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6:00 am, May 26th, 2026 - 54 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.rnz.co.nz/news/political/596301/1m-in-political-donations-from-entities-linked-to-fast-track-applications-revealed
Rotten to the core
So, as I said the other day, apart from being profoundly undemocratic and massively pro-developer, the fast-track process has also proven to be overtly corrupt.
It must go on November 8.
Establishment folk doing normalcy as usual: https://apnews.com/article/scotland-embezzlement-murrell-sturgeon-94dd4f5705fd11e31d6c21b6514f01cd
Nationalism corrupts, just like communism. Absolute power is absolutely cool when you get it, so work the system well when you get there!
Heard on MR just now Hipkins telling Ingrid that Labour are conservative. Thought of all the keen Labour folk who believe that Labour are progressive choking on their cornflakes, toast or coffee. Hope the emergency deparments don't get choked up with casualties. Loose lips sink ships, and Labour must sail thro these storms of fate…
[I listened to the interview which I think you were meaning and I didn’t here anything of the kind. So, provide the link and time stamp of where Hipkins allegedly said that and give a little bit of context. You’re in Pre-Mod until you comply – Incognito]
Mod note
Okay, have listened to the interview again online, and it happens around 6'50" in, where he refers to how they do their economic policy implementing – conservatively.
Clearly his intent is to provide reassurance. I made a wry comment on how that may induce emotional responses in some listeners. No big deal…
[The Q from the interviewer was about Labour’s policy of three free GP visits paid for by CGT and the [Labour’s] assumption that property prices will go up over the next 4 years, which is the Budget-forecast period. The interviewer queried the calculations on which the policy is based, given the flatlining of property prices at present. Hipkins replied:
So, your version is misleading BS, as was your first comment.
You didn’t provide a link, as requested (https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2019036611/weekly-interview-with-opposition-leader-chris-hipkins).
You speculate, rightly or wrongly, on Hipkins’ intent when he was answering a specific Q regarding a specific Labour policy. You speculate how Hipkins intended to induce an emotional response in some listeners when he was factual and concise about a technical aspect of the policy.
You claim that your misleading BS is no ‘big deal’. I beg to differ, because: 1) it’s Election Year, and 2) you’ve a bad habit of making misleading, confusing, and incorrect comments.
Since it won’t be big deal to you, take 3 weeks off – Incognito]
Mod note
Dennis Frank has a tendency to make things up as I also heard the interview and Hipkins said no such thing.
The silly thing is that there's a good case for the left to style itself as 'conservative'. Because, as the real champions of freedom, we want to conserve and protect what is most human in us all from the destruction and depravity of markets that are unrestrained by any collective sense of social purpose. And this conservatism appears to be 'progressive' only because the status quo, despite being such a radical and revolutionary departure from most of human history, is viewed as normal.
For the left to claim the ground of conservative champions of human freedom against authoritarian forms of economic control, might be a useful upending of conventional platitudes.
Thanks Incognito to ensure we are getting the facts and not suppositions.
And as for Dennis F making things up; according to someone else, he probably can detect the truth behind the word salad, but he definitely should point out what he is concerned about – not present his ideas as stated fact. So don't water down your good lines of thinking so we look at your stuff with doubt DF. I want to keep on reading your comments helping the discussion.
On the 'wrong metaphors sink ships' front:
Willis' Way [aka Slip Slidin' Away]
Regrets, I've had a few,
But then again, no boats to mention… Move-On!
We've only gone and bloody found it, Nicola – accommodation fit for a Lotto winner – this one will fetch a pretty penny! Still wondering who the real winners are?
A great way of incentivising state house tenants obviously would be to hold a contest for the most well done artistic event on their front outer walls. They would have to have a written explanation of what they were trying to portray, so mind and skills would be fine. And they should be signed by their own logo. And be given a drop in their rent for a while, or get some repair done needed. Try a different approach than the boss authoritarian to the low-life.
But look back to work already done in NZ by thoughtful planners- stop playing at being wise planners, behaving more like children on skateboards. Grow up politicians of the Right and the Left also the various bubbling hot pools steaming around the perimeter.
Dr Morgan Williams while NZ Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment 1997-2007went with a team to Brazil, and learned about Curitiba city in the north. They had better ways of helping out and rewarding the poor for advancing aspects of the city there. We just go in for class-superior, brute force and derision – so diminishing our culture both at the top, well-educated, wealthy level and at the bottom being treated with the class contempt that was always there, just partly hidden, overlooked.
Workshop in Christchurch 2003 with Jaime Lerner, Mayor for many years of Curitiba, Brazil. http://archived.ccc.govt.nz/Council/Agendas/2003/November/UrbanPlanning/UrbanDevelopmentStrategy.pdf
Earlier, in June 2002, there had been a paper formulated in NZ, by the PCE: 'Creating Our Future – Sustainable Development for New Zealand'- https://pce.parliament.nz/media/ellgl2cm/creating_our_future.pdf
Another link worth glancing at: September 2002 1. Purpose 2. Tranz Rail Issues Greater Wellington — Te Pane Matua Taiao https://www.gw.govt.nz › 2002_571_1_Report .It is interesting to reflect on the Dr Morgan Williams presentation on Curitiba with its bus based passenger transport system and the strong light rail bias …
Dr Williams himself – https://www.eianz.org/membership-information/dr-j-morgan-williams-hfeianz/dr-morgan-williams-hfeianz
Interesting links thanks greywarshark, hadn't heard of Curitiba. More people than Auckland and seems well-planned, albeit with a usual percentage living in favelas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curitiba#Urban_planning
Yep I thought it was a way forward that a people-integrated community linked through from top income to bottom in a wise way. would operate with.
Apparently it was meant to be a horse-faced duck: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/election-2026-labours-chris-hipkins-says-barbara-edmonds-right-to-apologise-for-calling-nicola-willis-duck-faced-horse/PKLZCDD5R5BEZP3NQVFKZN5ACU/
Dunno if sheeple will find this reassuring. It's as tho he thinks it was a random brain fart that somehow shot out the side of her mouth due to her being in public at the time.
Could happen any time, eh? Others will opine that the imagery is accurate, so who the hell cares anyway? It's not as if a horse's arse got mentioned, so take it easy & relax.
Gosh, looks like the media have discovered hypotheticals are fun:
I lack their confidence that sheeple will be able to grasp such rarified concepts. We may get vague irritation and grumblings about intellectuals emanating from the milling crowd. Hipkins had a go at a team member to deflect the media:
The relic Herald chappie doesn't tell us why though. Probably thinks any reason H may have for doing so lacks public interest. Nod's as good as wink to blind horse…
Nicola Willis has apparently accepted Barbara Edmonds apology, said it was like water off a ducks back!
Like water of a homeless Kiwi's back, surely. Move On!
Wrong! Willi$, Gold$mith and $eymour all agree it very much needs to be like this.
"apparently"?
Did she also say, "You can lead a horse to water…"?
So for clarification… is it now acceptable to liken female politicians to equine features? But seriously they are votes out there looking for a home and Ayesha Verral (and by association Hipkins) think lolz songs are more important that transformational election policy…. good grief!
People relax in the sunshine on Durdle Door beach
Heatwave alert
"The weather here, it's like a mini version of hell. It's boiling. It's like really hot,"
Heat dome over Europe scorches UK, France, Spain
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/596310/heat-dome-over-europe-scorches-uk-france-spain
Anne Salmond with the comment of the day, at least for me.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/05/25/sam-mahon-on-the-mark-todd-stoush/#comment-626870
Her closing sentence:
"It seems that this government is so captured that will even allow corporations to draft a law, take it to the PM’s office and have it passed to shut someone up – Mike Smith, most recently. And the PM will deny it ever happened."
Salmond hits the nail on the head here. And when John Campbell put this to Luxon yesterday on RNZ Luxon threatened him.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2019036454/no-lolly-scramble-in-budget-pm
Minor correction: Luxon denied recollection, he didn’t deny it ever happened, AFAIK. Plausible deniability is the coward’s way to worm out of a tricky situation. RW media seem to give it as little attention as they plausibly can and prefer distracting their audiences with farm animals – one could be forgiven thinking that it’s time to buy Christmas presents again.
Re : Christopher Luxon to John Campbell. Luxo did seem to, if not exactly threaten, then maybe warn…and considering the hits on RNZ lately by the NACT1 coalition (in particular Wily Winnie and David not Nostradamus Seymour ) IMO that is up there threat wise…
I link Stuff. some people decry…even rubbish them, but hey I read many sites for News…not candy crush : )
Incog: At about three minutes the following exchange takes place:
Campbell: Is it OK that corporations have a direct impact on the wording of legislation?
Luxon: I'd be careful saying that John, I reject that characterisation.'
Earlier in the exchange Campbell said that the High Court had established that Fonterra had submitted a printed document to the PM's office, and that (either through the High Court or OIA) it had also been established that Z Energy had done likewise.
So, with regard to your comment, you are absolutely right that Luxon denied recollection, even though these events were in the public domain.
But the main point of my post was in relation to the reply "I'd be careful saying that John". This constitutes a threat.
(I see psych has made a similar point in his post)
Agreed, I think we’re talking about different fouls by Luxon, but the problem is that there’re so many.
When I think of Luxon, I'm reminded of the charming English village, Foulsmel.
Funny, I always think of Te Puke.
Bluuuurgggh!
National has form here, and have been considerably more ruthless.
In the early 90's Air New Zealand was about to start flying 737s into Queenstown and an Environment Court challenge was mounted by some prominent locals that had a very high chance of success. The night before the case was due to be heard, on the day before flights were due to start, National passed an Order in Council that removed the grounds for the local's challenge. I was in court that morning on another matter that was dealt with very quickly and then watched a very expensive beagle and the judge very quickly agree that the challenge wasn't going anywhere. A lot of stunned people in the room, including the judge.
Very clean, brutal, and no recourse at all. Complete contrast to this current debacle.
https://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=446615
If the retail arms of the big four gentailers can no longer get better deals, won't they merely pass that extra cost onto consumers?
So while this will help other players enter the market (thus create more competition) they will all be competing from the start point of a higher wholesale rate.
So due to this change can we all expect to see electricity prices increase again?
Surely this is something the opposition will get voter backing railing against?
It's really simple – everything the CoC does, it does to increase the wealth of the sorted.
Move-on!
Not being personally religious… at all, actually an Atheist, I can still like this Leo guy….and what he says. He seems like a Stand Up man. And there is sure plenty to Stand Up for ! I hope his followers…follow through….
Pope Leo is nowhere as loud as Pope Francis, but don't be fooled he's at least as liberal in the deep-critical vein.
The church and churchgoing is one of the very last refuges of digital-free time in an person's life in modern society. The Catholic Church is setting on the leadership position on how to resist AI, and it is by far the largest and most powerful global institution to do so.
If any of you atheists want to see massive soft power in action, check out Pope Leo. There may even be things you can support.
FFS…didnt I just say that ?
Me too! From the 'Scenes We'd Rather Not See More Of' dept: "Computer Says No"
DMK :Little Britain ? I go….The IT Crowd ("Have you tried turning it off and on again?" : )
And re : "robopaths by Lewis Yablonsky". ? Well, I was interested to find out about (and TBH, had not heard of..) Also a new site for me : NOVA.
What an interesting guy. Who had truly lived an Interesting life…(no Hawaiian holidays here..)
If only some of our current Leaders had seen/lived the Interesting side of Life. Maybe they might have Empathy? Or not.
And as Einstein himself said….
Nicola Willis has billions stored away to pull a Budget Day rabbit out the hat | Stuff
Does anyone else smell election-year income tax cuts?
Ah! The infamous lolly scramble. Aimed at stymying rising wage inflation expectations, e.g., give them a tax cut of $10 a week so that they won’t be bargaining hard for a wage increase of > 2% that’s still well below real inflation.
They are obsessed with helping their big business mates. So maybe a drop in Corporation Tax from 28% to 25%.
But that would cost a couple of billion annually and probably wouldn’t scoop up many votes.
Packrat
Too obscure again Merc; it doesn't add to the debate.
This is not a puzzle site.
Might not be what Mercurio is getting at, but "the term "packrat tax" is a slang expression that typically refers to the steep excise taxes applied to a pack of cigarettes."
Similar to the right-wing ‘New Zealand Initiative’ think tank, Minister Costello et al.
Ad – "Nicola Willis has billions stored away…"
"…does anyone smell…"
Yes, I do. I smell a rat. A packrat. Packrats store stuff, obsessively. Rats are rodents. I wouldn't call Nicola Willis a horse, a duck-faced horse or a horse-faced duck but I would call her a packrat.
I thought you were referring to lower than forecast spending by government.
https://www.treasury.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2026-05/fsgnz-9mths-mar26.pdf
Yep. I was.
I just saw a picture of Seemore, Nicola, Jones eating Paua pies @ Pukus Pies in Petone nice for some at a time of austerity and when many NZers can't afford takeaways those pies cost $15.
How many limos were parked outside and how many of the DPS were there? I hope they wiped the sauce off their faces.
Licked it off with their tongues.
They can lick their eyeballs, y'know!
Hopefully David and Nicola will each have a lovely rich paua fart break forth at the most inopportune moment, could be Shane's cunning plan…
pīhau!
Sorry, Mātua!!
(sorry Bearded Git!)
Here is what is required of all to enable us to survive in the latter part of 21st century. Not all will be able to do so but those that can, would heighten our society's standing if they could give people at the lower end of incomes and opportunities a hand and a smile, and at the top try not to get swept into the flow of the narrow 'followers of fashion' and good times with an excuse and a pass to be elsewhere.
The article is suited to women. That is too limited for these days and sounds 20th century. Women have moved on from such incentives, unpredictable now, and are encouraging young men to avoid finding their own strengths and weaknesses. That's my feeling. But if both seek still to form a couple and have children; a full life together with shared adventures and experiences and learnings, these considerations would build a pretty good life.