General Debate 09 April 2025

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Cassandra

The grass is always greener………………….

Lots of Kiwis, sick of PC BS in NZ including the Treaty of Waitangi and the Maori Party, are skedadling across the ditch to the promised land.

Hold on a bit – the Yoorrook Justice Commission is “the first formal truth-telling process into historical and ongoing injustices experienced by First Peoples in Victoria. Yoorrook was set up by agreement between the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and the Victorian Government, but operates independently of both.”

Yoorrook delivered an interim report in June 2022, a critical issues report in August 2023, and will deliver final reports in 2025.

Yoorrook is led by five Commissioners, of whom 4 are Aboriginal, of whom 3 are Victorian First Peoples. The Commissioners bring “a vast range of knowledge and experience about First Peoples’ knowledge, systemic disadvantage, land rights, history, law, trauma and healing.”

Apparently the aim, eventually, is to have a treaty between the First People and Victoria (the State, not the Queen). Sound familiar?
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April 9, 2025 8:00am
- Blog-aholic
  
  Alas, poor Yoorrook! I knew him, Horatio. A fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath borne me on his back a thousand times. …….
  
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  April 9, 2025 8:15am
  - Don Beckett
    
    Very well done.
    
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    April 9, 2025 12:31pm
- cmm
  
  If the (inaudibles) are not entirely stupid they will learn something from the cock up in NZ and formalise their treaty better.
  
  Luckily for those moving to Aus there are many states to choose from – each with their pros and cons. I wonder how many are going down the road to wokeness? Probably all of them.
  
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  April 9, 2025 8:23am
  - alex Masterley
    
    Victoria has already reached the promised land of woke!
    Welcomes to country at every sport event or conference (at least the ones i have been to)
    
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    April 9, 2025 8:41am
  - PurplePen
    
    Well, at least both sides in this case will be fluent in the same modern language and also familiar with everything that is the western 21st century. No cause for ambiguity and eternal reinterpretation such as we get with the nz Maori treaty.
    
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    April 9, 2025 2:20pm
- Yvette
  
  Cassandra – Sound familiar?
  Not, so far… :o)
  
  The first principle, via those who believe the Treaty is Principled, is that the Treaty infers a mutual established relationship between the Crown and Māori, when only one of those parties (the English Crown) devised, drafted and translated the Treaty, which was then signed without amendment.
  So the supposed first ‘principle’ of the Treaty did not apply to the Treaty itself.
  
  In comparison the Yoorrook Justice Commission, besides its obvious abbreviation being a memorable palindrome, appears to involve both parties in its evolution, and may become an actual Treaty rather than a rushed unilateral real estate agreement
  
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  April 9, 2025 8:42am
  - Yvette
    
    Yvette – besides its obvious abbreviation being a memorable palindrome
    
    No, it’s not … what a bugger. Quelle faute!
    Pas de poisson en chocolat!
    
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    April 9, 2025 3:32pm
- Skippytony
  
  Australia has learned nothing from the experiences here, the US or Canada.
  
  Or, alternatively, the indigenous have learnt from here, the US, Canada etc as the journey and narrative seem very familiar.
  
  There is just as much um, varied narratives, in Australia – check out the stolen children saga. There has been a story running for twenty years about children being taken away from their families and resettled into white communities. Aussie Jounalist Andrew Bolt has been saying for years “produce the name of one child that was stolen” and AFAIK no one has been able to do so. Historically management of orphanages etc could have been a lot better (same as here) but no deliberate taking away of children from stable, safe and caring families.
  
  As to the wider question of general quality of life in Aus I suspect most Kiwis will be surprised at how (relative to NZ) conservative (as in non labour) most of Australia is. Luxon et al would be regarded as a left wing party in Aus. There are virtually no un-means tested government services in Australia, including the pension. Capital gains on anything other than the first home. People generally work harder / longer but get paid better.
  
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  April 9, 2025 9:01am
  - Paulus
    
    It’s Election Time !
    
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    April 9, 2025 11:35am
  - Cassandra
    
    Hmmm, Skippy, not too sure about that. I lived in Australia, that’s not my recollection. Work harder? Oz has lots of layabouts. Crime? Oz has more crooks than Sicily. But more money? Heaps!
    
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    April 9, 2025 2:19pm
    - cmm
      
      My experience of Australia is limited, but as I understand it the behaviour of the population is variable from city to city, state to state etc – just as it is in NZ or South Africa or UK or USA.
      
      They are certainly attracting a lot of people who are looking for opportunities that seem to be lacking here.
      
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      April 9, 2025 4:06pm
  - Pope Punctilious II
    
    “Kiwis will be surprised how conservative most of Australia is”.
    
    It’s not as simple as that. Australia is a bit more socially conservative than NZ, but it’s also a bit more socialist than NZ.
    
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    April 9, 2025 10:17pm
- sungsamning
  
  Yes, the griftdigenous movement is a thing in Oz too. Ditto for Canada.
  
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  April 9, 2025 9:04am
- James Stephenson
  
  Of course it sounds familiar, they’ve seen how successful the rort has been over here and they want a piece of that action.
  
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  April 9, 2025 9:30am
  - Don Beckett
    
    I would say much more so in Canada.
    
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    April 9, 2025 12:34pm
- I remember when
  
  Victorian ‘Covid’ actions may be a very good indication of future outcomes.
  
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  April 9, 2025 9:40am
Simon

Neolib Wellington Clown Show.

One month ago : OMG China! NZ must rearm it’s a dangerous world now! Russia China partnership is a threat.

This week: OMG Trump tariffs! Economic wreckage. NZ must partner with China to counter Orange Man.

They are insane and hate you.
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April 9, 2025 8:05am
- Master Mariner
  
  Here is a good speech by PM of Singapore.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5GMKzJVQJM
  
  Full: Singapore PM’s Reality Check To Trump Amid Tariff War In Parliament: ‘Just The Beginning Of…’
  
  Disregard NZ Media , I have not watched NZ news for at least 4 years apart from the weather reports.
  
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  April 9, 2025 9:43am
  - Taieri
    
    An excellent speech. Especially, the parts about the importance of unity and social cohesion.
    
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    April 9, 2025 11:16am
- I remember when
  
  Another insanity, is that we have both sides of the Government attacking the lack of competition in Supermarkets, but we seem quite happy with China monopolising many areas of global trade.
  
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  April 9, 2025 10:06am
- sungsamning
  
  That’s a really good take on their attitude.
  
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  April 9, 2025 12:12pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Whoops! Someone has let the cat out of the bag.

The $348m project “will link to the Petone to Melling cycle and walkway that was completed in October 2023 and will double as a coastal wall to protect the road and rail line that can accommodate a potential sea level rise if needed”.

Funny, in the past cycling advocates have always asserted that it was the sea wall that drove the need for the project, with the cycleway just a fringe benefit at no material extra cost.

Looks like bikers are liars.

And – $348,000,000 – Jesus, that’s a lot of money.

http://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/557558/new-walkway-will-be-final-link-between-wellington-and-lower-hutt
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April 9, 2025 8:08am
- AitchW
  
  And it’ll be closer to $700,000,000.
  Taniwhas, koha, karakia etc…
  
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  April 9, 2025 9:45am
  - kowtow
    
    Not to mention the Wellington faultline which in an instant could send the whole project under da sea.
    
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    April 9, 2025 10:45am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  $348m equates to three and a half ships on the HMNZS Manawanui scale. Perhaps we should have just bought some hulks and sunk them along the shoreline.
  
  What gets me is that it’s questionable as to how many cyclists will use the path. The current path, admittedly crappy, is often ignored due to stones & debris strewn across it either by the trains or cast up from the sea. How the new path addresses this issue remains to be seen. Regardless, the Lycra clad road warriors will ignore it as the peloton has no interest in being held up by regular cyclists.
  
  It really is a colossal waste of money.
  
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  April 9, 2025 11:46am
- rouppe
  
  I thought the primary purpose was the sea wall, because of the number of times trains were cancelled and the line was damaged during storms.
  
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  April 9, 2025 3:30pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    That’s what they said. But, the railway line is seldom inconvenienced by storm damage, and is repaired rapidly.
    
    Put another way, I’d have been happy to take the $348m and assume the liability of repairing said storm damage. I reckon I’d be quids in.
    
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    April 9, 2025 8:33pm
- cmm
  
  Worrying about sea level rise of a few centimetres over hundreds of years in Wellington is plain stupid.
  
  Every major earthquake in the region causes uplift.
  
  The 1885 Wairarapa eq lifted up the Basin Reserve by close to 2 metres – converting it from a Basin (ie. a harbour) to a swamp.
  
  Previous eqs have caused much more uplift than that.
  
  So, Wellington, fret less. The uplift far outstrips even the most doom and gloom predictions of global warming alarmists.
  
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  April 9, 2025 4:12pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/360646168/silver-lining-trump-tariffs-lower-mortgage-rates

“If you’ve got a $500,000 mortgage and your interest rate a year ago was 7%, now you’re paying closer to 5%, that’s 2% less interest. That’s about $10,000 a year less in interest or $200 a week less”.
“Suddenly, there’s your beer money,” Patterson says.
Anyone who claims to be “an economist” and refers to an extra $200 / week as “beer money” should be avoided, in my opinion. What a prat.
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April 9, 2025 8:21am
- pdm
  
  Gravel – if only to be able to drink that much beer – ever.
  
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  April 9, 2025 8:33am
  - Keith White
    
    Well, one does not buy beer, one only rents it
    
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    April 9, 2025 10:24am
  - wsk12345
    
    It’s not really that much beer. $15/pint now. That’s not even a pint a day each for a couple. I know plenty of people who think that’s normal.
    
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    April 9, 2025 12:17pm
    - greybeard
      
      I would think that someone with a $500k mortgage who could reduce their repayments by $200/week would put the money to better use than buy beer.
      
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      April 9, 2025 1:07pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    3 beers a day. Yep, matches my consumption.
    But my cost is 38 NZD.
    
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    April 9, 2025 2:41pm
- ChristopherW2
  
  That includes beer for the children…
  
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  April 9, 2025 8:47am
- sirknz
  
  So your biggest issue with the guy is his turn of phrase?
  
  Is someone like Shamubeel Equab who says tings more formally, but never gets it real world right more your pace?
  
  I’m looking forward to having some beer money after the last couple of years to be honest. We’re looking at roughly double that $200/ week when we refix for next month just to give you some context. It will be nice to tackle the jobs that have had to be put on hold because of the higher interest rates.
  
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  April 9, 2025 2:58pm
  - greybeard
    
    This so-called “private economist” who lives in splendour in Arrowtown and gives the rest of the world the benefit of his wisdom and knowledge seems to me to be completely out of touch with those who struggle to meet their financial obligations. As I said: a prat.
    
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    April 9, 2025 3:59pm
minto57

So organised crime is now a problem because of the money made on meth.
Well meth has been a problem for a least 25 years but the Police have never treated with the seriousness it deserves i.e the drug psychosis, thieving, and heightened violence.
I am sure most small towns could point out the Meth dealers and how the Police just ignore them and the petty crimes caused by the trade
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April 9, 2025 8:27am
- Hugh Jarse
  
  Yes the Police Association was warning the Police administration about this developing problem 25 years ago and was ignored. There are also clearly elders in communities particularly in Northland who have been happy to let the gangs continue their trade amongst their own people.
  
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  April 9, 2025 1:25pm
Cassandra

Defence Minister Judith Collins: “The fact is, defence has been let down for 35 years… We have to be able to maintain some of our ability around defence, and that means we do need to spend money. You can’t go 35 years of not spending and cutting and not expect you’re going to have to spend some money.” Absolutely. Although there are things I’d like them to do and do quicker, this government is the best in years by a wide margin.
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April 9, 2025 8:28am
- kowtow
  
  When I heard her saying that on the radio last night , I thought , ‘Is this some sort of own goal, your lot have been in power for how many of those 35 years” and she a senior minister in that time too.
  
  FFS.
  
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  April 9, 2025 8:59am
  - Cassandra
    
    That’s unfair. Politics is the art of the possible. National has been spending less than the minimum since Sid Holland. This is a major change.
    
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    April 9, 2025 9:07am
    - Tom Hunter
      
      I observe actions and record but otherwise take little notice of words.
      
      But in this case is it even really a change in words? If I spent the time and went back researching 30-50 years into the past would I find other National Party wallahs boasting about increased spending on defence?
      
      WRT actions there’s the Clark government’s boasting of their big spendup on the Army – which resulted in a bunch of LAVs mouldering away in storage because we didn’t recruit enough people to use them.
      
      You’ll excuse me if I don’t get excited by “Crusher”s words (and of course that nickname is a narrative of words vs actions in itself), especially given that we’re in tougher financial circumstances than twenty years ago.
      
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      April 9, 2025 10:08am
    - kowtow
      
      ‘This is a major change.’
      
      Too little , too late.
      
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      April 9, 2025 11:04am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    She is pointing out we have not kept up our defence allotment since 1990, not very hard to understand, is it? she is not saying oh we f….ed up, she is saying funding was let slip since the Lange government after the horrific damage done by the labour government of the late 80s
    
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    April 9, 2025 11:42am
- Mike
  
  Proof of the pudding ad all that. Every government promises to deliver better military capability.
  
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  April 9, 2025 8:59am
  - Cassandra
    
    No they don’t. “Incredibly benign environment “.
    
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    April 9, 2025 9:08am
    - minto57
      
      Ron Mark was the last decent defence minister only to have some of the strategy undone by Labour Dei recruitment on the reefs of Samoa
      
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      April 9, 2025 10:35am
  - RoboRob
    
    Nope, in my lifetime Labour has always talked about reducing military capacity and having a search and rescue type force.
    
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    April 9, 2025 9:24am
    - Cassandra
      
      Actually Labour has been a better finder of Defence historically – til Clark etc ruined it. But Bob Tizard was a good Minister.
      
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      April 9, 2025 11:24am
- MCōs
  
  The real enemy at the door is the drug dealer
  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/experts-urge-minister-to-take-bold-action-on-organised-crime-as-drug-use-soars/QYIVNIOLYRASTGASBP67W46JRI/
  
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  April 9, 2025 9:20am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Yes, Mcos.
    Maybe we should be spending money and effort eliminating the domestic terrorists that are the root of crime, drugs, and fear in NZ.
    
    Make NZ worth defending.
    
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    April 9, 2025 9:35am
    - Bevan
      
      Sooo, are you saying we shouldn’t fund the defence force because drug syndicates exist?
      
      It might surprise you, but we have this thing called a Police force, the remit for talking drug crime is theirs.
      
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      April 9, 2025 11:03am
      - imalwaysright
        
        Does it not make sense to deal with the existential enemy, who does harm to us each and every day, before dealing with perceived potential threats ?
        
        The police are ineffective, as is your sarcasm.
        
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        April 9, 2025 12:41pm
  - I remember when
    
    “The real enemy is the drug dealer”
    Just ask many of the homeless and school lounch providers.
    
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    April 9, 2025 10:11am
  - Keith White
    
    Singapore has almost no recidivist drug dealers… not hard to see why.
    
    “…Singapore imposes a mandatory death penalty for people convicted of supplying certain amounts of illicit drugs – 15 grams (half an ounce) of heroin, 30 grams of cocaine, 250 grams of methamphetamine and 500 grams of cannabis.
    
    “K Shanmugam, Singapore’s Minister for Home Affairs and Law, characterizes the country’s war on drugs as an “existential battle,” and claims any easing of the government’s hardline stance could lead to chaos.
    
    “Look around the world,” Shanmugam says. “Any time there has been a certain laxity in the approach to drugs, homicides go up. Killings, torture, kidnappings … that goes up.”
    
    He’s got that right. Will NZ ever learn?
    
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    April 9, 2025 10:23am
    - rouppe
      
      Odd the disparity between cocaine and meth.
      
      There have been three executions so far this year in Singapore.
      
      Yes we’re too weak to implement a similar penalty for similar offending.
      
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      April 9, 2025 3:40pm
  - kowtow
    
    And the people who keep them in business , the users.
    
    No demand = no supply.
    
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    April 9, 2025 10:49am
    - MCōs
      
      Conversely one could say with no supply there is no demand
      There are many things that were not available in NZ in the good old days for which there was no demand even though they were available elsewhere and people want them.
      
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      April 9, 2025 4:36pm
  - peterwn
    
    I usually do not like the word ‘experts’, but find it is Casey Costello who assembled the team of experts. She knows how to twist tails. Casey of course is a former cop and would be a highly valued member of Cabinet.
    
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    April 9, 2025 11:06am
- cmm
  
  The test is going to be what they spend on and who they hire.
  
  Just spending and hiring to get numbers is not going to improve the capabilities of the military.
  
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  April 9, 2025 9:27am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Read Collins words [Mod – deleted], that is all answered
    
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    April 9, 2025 9:40am
    - cmm
      
      A few bullet points are not the detail I am talking about.
      
      This must also be read in the context of them saying they are going to reduce the academic requirements for people entering service. IMHO, that is a very stupid thing to do – especially as the military becomes more and more technological so you need more and more skilled people.
      
      Until we actually have a proper strategy, spending money and hiring people is a waste of time.
      
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      April 9, 2025 1:10pm
  - Nigel Kearney
    
    Yes. National are already congratulating themselves just for deciding to spend money, without any real indication of the outcomes they expect to achieve. That’s a major warning sign.
    
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    April 9, 2025 10:14am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      That is rubbish, Collins stated yesterday if you had cared to listen exactly where money will be spent, and also stated staffing and pay rises will be announced in the budget
      
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      April 9, 2025 11:45am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Why put money into an entity that is incapable of defending even itself, nevermind inflicting damage on an enemy, or protecting us.
    
    NZDF is a very expensive tax payer funded bullseye that any decent warship or submarine within 500 miles could destroy without blinking.
    
    Pay the money to Aussie or America and contract it out.
    
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    April 9, 2025 10:36am
    - cmm
      
      You need to zoom out a bit and first start by figuring out the threats.
      
      Sure, any half-arsed country could beat NZ. But why would they want to do so? Military resources are expensive and generally are not wasted on attacking some place with very little strategic advantage.
      
      If China wants more deer penises or kiwi fruit then it is easier to send some money and an order.
      
      NZ is incapable of fielding any expeditionary forces and having an expeditionary capable warship is bloody useless if it always has to just tag along with the Australian Navy.
      
      For own defences I think we should look at Switzerland. Not mimic them – because our situation is very different from theirs – but look at their general approach.
      
      Any European country could knock the pants off Switzerland if they really wanted to. But Switzerland have created a hornet’s nest and it just isn’t worth attacking them. There is nothing significant to be gained from doing so. It is way easier to just go around them.
      
      I think we’re very much in the same situation, except better. Maybe some people might see NZ as a strategic springboard for attacking Australia, but given the range of missiles, Cook Islands or even the China mainland are better launch points.
      
      SO, IMHO, I think our focus should be on own defence rather than expeditionary capability.
      
      Unfortunately the military tend to like large, expensive toys – even if they are ineffective.
      
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      April 9, 2025 1:21pm
      - Ra Henare
        
        Cmm
        A sensible post. Well done
        
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        April 9, 2025 2:45pm
      - imalwaysright
        
        Agreed, put ourselves first. An armed population would also deter our local terrorists.
        
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        April 9, 2025 3:04pm
      - rouppe
        
        For own defences I think we should look at Switzerland.
        
        I was in Switzerland in January. I had a chat with someone who is still “captured” by the compulsory military service.
        
        He said that yes, they all have a weapon at home. But surprisingly they have NO ammunition for that weapon. They would have to go to a central warehouse to actually be lethally armed.
        
        The three weeks a year they have to do is more like a scout camp than warfare training.
        
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        April 9, 2025 3:48pm
- NothingLeft
  
  I’d bet they will waste the money on obsolete weapons tech – planes, ships. When the future is all about quantity; AI drone swarms that cost a fraction of todays super expensive weapons systems but can deliver far more damage/threat, while defense will be all about bunkers and maybe laser + cheap and highly numerous automated drone defense guns, like scaled down Gepards and Phallanx guns.
  
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  April 9, 2025 10:22am
  - rouppe
    
    Collins talked about drones and continuous unmanned surveillance.
    
    I like the idea of laser weapons, but you know what? You’d need a nuclear powered ship to provide the power. Good luck with that.
    
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    April 9, 2025 3:52pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360646081/bad-dog-otago-university-cybersecurity-scare-over-chinese-made-robotic-dog

Maybe those who are sceptical about buying Chinese-made motor-vehicles because of possible security issues have been right all along.
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April 9, 2025 8:31am
- MCōs
  
  Those people who wrapped their cell phone in tin foil and kept them in the freezer were right all along
  
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  April 9, 2025 8:47am
- Raphael
  
  I read a recent article about a Xiaomi SU7 EV that crashed and caught fire, killing all 3 occupants.
  
  The thing about EVs is they are constantly talking back to the mothership. Tesla, BMW, Ford, BYD, Xiaomi etc. all do it.
  The difference is China doesn’t have the same data privacy laws the West has, and BYD and Xiaomi are not independent of the Chinese government (no big company is)
  
  Following the impact, Xiaomi’s emergency response system was automatically activated. The company immediately contacted the vehicle’s registered owner, who confirmed that the car was being driven by someone else at the time. Emergency calls were placed to the vehicle occupants, and emergency services were dispatched, arriving at the scene around 11 p.m.
  
  Now the 3 people unfortunately died because of the design flaw that that normal door handles are electronic, and failed due to the accident, and the manual release (which is purely mechanical) is hidden down in the door storage compartment, which if you’ve just had an accident and the car is on fire, you’re not likely to think of.
  
  https://carnewschina.com/2025/04/01/first-fatal-accident-involving-xiaomi-su7-claims-three-lives-on-chinese-highway/
  
  The other thing about the Chinese EV industry is that it’s partnered with Indonesia to get nickel in the most environmentally unfriendly way possible. It’s so much worse for the environment than normal cars.
  https://7news.com.au/news/the-great-ev-con-the-deception-driving-our-green-future-c-18261836
  
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  April 9, 2025 9:12am
  - cmm
    
    “The thing about EVs is they are constantly talking back to the mothership.”
    
    While many EVs do this, it is not an EV-thing. Many other vehicles do this too. It does, however, seem to be something that has been done to death by Tesla and other EV manufacturers feel compelled to follow.
    
    The door design flaw is also in Tesla with many people roasted in those too. Again this seems to be something copied from Tesla due to Tesla setting the benchmark for stupid EV features.
    
    I would not like the idea of owning a vehicle that someone can disable remotely.
    
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    April 9, 2025 9:25am
    - Raphael
      
      Not really a new design flaw either.
      My folks knew a farmer who was farming up Inzinga way (my mum’s family were the original settlers there) near Lotheni. This was over 40 years ago and he had a very fancy Mercedes-Benz that had electric windows and I think electric central locking (or probably pneumatic central locking that was activated electronically). The batter died when his wife and daughter were in the car on a hot day and had the fan going and the radio on.
      
      They couldn’t unlock the car or wind down the windows, they had to get someone to break a window to rescue them.
      
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      April 9, 2025 9:33am
      - kowtow
        
        ‘The batter died’
        
        Lucky they weren’t deep fried.
        
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        April 9, 2025 10:56am
      - pdm
        
        I wonder how many runs they had scored.
        
        Not often a batter dies at the wicket.
        
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        April 9, 2025 11:38am
      - cmm
        
        Sure, there are levels of risk. I too wouldn’t want a car that only has central locking.
        
        But the bottom line is that the internet connected vehicles are at a much higher risk level than things like electrical failures.
        
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        April 9, 2025 1:24pm
- cmm
  
  I wouldn’t say it is just Chinese motor vehicles.
  
  It is pretty much any of these excessively internet-enabled vehicles, washing machines etc – regardless of manufacturer.
  
  There are at least 3 factors here:
  1) Deliberate nastiness. If your car or washing machine or whatever is internet enabled then it is really easy to have software in there that listens to people, records usage etc or has a kill switch to disable the vehicle or interfere with the controls.
  2) Security flaws: Software security is extremely difficult to get right. This leaves the door open for nasty third parties (aka hackers).
  3) Dependence on future software upgrades, cloud services etc: What happens when a car maker goes out of business? Where does your next set of software updates come from? This can be exacerbated when you rely on cloud services which can also fail.
  
  I won’t buy an internet enabled car. Well not for as long as I am able to do so.
  
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  April 9, 2025 9:16am
  - Raphael
    
    There is an old meme about Tech Enthusiasts VS Tech workers:
    
    Tech Enthusiasts: Everything in my house is wired to the Internet of Things! I control it all from my smartphone! My smart-house is Bluetooth enabled and I can give it voice commands via Alexa! I love the future!
    Tech Workers: The most recent piece of technology I own is a printer from 2004 and I keep a loaded gun ready to shoot it if it ever makes an unexpected noise.
    
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    April 9, 2025 9:48am
  - Colville
    
    cmm.
    
    You wont buy an internet enabled car? So any modern car then.
    
    and how would you know anyway? if they are going to install a backdoor system in a product they will just put internet capability in there and not tell you.
    
    Pretty much anything in your house could be listening in, the TV can be watching you, its 60 years since the USA discovered the Ruskies had put bugs inside the concrete walls of the embassy… what can the manufacturers put in your vacuum cleaner now?
    
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    April 9, 2025 10:39am
    - cmm
      
      Not all modern cars are internet enabled.
      
      The last car I bought (2 years ago) has Bluetooth for the speakers and such, but has NO internet connection and no control of the vehicle itself via Bluetooth.
      
      ” if they are going to install a backdoor system in a product they will just put internet capability in there and not tell you.”
      
      The internet still needs some communications path. If it doesn’t have cellular/Wifi/Bluetooth then where is the internet coming from? Even if it has Wifi/Bluetooth, then what is it connecting too?
      
      The resonant devices put in the walls are very different because that required very specific exciters be located close by. That is not the sort of thing you do for mass surveillance.
      
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      April 9, 2025 1:30pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      My ‘67 ‘Stang listens to nobody but me
      
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      April 9, 2025 8:42pm
Suze Wainwright

Interesting to see the social media sistas coming to Tamatha’s defense re defunding the police – ‘she didn’t say that’ or ‘she didn’t mean that’ seems to be the common call.

Of course these tend to be caring, liberal, Pakeha sistas too…

Maybe billboard style advertising does have impact after all.
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April 9, 2025 9:02am
sungsamning

https://nypost.com/2025/04/08/opinion/get-a-grip-about-trumps-tariffs-this-is-only-1-of-the-economy/
Wall Street needs to get a grip about Trump’s tariffs.
The Trump tariff policies are a calculated gamble that the threat of tariffs can fundamentally remake the global economy and retilt it in the direction of the United States — and away from China and other beggar-thy-neighbor countries.

But whether they work or not, Wall Street elites have convinced themselves that these tariffs are worse than the pandemic that stopped the entire economy, or the 2009 economic crisis that put 10 million people out of work.
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April 9, 2025 9:02am
- Dudley Quaffquaff
  
  How exactly is China a “beggar-thy-neighbour country”?
  
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  April 9, 2025 12:20pm
  - kowtow
    
    No , it’s a batter thy neighbour ” country.
    
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    April 9, 2025 1:34pm
  - sungsamning
    
    This PDF has a pretty good explanation.
    https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/pol.20150293
    
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    April 9, 2025 2:00pm
  - rouppe
    
    Belt and Road, sending the other country bankrupt.
    
    Fishing agreement, that the Chinese fishing boats ignore limitations of, stripping all fish from the area, ruining the local fishermen and consequently food supply for the local population.
    
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    April 9, 2025 4:40pm
- Allan
  
  Research Trump’s financial advisors. A couple of intelligent gentlemen who have a plan. These tariffs are the first step of a strategic campaign.
  
  Also to note is that the USA regards China as a military threat and future opponent. As has been stated here in prior posts, war is won by industrial output. Something China currently has in abundance over America. Tariffs are part of the reindustrialisation of the USA.
  
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  April 9, 2025 1:01pm
  - PurplePen
    
    Does anyone know what their plan is, what is the gentlemen’s strategy?
    
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    April 9, 2025 2:25pm
sungsamning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVlzgeeYuc4
120% Tariff: The End of Made In China | US-China Trade War | Chinese Economy
China will devalue their currency in order to get prices lower and face reduced tariffs. This will help China’s situation temporarily, but will also reduce inflationary pressures in the US and probably allow interest rate reductions there. China’s model of subsidizing industries and eliminating foreign competition through dumping low-priced products around the world is starting to crumble and every country will want to protect its industries. [I guess the landfills can take a breather now.]
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April 9, 2025 9:02am
- Ra Henare
  
  Take a deep breath and wait for the money men(capitalists) to work something out.
  
  When previous tariffs were put on China, they simply built factories in low tariff countries and moved production there so they could legitimately apply a made in ….(not China) label.
  
  This game is only in the beginning of the very first innings!!! A lot of plays and players to come and go.
  
  Sort of trying to guess the outcome of a 3 day cricket test match after the first over.
  
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  April 9, 2025 2:56pm
imalwaysright

Have any of the main churches condemned the queer indoctrination of our children?
They certainly aren’t short of cause.
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April 9, 2025 9:28am
- PurplePen
  
  Didn’t they all write a letter together recently to condemn something the govt was doing? Can’t remember what it was. It wasn’t MacDonald’s Wanaka was it?
  
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  April 9, 2025 2:26pm
I remember when

US: A Nevada man was arrested after his seven “emotional support” tigers were seized from his property: NY Times.
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April 9, 2025 9:32am
- Mike
  
  Yuuge tariffs on imported tigers will fix that.
  
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  April 9, 2025 10:47am
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360646426/danish-couple-who-ran-eco-friendly-retreat-fled-tax-authorities-leaving-behind-158-barrels-human
These two appear to be ideal NZ Green Party candidates.
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April 9, 2025 9:35am
- Colville
  
  The NZ “Green” way would be to send all that shit to India for them to “recycle”… the Indians just biff it in the nearest river and bank the cash but the NZers who organised it get to feel holier than tho.
  
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  April 9, 2025 1:18pm
- rouppe
  
  “We came very far with Stedsans, but we also had to realize on the way that being soul-driven entrepreneurs on a mission in a country where taxes are some of the highest in the world and bureaucracy is relentless, is an impossible task. At least it was for us.
  
  Ah, so being Green only works when there are no taxes…
  
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  April 9, 2025 4:43pm
david

I think it started as a “consumer benefit” feature of luxury marques (high end Audi and Mercedes) claimed as protection against unauthorised use and breakdown response.
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April 9, 2025 9:37am
- david
  
  Somehow the above comment became disconnected from the discussion on internet-connected vehicles.
  
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  April 9, 2025 3:24pm
G the giant from Dunedin

No mention of the green investment fund yesterday
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April 9, 2025 9:41am
Maggy Wassilieff

Can someone with more financial nous than me explain whether or not the Taxpayer has lost $145 million by loaning the money to a failed Solar-Panel Company?

https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/12/05/green-investment-fund-questioned-over-solarzero-collapse/

Or will the Owner of the Company – Blackrock – repay the loan?

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018977185/solar-contractor-dismayed-blackrock-invited-back
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April 9, 2025 9:47am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  That mess can be laid bare at Hipkins feet, he went out of his way announcing that particular piece of crap, send him the bill, he doesn’t care a stuff about the staff.
  
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  April 9, 2025 11:49am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    I’m not so sure……
    the Green Investment Fund was one of James Shaw’s – Green Party bright ideas.
    
    https://www.nzgif.co.nz/news-and-events/pioneering-green-investor-gets-significant-boost
    
    The $2billion Climate-Change/Renewable Energy Investment Fund that Hipkins announced…
    
    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/495339/pm-hipkins-hails-2b-blackrock-climate-investment-fund-for-renewable-energy
    
    …..seems to have come to nothing….as this current Government pulled the plug on it….
    
    https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/finance/govt-green-fund-knocked-back-blackrock-involvement#:~:text=Global%20investor%20BlackRock%20failed%20to,proposed%20%242%20billion%20sustainability%20fund.
    
    However, as I’ve made clear in my post above…
    I can’t get my head around where the $$$$$$$ have gone…and how much remains in the Green swill trough.
    
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    April 9, 2025 1:27pm
Sparrow

Many grumbles over many years that we have not spent enough on our military. OK we have spent monies on them.
So my question is what has it achieved?
We are now going to spend much much more.
Next question is what will that achieve ?
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April 9, 2025 9:54am
- Mike
  
  The answer would be mixed. Some things our military do well and have the right equipment for. Examples – maritime air patrol and tactical airlift. Some things they do okay but are handicapped by equipment and personnel deficiencies. Example – naval combat capability. Some arguably essential things they either do poorly or have no capability at all.
  
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  April 9, 2025 10:53am
- PurplePen
  
  When labour came in I distinctly remember Grant Robertson writing a cheque for $2B to great fanfare. Where did that all go?
  
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  April 9, 2025 2:28pm
- Sir Henry Morgan
  
  I’m tired of hearing politicians bang on about how much they’re spending on A, B and C.
  
  First step to fixing the military is scrapping DEI. Hard to attract quality personnel while actively discriminating against the majority of young men.
  
  The really good news is that scrapping DEI could be done for free. In fact it would actually save money.
  
  Then resist the temptation to blow a load of money on expensive but near-obsolete kit just to you can tick the box for achieving a spending target.
  
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  April 9, 2025 4:21pm
Keith White

Don’t read the linked-to paper if you believe Bloomfield, worship The Princess of the Pestilence, and loathe people who don’t.

Link is to the (so far) most extensive review and comparison of myocarditis after COVID-19 Vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Conclusion: “We urge governments to remove the COVID-19 mRNA products from the market due to the well-documented risk of myocardial damage”

https://cardiovascular-research-and-innovation.reseaprojournals.com/Articles/myocarditis-after-sars-cov-2-infection-and-covid-19-vaccination-epidemiology-outcomes-and-new-perspectives
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April 9, 2025 10:17am
- Northshoredoc
  
  Quack quack
  
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_A._McCullough
  
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  April 9, 2025 11:36am
  - wsk12345
    
    One of the most published cardiologists in the world. Hugely sought after and respected throughout his career until 2020. Funny that Dayi g the “wrong” thing on one topic is sufficient to denigrate someone like this.
    
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    April 9, 2025 12:27pm
    - Ra Henare
      
      Sorry, he didnt make the cut in 2017
      
      https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2017/12/05/27-top-cardiologists-picked-by-big-data/
      
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      April 9, 2025 9:35pm
  - Ross Bayer
    
    Doc,
    I am sincere in my hope that this only a name not your profession.
    Wikipedia is not a source of information that I would rely on.
    You are trying to discredit the most published Cardiologist on the world. Peter McCullough has been consistent in his approach to the SCAMDEMIC and he and many of the others who FAUCI tried to discredit are on the right side of history after all why did Fauci need a pre-emptive pardon.
    
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    April 9, 2025 2:52pm
    - Ra Henare
      
      My I respectfully suggest a bit of mis information. Self promotion, or promotion by supporters.
      
      Another name that sometimes comes up in discussions, particularly on platforms like X, is Dr. Peter McCullough, whom some claim to be the “most published cardiologist in history.” McCullough is a notable figure with a significant publication record, especially in cardiorenal syndrome, and has authored or co-authored hundreds of papers. However, assertions of him surpassing Braunwald lack substantiation from comprehensive bibliometric data, and his publication count is generally considered lower than Braunwald’s when measured by peer-reviewed articles in reputable journals.
      
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      April 9, 2025 9:41pm
    - Northshoredoc
      
      Ross, I especially enjoyed your use of all caps for ‘scandemic’ and Fauci.
      
      Very compelling.
      
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      April 10, 2025 12:08pm
Ross Bayer

Keith
Great link with a scientific paper that clearly shows NOT SAFE we already know not effective
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April 9, 2025 10:53am
Jack5

Save the Navy chief from this tradition …

Is it time for NZ to review the official uniform of its naval chief?

The admiral wears over his right shoulder an aguillette – a cord with metal tips.

This must be a pain in the arse when the admiral’s putting on his dress uniform. Sometimes he has to wear a Maori cloak as well.

It also seems pedantic for a laid-back country like New Zealand, and given our modest naval strength.

British admirals still wear these though their fleet is diminishing and apparently powerless against border gatecrashers in rubber boats.

Aguillettes appear in the official uniforms of some British Army units, too, and aides-de-camp to the King wear them. They are often part of French uniforms.

Apparently they go back to the days of laces that held together parts of body armour.

On sites like AliExpress you can find for sale at a few dollars each “aglets”: end tips for shoe laces. “Aglet” derives form “aguillette,” which has still other spellings.

In this picture, NZ’s Navy chief, wearing aguillette, is beside the American naval chief, decorated with service medals:

https://media.defense.gov/2015/Aug/10/2001270976/-1/-1/0/150809-N-ZZZ99-010.JPG

And our Navy chief with aguilllette talking about Manawanui (scroll down the page when it comes up):

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/hmnzs-manawanui-sinking-inquiry-defence-minister-judith-collins-navy-chief-reveal-initial-findings/WWJLDAKUS5ENPJKFCJASBPAX7M/
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April 9, 2025 11:16am
- Cassandra
  
  It’s a badge of office. As an ADC I used to wear one, quite groovy for a 20 year old!
  
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  April 9, 2025 11:28am
  - Jack5
    
    Idi Amin, too, liked to wear an aguillette:
    
    https://www.ghnewslive.com/idi-amin-biography-brutal-dictator-of-uganda/
    
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    April 9, 2025 12:26pm
    - Mike
      
      That’s pretty damning, then.
      
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      April 9, 2025 1:04pm
      - Jack5
        
        Mike/Milky, if you put enough rope on a troll’s shoulder, he would choke himself.
        
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        April 9, 2025 1:31pm
    - Quail
      
      Once aguillette were called lanyards?
      Or was that just for lower ranks?
      
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      April 9, 2025 5:46pm
- fightingtemeraire
  
  The Aiguilettes are badge of a Position of ADC. ADC stands for Aide de Camp which means “camp helper” in French.
  
  The ADC was the right had man of the King or Field Commander, and he carried the tent pegs and stays over his shoulder. That is what the present aiguilettes represent.
  
  If you are the ADC to the Monarch or the Monarch’s representative you wear them on the right shoulder. If you are the ADC to a Senior Officer you wear them on the left,
  
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  April 9, 2025 5:22pm
NothingLeft

A fictionalized story of next few years in AI development by some technology experts.

https://ai-2027.com/

Detailed and interesting both in detail and broad brush strokes. The future (singularity) is coming blindingly fast. Really underlines just how unimportant almost all the issues of today are in contrast to AI.
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April 9, 2025 11:34am
- Jack5
  
  For those interested in artificial intelligence, the science explainer Sabine Hossenfelder has a new video out today on the topic.
  
  She argues that new work shows the current most common AI, “large language models,” are not “conscious” and will never be.
  
  https://youtu.be/-wzOetb-D3w?si=TlQV14U8Trn0uvfj
  
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  April 9, 2025 1:58pm
  - NothingLeft
    
    She’s generally great but this is a miss – emergent behaviors of complex systems are a thing. Our individual neurons are no more intrinsically magical or potent than sequences of gigantic matrix multiplications.
    
    There’s reasonable debate about whether humans are conscious (Simone and Malcom Collins):
    https://basedcamppodcast.substack.com/p/based-camp-10-you-probably-are-not
    And about whether we truly have any free will (kurgesagt):
    https://youtu.be/UebSfjmQNvs
    
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    April 9, 2025 2:13pm
    - Taieri
      
      There’s reasonable debate about whether humans are conscious
      ———–
      
      If humans are non-conscious they can’t have a debate on whether they are conscious or not.
      
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      April 9, 2025 4:40pm
Quail

Any one see Parliament Question time yesterday?According to Mr Luxon ,who reiterated this several times, the major reason NZ is remaining in the Carbon Zero race is to support NZ farmers and their exports.
Allegedly NZ exports would mostly remain on the supermarket shelf without a NZ commitment to Carbon Zero.
Apparently Carbon production in NZ is all the fault of farming?
Air NZ , plus all domestic fossil fuels use etc etc has got nothing to do with it?
Blaming farming and farmers for everything is a habit NZ politicians can not seem to shake!
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April 9, 2025 12:50pm
- Ghost
  
  You can thank labour for putting climate action into our free trade agreement
  
  https://www.ibanet.org/Climate-crisis-EU-New-Zealand-agreement-raises-the-bar-on-Climate-action-in-trade-deals#:~:text=The%20EU-New%20Zealand%20free%20trade%20agreement%20%28FTA%29%20%E2%80%93,as%20gender%20equality%20and%20environment%20and%20labour%20standards.
  
  BTW here is the hansard so people can read what he actually said
  
  https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/HansS_20250408_050580000/1-question-no-1-prime-minister
  
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  April 9, 2025 1:05pm
Steve Otto N Shore

How Luxon spiked the Treaty Principles Bill. The corruption runs deep.

Video 8.48.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8njweQ-eqCY

At the end “watch” This is supposed to go to a 2 month old video on how National under Luxon, rigged the select committee process.
It doesn’t. What I see is different videos from The Platform come up. I have run over it 5 times and yes, different Platform videos.
No doubt it will be corrected.
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April 9, 2025 2:06pm
NothingLeft

Wonder how the Mowbray siblings (Zuru) fortunes are fairing in the wake of Trumps China Tariffs?
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April 9, 2025 2:19pm
Ian Boag

Re the China tariff thing, I wonder whether they will decide to cut off the world supply of rare earth metals.

Something like 80%+ are dug up in China and quite a lot of the rest are refined there. Where they are dug up someplace else (eg Indonesia and DRC) much of the supply is owned by Chinese businesses.
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April 9, 2025 2:42pm
- Ghost
  
  They’re already ahead of you Ian
  
  https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/china-rare-earth-element-export-curb-2706004-2025-04-08
  
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  April 9, 2025 2:49pm
- Jack5
  
  Greenland’s rare earths will be tapped sooner rather than later, then.
  
  https://www.investopedia.com/greenland-s-billions-in-rare-earth-minerals-8777937
  
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  April 9, 2025 3:10pm
  - rangitoto
    
    Would take years.
    
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    April 9, 2025 4:07pm
  - Ian Boag
    
    Production might get under way as soon as in 10 years.
    
    First they need to build some towns in the (inhospitable) (frozen) north where the stuff is found. These towns will have to be populated with incomers as there are only 50,000 total greenlanders.
    
    Then they need to build a mine. Not a trivial operation.
    
    Then they need to build extraction facilities which might be a bit hard in the frozen north so the ore would be shipped off someplace to be processed.
    
    And of course the cost would be gazillions of dollars …. not saying any of this is impossible but could be regarded as a bit daunting.
    
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    April 9, 2025 5:08pm
- Handyman
  
  Rare Earths are actually quite common, but devilishly difficult to extract from the ore, requiring giant (100’s of hectares) of chemical leaching ponds.
  Hence China has cornered the market where environmental standards are, shall we say, not so restrictive.
  
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  April 9, 2025 4:36pm
  - Ian Boag
    
    And it’s worse. There was a fairly large mine in the US. China dropped the price enough that it became uneconomic and closed.
    
    If it reopened (might only take 3-4 years and a few $billion) China could of course do the same again anytime that it looked like their grip was shrinking ….
    
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    April 9, 2025 6:58pm
  - NothingLeft
    
    Which is why god invented the all the vast uninhabited, unloved and desolate lands of Siberia, Mongolia, Australia, Andes etc. No Greenies in viewshot of the mines.
    
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    April 9, 2025 8:22pm
surfing

Argue the treaty is a partnership, and the NZ herald will censor you all day long.

But, want to justify MP’s bussys? The Herald will give you all the space you need!!

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/green-mp-benjamin-doyle-has-been-the-victim-of-a-moral-panic-opinion/4R4SIIUSYFCMTMOUF3XDE54MXU/

The NZ Herald is a sick publication, with racist ideals.
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April 9, 2025 2:46pm
- Bevan
  
  Then lock comments on their Facebook post so no one can tell them how misguided their support of the sicko Doyle is.
  
  Not Bussy boy is live now justifying his sick posts as misinformation. I hope however screen shotted the posts release them all.
  
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  April 9, 2025 3:50pm
- greybeard
  
  Google “Paul Thistoll”, the writer of this rubbish, and all will become clear !
  
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  April 9, 2025 3:54pm
- John Loveridge
  
  Clever Chris Lynch managed to write an entire article without using a single pronoun.
  
  https://www.chrislynchmedia.com/news-items/green-mp-benjamin-doyle-speaks-out-i-refuse-to-be-disappeared-by-hate/
  
  Doyle says he came to came to Parliament to be his full, authentic self. But what he calls his full, authentic self is just a contrived construct. There’s nothing authentic about it at all.
  
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  April 9, 2025 8:54pm
- surfing
  
  I should have said ‘argue the treaty is not a partnership’, haha.
  
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  April 9, 2025 10:15pm
greybeard

Worst radio advertisements competition: my winner is “Hutt Automatics”, on Wellington NewstalkZB.
I have never heard so much fearmongering rubbish in my life.

According to them , if you own an automatic vehicle you MUST get the auto transmission serviced/overhauled every 40,000km, or there will be DIRE or possibly DEADLY consequences.

This advert has only been on the radio for about the last 6 months, so I think there must be some underlying business reason for its existence.
( such as, the company is going down the gurgler and needs customers ).
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April 9, 2025 3:48pm
- Inandout
  
  grey, if you have one of those CVT thingys you may need regular servicing but a true auto should be serviced every 60-80k.
  
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  April 9, 2025 3:58pm
  - John Loveridge
    
    Ford themselves claim the auto transmission in my Mustang is sealed for life and never requires servicing.
    
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    April 9, 2025 8:56pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Yeah, well, opinions differ on that point.
      
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      April 10, 2025 7:43am
- Keith White
  
  I always thought the worst New Zealand advertisement ever would always remain “Clayton’s, the drink you drink when you’re not needing a drink” or whatever that precise phraseology was.
  
  Closely followed in second place by Madge:
  “You know you’re soaking in it?”
  
  And in 3rd spot”
  “Two Krispies?”
  “Too right!”
  
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  April 9, 2025 5:22pm
  - H. Upmann
    
    How long ago was Madge pushing that….40 years ago?
    I have never knowingly bought a Colgate Palmolive product since then.
    
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    April 9, 2025 7:26pm
Keith White

Well, if ever a Ministry for Gaslighting gets set up in NZ, Benjamin Doyle would be streets ahead the most highly qualified appointee.
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April 9, 2025 4:00pm
Swifty

Douglas Murray on his new book “On Democracies and Death Cults”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw5mCeSEzwY
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April 9, 2025 5:00pm
Scooter

I see Chloe and Marama were missing from Doyle media conference today. Here’s a link to the first one where Chloe had heaps to say. Btw who were the 2 Muppets behind Doyle today?

https://x.com/IndustryOfSam/status/1906947552735265186?t=W4TsWwFiCbSkAIdc9hwvNQ&s=19
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April 9, 2025 6:24pm

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