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6:00 am, July 20th, 2026 - 27 comments
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Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.
The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361007388/drivers-licence-changed-his-life-now-charity-made-it-possible-could-be-forced-close
More decimation of anything that's successful.
Sports update: NZ's Ryan Fox wins the 2026 British Open with a great birdie finish at the last hole. He had a bad break before that when he found a bunker but kept his cool and went on to win.
Makes up for Simon Owen nearly doing it in 1978 (he came second to Jack Nicklaus).
Arguably Ryan Fox becomes a more famous sporting star than his dad Grant.
On MR earlier our PM was asked to explain why National's latest poll rating is 28%. He used the matador cape flourish to finesse that charge by JC. A gentle reminder that JC knows he never comments on poll results, then prompt pivot to his own talking point.
JC, operating within the professional constraints, continued to ferret at the thing. I turned the radio off when it became clear that nothing of substance would emerge from their staging of dialogue. Perhaps both could do acting classes? You really do need a line like to be or not to be in such situations. Yet MR could have switched to the view of a savvy political commentator. That would have been infotaining, right?
Hunkered down within their bunker, the notion of reach-out to academia must seem like a moon-shot to journos within the antiquated state broadcaster. The feared dragon Paul Henry could whoosh over the battlements any moment blasting flames at them.
Media junkies may have to switch on their inherent lateral-thinking cognitive module. Have universities set up a public interface shop-front, where customers can log on to the portal to watch portentous pontificators upon demand. Supply-side thinking.
Addendum: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/all/747999/morning-report-live-christopher-luxon-faces-questions-as-poll-numbers-slide-in-election-year
An octad is hard to pin down empirically. We can theorise that it uses metabolism (level 6) and natural magic (level 7) as basis of a more-extensive influence. True that 8 does have considerable cultural correlation with occult meaning through history, but I'm questing a more realistic basis than that. Outreach to margin is a likely culprit: network theory uses weak ties to extend influence (strong ties are local).
Anyway, theory aside, that assertion of fact by RNZ's political editor does give us a significant correlation, proving that 8 instances have happened and are on the record.
Verity Johnson's piece in Stuff –
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361007455/new-zealand-geopolitical-chew-toy-we-need-electrify-now –
Is rather over shadowed by the image used, captioned "file photo of ships in the Strait of Hormuz…" which is clearly AI generated slop.
With the government delivering $60million to Fletcher Building to keep New Zealand's remaining cement manufacturing plant open,
Govt gives $60m to save NZ's last cement plant | Otago Daily Times Online News
… could the government please explain this to the people of Kaitaia, Nelson, Tokoroa, Ohakune and Waiouru why they didn't feel the need to step in and save their hundreds of jobs due to the closure of the Juken NZ sawmill, Triboard factory, Eve's Valley Sawmill, Kinleith paper production, Tangiwai sawmill, and Karioi pulpmill, together with the incomes and futures of the hundreds of families who were devastated as a result.
That was our immediate reaction too.
The explanation will most likely be nothing to do with a general election in a few months………..
With NZFirst having already secured a chunk of funding for:
larger scale diesel storage in Marsden Point,
a major new rail line to Marsden Point,
planning for a massive motorway upgrade to Whangarei, and
the proposal to make Mardesn Point a Special Economic Zone,
you really have to wonder what Whangarei electorate has that the Northland seat and super-poor Kaitaia doesn't have …
… other than a boundary difference between the Whangarei seat being more marginal than the Northland seat for NZFirst this time as distinct from 2015 when Winston won the Northland by-election.
It's what the Whangarei electorate could have……just more fear and loathing from the blue, black and yellow mob………..
https://www.labour.org.nz/2026-campaign/our-candidates/dr-gary-payinda/
What would happen if NZ First loses the seat?
Well said Ad. Must be an election looming.
That's $60 million to 'treat' a flare-up of rheumatoid arthritis in the invisible hand of the free-market Ponzi scheme. It's just late-stage palliative capitalism – get a grip.
But but but "National is Fixing the Basics. Building the Future." I'm that confused!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361008340/major-shake-worker-holiday-and-sick-leave-moves-step-closer-despite-opposition
My contract is for 55 hours so useing the method for calculating holidays am I entitled to 5.5 weeks off per year
What a wonderful World Cup. It had everything: great goals, brilliant young players, drama, upsets and, ultimately, a thoroughly deserving champion.
Spain tried to play football throughout the final. Argentina, by contrast, were scrappy, cynical and ugly and more interested in disrupting the game than winning it. Spain dominated the ball, created virtually all the chances and kept playing until Torres finally delivered justice in extra time. The 1–0 scoreline considerably flattered Argentina.
Spain are worthy world champions, and football was the real winner. A magnificent tournament and a very satisfying ending.
Glad Spain won, cos they played the best on the day. Argentina seemed to have the England disease, pulling back and surrendering the mid-field. No attack at all really, just trying to nick a goal then hold out.
England was so lifeless in the semi-final that I wondered if coach Thomas Tuchel was trying to find out if God was English.
There were 142 rallies protesting about data centres in 42 states at the weekend.
"The data center boom has been sold as inevitable. It is not. Communities have every right to ask what they are giving up and what they are getting in return. America is not for sale, and our communities are not collateral,"
"Many [critics] are concerned that AI data centers cause environmental damage, raise electricity bills, drain water, and degrade the overall quality of life in the communities where they are built."
https://www.businessinsider.com/anti-ai-data-center-nationwide-protest-photos-2026-7
Meanwhile the Trump-friendly CoC turns a blind eye to the widescale adverse effects despite the limited economic gains data centres bring. Labour should be releasing a specific policy on this issue before any more data centres are granted resource consent.
Post up about the new Green Party energy policy
https://thestandard.nz/the-greens-kiwipower-and-power-for-all-of-us/
With the planned removal of Council-iwi agreements, we have surely hit a new low in race relations in New Zealand.
Government to kill iwi-council participation agreements | Stuff
Surely there's a limit reached in which our Race Relations Commissioner actually has to say something? Anything?
Well, Community Involvement is one of the headings of her role. The silence is deafening.
Suzy Eddie Izzard in Wellington doing Hamlet. https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2026/eddie-izzard-performs-shakespearers-hamlet/wellington
You lucky people – Soundings Theatre, Te Papa, 55 Cable Street, Wellington
I think she is due to be interviewed on Concert RNZ in Tuesday morning session 6-9 am?
Who else just watched Seven Sharp, and the story about the poor farmer whose plant was arson-attacked and he's struggling to restart his product?
He takes soft plastics and turns them into fence posts that are stronger and more durable than timber ones, and thereby saves all that plastic from the landfill.
He's crowdfunding to get a hand up. Give A Little save-future-post. As I type, the website is down so here's hoping it's been flooded with support. As soon as I can, I will contribute, too.
But, the real opportunity is that the farmer tried to get support from the government, but got none. Here's an opportunity for the LEFT to come in and help facilitate an outcome, thereby showing up the government for its disinterest. We of the left often criticise the government of this day for being pro-business, but here's a chance to be pro-business and really do something good for the country. So, is this government pro-business, or pro-some-businesses?
You mean Seven Sharp actually had an interesting story? Incredible. Was the arson due to penis envy in local males? Or are antiplastic ecoguerillas infesting the locality?
Re govt support, who's the local MP and has the farmer been promoting his plastic posts regionally as potential boosters of the economy? Often an investment scheme can be designed to spread benefits to stakeholders, so could be he's flying solo – bereft of local or regional support. Good on him for the enterprise regardless.
TV1 News lead stories were 15 mins of soccer, followed by brief Ryan Fox, Womans Weekly style international mariage scam.
TV3 in this time period covered govt $60m handout Golden Bay cement vs other closing industry, then long interview with H Clarke re Gaza.
TV1 owned, trained and driven by Govt.
About Future Post – Check out vid – 1.59m https://madworld.co.nz/news/future-post-video-featuring-lyn
https://www.futurepost.co.nz/about-us
https://www.futurepost.co.nz/recycling-partners
Future Post | Landscape/Fence Post 135mm x 135mm x 2.4m
Mitre 10 NZ – https://www.mitre10.co.nz › shop › fence-post-135mm-…Future Post products are made in NZ, for NZ conditions, using 100% recycled plastic. UV stabilised and CCA-free, they won't rot, split, or leach chemicals …
Note there were a few spiteful-sounding reports, at one stage, one from Andrea Vance, about how some of the plastic has had to be dumped FTTT. Nothing goes perfectly to plan – and new ways require experimentation.
Sounds good PR, but it is going ahead so hopefully there are no fishhooks. But what is this arson about? When one checks on line there have been a number of arsons at recyclers around the country over recent years. Needs looking into I think.
This was Future Post, Marlborough? that has been touted as doing very good work making posts for farms out of plastic. In Nelson we have soft plastic being collected and sent to them It may be a something that the gummint supports because there is something material to show those criticising NZ lax attitudes to environment problems.
Looking for detail on my computer screen it is all being reported by Facebook and Linked In which I dislike for being monopolist communication channels to which we have become vulnerable encouraged by gummint from early on. Also Facebook have been slow to stop scams rorting businesses that use Facebook.
Where are other reports about the NZ plastic recycler? Also while looking through the arsons etc suddenly one from Larissa turns up – checked it and can't see what country, and the script is all in pale grey, a growing number of sites are making their information hard to read in this way, why? There is also report from Cheshire and one from Tyneside, UK.
I haven't given my location which Google has asked for but I put NZ in search strip and don't expect or want news from other parts of the world pushing in.