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Open Mike 25/09/2026
124 comments on “Open Mike 25/09/2026”
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Here is an interesting, measured conversation with Dr Geoff Bertram looking at the Ardern Labour Party and covers a series of topics that are highly pertinent today.
Was there a plan behind the promise?
The state that lost its ability to build.
How vested interests shape government.
Can change come from Parliament alone?
Rebuilding a state that can deliver.
On an another note, looking back today, the unprecedented majority win in 2020 seems like a lost opportunity to make changes to the system that could have taken the private funding of political parties out of play.
It's a good long interview and Bertram fairly gives credit to the Ardern government for her wins small though they were.
But not enough credit is given to the effective government performance during COVID. New Zealand gets to look at COVID as a regrettable minor over-intervention, and that's just not the case in much of Europe and South America and USA.
Compared with the CoC Ardern looks like a Marxist.
She did fantastically well and is much maligned.
You can put a lot of that malignancy down to pure, unadulterated jealousy. It was most prevalent among right leaning men and among women in their 40s and 50s.
Be that as it may, the clip is more about systemic issues in Treasury, the lack of capacity in the state and a lack of ruthlessness in cabinet to pressure the mandarins to enact their will
Chris Penk, "occasional" paid-up member of the Taxpayers "Union", writes:
"Mr Hager doesn’t appear to be a journalist any more than I am."
Going into bat for the TPU, Mr Penk?
Didn't you learn already the dangers of backing untrustworthy people?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361037700/nicky-hagers-dirty-work-belongs-fiction-section
Morena, Mercurio.How are you? There were (are?) some who opine poor…poor Penk. FYI…I am not one. Whether he was less bad ? …Ol' uranium breath was/is still part of The Baddies.
Left/Green for the win November '26 !
Hello PLA – I am keeping very well, thanks – been distracted by a new and exciting hobby/pursuit of late and have been merely reading here, rather than commenting.
On Penk – there's something of a pong around Penk – we cheered his actions when he got turfed out of Luxon's caucus but now that we read his thoughts on wider matters, he disappoints greatly.
Hager's book will hamstring the TPU's plans to disable the "Left/Green" team leading up to this election so our chances of winning have taken a big jump forward imo.
Distracted by something new and exciting has got to be good : ). IMO helps to reset…the mind, and self for that.
And yes agree re that punk (not the good kind : ) Penk ! I had thought he was off….back in his Builder Deregulatory days.
Hamstrung TPU…I like. Got to be a good thing…for anyone not of the sorted/1%.
Nah, I think he’s true to form. Penk rose fast through the ranks and got promoted to Cabinet, IIRC. It seems to me that he’s on a journey of redemption and finding a new niche as a liberated Nat – I believe TPU is full of those.
Rod Emmerson, in the New Zealand Herald, 2015
https://www.thepaepae.com/hager-search-warrant-deemed-fundamentally-unlawful-what-a-relief/36694/
https://thestandard.nz/a-letter-of-thanks-from-nicky-hager/
Your assuming penks trustworthy, ?
I wonder what Luxon thought?
If luxon thinks at all ,I'm guessing patsy is the label he's given penk
Rejected. Relief…and respite?
However….
F and B sees the fight still ahead…
They're only lizards …(similar comments from the Santana Supporter cookers)
And Central Otago Bendigo…well NZ's whole Environment in actuality…
Left/Green for the Win '26 !
That Denniston Plateau coal mine rejection is some of the best news I've had all year.
I'm going to double my Forest&Bird donation for that one.
Shoutout to every person in the West Coast who had the courage to face that down.
+100
A good win, but no-one can relax as the miners will be back with a revamped application.
Hope the Santana mine gets turned down too.
A big part of the decision was in how they proposed to capture the skinks, and that was going to kill about 90% of them. Some may recall the solemn promises last time to save the super-rare snails on the Dennison, and they were just frozen to death in a fridge.
And now Santana have promised to save about the same percentage of skinks at Tarras. I suspect the Tarras Santana proponents will be reading this decision carefully and wondering if they are going to lose it on the same grounds. Their current skink harvest+survival proposal is about the same as the Bathurst Dennison one.
Would definitely be helped by a change of government. And killing Fast Track completely.
Anyone know if NZ walked out on Netanyahu's speech? I'm guessing we didn't.
https://swedenherald.com/article/abbas-tells-un-israels-policies-threaten-palestinian-existence
If our delegation were going to walk out on someone's speech, there are way better candidates. Pezeshkian, for a start – the guy fronts a government that murdered tens of thousands of its own citizens just this year. We're a nation state, not a student union.
Whataboutery
In any case, NZ can walk & chew gum at the same time, twice if needed.
Your bumper must be a sticky mess.
Nae bother, I've no doubt that if the NZ delegation were so immature as to walk out on speeches to demonstrate disapproval of particular leaders, they have the necessary fitness level to walk out on more than one. However, given the sheer number of unpleasant leaders, they'd be up and down like a yo-yo and would look ridiculous. Best not to start down that track.
The question is when to walk and why, not to scuttle onto the playground as soon as the bell rings. Mature people know when to walk the talk, children not so much.
I doubt that Winston Peters or his ‘diplomatic’ delegates would score well in the yo-yo test and Peters is more of a no show man anyway.
Vanushi Walters seems to be level-headed enough to know when to sit down & talk and when to get up & walk.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/09/24/labour-would-ditch-peters-realpolitik-for-moral-clarity/
I have no idea how well she’d do in the yo-yo test.
Newsroom wrote "moral clarity" there where it should have read "idle virtue-signalling," or possibly "The Current Thing."
For your convenience, here’s the link to Labour’s foreign policy: https://www.labour.org.nz/news/speech-labours-foreign-policy/.
Don’t choke on the ‘woke’ words (e.g., moral, value, identity, principled, etc.).
Or walk away …
Brian Tamaki also uses the language of morality and values, so the use of such words means nothing on its own. It's clear that Labour politicians believe their refusal to distinguish between the open society and its enemies, their commitment to the organisation that's an international byword for corruption and poor governance, and their enthusiasm for The Current Thing have the right to be dressed up in terms like moral, values, or principles. I'll never believe that myself, any more than I believe Tamaki.
According to this list nope.
https://seemorerocks.substack.com/p/77-countries-walk-out-on-netanyahus
Mostly a list of Muslim countries, third-world dictatorships, countries taking money from Qatar and the occasional western country with a history of virulent antisemitism. It would be excruciatingly embarrassing if NZ were on it, so I'm glad we aren't.
A third of the UN walked out on a leader with a warrant out for war crimes from the ICJ.
Israel has apparently spent a billion dollars in the past few years buying US Senators and Congress members. So up to his elbows in US politics that Netanyahu denounced Mamdani, a US mayor, and Piker, a twitch streamer, not to the press, but in his UN speech.
“A third of the UN walked out on a leader with a warrant out for war crimes from the ICJ.”
I'm sure we can both agree that’s an excellent indicator of the integrity and usefulness of the UN and its organisations.
Nice smirk on Netanyahu's face.
https://bsky.app/profile/thetnholler.bsky.social/post/3mwc33yqlvs27https://bsky.app/profile/thetnholler.bsky.social/post/3mwc33yqlvs27
More US Jews approve of Mamdani than Netanyahu.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/07/08/new-poll-rev
And yes, we can agree that, even though the biggies on the Security Council have ham-strung UN actions they don’t like, vetoing actions against themselves or their mates, the UN can still be a place for nations to take a moral position.
I also see you don’t dispute Israel buying US influence biggly.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/07/08/new-poll-reveals-american-jews-view-mamdani-more-favorably-than-netanyahu/.
The dog ate my link…
Gah! And now I noticed the dog doubled up on the first link!
https://bsky.app/profile/thetnholler.bsky.social/post/3mwc33yqlvs27
.
I didn't dispute it because I don't see how such allegations are relevant.
Leave antisemitism out of the lexicon. It's such a common word that Israelis and their ilk apply like a bludgeon. It was a word that got bent to become a tool for discontent in the 18th century and study by philosophers and others (who would have been better as farm workers), led to it being the fuse that it became and still is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic_people
I see there is a scurrilous background to the development of this epithet and those originators of it should have had their mouths washed out with soap. We have seen FTTT how some people cannot shut up, but this free-speech discourse today is a reflection of the permanently wounding way that bigoted opinions can become rooted.
True, it's a euphemism for the more accurate "Jew-hatred" and ordinarily I hate euphemisms. Please read my comment as "the occasional western country with a history of virulent Jew-hatred."
Was that it???
Coverage of Hager's book appears to have virtually disappeared from the news stream already. And the only article I could find on it today was from a right wing politician.
Another reminder of what the political right do so well – lest we forget.
Rod Emmerson, in the New Zealand Herald, December 2015
https://www.thepaepae.com/hager-search-warrant-deemed-fundamentally-unlawful-what-a-relief/36694/
https://thestandard.nz/a-letter-of-thanks-from-nicky-hager/
The problem I have with this style of writing, especially when allegations aren't put to those who are the subject of the writing, is that it is a bit like joining dots to make a picture.
That is fine if it is something like a “join the dots” puzzle in a small kid's book. If the resulting picture is an elephant, then the shape of the elephant will likely be obvious.
But, the less data points, the more subjectivity becomes involved in determining the shape, and conceivably, different people could come up with different shapes.
From what I have seen, I think that is where Hager can come unstuck. For example, an article by Thomas Coughlan in the Herald asserted the book to be "fascinating, but light on evidence".
If that is the case, then there necessarilly will be a lot more subjectivity in the interpretation of that evidence.
As (recently, now retired) a director in a medium sized business, there are strategies developed at the board level that those further down in the organisation may not be aware of.
So, even if information obtained from sources is accurate, depending on their position in the organisation, they might not be aware of the bigger picture involved.
That is why I think it is important to put the information to the targets of the writing so they have the opportunity to provide the wider context on the information.
Maybe you're right. Still, it's not just Hager who can come unstuck – time will tell.
Guy Body, in the New Zealand Herald, 8 October 2014
This sort of stuff isn't my cup of tea. So, I won't be reading it. But, I wouldn't discourage others from doing so. I would just say to bear in mind the points I have made while reading. And that there might well be a different picture if there aren't enough dots provided.
"…The same people, ideologies and tactics appear again and again in NZ politics over the last 10-20 years…"
That sounds quite a lot like Hager as well? And I find the tactic of not putting information to the targets of his hit jobs to be particularly toxic.
You won't be reading it?
You've had a lot to say about a book you won't be reading because it's not your cup of tea.
I'm guessing you're a Milo kinda guy anyway. Maybe you could curl up with an exciting dot-to-dot.
Mercurio you are again on point, not dotty like some.
What I would say to you is it isn't actually Hager – some hear what they want to.
Particularly toxic eh? Ah well, toxicity is in the eye of the beholder
Guy Body, in the New Zealand Herald, 25 November 2023
Of course you won't be reading it. You don't want your rigid view-point to be upended with a few truths.
Sure, its impossible to write a book on topics such as those of Nicky Hager's without committing the odd error, but he has consistently been proven correct in his over-all analysis. What's more no-one has ever taken him to court which speaks volumes.
You have a questionable bee in your bonnet there. Based on your theory, few books about political or related matters would even exist. There is the small matter of unscrupulous individuals, of which Jordan Williams is one, taking out injunctions and preventing such books making it onto the public bookshelves. He claims he wouldn't do it. Of course he does. He simply arranges for someone else to do it for him.
As for your term hit jobs… given Williams and co. spend their time doing hit jobs on all manner of people for spurious reasons, its a case of the pot calling the kettle black!
Spot on, Anne.
Well said indeed
Too right Ann. Well said
That’s ironic given that you’ve been trashing the book before it was even launched and continued denigrating it ever since. You even compared it to “a “join the dots” puzzle in a small kid's book”! How’s that not dissuading others from reading it? You sound like a disingenuous hypocrite.
You’re showing your true colours, as you did in 2014, and you keep spreading your toxic comments trying to dig a grave and bury Dirty Work by accusing it of being a ‘hit job’, presumably on the hard Right in NZ also. Why do you Act as an apologist shill for the hard Right?
Complete bullshit. I don’t. There is always the public forum of the court system.
Probable outcomes if Hager had informed the TPU board. After all look at why he got interested in writing the book in the first place in 2023 when the TPU launched a pre-emptive attack against him.
What I would have expected the mature response from the TPU board would have been was
Injunction. Denial. Witchhunt. In Jordan Williams’s case, he’d almost certainly leak personal and private details about potential ‘leakers’ to his mates for a personal online harassment campaign. He has a lot of form for doing that.
Even you would have to agree that is the most likely scenario. Especially with a evil self-entitled arsehole like Jordan Williams.
Basically if a board is incapable of building up trust with present and past employees about direction and reasons for direction, the the board members haven’t been doing their job. Or are you one of those foolish people who is top down command only? Lots of case studies about the effects of that in my MBA – most of them fatal to the companies. And I have observed it a number of times across many different companies. It is my main reason for leaving them.
Personally I suspect J Williams is a malignant narcissist. Since I once had one such person in my life (not in a romantic sense) he appears to exhibit the same characteristics – entitled, manipulative, lies and cheats, intimidates, is full of his own importance and plays the 'I'm the victim' game’ if all else fails.
@Anne Sounds horrid!
I don't think the avoidance of an injunction excuse really washes.
If Hager wanted to get the book out before the election, he could have had it ready six months earlier to allow for injunctions to be dealt with. Or moderated contentious material so an injunction is less likely.
The other thing is an attempted injunction could actually increase his credibility if the injunction attempt fails, as that would just make his case more believable, as it could be seen as having had a type of endorsement from the court.
That would have defeated his purpose. He wanted it to coincide with the start of the campaign because he believes it is a political matter and needs to be seen in the context of the election.
A good example of his honesty and transparency, and I agree with him. It was the appropriate time to launch the book.
In other words, censor what he had to say because of an anticipation of intimidation tactics. You sound like you are giving a generic defence of bullying, stand over tactics, and just about every other useless practice that is used by the powerful against the weak. Is that what you taught your kids or grandkids. If so – what does that say about your personality.
Perhaps you should read some law and the basis of how judges are required to operate. There is no such 'get out of jail' option in NZ law. If it was a jury trial, the the trial judge would be instructing them to remove that from their head if a defence lawyer was silly enough to raise it. The facts in the case are those presented to the court in trial, not what went on in courts before trial in pre-trial motions.
If you want to consider how that kind of focus on process works, then look at how the appeal court operates. It is a court designed to rule on other judges. So it seldom looks at the facts in a case or even any new relevant evidence. It rules on if the court processes were followed and the application of the court to the law. Essentially if the trial was fair in a legal sense. That kind of myopic focus on process is the key to running a reproducible legal process that people can generally rely upon, and you see it throughout the legal profession.
I lived through my ex's law degree and professionals. Always having a shortage of reading material pre-internet, I read most of her textbooks and lecture notes while I was waiting for her to finish her Llb/BCom after I finished my MBA.
TSS. Did you offer Mr Hager a look at your denigration of him before publishing here? Hypocrite!
Anything I have said has already been said by experts. Nothing I could disclose that he hasn't already seen lol.
Self-conceited comment suggesting that the ‘experts’ (??) and you align on your denigration of Hager’s Dirty Work before it was even launched.
You’re on record here as denigrating Hager in 2014, which attracted quite a few Mod notes from Lprent. Seems to me that your negative disposition towards Hager is longstanding and entrenched and that your confirmation bias is on full display.
I think you’re in danger of straying into troll territory.
And who are these "experts"? HdPA, her mate Barry Soper with Mike Hosking and a few other dyed in the wool right wingers thrown in for good measure?
Maybe Cameron Slater himself?
I am going into town today to purchase or order a copy of Dirty Work from our local Paper Plus and will be reading it this weekend. It will then go into the book shelf with Nicky Hager's other publications.
Good luck. It's out of stock at the NZ suppliers.
https://www.batemanbooks.co.nz/?s=dirty+work&search_id=7&post_type=product
You sound as disappointed as Luxon when he heard about Nicky Hager’s latest book. Cry me a river!
I was expecting a couple of resignations at least! Maybe that will come. But no sign yet.
By all accounts, those disillusioned and disgruntled TPU members have already left the TPU on their own accord and Nicky Hager used them for his research for his book Dirty Work.
I am thinking more of Jordan Williams himself. He wouldn't take up Hager's proposal to offer immunity for the alleged victim to make any employment settlement public.
I am not sure how all that works. On ZB Williams claimed he couldn't offer immunity for someone who doesn't exist. But, if I were him, I would just have said the offer is being considered, but needs to have approval from the board or whatever.
Anyway, if such a person were to come forward anyway (assuming they exist) then I imagine that would be grounds for Williams to resign. Though, he would be resigning for being a dishonest prick, of which there are plenty around from all political backgrounds.
ts I think you and Belladonna have milked the book cow dry. What helpful comments can you make about getting a citizen oriented and NZ-loving government for next term?
You probably are right.
But, also, from your perspective it must be a bit sad? If only people from the right are interested in discussing this after only a couple of days from the book launch?
People from the Right are trying their damndest to bury this, not discuss this. They fudge, they divert but the best response from anyone has been from Luxon who ridiculously claimed never to have heard of Nicky Hager!
He must be a total idiot, if what he claims is true, or a liar, if it isn't 🙂
Well, given the book hardly features on the news streams now (from what I can see), then the right must have been very successful in burying it I guess.
Like burying a seed – all the Right need to do now is water it with their tears 🙂
Following our discussion from a few days ago (I still haven’t had time to read the book) so I have been catching up on specific issues via other writers. I commented (to you I think) that HR departments were notorious for hiding dirty laundry with settlements..
Simon Wilson at the Hopetown on substack pointed out
Perhaps Ruth Richardson should not look for cheques written out by the TPU board for settlements, but instead look at the billing from the “HR Department”. That is an interesting way to produce a sexual harassment deny defence, employ family as the HR department.
Quite possibly. And that would give plausable deniability if that is the case.
Not sure about the legals of what Williams was saying on ZB. If this alleged harrasment case is actually bogus, is it possible or advisable to give general immunity? And perhaps he had advice against granting that immunity.
But it seems to me there must either be 0 sexual harrasment cases or several if there are any.
The rationale is that there normally would be a confidentiality clause in any such contract, and I imagine allowing Hager to publish details relating to that information could be seen as breaching that confidentiality clause.
If there was only one complainent, then it would be immediately obvious who the complainent actually was, given there only being one such person. This could potentially open them up to legal action on the basis of breaching confidentiality.
But, if there is more than one, then it wouldn't be possible to determine from the book who the complaint related to.
Interesting stuff.
My understanding is that Hager claims that the board paid out the money? If so, it can’t be a hidden deal?
I honestly don't know which side is telling the truth with this.
And, here is an interesting analysis from Google AI on this matter. I asked which way it thought an unbiased observer would lean based on the information available. Here is what it said:
"The Case for Hager's Account Being Correct
An observer leaning toward Nicky Hager’s version would base their view on his established track record and the specific mechanics of investigative journalism:
The Case for the Taxpayers' Union Account Being Correct
An observer leaning toward the Taxpayers' Union’s denial would point to the absolute nature of their response and the high stakes for their leadership:
The Neutral Verdict
Ultimately, an unbiased person would see this as a classic standoff between extensive confidential source reporting and unequivocal institutional denial. Without the public release of a physical document, or a witness coming forward on the record, a neutral observer would consider it impossible to confidently wager either way."
Note, I thought AI would be interesting to ask because it is about as neutral observer on these matters as one can get.
It's unlikely that any AI has a copy of the book scanned yet. Which means it's scraping the internet for data patterns to form into opinion. If you are using that particular AI a lot, know that it is trained to give you information you want to hear and it knows what that is.
Without seeing your exact prompts, or its references, what you posted is inane and useless.
Try reading Simon Wilson's substack, or Bryce Edwards'. Humans who have read the book and can place it in the context of NZ society and politics because they have analytical skills, and long experience.
Further, this isn't a wager. It's about getting to grips with a serious sociopolitical phenomenon. You don't have to agree with Hager or his conclusions to do that.
the whole 'is it true, who should I believe' position is a diversion. You can dislike Hager's approach, but he is a very experienced investigative journalist, dismissing what he has written because you don't like it isn't an argument.
Actually they aren't. AI's are trained to please the questioner if at all possible. There is a lot of work about the algorithmic rewards to AIs in sycophancy behaviours.
I notice this a lot when maintaining or writing or just figuring logic in old code. For which I routinely use GPT, Claude and Gemini plus others.
Being a programmer with long experience on how to fuck up, I delight in pointing out or asking questions about AI planned designs and poking holes in them. I describe it as tormenting. Over a few months, this has resulted in models reading previous sessions and now taking great care to hunt for sinkholes before I find them – especially in some of the monumental code bases I maintain.
However for your benefit, I asked Gemini to help out with this question "are AIs trained to please people" using several different phrasing. This was probably the most 'neutral'.
Asking "AI training to please people" gave me. Note the second one.
And the primary reason why AI models are horrifically risky when used for mental health support.
They're risky to rely on, uncritically, anywhere – but mental health has resulted in real tragedies.
Fair points. I think I have done my dash with this topic now anyway. So, this will be my last comment on this topic.
Resignations!
C'mon are you working on a stand up routine?
Judith Collins, caught up in the Oravida scandal, a chapter in Dirty Politics including third party hit jobs on senior officials, Bronwyn Pullar leaks, Adam Feely, then she lies to the United Nations Convention on Torture.
Resign? Became leader of the National party then top dog at the Law Commission.
Resign, excellent!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350541355/judith-collins-biggest-controversies-troublesome-tweets-resignations-and-dirty-politics
Judith C is apparently well thought of with her ability to rise like a champagne cork. She stands tall amongst other upright women:
https://globalwomen.org.nz/welcome-to-our-new-global-women-members-for-june-2026/
Or other, more unsavory things that bob to the surface.
National campaigned in 2023 on letting councils continue to own their water assets. Since then has come the the reality of its programme for local government (whether councils survive or not).
Which, when including the Taxpayer Union programme for rate increase limits, raises the longer term issue of whether they can sustain their current operations without sale of their water assets.
(Was the Taxpayer Union, not Maori, the real threat to council owned water assets?)
Little wonder they have now delayed this matter till after the election.
Then there is the delay of any decision on the risible option of the LNG terminal (the Methanex plant close down, the Lake Pukaki swimming pool and Genesis/Huntly biomass plans).
https://www.fasttrack.govt.nz/projects/lake-pukaki-hydro-storage-and-dam-resilience-works
https://www.genesisenergy.co.nz/about/news/genesis-and-natures-flame-in-biomass-supply-negotiation
This is a government hiding issues from the electorate as the campaign begins.
As things stand, there will be no Bishop or Willis in parliament, even if National were to stay in office.
Before we uncork the Champers, there are backdoors for Bishop or Willis to miraculously re-appear in Parliament. How that would affect portfolio allocation during coalition negotiations is 5D chess.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/09/22/how-a-national-election-win-could-wipe-out-luxons-top-ministers/
A shrunk National Party would increase & strengthen the hand of NZ First and ACT in Coalition Mark II.
Regarding the backdoor options:
The scenario is more electorate seat wins than party list entitlement.
If so, they could only come in from a vacated electorate seat.
This would take at least 6 months.
Then there is the issue is what seat near where the Lower Hutt and Wellington MP's live would be available. And would they contest for the party nomination against each other, or toss a coin?
The operative word was “miraculously”, which doesn’t mean impossible or never.
Anyhow, the Coalition’s MO for the last 3 years has been to hide things from public view and doing things shrouded in secrecy. For example, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics/1563981/minister-refuses-to-divulge-curriculum-feedback-amid-oia-secrecy-claims.
“A shrunk National Party would increase & strengthen the hand of NZ First and ACT in Coalition Mark II.”
From Bomber:
He is right about that. However I suspect that is largely due to a backbone issue
And, the assumption that Luxon will be in charge.
Even if National/ACT/NZF are able to form a coalition (with or without TOP) – I forsee a night of the long knives coming for Luxon after November.
Wasn't water asset privatisation by stealth the goal at the outset? I remember saying as much before the last elections. Legislation limiting the role of local bodies to physical plant, underfunding water upgrades and capping rates are economic pressures from government to force local body asset sales. That's what they’ve promised their private equity mates,I reckon.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361037700/nicky-hagers-dirty-work-belongs-fiction-section
Idiot Penk's trying to reinvent himself as some kind of political guru. What a fuckwit.
He doesn't have the chops.
Given that his first line is a confession he hasn't read it, it makes it difficult for anyone to take him seriously in reviewing it. If anything, he’s reviewing the press coverage…..
The nACT1 CoC has "got to get this right"?!!! Why start now? Is NZ back on track yet?
Fuck me did he say it with a straight face???
They rushed everything else they've done to our detriment!!
Fortunately the local government reorganisation FU is so obvious that voters will take note of it. The mayors around Godzone have been spitting tacks.
Might there be a fair amount of overlap between the 26% of Kiwis who rate the nATC1 CoC govt positively, and the 26% of Kiwis who aren't in favour of a wealth tax?
That'll send a shiver down the 'spines' of NAct MPs, and their donors.
Hardcore tribalism/cultism at work. A similar percentage to the remaining support for Trump in the US.
We're not quite ready for it in New Zealand until the 2029 election on current trends, but Germany right now tells us what a full collapse of the centrist vote and centrist parties would look like:
What were the trends 2002 (National decimated) – 2005?
Not quite a collapse. Berlin has 3.7 mi people, while Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania have around 3.6 mi combined, out of a total population of 86 mi. Map size isn't everything.
And there was a messy breakdown of the previous Centre-Green State government in MP, so the centrists lost credibility. While Mertz as Chancellor seems particularly inept as a leader.
The AfD vote is as much a protest vote as a 'shift to the right'. And as the England and Wales Greens are finding on canvassing, that swinging protest vote will often go elsewhere if given a more positive option.
It's very important to understand that, as in England with Labour, the German centrist parties and the Greens have all picked up negative migrant positions, in response to what was seen as populist opinion. They have also all defended austerity economic measures.
'[Die Linke] was the only party to campaign hard on social justice and affordability. As the housing crisis escalated, it pledged to honour Berlin’s popular but contested 2021 referendum to socialise more than 200,000 flats owned by major corporate landlords… Crucially, [DL] was also the only party to resist the framing of migration as a problem, to insist that antiracism is essential to antifascism, to oppose Germany’s role as Israel’s second-largest arms supplier after the US, and to criticise the genocidal war on Gaza.'
https://tribunemag.co.uk/2026/09/germany-socialism-barbarism
NACT-NZF the Unready.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-ao-maori/1570659/waitangi-tribunal-finds-crown-had-no-clear-plan-for-maori-health-after-scrapping-te-aka-whai-ora
Election campaign timetable action by the government.
Some new roles and a teaser about nurse to patient ratios (a big thing a few years ago when the soon to be scrapped health boards agreed to them).
At some point primary care action to reduce demand for hospital services will be discovered as an issue (as per Pharmac funding).
https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/09/25/health-nz-380-new-frontline-roles-nurse-to-patient-ratios-considered/
https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/361084941/plea-more-medicine-funding-after-government-approves-sliver-pharmacs-bid
https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/361087253/hospitals-get-380-extra-staff-health-nz-confronts-rising-demand
In the hardcopy Post today also. Two whole pages from Health NZ, or whatever name they have, listing positive health outcomes in the past three years, like increased immunisation figures.
Blatant electoral propaganda being paid for out of the strangled Health budget. Disgusting.
How come Health New Zealand has waited almost three years to add hundreds of Nurses when many NZers have been suffering. I guess we all know the answer to this, but I find it to be appalling when our Nurses and other medical staff working at many of our hospitals have been struggling and leaving.
Wigram is where my dead birth father trained for his Air Force wings, came down and buried in France 1944. Now we like Germany, are at war again, against the cold-blooded callous regime of advanced tech, monetarism and neoliberalism; another world war in every part of the world. So interesting to watch Wigram's outcome, where there are many new Kiwis escaping from economic, climatic, or political intrusions to their lands.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2609/S00217/the-election-fight-for-wigram-is-taking-flight.htm
Wigram is a likely two-horse race between National's Tracy Summerfield and Labour's Dominik Yanzick.
The south-west Christchurch seat of Wigram takes its name from the former airfield at its heart.The electorate is young and diverse – but changing boundaries have also changed its character.Why is it interesting? While RNZAF Station Wigram – New Zealand's first military airfield – is long gone, the aerodrome has left its mark.Street names give a nod to its aviation history along with the subdivision at its centre – Wigram Skies.
The electorate has been a left-wing stronghold for decades. Labour MP Megan Woods inherited the seat from her mentor Jim Anderton after his retirement and has held it since 2011.Anderton, who was a former Progressive, Alliance and NewLabour leader, held Wigram after the current seat was created in 1996…
Finally on Germany – politics now: The Rest is Politics – Rory and Alastair…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O9F50YL0AM Is it over for Germany's Friedrich Merz? or – Can anyone stop the AfD from seizing power? (If you would like it Fuse (electricity) adfree, then join the outfit as a member – advice on the AdFree version.)
It seems astounding to me that Wigram is a two horse race at all.
For generations it's been a bastion of the Left. And the profile as outlined in the article is predominantly young and ethnically diverse – albeit with low voter enrollment. Not exactly prime National-voting territory. Regardless of a shift of voters from Selwyn.
Summerfield only came close in 2023 on the wave of the post-Covid electoral crash for Labour. And, it would seem as though she wouldn't have a chance against Woods in 2026.
The issue appears to be Woods standing aside to go list only. Is Yanzick such a poor candidate as a replacement? It would seem highly likely that Woods – with massive local presence – would be campaigning for him – as Anderton did for her.
TBH, this sounds like a local political beat up (there needs to be something local to report on….)
Just noticed an item in the Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/sep/24/fossil-gas-runs-out-bolivia-poverty-inflation
I haven't time to think about this in the depth it undoubtedly deserves, but at first glance there seem to be some chilling parallels with NZ.
With this very major difference. Morales from 2005 renationalised the gas industry, raising the govt share 'of the revenues from the two giant fields from 50 percent to 82 percent, while taking only a 60 percent share at Bolivia's minor deposits.' Morales also increased State income from minetal reserves. wiki
Now, how much would we be better off in NZ if we had kept 80% of the income from our petrochemical reserves and our gold extraction? Even better, if it had gone into a national sovereign fund, as in Norway?
I have my fingers crossed for these green shoots in the Waitākere Ranges. It’ll take some time to see the result though.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/environment/1558052/glimmer-of-hope-in-fight-against-kauri-dieback
So Macklemore, freshly free from Ed Sheeran commitments is embarking on a 'Free Palestine Tour'.
It reminds me of a mate, back in the day, that went to a Free Nelson Mandela concert but was disappointed when he didn't get one.
Dah dah doosh
When both the Berlin Wall fell and Mandela was set free in quick order I was really pissed off because there was nothing to demonstrate against.
Oh I wish for those days again and to go along the path less travelled. A bit more dithering would have been better than Rogercomics fast track method. If we only took more time to stand and stare eh, then would we be in another wood.
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
https://www.robertfrost.org/the-road-not-taken.jsp
The rich are getting richer, faster at the top. And the poor are getting poorer?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9SeOxklwss 'We are Living under Mr Burns' by Unlearning Economics
This below sounds like a thoughtful review of finances. Then I thought of Jewish Jubilees that I have only heard about. So I put these two links up and we can all read them if interested. They would seem authoritative but I'm too ignorant to say. I'll find time to listen soon. Hope they are useful to those who follow them up. Jewish ideas seem good when not under fascism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePwoaHSFgG0 Why Is The Yovel Jubilee Year A Jewish Financial Reset? Jewish Money Wisdom
Have you ever wondered about the principles behind Jewish concepts of justice and community responsibility? In this informative video, we'll explore the significance of the Yovel or Jubilee year and its role in promoting fairness and social harmony.
We'll start by explaining what the Jubilee year is and how it functions as a form of societal reset.
We'll discuss how land returns to its original owners, debts are canceled, and individuals who sold themselves into servitude are freed—highlighting the importance of economic balance and personal dignity.
We'll also examine the spiritual connection of the Jubilee to themes of atonement and higher values, emphasizing that wealth should serve the community rather than personal greed. The video will outline practical lessons from this tradition, such as debt forgiveness, resource sharing, and responsible stewardship, which can inspire us today to work toward a more equitable society.
Whether you're interested in religious traditions, social justice, or ethical financial practices, this overview offers valuable insights into how ancient principles continue to influence modern values of compassion and justice.
Join us for this meaningful discussion, and subscribe to our channel for more insights on Jewish teachings and community responsibility.
Why not just ban usury?
'In many historical societies including ancient Christian, Jewish, and Islamic societies, usury meant the charging of interest of any kind, and was considered wrong, or was made illegal. During the Sutra period in India…there were laws prohibiting the highest castes from practising usury. Similar condemnations are found in religious texts from Buddhism, Judaism…, Christianity, and Islam… At times, many states from ancient Greece to ancient Rome have outlawed loans with any interest. wiki
Were there taxes in those places where usury wasn't used? And if so what? Is there a quick way of finding out? I'm tempted to think we might ask AI though I am wary of it.
Have a read of wikipedia. That way you get the facts, and can judge for yourself, without outsourcing to ai.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_(biblical)
"The periodic land redistribution mandated by the Jubilee was aimed at preventing excessive wealth inequality and democratizing private property, without abrogating either personal responsibility or incentives for prosperity. The Jubilee provides an economic structure that regularly dissolves large economic inequalities. Given that every fifty years almost every citizen in Ancient Israel was entitled to a plot of land — the main form of wealth at the time — the system seems to promote a form of Asset-based egalitarianism, embracing a universal basic capital or universal inheritance."
Interestingly, there's no point to a Jubilee in modern Israel because the State, plus one non-profit, are the only landowners.
Also, historically this was a piece of Babylonian custom picked up when jewish people in exile became part of the admin people for that empire (middle management). This group codified an oral judaism into a written religion. And Samaritans were looked down on by the middle managers on their return because they had stayed in Palestine during that exile.
Thanks tWig. I'm getting overwhelmed by information and learning, then watching events that shouldn't be happening if people in charge had read and understood the stuff I'm reading which has been available to them all the time. I am fearing that we are in a circle and that it is a whirlpool, a maelstrom.
(And that made me look up the word maelstrom which I thought was Norse; then I learned about the large one off their coast. So much information and we spend so much time at school on other matters that we don't need to know perfectly. Climate change will have an effect on this phenomenon, natural/man-made.)
So: Biggest strongest whirlpool/maelstrom: Saltstraumen – near Bodo, Norway – has one of the strongest tidal currents in the world. Up to 400 million cubic metres (110 billion US gallons) of seawater forces its way through a 3 km (1.9 mi) long and 150 m (490 ft) wide strait every six hours. Vortices known as whirlpools or maelstroms up to 10 m (33 ft) in diameter and 5 m (16 ft) in depth are formed when the current is at its strongest. At this point, one source claims that the tidal current can reach 40 km/h (25 mph).
Saltstraumen has existed for about two to three thousand years. Before that, the area was different due to post-glacial rebound. The current is created when the tide tries to fill Skjerstad Fjord. The height difference between the sea level and the fjord inside can be up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in). When the current turns, there is a period when the strait is navigable. [A few lives and boats have been lost finding that out and timing the trip! We will need careful and knowledgeable people in authority in NZAO for the future so we can navigate on sea and our political currents on land, starting from NOW.]
In NZAO – French Pass (Te Aumiti) is a narrow and treacherous stretch of water that separates D'Urville Island from the north end of the South Island of New Zealand. In 2000 a whirlpool there caught student divers, resulting in fatalities. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltstraumen
Also Lake Peigneur USA – 1980 petroleum drilling disaster destroyed freshwater lake and created vortex. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Peigneur
NZ Post management are disgusting and fully in line with those who have rearranged our community and country systems to limit or destroy them.
Time for a song – Elvis Presley sings about this in the USA 'Return to Sender' – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZmUfUBqE-s
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2609/S00192/postal-workers-union-welcomes-report-of-parliaments-petitions-committee-after-challenging-nz-post-returning-mail.htm
https://youtu.be/ihIJZ8HHNhY?si=Tj_xpF2iaXyrdQjy
18 minutes, well presented, a good interview with near billionaire Nick Hanauer who is an advocate for wealth taxes. This has so many parallels to where we are in New Zealand.
The Ipsos poll today shows lmost two-thirds (64%) of New Zealanders favoured a 2.5% wealth tax.