Written By:
- Date published:
6:00 am, February 28th, 2026 - 20 comments
Categories: open mike -
Tags:
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 …
Ticking "middle class" our, not their society boxes.
1.taking reference to the Treaty out of legislation.
2.English as an official language.
3.Immigration officers being allowed to check the identity credential of those suspected of being overstayers.
4.no wearing of gang patches.
5.no rough sleeper homelessness allowed in urban centres.
6.a big new prison.
https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/360958294/dawn-raids-re-hashing-old-immigration-dog-whistles
a.silence on the level of immigration, impact on wages and rental prices (employers and landlords are party sponsors).
b.employees facing losing working conditions if reclassified as contractors.
c.no Fair Pay Agreements (Industry Awards), even though they government says it will only allow pay equity claims via comparison within an industry sector.
d.reduced support to workers (and others) from ACC – because the government keeps it underfunded by employers.
e.remaining the only country in the OECD without CGT (2/3 have CGT and an estate/inheritance).
f.reducing protection for the environment and the conservation estate.
You forgot –
Does anyone know:
* who had the idea that milk should come in plastic bottles instead of glass
* whether using plastic is better in terms of the environment and the amount of energy saved.
The Internet knows, and it's quite easy to find answers eg, and here.
There wasn't a single person who decided. There was a gradual move to plastic bottles by the dairy industry. It was thought plastic bottles were better because they were less breakable during transportation and could more easily be recycled. Initially it was thought it'd be better for the environment.
Thanks for the lead; I'll take a look. I'm keen to learn if plastic bottles are recycled repeatedly, or just re-used once then dumped in a landfill.
They're melted down and made into things like fence posts.
Anchor's recycling
The way various things are recycled in NZ, including plastic bottles.
ODT (28 Feb) reports a Dunedin engineering business owner has left NZ owing $1.1 million tax to IRD.
You can bet there are many more like this, so the government's tax take will be way down. Are the auditors asleep at the wheel?
I sure hope Dart Engineering work their way out of this.
It has been a solid Dunedin-based business that has fought hard to gain a niche inside the Queenstown boomtown.
It would be massively sad for those highly skilled workers to join the ranks of those many heavy industry companies that have collapsed due to this governments' economic mismanagement particulary of their inability to regulate electricity prices.
And I think there was a loss of engineering works for the NZ Railways wasn't there? Or did Labour manage to get that back when they got one of their chances to get NZAO operating effectively again?
Other way round Ad, long term Queenstown based, and very capable concern.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/588249/former-prince-andrew-s-scandals-pose-an-almighty-challenge-for-prince-william
Especially when the predatory media get their claws into our royalty that stands now as a small defence against giant predatory 'democrats' actually incipient fascists, oligarchs* and klutzy kletptocrats who have likely done things worse than the mistaken, naughty royalty. It's just more brouhaha to wave in front of the peeps while they sneakily pick your pockets or worse, bludgeon you over some inflated misdeed.
* https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/another-word-for/oligarch.html
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/588191/new-gift-card-rules-clarified
If you have got a small business and decide to issue vouchers or gift cards note the new 3-year rule.
For myself I would welcome a two year rule which would have enabled me to use a card I had put away after Christmas and found the next Christmas!
Take note – this has at base been caused by the rigid rule of banks that only so much can be transferred out of your account on one day. Now this might be part of their stability controls but it sure as hell affects your smaller and to you, more important, monetary controls.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/588232/australian-buyer-loses-100k-deposit-due-to-banking-rules-could-the-same-happen-here
" the rigid rule of banks".
It is only rigid in the sense that there is a limit that you have agreed to. You can change it if it isn't enough. It is a very easy thing to get changed. For example I deal with NAB and I can raise the limit with them up to $100k/day between Australian bank accounts directly via internet banking. If that isn't enough I can always ring them to get a higher limit.
It has nothing to do with bank stability. It is simply a security feature to limit fraudulent transaction and you can arrange a limit that will let you transfer all the money you have there on request if you want to.
Click to Edit –
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2602/S00556/lgnz-suggests-pragmatic-way-forward-for-local-government-reorganisation.htm
Someithing to watch with scepticism. Local Government main body seems to be steeped in nelief in style and buzzwords rather than direct service to funders. eg ratepayers.
UBC Bookstore https://bookstore.ubc.ca › products › freedom-for-capital-not-people
Freedom for Capital, Not People The Mont Pèlerin Society and the …
The definitive history of neoliberal monetary thoughtBased on new archival sources, Freedom for Capital, Not People tells the story of how the Mont Pèlerin Society transformed the world economy. Founded in 1947…
https://www.lgnz.co.nz/
To stop megaphone populists triumphing, we need unlikely …
The New Zealand Initiative https://www.nzinitiative.org.nz › opinion › to-stop-mega…
20 Jan 2026 — There is a deep irony in the fact that the members of the Mont Pelerin Society are gathered in conference rooms worrying about how to save the …
The Relevance Of Rogernomics – Brian Easton
eastonbh.ac.nz https://www.eastonbh.ac.nz › 1997/11 › the_relevance_o…
1 Nov 1997 — The irony was compounded when in 1988 the Mont Pelerin Society held its (second Southern Hemisphere) conference in Christchurch to celebrate …
[This is a mish-mash of broken links and incomplete blurbs that seems to come straight from an AI on LSD.
This is the second time that you dump a whole swag of broken links here today; it wasn’t warranted to explain multiple times ‘without prejudice’ to hammer home the point that you needed to catch up on its meaning (https://thestandard.nz/the-tamatha-paul-cycleways-vs-water-voter-never-happened-as-described/#comment-2056671).
Please keep the noise levels down and your bows short, and pay more attention to your comments before you submit them, thanks – Incognito]
Mod note
Okay Incognito you want to run this political; blog as if you are a school master (person) setting the right approach and way. Seeing everything that we have been doing over the years has produced chaos and sadness I feel it is important that we learn some new ways. And I feel we are ignorant, and have never been encouraged to think and query so am learning and passing on my learnings. I offend your correct and appropriate ways so I will stop coming here as I have better use for my time than to follow along useless old paths. Goodbye.
This is not just a hissy fit as I am in despair at the unconcern and lack of thought I see commonly and getting worse with the net entrapping us and social media memes. I can't afford to get depressed and give up on life yet so won't waste your time any more on this site.
The third time the Americans have such a force in the Gulf region etc, now (multi-day action) has begun.
Whatever it takes, don't let this happen here:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/feb/28/dirty-water-death-and-decline-the-inside-story-of-a-privatisation-scandal
It’s not a war, it's a special military operation.
//
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/trumps-iran-regime-change-attack-gamble/686190/?gift=otEsSHbRYKNfFYMngVFweOUPnZPCOwYYowS12oxxoZQ&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share