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- Date published:
10:15 am, July 18th, 2026 - 28 comments
Categories: infrastructure, politicans, uncategorized, winston peters -
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The dead cat strategy is a well known strategy where a politician without fear says something outrageous to divert attention.
As described by Boris Johnson:
There is one thing that is absolutely certain about throwing a dead cat on the dining room table – and I don’t mean that people will be outraged, alarmed, disgusted. That is true, but irrelevant. The key point, says my Australian friend, is that everyone will shout, ‘Jeez, mate, there’s a dead cat on the table!’ In other words, they will be talking about the dead cat – the thing you want them to talk about – and they will not be talking about the issue that has been causing you so much grief.”
Some on the right are formidable users of the tactic. Johnson himself was a well known proponent as is Donald Trump in the United States.
And here in Aotearoa Winston Peters is a willing and regular user of the tactic.
Like yesterday when he announced the names of the two replacement Interisland ferries.
One will be called Kupe which is fair enough.
But the other will be called Cook after Captain James Cook.
The writing of history always has a European flavour. History talks about Cook landing on Aotearoa even though Maori had been there for up to a thousand years.
And Cook’s relationship with Iwi is, shall we say complex. When he first landed his troops shot and killed a number of Maori. He is also seen as the harbinger of a devastating period of colonization, cultural loss, and land dispossession.
Not that Winston cares.
When he announced the names he was at his beliggerent and combative best.
From One News:
[Peters] said it was “fashionable now in certain circles” to treat Captain Cook as “nothing more than a symbol to be condemned, cancelled, and cast out”.
“Well, we say this: a mature country does not run from its history,” Peters said.
“We will not allow a noisy minority to dictate what the rest of this country is allowed to remember.
“These are proper names. Historic names. New Zealand names. Kupe and Cook reflect New Zealand as it actually is: a country shaped by the sea, by settlement, by risk, by enterprise, and by people who crossed dangerous waters in search of a future.”
Of course the news that is most important, how much will the project now cost and are we really buying Toyotas at Mercedes Benz cost when we could have had much superior Mercedes Benz at a Toyota cost, is nowhere to be seen.
The media ought to be asking this question, how much will the ships cost us and how much is the Crown contributing to the cost of on shore improvements needed not only for the new ships but also to prepare for climate change.
But no everyone is going round in circles. Some think that Peters’ announcement is a political masterstroke. Others think that it emphasises his willingness to stoke racist culture wars.
But the real intent is to divert attention.
Hopefully the media will recognise this and start asking the important questions. And not go along with a manufactured culture war.
Great post Micky,
Three years plus without a rail capable ferry. 71 days with only one Interislander ferry operating (if we are lucky) in each of the years 2026 2027 2028 and probably 2029. Even National's business mates are worrying about how they are going to get freight across the ditch. A friend of mine has had his BYD EV delivery delayed because of the lack of ferries.
There are massive costs just in the above. It's a veritable shambles-well done indeed no-boats Willis.
For 3+ years large operators like Mainfreight will have fine-tuned their logistics around not being able to use rail transport across the strait. 3+ years of getting the system running – then suddenly rail freight is available again.
This might mean that rail freight across the strait never really returns; big enterprises, with their logistics bedded in, may never return to using rail.
At a time when we desperately need to get big trucks off our roads as much as possible!
???
Ah, the other ‘backbone’ of the NZ economy, the trucking industry. How many backbones does a three-headed beast have, anyway?
https://dogandlemon.com/media/trucking-industry-should-contribute-cost-new-ferries
Meanwhile the last NZ flagged coastal container ship is being withdrawn this month.
Business.Scoop » Withdrawal Of MV Moana Chief Erases Last New Zealand Flagged Container Ship From Our Coast
New Zealand loses last domestic-flagged container shipping service | BusinessDesk
Was that Swire Group or do they deserve to be labelled the Swine Group?
The The ONLY NZ registered and crewed container ship is the MV Rangitata owned by Coastal Bulk Shipping in Christchurch. Carries up to 90 containers around the NZ coast. And a week ago was off Timaru. Cheers K
The Moana Chief operated between Chatham Islands NZ and the Pacific Islands,was worn out and a replacement is urgently needed. Come on government, cough up for a replacement
Southern Tiare is the ship that does the Chatham Islands, Pacific and NZ run. Last I heard, a replacement is to be built in China and run by Cullums. Didn't have NZ crew. Cook Islands flag. General cargo ship with some containers. Hence the trips to the Islands to get around the 28 day rule.
Rangitata is a mini bulk carrier/general cargo, not a container ship, though NZ flag and crew.
Moana Chief is NZ flagged and crewed, owned by Swire NZ, and run as the Pacifica shipping service. 1700 teu container ship. Finishing up this month! Running only on the NZ coast, weekly service, including recently Lyttelton, Tauranga, Auckland, Marsden point.
Swires bought Pacifica some years ago. The under Pacifica service was run with, the chartered, Spirit of Endurance, the last ship run by Pacifica before Swires bought them out. Swire's took over with Spirit of Canterbury, and Endurance was returned to her owners. Canterbury was replaced by Moana Chief. There was a two ship service for a while with Tukatai Chief also.
When you havn't a clue what you are talking about, best to remain quiet.
Thankyou. kjt Now i,m all up to date.
Apologies. I'm upset about Moana Chief going, along with the jobs of all in the company.
The end of over 35 years of Pacifica's coastal run.
Should we adopt/take shares in, the MV Rangitata? Now that Moana Chief is going. How could we do this? Perhaps think of Spanish cooperative Mondragon that does things for themselves and don't leave all to fast-fingers rich men's children as most of the moneyed people are, low-level Trumps, got given management of a city building at 8 yrs or something.
Swire Shipping | https://www.swireshipping.com › information › info-pages
Headquartered in Singapore, Swire Shipping is a leading provider of specialist customer solutions for a wide range of cargo.
and Swire Shipping, a global logistics and marine transportation company founded in 1872, specializes in multi-purpose, containerized, and breakbulk cargo across over 400 ports worldwide. In the New Zealand and Pacific region, they provide vital liner services connecting Auckland to Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, and beyond.
Note – the Isle of Man stays staunch.
The oldest continually operating shipping company in the world is the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, founded in 1830. They operate passenger ferries and freight services across the Irish Sea, connecting the Isle of Man to ports like Heysham, Liverpool, and Dublin.
Of course Peters chose those names, after all the Cook is straight and Kupe was an oil field.
Not sure Cook was straight ,,🤣
He was in the "Rum, bum and baccy" Navy! after all.
Off-shore drilling is more a mine field than oil field (mine, mine, all mine!)
No matter how much you cross your eyes, Shane Jones-fashion, Peters, being crooked, can't be straight.
Peters' super-power is scumbaggery.
Oh, the irony of populists is history to behold.
Smooth that pillow…
Peters' claim/proposal that we are a "mature country" would make the good folk of every continent on the planet laugh their ars*s off!
Mature!
Us!
Ha!
"Winston Peters has kicked off his party convention with a pledge to “turn this country’s democracy upside down for a great and real purpose”."
Drain the swamp!
Refuse to link.
When will a journalist ask why NZ first has introduced so many women hating candidates this election cycle? Do they feel confidant that hating on women is a election winner? And why after three years in office, they really can't point to policies which have improved women's lives?
Where are the improvements or indeed any ways NZ1st have helped with the cost of living crisis?
Winston Peters will be front of the queue as Minister of Rail when City Rail Link opens in a month. While it was instigated by a Labour Mayor it was National and NZFirst that got it underway and the will finish it together. And it's the only economic accelerant anyone has generated for Auckland for over a decade.
Winston was also Minister who got the five-year plan of Rail Network Rebuild underway and completed this year for Auckland's Western and Southern lines.
Winston was also the Minister who got the Papakura to Pukekohe electrification underway, which was completed last year.
Winston I am sure will be cutting the ribbon shortly for New Zealand's brand new stations at Drury, Drury West, and Paerata in Auckland's far south. Paerata strongly encouraged by the venerable (now deceased) Bill Birch.
Winston also got funded the Wiri to Quay Park third main line, which will secure both freight and the Te Huia service for as long as you like.
Winston has also got the massive new rail and truck freight hub just north of Palmerston North underway.
Winston has provided funding for a big new rail hub in Mosgiel that will make Port Chalmers and the big Mosgiel Fonterra storage facilities much more efficient and bigger.
Winston has also got a new 19km line rail line from Whangarei to Marsden Point into an accelerated business case and only awaits the 2027 Budget to get cracking.
In total the above projects are easily $8b. I didn't even get to the Gabrielle rebuilds.
I really don't know why he's so keen on this old transport system – surely there are no votes in it – but he and his party have been rail's strongest and highest-delivering supporters in decades.
Well. Winston and Willis certainly don't want the real costs of "No boats" rail ferry ballsup, to come to light.
No amount of deceased felines will take that albatross from their necks nor should it.
A head shaking decision that screws key infrastructure to make a political point.
Nov 7 will see where that and those now gone RONS etc leaves them V completing the inflight PT and other projects. A mature government would have keeping the jobs in NZ in the process.
He's very good at it, I'll give him that. Likelihood of people here having a problem with naming a ferry Cook is close to zero (apart from the entirely reasonable one that referring to "the Cook Strait ferry Cook" sounds ridiculous), so he gets in there with a pre-emptive denunciation against the "snivelling wokesters" he'd like to have a culture war with about it. Culture war duly initiated.
I can see the headline now – The Cook Strait's Cook Ferry's Crook
But where are the tugs? Just another day on overshoot spaceship Earth.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/regions/594589/wellington-harbourmaster-pleads-for-emergency-tug-boat
For the sake of consistency, it should be "Kook".
Kupe & Kook.
Yesterdays man collecting all of yesterdays politicians to create an impression of people flocking to his cause. It will be a gaggle indeed.
Courting the fringe to cover all the agregious bills he has signed off, while Shane wails about "vested interests" and they both want to "drill baby drill"
Apparently if anyone disagrees with Winston's ideas now, they are "snivelling wokesters."
He appears to believe NZ can't do without him, when he has been "a handbrake" by his own admission. He has become a sour old man.
Another one who plays around with immigration and racism to suit themselves – Pauline Hanson from Oz. An excerpt from a look at her surprising longevity and rise.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2607/S00051/acting-the-goose-pauline-hansons-tour-of-blighty.htm
Acting The Goose: Pauline Hanson’s Tour Of Blighty
Sunday, 19 July 2026, 2:45 pm Opinion: Binoy Kampmark
(Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He currently lectures at RMIT University. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com)
Did Hanson take time off in Sicily to study Danilo Dolci's (died 1998) society-building work? https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-danilo-dolci-1136114.html – and:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danilo Dolci (Italy)