Open Mike 15/07/2026

Written By: notices and features - Date published: - 11 comments
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11 comments on “Open Mike 15/07/2026”

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    1. 2.1

      Biofuels, energy – next? Charcoal is supposed to be good. I don't know if it has been has been trialled or even studied here. Perhaps Lincoln would know as they are big on forestry I think. When I have my pressing problems ironed out I'll look up.

      From the past – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnspit_dog (Look for dog in illustration). And of course there are always people who could do similar. But we could choose to use ourselves perhaps on a static bicycle which would service house devices, or for water supply.

      Done in a fair manner, it wouldn't be too onerous. But there would always be some families with someone picked on who would be forced to do the most, and the favourites of the house would get the nicer jobs. Human nature!

  3. 3

    Good opinion piece by Sam Stubbs in Stuff (15 July): https://www.stuff.co.nz/money/361006005/data-centres-beware-greeks-bearing-gifts

    He points out the PR spin from those promoting the erection of data centres in NZ (50 jobs max, it seems, for one proposed for Southland) and the huge disadvantages in terms of power required to run these centres. Commentators have also noted the huge amounts of water data centres consume.

    Looks like a repeat of the original Tiwai smelter deal. According to the politicians, that deal was so beneficial to NZ that the power price the Tiwai crowd were given had to be confidential.

    1. 3.1

      Worse than Tiwai which created many, many more jobs for Southlanders.

      I wonder, being in the process of installing a new washing machine while wondering what to do with the old, what does Southland do with the "old" data centre, down the track? Leave it sit, like the briquette factory?

      2. 4.1.2

        Brown certainly pulled a cunning stunt by convincing enough people that we could afford these multi multi billions worth of roads!

    2. 4.2

      Strangely, this Spinoff dudester seems to think the media are supposed to hold the Nats accountable, not Labour.

      for the most part, Brown got away scot-free from his two-year sojourn in monetary fantasyland https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/15-07-2026/who-could-have-predicted-this-national-cant-afford-its-roads

      Perhaps they knew his figures were dodgy but saw no advantage in calling his bluff. Nobody can recall when economic policy costing was credible, so make it up as you go along has been normalcy quite a while already. Could be that Labour has nobody competent on economic policy – that would explain why he doesn't cite any Labour attempt to force the Nats to get real on roading policy costings.

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