During Question Time, Green Co-Leader Chloe Swarbrick pushed him on the issue multiple times, asking “does the prime minister believe that Māori ceded sovereignty?” Luxon responded saying “our position is the Crown is sovereign.”

Iwi write to PM demanding recognition Māori did not cede sovereignty. “Your statement further undermines the findings of the 2014 Waitangi Tribunal report that stated, “in February 1840 the rangatira who signed te Tiriti did not cede their sovereignty”.

Labour Party Leader Chris Hipkins is reiterating his belief that Māori never ceded their sovereignty and says Luxon is aligning with the divisive rhetoric and initiatives of his coalition partners, despite advice from historians, courts, and policy advisers.

So a situation now arises where plain-language legislation is required to assert “The Executive Government of New Zealand indeed does hold sovereignty and has full power to govern, and the Parliament of New Zealand has full power to make laws …” without reference to the Treaty of Waitangi.

Of course the other two matters of David Seymour’s concern – all legally held property rights will be protected, and all New Zealanders have equal rights and responsibilities as citizens – needs inclusion.

So also does a fourth point: that all Government, its departments and services will be secular, and while all New Zealanders have personal and community rights to involve themselves in religion, all New Zealanders have corollary rights to be free from religion – hence Government’s neutral secularity.

I trust that such protective legislation is ACT’s fall-back stance and a longer-play proposition – while not missing the irony that it has taken their current Treaty Principles Bill to fully reveal the context which should necessitate the second thrust of plainer legislation which should follow the voting down of a bill that has the context of the flawed Treaty of Waitangi at it heart – a heart somewhat desperately in need of a by-pass operation.
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December 27, 2024 8:54am
- pdm
  
  Yvette – if the Waitangi Tribunal and Hipkins are correct that Maori did not cede Sovereignty then the New Zealand Government has been Null and Void since its inception.
  
  I put that in my submission on the Treaty Principles Bill a few days ago.
  https://nominister.wordpress.com/2024/12/22/my-submission-on-the-treaty-principles-bill/
  
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  December 27, 2024 11:12am
  - Paulus
    
    Can we have our Money back please ?
    
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    December 27, 2024 1:58pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Yes the trillions spent in bringing NZ into modernity with the accompanying massive lift in opportunity, well-being and prosperity (for all) have been left out of the lefty-idiot equations.
      
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      December 27, 2024 5:51pm
  - Yvette
    
    pdm, there is apparently laws and other constitutional references that assert Government’s right to rule, to exercise sovereignty, but they are not readily accessible and some of us are too old now to event try to assemble them into anything meaningful for ourselves or others.
    God knows what new New Zealand citizens are given, if anything, when they arrive in the country, to tell them concisely how the Government works, its relationship to Maori and the Treaty, rights and obligations, or anything else a new New Zealander should know, let alone what us already here should be able to refer to.
    
    This is all so subtle, it is indeed hard to recognise when we are having a constitutional crisis – like the one that may be about to happen. :o)
    
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    December 27, 2024 2:03pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Seymour has stated this week he is out of here if government changes
  
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  December 27, 2024 11:38am
  - pdm
    
    Where did you hear that G?
    
    Seymour seems a man with character who will stay on until the job is doe – the Treaty Principles Bill being the obvious current job.
    
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    December 27, 2024 12:58pm
    - Ghost
      
      https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/12/25/seymour-takes-aim-at-politics-the-media-and-economic-recovery/
      
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      December 27, 2024 1:11pm
- Chris Nisbet
  
  Comments like this…
  “our position is the Crown is sovereign.”
  are a bit of a worry – they make it sound like it’s just a matter of opinion rhat the Crown is sovereign.
  
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  December 27, 2024 4:47pm
imalwaysright

Biden grants clemency to a judge who made over $3 million by sentencing thousands of kids to “for profit” prisons on false charges.

https://truthout.org/video/mother-who-lost-son-in-kids-for-cash-scheme-slams-bidens-clemency-for-judge/
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December 27, 2024 9:46am
- All_on_Red
  
  It gets worse
  ‘President Biden on Monday will commute the sentences of nearly all of the 40 murderers on the federal government’s death row, ‘
  ‘The move grants clemency to a rogues gallery of notorious killers, including five men who murdered children, nine who slaughtered their fellow inmates, and one who killed a prison guard with a hammer while serving a life sentence for murdering his U.S. Marine wife.
  
  Among those whose sentences will be reduced are Kaboni Savage, who was convicted of committing or ordering the deaths of 12 people, including four children as he tried to expand his Philadelphia drug empire, and Thomas Sanders, who kidnapped and shot 12-year-old Lexis Roberts four times and cut her throat — after murdering her mother. ‘
  https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/dec/23/joe-biden-commutes-sentences-37-murderers-death-ro/
  The thing is, we all know Biden is mentally unfit, so who in his Administration did this?
  
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  December 27, 2024 11:40am
  - Steve Otto N Shore
    
    Who did this? Obama?
    
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    December 27, 2024 12:23pm
  - imalwaysright
    
    I was under the impression that presidential pardons and clemency was meant to expedite remedy to miscarriages of justice.
    This looks like the middle finger to the American public and especially to the victims.
    
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    December 27, 2024 12:24pm
Matt Long

Grok 2 will identify which movie character you’re most like based on X posts (I think.)
Initially it said Rorschach, a psychopathic vigilante figure from the Watchman series, but now Ned Flanders; I’m not sure which is worse.
https://x.com/BornWeiblich/status/1869192550562840600
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December 27, 2024 9:47am
All_on_Red

Good news
Antarctic sea ice extent is 17% higher today than it was in 1979.
NOAA = National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration
NSIDC= National Snow and Ice Data Centre
https://x.com/TonyClimate/status/1871939764922028465?
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December 27, 2024 9:49am
- Don Beckett
  
  Tony Heller is very good. I have been following him for about 10 years.
  
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  December 27, 2024 10:55am
  - All_on_Red
    
    Tony ‘Debug God’ Heller
    20 years in Microprocessor design.
    On the design team at Intel, Motorola and others
    Helped design the Intel i7 which I have in the laptop Im using right now.
    The attached is an interesting record of historical newspapers and data which seems to show that current figures have been changed for some reason….
    https://realclimatescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Olympia-Washington-February-7-2017-3.pdf
    Its worth a scroll
    
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    December 27, 2024 11:24am
    - Taieri
      
      The attached is an interesting record of historical newspapers
      ———–
      
      The article linked below tells us about the catastrophic consequences of the climate change (?) in 1923:
      
      https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/summer-times/flood-put-city-residents-test-1923
      
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      December 27, 2024 12:05pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Must be time for big tech to buy all library microfiche then start destroying the bits that don’t fit the climate scam narrative.
      
      Heller has done great work in further exposing the alarmist lies.
      
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      December 27, 2024 5:04pm
- Steve Otto N Shore
  
  Has that Doomsday Glacier broken off yet?
  Sea levels to rise 2 meters?
  
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  December 27, 2024 11:34am
  - Jethrod
    
    Haven’t heard any tsunami warnings today.
    
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    December 27, 2024 4:38pm
  - Chris Nisbet
    
    Don’t hold your breath.
    
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    December 27, 2024 4:49pm
  - Local Miller
    
    Which is a joke on the world. The so called doomsday glacier is a floating glacier, so it already displaces its own volume in water, Maybe slightly less because it’s fresh (mostly) water. Where it to melt the sea level would rise minimally.
    Try it, put an ice block in a glass of water and mark the water level. Let the ice melt and check the level. You will see no change.
    
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    December 27, 2024 7:54pm
All_on_Red

So why hasnt a date for a new Election been called in Canada.
The leader of the NDP Jagmeet Singh has said he will pull support for Trudeau but has yet to vote against him in a Confidence Vote.
Why is that?
Oh wait.
‘Singh was first elected through a byelection in February 2019. To qualify for the MP’s pension, members need to serve six years, which for Singh will be February 2025.’
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/jagmeet-singh-has-millions-of-reasons-not-to-vote-down-trudeau
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December 27, 2024 9:52am
Surely Knott

The Herald headline is an anonymous filthy racist slur. They always say that Social media is hate speech but the MSM is more toxic.

Some prisoner gets a reduced sentence and the headline is “Rich White Privilege” allegedly words used by an anonymous person they interviewed from a court summary they “obtained”

If I said “Broke brown special people privilege” as a media headline for someone getting a reduced sented would it be a racist stereotype. Would the media council, the human rights commission or police be in touch.

It’s absolutely inexcusable.
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December 27, 2024 10:06am
- Ghost
  
  Yes it is inexcusable that this piece of shit is now on home detention instead of serving his prison time. If the victim wants to say it’s because he is a rich and white then good on the victim. And that is all the media are doing, reporting what the victim has said. Maybe instead of having your rant against that you could imagine what the victim went through, having a man force his hand into her vagina to see if she had sex. Putting a tracking device on her car to monitor her. Abusing her. Breaking into her house. Then all the piece of shit got was a slap on the wrist. Yeah let’s have a whinge about what the victim said
  
  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/sex-offender-liam-strange-home-for-christmas-after-prison-sentence-switched-for-home-detention/GMM6MKESHRDSZBMZMPPHDS62FM/
  
  Personally I’d like to thank this woman for coming forward and letting the country know about him
  
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  December 27, 2024 10:26am
  - rouppe
    
    I agree he should serve his term.
    
    I’ve looked through the MoJ “decisions” website and can’t find the appeal text so don’t know why it was reduced.
    
    One wonders if the continuous series of sentences that start at 7 years and get reduced down to 2 followed by a home detention stretch had anything to do with it.
    
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    December 27, 2024 11:56am
    - Ghost
      
      It is bizarre. I cannot find any articles about the court case. Nothing in justice database. Nothing when searching the photos in the article. Nothing searching stuff or nz herald.
      
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      December 27, 2024 1:02pm
  - Taieri
    
    Yes it is inexcusable that this piece of shit is now on home detention instead of serving his prison time.
    ————
    
    Fully agree. He should be in jail.
    
    But where does it leave all this “white privilege” shit?
    Perhaps the victim should direct her grief towards the “judge” who passed such ridiculous sentence?
    
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    December 27, 2024 12:09pm
    - Ghost
      
      As the victim, if this is how she feels after being sexually assaulted, stalked, abused, house broken into, then that’s her right to feel like that. She feels let down by the system because her abuser is a wealthy white person, whether people agree or not with her, that is her honest feelings right now.
      
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      December 27, 2024 12:31pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        While the wealthy can often buy favourable court outcomes that the less wealthy can’t (by paying for very expensive top lawyers) going off on a rant about racial/class politics does seem to be missing the target.
        
        The correct target is the govt of the day.
        
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        December 27, 2024 5:19pm
  - Surely Knott
    
    If the victim says the person is on Parole or got a light sentence because they have lazy MPI privilege will the media report it and will you cheer it on. Yeah you would not. This normalising of racist slurs by the media only goes one way.
    
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    December 27, 2024 3:15pm
    - Ghost
      
      One day you might post something where you actually consider the victims instead of having your usual cold heartless media bash without a care in the world towards the victims. Do you even have an ounce of compassion for victims because time after time you never mention them until it’s pointed out. This woman was abused, she was stalked by the man putting a tracker on her car. Her home was broken into. He put his hand inside her to see if she had sex, and you want to have your usual whinge about the media because she said he got off because he is a rich white man. Good on her. She has every right to feel that way when some pathetic excuse of a male has done what he did and got a slap on the wrist for it. That’s not the herald making it up or normalising it, that is how she feels. And if someone like her came out absolutely pissed off with the system for her abuser getting a slap on the wrist, I’d have nothing but compassion for her, as would most people who also realise the system is badly broken in this country. Well done to the herald for reporting how she feels.
      
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      December 27, 2024 3:27pm
      - Steve Todd
        
        I’m with you, Ghost.
        
        And Surely Knott is a woman!! See “Although my part Maori husband […]” at https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2022/04/general_debate_01_april_2022.html#comment-3155118.
        
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        December 27, 2024 5:14pm
- kowtow
  
  Today’s editorial laments the costs of lockdown.
  
  Funny that ,the Herald were front and centre for the madness.
  
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  December 27, 2024 11:37am
Quail

One of the major reasons for NZs abysmal economic performance is the failure to support property rights in this country.
Following past actions or lack of them it is pretty clear National and Parliament will not support the “ protection of all legally held property rights”
In particular private property rights are not well supported by NZ law.
A brief glance at RMA takings etc gives credence to this reality.
And it should be noted that in the past the right to own land ,which was addressed by Gordon Copelands “ private property rights amendment bill” failed .
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December 27, 2024 10:26am
- pdm
  
  `In particular private property rights are not well supported by NZ law.’
  
  Ihumatao being a good recent example.
  
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  December 27, 2024 11:16am
  - AitchW
    
    A report in the Herald the other day, development in Whangarei declined resource consent because the land was of significant importance to local Maori.
    So why did Maori not buy it? Or do they just wait for a soft touch government to buy it for them?
    
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    December 27, 2024 3:30pm
AitchW

NZEI lodge a Waitangi Tribunal claim.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/12/18/teachers-union-to-file-waitangi-tribunal-claim/
When will this madness end?
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December 27, 2024 10:36am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  I thought only iwi can file claims to the Tribunal
  
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  December 27, 2024 5:39pm
Scooter

Another long standing 33 years old restaurant Vivace in Auckland is put into liquidation. Downturn due to the recession and COVID etc. Now tell me what good has ever come from what the Labour govt and others around the world (each copying the other) from what they put us through during lockdowns, money printing, free money hand outs etc. We are still paying the price and much harder and longer in NZ.

https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/auckland-dining-institution-vivace-put-into-liquidation-on-christmas-eve/
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December 27, 2024 11:34am
- All_on_Red
  
  Heck, went there for lunch a couple of weeks ago.
  Lots of people and it was very good
  What a shame
  
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  December 27, 2024 1:21pm
- Paulus
  
  When working, pre retirement, and living in Auckland, went to Vivace many times, sometimes more than once a week.
  Nice people.
  
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  December 27, 2024 2:07pm
sungsamning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFktAw3qUjw
Elon Musk Exposes Elizabeth Warren’s Corruption.
Senator Elizabeth Warren has taken aim at Elon Musk, Tesla, and his influence on the U.S. government, branding his leadership a “conflict of interest.” Musk counters her claims as misguided attacks. From Tesla stock’s rollercoaster ride to Elizabeth Warren’s scrutiny over Musk’s role in the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), this battle impacts innovation, regulation, and the American economy. Is Warren safeguarding transparency, or is this a political agenda disguised as shareholder advocacy? The future of technology and government hangs in the balance.
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December 27, 2024 1:39pm
sungsamning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABKxha7whiE
Reform UK Surge!
Say good bye to the UK Conservative and Unionist party – because Reform UK has just surged past them in membership numbers to become the de facto opposition.
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December 27, 2024 1:39pm
- kowtow
  
  The problem is not membership numbers of the party .labour are streets ahead there , but would be wiped out in an election tomorrow.
  The problem for Farage is FPP and the split “right” vote. Which gives Labour potential victory .
  But here;s hoping for real change.
  
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  December 27, 2024 4:09pm
  - sungsamning
    
    Yes, MMP would make life easier for Reform.
    
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    December 27, 2024 6:24pm
- Chris Nisbet
  
  This might be the greatest thing to come from the current Labour government.
  
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  December 27, 2024 4:53pm
  - sungsamning
    
    Yes, lets hope so.
    
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    December 27, 2024 6:25pm
Ra Henare

For those visiting/returning to New Zealand.

You will be advised of the name change before arrival.

https://register.newzealandnow.govt.nz/mail/link/sigfC5FjczEgWhfvTu_EGg
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December 27, 2024 2:17pm
Ghost

Well, this could be interesting if true

Dr. Greer revealed that operatives from six classified black sites, involved in illegal UAP projects, plan to come forward within the next 30 days. Spearheaded by a senior operator and supported by special forces personnel, this group aims to unveil compelling evidence, including photographs and videos of extraterrestrial crafts—both non-human and reverse-engineered man-made versions. Their goal is to shed light on a shadowy parallel government that operates beyond public oversight.

Article
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December 27, 2024 2:32pm
- NothingLeft
  
  The whole UAP field is pathological. There is clearly some weird shit going on, though almost all of it is obviously mundane phenomena and aircraft balloons and satellites (like the recent navy videos), as well as some sensor interpretation software errors and a substantial proportion is faked too. It’s made worse by a few hundred ‘true believers’ who are to some degree trying to make money off selling stories.
  
  There’s no compelling video or photographic evidence that I am aware of, but a fair number of eye witness reports from seemingly reliable witnesses – particularly going back to mid C20th – reporting unexplainable sightings that are very intriguing.
  
  I don’t believe the ‘Big Lie’ theories of vast govt conspiracies. They never work in practice.
  
  So I think chances of compelling evidence coming out in next year – even with new US admin who are keen to open the books on any secrecy – are <1%
  
  But if you posit furtive alien visitors along the lines of Star-Treks non-interference 'prime directive', who are generally trying to stay concealed, then gradual diminishment of compelling sightings and evidence over time as they get increasingly careful in response to our technological advances would be not-unreasonable.
  
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  December 27, 2024 3:22pm
- Local Miller
  
  An announcement about an announcement on an undated article. Let’s see, today is the 27th Dec, so I’ll keep an eye out, by the 26th Jan, 2025 I expect to start seeing the evidence.
  I say it’s BS. If they have the evidence why wait 30 day to release it? Why not release it today?
  
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  December 27, 2024 8:11pm
NothingLeft

OpenAI’s O1 model now significantly outperforming doctors in medical diagnoses, particularly in complex cases:
https://youtu.be/E9TB7CvkmzE

Will we still need GP’s in a few years? Or will medicine in a few years be mostly nurses (eventually robots)+AI?
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December 27, 2024 2:38pm
- Ghost
  
  I was at the ED several months ago. Dizzy as hell, few other issues. Dr did a scan, bloods, everything. Came back normal. He spent a lot of time going over everything to try sort it out, in the end he asked if I was ok to go home as he couldn’t find anything, if it got worse come back. Walked out, got in the car, went straight onto ChatGPT, then down to my gp the next day to see if ChatGPT was right, turned out ChatGPT was right. Very rare side effect to a medication.
  
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  December 27, 2024 3:14pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    It seems to be a messy mixed bag with AI queries.
    
    I asked Brave Browser’s anonymised AI query (I believe it used Meta’s AI engine) what percentage of the Co2 in the atmosphere was put there by human activity.
    
    The answer it gave was 30% (it’s actually approx 3% from all legit sources I’ve seen). I then asked it what was the source for this 30% and it admitted it didn’t have one! It suggested it “might” be from the IPCC but I should go digging myself!
    
    So it appears it too has been gamed by big tech to mislead in the direction of woke narratives.
    
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    December 27, 2024 6:07pm
  - cmm
    
    If you have an ongoing condition, it is a very good idea to become very knowledgeable about it.
    
    GPs, and even specialists, face hundreds of conditions a day. Some are common, some are less common. Sometime a set of symptoms means X, sometimes Y. It is unrealistic to expect every GP to have all the information for every condition at their fingertips.
    
    I have Atrial fibrillation. On the first event, I didn’t know what the hell was going on so I just listened to them and did what they said. On my second go around I was far better informed and knew, for example, that pulse oxymeters generally don’t work properly on Afib patients and corrected the staff when they used the wrong equipment.
    
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    December 27, 2024 9:42pm
Jack5

Javier Milei’s Argentina looks set to benefit from huge exports of liquefied natural gas.

The economist-President is going full speed for exploitation of the Vaca Muerta shale resource. The commentator at the link below says exports of gas, and perhaps, oil, from the shale could make Argentina the Qatar of the Americas.

Meanwhile, production has also begun from Argentine’s Fenis gas field, about 60km off te coast of Tierra del Fuego.

Milei is the polar opposite of Jacinda Ardern, who shut down oil and gas exploration in NZ. How did Argentines get so lucky, and Kiwis get so unlucky?

Few of us know that Southland, in addition to its vast resource of lignite brown coal had a shale extraction plant over a century ago. At Orepuki between 1899 and 1903 6,530 tonnes of oil shale was processed yielding about 179 litres of oil per tonne of shale.

Unfortunately the deposit was small, but NZ has large resources of coal-seam gas. An attempt to harvest these petered out when NZ investors showed no interest, not even curiosity, in the company being floated.

What Vaca Muerta — and Milei — can do for Argentina:
https://youtu.be/wVus4eh95dA?si=l7-V2hZGlFwqyIa1

https://youtu.be/wVus4eh95dA?si=Jz5HecKEJ-4TNgJK

A photograph of the old shale works at Orepuki, NZ:

https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/8918/orepuki-oil-shale-works
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December 27, 2024 3:17pm
- Jack5
  
  How’s Milei going with Argentina?
  
  This commentator describes Argentina as possibly the only country to transition from a developed market economy to a developing market economy. (Hasn’t he heard of the Ardern-Labour disaster in NZ?)
  
  A 22-minute review by Patrick Boyle:
  
  https://youtu.be/wLq02MpjZQc?si=TKHpRbdYGPIUpDix
  
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  December 27, 2024 3:33pm
  - Inandout
    
    Jack, I didn’t realise Argentina was the world’s biggest food exporter.
    https://www.ft.com/content/dfd94c80-47d2-4b34-a382-e6fe2c244361
    
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    December 27, 2024 5:33pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Vaca Muerta = Dead Cow
  
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  December 27, 2024 5:43pm
Sparrow

Question: Why was the boss of the WHO visiting Saana the HQ of the Houthi rebels who are regarded as terrorists ?. They call for the death of the USA Israel and all Jews. These UN type organisations are a joke especially as they are mostly funded by Western Countries which then get shat upon.
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December 27, 2024 4:06pm
Jack5

Where does New Zealand stand over a Cook Islands-flagged ship being detained by Finland on grounds of damaging Baltic power and data cables?

The Finnish Coast Guard boarded the Eagle S and sailed it to Finnish waters. It is being held on suspicion it caused the outage of an undersea power cable connecting Finland to to Estonia and on suspicion it damaged or broke four internet cables.

The Cook Islands are “self-governing free association with New Zealand,” though at present there are suggestions some of the islanders want more independence (but still holding NZ passports).

New Zealand is supposed to be responsible for Cook Islands external affairs. Presumably that covers sabotage-like marine damage during an international stand-off.

Does being “flagged” — registered — in New Zealand mean this country is up for more hundreds of millions in sea damage? Are we liable?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-27/finland-seizes-tanker-after-underwater-power-cable-outage/104765296
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December 27, 2024 4:30pm
- Jack5
  
  More than 800 ships and yachts are registered in the Cook Islands — a total of more than four million gross tonnage.
  
  One of the advantages highlighted is: “No restrictions to the nationality of seafarers employed on Cook Islands flagged vessels.”
  
  The Cook Islands register for shipping:
  
  https://maritimecookislands.com/
  
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  December 27, 2024 6:04pm
Steve Otto N Shore

Trudeau.
Join the US. Get a 60% tax cut.

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/trump-offers-canada-a-deal-join-the-u-s-and-get-60-tax-cuts/ar-AA1wwIJ6?
What Tax cut would Trump give to NZ as the 54th State?
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December 27, 2024 4:32pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  All the woke grifters on their gravy trains would scream blue murder at the prospect.
  
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  December 27, 2024 5:22pm
cmm

Is there anyone still denying the Lab Leak theory as the most solid?

Anyone remember how we were all labelled as anti-science nutcases for not saying yes-boss/no-boss to Cindy and Faucci and buying into the wetmarket bats and pangolins theory?

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360535023/fbi-found-evidence-covid-was-lab-leak-was-not-allowed-brief-president

To be absolutely clear: of course it is possible it came from a bat or a pangolin or whatever. However the absolutely most likely scenario is that it was a lab leak due to something like:
* An accidental contamination of a worker.
* Someone flushing a test tube down the wrong drain.
* A worker stealing some dead research animals and selling them at the wetmarket instead of burning them in the incinerator (IMHO most likely scenario).

To believe otherwise would require you to believe that out of the multi-thousands of wet markets in China, it is just bad luck that the one that got infected just happens to be the one closest to the Wuhan Virus Institute (or whatever it is called).
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December 27, 2024 5:24pm
- Sir Henry Morgan
  
  I think most likely the virus was sourced from a bat, manipulated in the lab to become highly infectious to humans, and escaped through some cockup that had nothing to do with the wet market.
  
  The work on the virus may have been part of research to ‘prevent pandemics’, or on bioweapons, or just for shits and giggles while burning through some funding before it expired. Who really knows. . .
  
  The wet market stuff was just a convenient way to deflect blame and sow confusion.
  
  Remember when the Herald was running pieces by people in the New Zealand “science community” who had visited the Wuhan lab, been hosted for a meal or two, and therefore were 100% certain that no leak could have occurred? After all, people who treat you to free booze simply don’t lie about how their sloppy work habits unleashed a deadly virus that killed millions.
  
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  December 27, 2024 6:18pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  I’m wondering why the hell the US had dangerous bio labs (with the potential of even worse outbreaks) in chai nah of all places.
  
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  December 27, 2024 6:31pm
Steve Otto N Shore

I don’t know how to do a link to this. I tried but nope. From a work friend of my partner.
So it is a long copy and paste. Enjoy.
Not keen on that duck embryo.

FACTS ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES 🇵🇭
1. Most of people in the Philippines speak English! With a strong emphasis on English education, the Philippines ranks as the fifth-largest English-speaking country globally, making communication with locals a breeze for English speakers.
2. Filipinos ranked as the highest selfie-takers in the world! Filipinos have earned the title of the world’s most enthusiastic selfie-takers, embracing the art of self-expression through photography.
3. Philippines has 7641 islands – making it one of the largest archipelagos globally. Surprisingly, more than 5,000 of these islands remain unnamed on most international maps, waiting to be discovered. Sounds amazing, right? Just imagine huge number of islands right there!
4. There are over 170 dialects in the Philippines! One of the most remarkable features of the Philippines is its linguistic diversity. While the official language is Filipino, based on Tagalog, there are over 170 dialects spoken throughout the archipelago, reflecting the nation’s vibrant cultural mosaic.
5. The Philippines is the only Asian nation that is predominantly Christian. More than 86% of the population identifies as Roman Catholic and religion is still a big influence in the country.
6. The largest and most expensive pearl in the world was found in the Philippines! It was being found in Palawan, weighing a staggering 75 pounds and valued at an astonishing $100 million.
7. Filipinos celebrate Christmas longer than you think! The Philippines takes Christmas celebrations to the next level, beginning in September and lasting until January during the “Feast of the Three Kings.” The festive atmosphere includes decorations and numerous parties.
8. The Philippines has ‘best singers,’ ‘loves music most’ among 90 toured countries. Filipinos are so good at singing! Karaoke is their beloved pastime, showcasing their vocal talents at gatherings, turning any occasion into a singing festivity.
9. The Philippines has earned its title as the “text capital of the world,” with social media and texting being the primary means of communication.
10. Tarsier, one of the world’s smallest primates can only be found in the Philippines. It is known for its enormous eyes relative to its body size, aiding in night vision.
11. Fertilised duck embryo is the famous street snack. Filipinos enjoy eating this, they call it as ‘balut’.
12. The Philippines has unique transportation modes, such as tricycles, jeep, and kalesas.
13. The Philippines is known as the largest supplier of nurses to the world, with over 25% of all nurses in the United States being of Filipino descent.
14. Jeepney as the usual public transportation! It is distinctive and colorful public transportation vehicles, is ubiquitous in the Philippines, providing a unique way to explore its cities.
15. Philippines is the only country where the flag is flown upside down to indicate the state of war.
16. Filipino is the official language in the Philippines. It became the main language of the Philippines in 1987 under the constitution replacing ‘Pilipino’.
17. Philippines is one of the largest island countries in the world! It offers an incredible diversity of landscapes and experiences.
18. The Philippines is the second largest producer of coconut products in the world. Locally known as buko, coconut is a top export product of the Philippines. Each year, the country ships around 19.50 million tons or more of coconut fruit.
19. Filipinos are known for being polite, addressing each other with “ma’am” or “sir.” Respect for elders is deeply ingrained, reflected in terms like “ate” and “kuya” and use of “po” and “opo.”
20. “Filipino time” refers to the cultural phenomenon of Filipinos often arriving late for appointments or events, reflecting their laid-back, relaxed attitude towards time.
21. Two of the world’s largest shopping malls are located in the Philippines, offering an incredible shopping and leisure experience. One is SM Megamall, located in Mandaluyong city, with a total floor area of over 5.5 million square feet. Another is SM Shopping center of Asia (MOA) is a rambling shopping center in Pasay City, with more than 4.4 million square feet of retail space.
22. The Philippines founded Asia’s first basketball league, the Philippines Basketball Association, in 1975, making basketball a beloved sport in the country.
23. Jollibee is the top fast food chain the Philippines taking over McDonald’s! Jollibee was the leading limited-service restaurant in the Philippines in terms of sales in 2021. In that year, the restaurant chain generated sales of approximately 24. 53 billion U.S. dollars. Its closest competitor, McDonald’s, had total sales of about 786 million U.S. dollars in that year.
24. The Philippines has the largest underground river. Many people visit the Philippines because of its cultural history of famous water bodies. In fact, this nation is home to the largest underground river. It is located in Puerta Princesa Subterranean River National Park. There are many famous landmarks in the Philippines that will amaze you.
25. Filipinos can’t eat without rice! For almost 99% of the Philippine population, no meal is complete without rice, highlighting its central role in Filipino cuisine.
26. Filipinos usually have 3 to 4 meals daily!
27. There are three main island groups in the Philippines: Luzon, Mindanao, and Visayas. Luzon, the most populous, is home to the capital city, Manila.
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December 27, 2024 6:20pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/360535127/vehicles-crushed-against-each-other-blustery-interislander-trip

I have taken vehicles across Cook Strait many times, by both Interislander & Bluebridge.
There was a time when all vehicles were restrained by chains as a matter of course, although in recent years if the weather was benign then no restraints were employed.
Maybe the practice should be resumed, even though it would require a few more staff.
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December 27, 2024 6:28pm
Steve Todd

I’m so looking forward to the ‘Clown Show’ that starts on Wed 22 Jan 25, our time (after the Inauguration Ball).

Here’s a sample—

“President-elect Donald Trump went on an unhinged Christmas rant against foreign leaders and […] political opponents on Truth Social. Cenk Uygur and Sharon Reed discuss on The Young Turks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgosRCDm_oQ.” [14 mins].
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December 27, 2024 7:36pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360535438/police-hunting-driver-who-dragged-woman-10m-mall-carpark-robbery
They post pictures of a white guy accused of a crime.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360534843/shoplifting-trio-arrested-after-allegedly-stealing-clothes-perfumes-and-toys-boxing-day
Where is a description of these ferals ?
Oh wait,………………..
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December 27, 2024 9:17pm

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