David Seymour is all class

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, October 12th, 2021 - 71 comments
Categories: class, class war, covid-19, david seymour, poverty, the praiseworthy and the pitiful - Tags:

So yesterday David Seymour suggested that suburbs where the vaccination rate hit 90% should be allowed extra freedom.

From Bridie Witton at Stuff:

ACT Party leader David Seymour wants suburbs with Covid vaccination rates of 90 per cent or higher let out of lockdown and given a guarantee they won’t ever be put under stay-at-home orders again.

Many Aucklanders are reaching “boiling point” as the city enters its eighth week of lockdown and needed to see a “light at the end of the tunnel”, Seymour said on Monday. He said easing restrictions for highly-vaccinated suburbs would also encourage people in under-vaccinated areas to be jabbed.

“Why should a suburb who has done the right thing, and there’s many of those in central Auckland for example, continue to face the same sanctions as areas where vaccination rates are low?” he said.

“If they [the Government] made the commitment that they really won’t lock down suburbs that have reached 90 per cent vaccination, that creates a real impetus for those areas who tragically had low vaccination rates to start getting vaccinated.”

So which suburbs would they be?

In Auckland the data suggest that Herne Bay, Remuera, Takapuna, Howick and St Heliers would qualify first.  Out west the only area that would qualify is Henderson Heights and the part of Te Atatu Peninsular that has a view of Auckland Central.  Out south you can forget Mangere, Otara and Manurewa.  Can anyone see a pattern?

And the further away from the centre of the city the lower the vaccination rate.  Inner city suburbs have had great service.  Aotea, Waiheke, Rodney, the outskirts of Waitakere and Franklin are not doing so well.

This screenshot from Spinoff shows the disparity.  It is very clear to those that know the city that the wealthier the area the higher the vaccination rate.

The comment is badly camoflagued dog whistling.  It is also epidemiologically bonkers.  The virus does not respect the boundaries of wealthy suburbs.  But regrettably this sort of coarse class politics should be expected from Seymour.  He should have stuck with dancing with the stars.

71 comments on “David Seymour is all class ”

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  1. Pingao 1
    12 October 2021 at 8:44 am

    I think that's a great idea. So just within those suburbs no one has too wear a mask or socially distance or any of those other awful restrictions. Same goes for anyone visiting those suburbs and their bars and shops and gyms and churches and what not. sarc.

    • lprent 1.1
      12 October 2021 at 9:29 am

      He hasn't thought about the servant problem. All of those cleaners coming over and miraculously being virus free as they cross the border of the suburb. Not to mention the deliveries that are required to keep the wealthy in the style that they wish to continue.

      It is questionable if Davy can think. The last time this could have been done in the manner he suggest would have been back in the 19th century when Auckland was more a set of villages and small towns. It appears that century is where Davy thinks we are.

      How did he manage to get through engineering school? The city operates as a ecosystem, as an entity, and not something that is possible to divide up.

      • alwyn 1.1.1
        12 October 2021 at 10:15 am

        "not something that is possible to divide up".

        Really? So that means that it is essential that Auckland be organised as a Supercity and everyone who says that creating that entity was a mistake were nuts? I have friends, currently locked up in Gomorrah on the Manakau, who say that Rodney Hide was wrong to push for the creation on the Supercity. Can I quote you as thinking that it is the only way the area can be organised was as he proposed?

        • logie97 1.1.1.1
          12 October 2021 at 2:49 pm

          Supercity, or the original councils – just which would be appropriate in this instance? How could you possibly control movement around the super city as it now is or under the old councils. Seymour's idea is just fantasy… how on earth would you determine who is free to move about and freely associate against those not???

        • lprent 1.1.1.2
          12 October 2021 at 4:16 pm

          Yes Really!

          Silly bugger – you're only looking at the taxation and services parts of the city and sound as simpleminded as Davy. Those have little to do with day to day life. The city is a whole lot more complex and layered than that.

          You both seem to think that an arbitrary political boundary (old city bounds or suburb) can constrain a disease.

          The problem here is (dials down explanation to 'talking to a dumbarse level') is that warm human bodies carry and spread the disease. Humans are required to such mundane things as serve coffee in cafes, clean drains, fix roads, etc…

          Personally I personally only have anything to do with the city politics and services when I have to pay rates, use roads and bike paths, deal with parking, and find potholes in local roads the hard way. I don't think I have had to deal with city servant or their contractors in person for more than a decade. I see them occasionally fixing the roads and inspecting cars to see where to place the ticket. No warm bodies carrying the disease within 10 metres of me – not really a problem.

          However to stop 'sanctions' as Davey the dimwit puts it would require that hairdressers, cafes, shops, and the whole business and socialising regime would be open. That the electricians, builders, plumbers and all sorts of trades people could as well. Not to mention the courier drivers, trucks to deliver goods – etc etc..

          So the roads in and out of the suburb would be as well – because how else can you get the people in to to all of those things? The people who do most of those tasks don't live in the effluent areas that Davy the thick engineer lives in. They live where the housing costs are cheaper.

          Remember that the current vaccines for Covid-19 are not 'sterilising' vaccines. They don't stop people from getting the diseases, don't stop the infection growing and spreading. They merely reduce the level of damage that the disease and the immune system does to those getting infected to the disease. They also tend to cause the immune systems to reduce the time that someone can be infectious for.

          And there have been people going to hospital who are partially and even fully vaccinated in places with higher background infection levels. These are the breakthrough infections, largely caused by a high background infection rate often coupled with a reduction in immune response (ie like getting a cold).

          So that means the even with a 90% vaccination rate, there can and will be infections with the vaccinated within those suburbs unless they lock everyone else out, prevent the unvaccinated from moving around, and constrain the movement of even the vaccinated in case they are currently infectious. ie similar to level 3 restrictions.

          If the blind twits lock all of the nurses, electricians service staff, and everyone else out – it looks to me like they'd sanction themselves. Not to mention that in a city, that is damn near impossible. Too many roads, bikeways, footpaths…

          Then of course you'd expect your average self-involved Act supporter in Epsom to act like the selfish idiots that they always are and self-detirmine that their hairdresser / cleaner / plumber couldn't possibly have a covid-19 and it was alright for them to bring their cheap and possibly diseased body through the quarantine.

          You may quote me as saying that I'm always amazed at how dumb Act supporters generally are. They are usually so involved in expressing how they'd like the world to be, that they forget to look at how the world actually operates.

  2. tc 2
    12 October 2021 at 8:49 am

    Such crass elitism/canine calling on show from rimmer willingly published by granny.

  3. Gezza 3
    12 October 2021 at 8:52 am

    Smug bugger’s getting too cocky for his own good.

    That suggestion is not going to go down well with the general public, imo. Smacks of elitism. Probably scored himself an own goal there.

    HE might be safe, himself, in his Epsom seat, but his other party MPs probably rely to a greater extent on a certain amount of good will from the voting public. He could squander that if he doesn’t take great care not to look & sound entitled & snobby.

    • dv 3.1
      12 October 2021 at 8:57 am

      Is he even aware that the vaccine doesn't stop transfer!!!!!

      (And how will he stop movement of the unvaced into those areas!!)

      • Gezza 3.1.1
        12 October 2021 at 9:14 am

        Hard to say. This is, as already noted in the post, an awfully blatant dog whistle to the less discerning elements of the voting public. He’s not a phool, so I reckon he does know the virus will still get in, but he’s appealing to those who think it doesn’t matter because those who’re vaccinated tend not to suffer severe Covid symptoms.

  4. Tiger Mountain 4
    12 October 2021 at 9:04 am

    His “Dickdom” and whiteness run deep, and it seems Mr Seymour gets largely uncritical main media channel coverage not seen since Sirkey was PM. He has enablers from those suburbs, and unfortunately supporters in all sorts of places now that ACT has adopted populism and gun lovers.

    The sooner ACT is properly challenged on the right wing Chicago school platform it actually stands for behind the media free ride the better. ACT is anti union, anti working class and anti Māori.

    • tc 4.1
      12 October 2021 at 9:09 am

      The charter school party values align with the Heralds.

      He gets to publish whatever he's given as semi-literate copy and granny feeds off the clickbait.

      • Tiger Mountain 4.1.1
        12 October 2021 at 9:29 am

        Don’t get me started on Charter Schools…commendably the NZ Teacher Unions and many teachers held the line against Charters during Nationals last reign, which was not easy as many younger teachers have only experienced the time of private sector penetration of public education.

    • Gezza 4.2
      12 October 2021 at 9:09 am

      I still think some of their current support will revert back to National when Collins is rolled. Provided her replacement is credible & has a coherent policy platform.

      • tc 4.2.1
        12 October 2021 at 10:04 am

        Yup but JC isn't going anywhere soon and policy isn't a national party strength.

        Where's those bagmen when you need them eh.

      • Gosman 4.2.2
        12 October 2021 at 3:30 pm

        Can you give me an example of a coherent policy platform that would attract new ACT party supporters away to National?

        • Gezza 4.2.2.1
          12 October 2021 at 3:43 pm

          No.

          Would have to be a policy platform that was advanced regularly, in lieu of the endless silly sideswipes & potshots Collins keeps taking at Labour & their “friends”, barking at every passing car. Making her look petty, negative, & lacking in substantive alternative policies.

          Sort of, you’ll know it when you see it, kind of thing.

          • Gosman 4.2.2.1.1
            12 October 2021 at 4:00 pm

            But that is why your analysis is flawed. You can't think of a policy that would pull people away from ACT towards National because of your ideological blinkers. ACT has been successfully positioning itself as a viable alternative to both Labour AND National which is why Labour has lost votes to ACT rather than National. That is going to be very difficult for National to claw back even with a more competent leader in charge. There is not one set of policies that would do it but more a range plus a dose of political good fortune for them.

            • McFlock 4.2.2.1.1.1
              12 October 2021 at 4:09 pm

              ACT has been successfully positioning itself as a viable alternative to both Labour AND National which is why Labour has lost votes to ACT rather than National.

              ACT has always been an alternative to Labour and National. The only thing that makes it "viable" at the moment is National's complete disfunction.

              Has Labour lost votes, in any appreciable quantity, to ACT? Sure, I'm not saying there's no Lab4 diehard who's finally bit the bullet and officially gone over to the tory side, but seems to me Labour would lose more votes to greens or no-response than straight to ACT. Hell of a values shift by any voter who does that, is all I'm saying.

              • Gosman …
                12 October 2021 at 4:14 pm

                You can't argue with the data. National (aside from the last poll) hasn't really changed much from it's performance at the last election. It hovers somewhere in the mid 20's. Labour has fallen in support and The Greens have stayed the same. ACT on the other hand has basically doubled it's support since this time last year. Given National hasn't fallen by this much your view would require former Labour voters deciding to support National at around the same rate that former National voters start supporting ACT. While possible it is highly unlikely.

                • McFlock …
                  12 October 2021 at 4:24 pm

                  lol

                  Where in the data does it show that individuals who chose to answer the survey for Labour have subsequently answered the next survey for ACT?

                  You're treating disparate random samples with unreported "fuckoff" survey rates as the same individuals.

                  Maybe some Labour supporters went to "I am making dinner", and the nats who were making dinner are now just outright going ACT because there's no difference between those two parties so they might as well go for the one that currently looks like a winner.

                  • Gosman …
                    12 October 2021 at 4:29 pm

                    I love how left wingers such as yourself underestimate the ability of ACT to appeal to former Labour supporters. I suspect you are in for an unpleasant surprise in the next two years.

                    • Craig Hall …
                      12 October 2021 at 5:39 pm

                      Agree, there are certainly swing voters who vote for either Labour or National based on vibe (for want of a better term) or occasionally a few specific issues, and also a fair few more who swing between Labour and Greens or National and Act on the preference of how much influence they want the smaller party to have in that coalition, but it's not like there are voters who never move preference elsewhere.

                      Act was a spinoff from Labour, so I'm sure there are social liberals who wouldn't want a bar of National on social policies but have changed their fiscal views to be more about smaller government and lower taxes, and for that matter, blue-green Nats who have decided the only way to give the environment more support politically is to vote Green.

            • Gezza 4.2.2.1.1.2
              12 October 2021 at 6:18 pm

              Gosman said: “But that is why your analysis is flawed. You can’t think of a policy that would pull people away from ACT towards National because of your ideological blinkers.”
              …………………………

              I’d hardly call my comment an “analysis”. More like an observation. An analysis I’d put more time & thought & words into.

              Also I don’t know what you think my “ideological blinkers” are. I am not politically tribal & have not been since the Lange/Douglas administration. I make my mind up at each new election which candidate & which party I am going to vote for this time.

              In 2017, I was expecting a 4th National Maori Party ACT Party government & would not have been disappointed by that. In the event, Winston Peters handed the election to Jacinda Ardern & Labour, which was also worth giving a go, for a change.

              Both Labour & National are now centrist parties. Labour leans towards the union/socially liberal/progressive end of the centre spectrum, & National leans towards the personal responsibility & “lawn order” end.

              A new National leader could still manage to do some kind of reset back towards the party’s revised principles set out in the link below. At present they seem a bit rootless.

              https://teara.govt.nz/en/national-party/page-4

    • weston 4.3
      12 October 2021 at 1:04 pm

      Why exacerbate ANY divides TM ?.By consistently using terms like 'gun lovers'you are lumping all gun owners into an imaginary camp to create the impression ALL gun users are some sort of right wing losers sitting around caressing their favorite weapon !!NZis not america and 99percent of the gun users in nz have a few guns the same as they have a few fishing rods !Why give Seymour any extra votes by alienating legitimate law abiding gun users by the careless and clueless use of language designed to divide ?

      personally i have no idea who the fuck the Gun women and i dont wanna know
      i support the other things you have been saying by the way

    • Nic the NZer 4.4
      12 October 2021 at 1:38 pm

      David Seymour has Maori descent on his mothers side apparently. My current working theory is that he suffered physical harm as a child (according to Oranga Tamariki) because he wasn't actually raised as Maori. Unfortunately I'm having difficulty squaring that idea off against my own Scottish descent while being discouraged as a child from boozing, heroin use and fanatically supporting Diego Maradona and any other country facing England.

    • Gosman 4.5
      12 October 2021 at 4:02 pm

      What do you mean "properly challenged"? The media has attempted to do this and ACT has avoided their traps quite easily.

  5. Tricledrown 5
    12 October 2021 at 9:26 am

    Many of those wealthy suburbs are populated by much older people who even with vaccination are more susceptible to Covid infection.

    National won't be happy with this blatant power grab.

  6. Peter 6
    12 October 2021 at 9:26 am

    Let Epsom be in Level 0 or whatever some drongo wants.

    Send in the army to keep outsiders out. Will I be allowed to transit through? Border patrols on Manukau Road?

    The joy, the freedom to be able to go shopping to be served by people who've come in from the polluted areas.

    Seymour is saying it not because he's necessarily serious but because he knows the notion will appeal to those who fancy themselves to be elite all over the country.

  7. Byd0nz 7
    12 October 2021 at 9:27 am

    I want to Seeless of Seymour, including on here, why give him attention, The best thing to give him, is voiceless detention.

    • Tiger Mountain 7.1
      12 October 2021 at 9:40 am

      Too late, he is out of his Incel chatroom and into public consciousness, what his party stands for needs to be challenged–Electronic Income Management for beneficiaries and all–freedom of the individual unless you are poor!

      ACT remains the rotten party of the libertarian elite it always has been since Roger Douglas and his motley crew formed it. Current ACT policies are in link, as slippery as the proverbial.

      https://www.act.org.nz/a_hand_up

  8. Ad 8
    12 October 2021 at 9:35 am

    Is this not what the government is doing already on a regional scale?

    • AB 8.1
      12 October 2021 at 10:47 am

      It is – but it's a fallacy to believe that because something sort of works at one scale it will also work at a different scale. If for instance, Seymour had suggested having different streets at different levels, or different houses in the same street at different levels, everyone would think it was a bit nuts.

      Seems to me that suburbs are too physically contiguous and too tightly linked in terms of flows for this idea to make sense – and it would take several armies to enforce any boundaries. Partial versions of it might be possible though, e.g. a government might not open schools in South Auckland, but open them in the rest of Auckland – though they would have to be brazen enough to fight off accusations that they were exacerbating existing educational disadvantage.

      Seymour most likely understands this – he's just voicing what he knows a solid chunk of his 15% support actually think. He's keeping them loyal and close.

      • Ad 8.1.1
        12 October 2021 at 11:25 am

        The lines they have set up are arbitrary DHB lines. May as well be Police command regions. They are just making it up.

        May as well have been Rugby franchise territories.

        The published mesh block data simply invites politicians to expand or contract infection defenses. NZHerald has already made town comparisons into a competition.

        Sorry about people's feels and all that, but there needs to be more competition between us, not less.

    • Patricia Bremner 8.2
      12 October 2021 at 12:00 pm

      The South Island elite were annoyed not to have their position of L2 visited during yesterdays stand-up. They obviously felt impatient about the poorer areas of Auckland keeping them at this level. Self interest being displayed.

      This is the same thing, but I wonder if … a "Look over here"…. by Seeless, so what is happening in Act we are not to notice?

  9. Reality 9
    12 October 2021 at 9:41 am

    Seymour has brought in a number of MPs this election cycle but mostly they seem to have taken (or been instructed to) a vow of silence, apart from the gun woman who is let out occasionally and the deputy leader whose names most people don't know. Seymour is still a one man band and is lapping up his new found attention. Time for more scrutiny and publicity of his party and policies.

    • Gezza 9.1
      12 October 2021 at 9:46 am

      Agreed. And I think that scrutiny will start happening now that he’s gone & foot-shot himself with this absurd proposition.

    • Tiger Mountain 9.2
      12 October 2021 at 9:56 am

      The “gun woman” Nicole McKee, is a right piece of work from COLFO (NZ Council of Licensed Fire Arms Owners). The organisation presents as grass roots shooters, but is embedded with the firearms industry. Pre the ACT hook up their www site had links to the American NRA, which even then they tried to obscure by being Affiliates of international sports shootings organisations rather than direct affiliates, such links long gone from public view now.

      And yes the ACT numpties need to be scrutinised, and perhaps given the treatment that say Ms Wiles got from Cameron Slater recently and see how they shake out. I am not seriously advocating that!, but Seymour and new friends are not just harmless “other players” in the Parliamentary scene. They advocate attacking the minimum wage, abolishing Māori seats and much more.

      • Tricledrown 9.2.1
        12 October 2021 at 12:52 pm

        If Maori seats were abolished National would loose rural guaranteed seats.

        Leaving National struggling to maintain a strong presence that electorate seats give them.

    • Anne 9.3
      12 October 2021 at 12:23 pm

      Of course his MPs have been instructed to stay silent. He knows that if they opened their mouths everyone would see what a bunch of no-hopers they were.

      I am reminded of Peter Dunne when he brought a whole bunch of his supporters into parliament – United Front was it called? Oh no, that was the Monty Python crowd. 😉 Dunne did the same thing. Kept their mouths shut because half of them were nut-balls. In the end it showed and Dunne's party disappeared down the gurgler.

        • lprent 9.3.1.1
          12 October 2021 at 4:36 pm

          I just looked at the first and last one, because they are in my daily news reading list. There was a reason that I’d ignored them. They didn’t say anything of any interest. They were space fillers for the page.

          Nicola McKee – two small quotations and slightly less than the Maori party spokesperson immediately above. Incredibly anodyne wish-washy general statements with no particular value and no statement of act policy. Compared to the Maori and Green party spokespeople statements above it – who were talking about their own personal experiences, you just get the impression that she would have been better off not saying anything rather than being a vacuous hole saying boilerplate statements of concern..

          Simon Court – got 3 paragraphs as they were obviously the only contacts that had anything bad to say about the delay. He wasted it on being sounding off with boilerplate sneers, not a thing about Act policy, and at the end was a hypocrite because he was pushing a faster response to the Emissions Reduction Plan – which from my understanding is opposed by Act anyway.

          It was then followed by a number of paragraphs of industry people praising a "sensible decision".

          Yeah – I can see that Act MPs apart from Davey are making a impact in the media. They are coming to epitomise people that you can rely on to say nothing of any note. The kinds of people you need to work on policy based on their deep commitment, concern, and personal experience for what they are doing.

          /sarc

          BTW: I guess that they don’t get asked by the NZ Herald or BusinessDesk at all. I can’t recall seeing any of then in those at all. Someone might want to review the other froth links for our entertainment… I don’t have time.

          • Gosman 9.3.1.1.1
            12 October 2021 at 4:51 pm

            Nicole McKee has had a Private Members bill pulled from the biscuit tin on Gangs and has been interviewed on that.

          • Gosman 9.3.1.1.2
            12 October 2021 at 4:55 pm

            I am confident you find anything ANY right wing MP is pretty much how you frame the comments from Nicole and Simon however the point I was countering was that the new ACT MP's were being kept quiet. That is obviously not the case.

            • William 9.3.1.1.2.1
              12 October 2021 at 5:58 pm

              I'm flicking back & forwards between this thread & making a submission to Wellington City Council regarding the completion of the Evans Bay Cycle Lane. While looking at recent comments made by others I came across this gem posted this morning:

              —————————

              Nicole McKee MP ,

              You need to fix our pipes. This plan removes access to recreational water activities. You're spending money on the wrong thing and taking away recreational activities. Your being blind with arrogance and its sad because you're not listening to the people. You're on your own agenda with blinkers on. You're not a deity, your funded by us – open your ears and listen to the people.

              7 hours ago

              —————————

              Surely she could have run it past someone in the office to avoid the "Ratepayer of Hataitai" vibe and correct the grammar. It's a good example of why they're being kept on a short leash.

          • Higherstandard 9.3.1.1.3
            12 October 2021 at 5:02 pm

            'They are coming to epitomise people that you can rely on to say nothing of any note. '

            Perhaps they should join the current government ? Although to be fair then they'd also need to become expert in non-delivery of various warbling.

    • Gosman 9.4
      12 October 2021 at 4:15 pm

      There have been a range of policies and statements from the new ACT MP's

      • Brigid 9.4.1
        12 October 2021 at 7:56 pm

        Do us a favour and teach Nicole McKee the difference between 'your' and 'you're'

        She seems confused.

  10. Chris T 10
    12 October 2021 at 9:50 am

    Brooke van Velden is also fairly spotlighted.

    She asks lots of questions in parliament and has been in the media quite a bit

  11. Stuart Munro 11
    12 October 2021 at 10:14 am

    I guess he figures there are a few votes to be squeezed out of Auckland frustration – and it's probably true. Chaos benefits minor parties – hence Winston's sudden reappearance. But chaos isn't particularly good policy – though it may appeal to NRA affiliated enthusiasts.

    Seymour might become a threat if he tended to avoid cheap shots like this, and nutted out plausibly superior policy – but the long habit of being a poodle is hard to break. The worst of the toxic media vermin may even throw him a few treats.

  12. Ad 12
    12 October 2021 at 11:27 am

    Act for 20%, that puts the political Ebola into National.

  13. bwaghorn 13
    12 October 2021 at 11:51 am

    The main flaw is it could never work , short of walling them off , of course the wealthy probably would like that.

    • Visubversa 13.1
      12 October 2021 at 12:48 pm

      Until they had to mow their own lawns. clean their own houses, do their own laundry and fill their own swimming pools. Until they realise that their gym is on the other side of the wall, and that they can't drive their 4WD monsters up and down Ponsonby Rd.

  14. DukeEll 14
    12 October 2021 at 12:06 pm

    "It is also epidemiologically bonkers. The virus does not respect the boundaries of wealthy suburbs. "

    But it does respect 90% vaccination rates. Which could also be seymours point, and would also make it epidemiologically sound

  15. roblogic 15
    12 October 2021 at 12:35 pm

    It really sucks that a tiny minority of Aucklanders is holding the rest of us to ransom. We are suffering and paying for their selfishness and total disregard for the wellbeing of others. They are bludgers who do nothing but make life harder for everyone else, they only exist to rip off others and rort the system.

    Crime does pay, especially for Epsom one percenters

    (This is extreme sarcasm FYI: the landlords, banksters and property spruikers of Epsom and Parnell are engaging in class warfare. And Seymour is throwing bones to them)

    • gsays 15.1
      12 October 2021 at 12:49 pm

      Thanks for clarifying the sarcasm.

      I had a diatribe of epic proportions and I was gonna come from a long run up, a'la Hadlee in his prime.

      • logie97 15.1.1
        12 October 2021 at 3:06 pm

        Just to correct you there for future reference. Hadlee went as a raw talent to Nottinghamshire cricket owning a long run-up. He had to play (John Player) Sunday league in his first year with a maximum of 20 pace run-ups. As a result of modifying his approach he turned from an average bowler to become the champion he was, off a shortened run.

        • gsays 15.1.1.1
          12 October 2021 at 4:30 pm

          Thanks for the elucidation (gonna have to sit down after using that word).

        • Macro 15.1.1.2
          12 October 2021 at 4:35 pm

          Exactly. Says it all in his book "Rhythm and Swing". He had a much shorter run up than a lot of other fast bowlers.

          Maybe Dennis Lillee would have been a better example.

        • Patricia Bremner 15.1.1.3
          12 October 2021 at 4:49 pm

          Yes, was in Rotorua for a game where Hadley and Howarth had obvious words about his run up at Smallbone Park.

      • Craig Hall 15.1.2
        12 October 2021 at 5:42 pm

        Michael Holding aka Whispering Death if you want a fast bowler with a very long run up in his prime.

  16. georgecom 16
    12 October 2021 at 1:01 pm

    Another health gem from the leader of the opposition.

    how about unrestricted travel overseas for people from those suburbs as well, that's a grand idea

  17. barry 17
    12 October 2021 at 2:51 pm

    Seymour clearly knows something about the virus that has escaped the epidemiologists and microbiologists. There is nothing magic about 90% vaccination rate. It is not a goal, but an aspiration. Anything less than 100% is not going to stop the virus, although the higher the percent vaccinated the lower the number of hospitalisations.

    The people who want to suddenly open up when the percentage hits a certain value (like in NSW and Victoria) are indulging in wishful thinking.

    The virus is what is setting the rules. The government is just discovering them. Luckily the government found the rules for the first strains, but the rules for delta are different, and the government hasn't found them yet. Seymour and the like are making up rules without consulting the virus at all.

  18. logie97 18
    12 October 2021 at 3:12 pm

    Why hasn't he suggested that the South Island (Christchurch/Queenstown) be opened up for the thousands of overseas citizens to return home to. Do their mandatory 14 days down there and then allow them to go to all points north, including back into lockdowns in Auckland.

  19. coreyjhumm 19
    12 October 2021 at 3:44 pm

    If the govt listened to him he'd be attacking the govt for abandoning low vaccinated suburbs. This opposition and media have become full on contrarians. Jacindas doing too many press conferences she loves the attention, Jacindas not doing enough press conferences she's afraid of the questions.

    Labour has no plan. Open us up. Labours opening us up and throwing us in harm's way.

    The right can't make up their minds

    This is a stupid idea but in saying that I don't get why commentors above me have judged this as racist when the govt and businesses are already telling the unvaccinated they can't go to bars or events or festivals without a vaccine, the vaccine is free to all regardless of your race or ethnicity, it'd only be classism or racism if the vax was only available to rich white people, the vast vast majority of nz is getting vaxxed regardless of their wealth or ethnicity, some need extra help absolutely but they better hurry up because the clock is ticking and people aren't going to wait for them they have till about mid November to get vaxxed, it's going to be impossible to restrict people who are vaxxed as the vaxxed population increases and people demand their lives back the team of five million idea dies and becomes the team of vaccinated and the team of unvaccinated and team of unvaccinated.

    The problem indeed with this is that people who work and study in suburbs don't always live there so you'd have unvaxed people traveling to vaxxed areas where the unvaxed person is likely to get sick. It's a dumb idea.

    There are loads of restrictions coming these aren't racist or classist when the jab is freely available to all. We will eventually be a no jab no service society, so get vaccinated or you'll be a social pariah or worse dead.

    The publics patience with the unvaccinated is wearing thin but having suburbs that have high vaccination rates go to level one is dumb.

    Seymour isnt racist but he is classist and always will be a tosser and a hypoctical contrarian career politician whose been running for office since he turned 18 yet insults career politicians.

    Book your vaccine appointment today. Delta is coming and it's going to kill a lot of unvaccinated people.

  20. Gezza 20
    13 October 2021 at 10:42 am

    It just randomly occurred to me that a better title for this post might have been:

    David Seymour is all [cl] ass

    😕

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    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago

  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: “What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago

  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.   “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government redress for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua
    The Government is continuing the bipartisan effort to restore its relationship with iwi as the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill passed its first reading in Parliament today, says Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith. “Historical grievances of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua relate to 19th century warfare, land purchased or taken ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Focus on outstanding minerals permit applications
    New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals is working to resolve almost 150 outstanding minerals permit applications by the end of the financial year, enabling valuable mining activity and signalling to the sector that New Zealand is open for business, Resources Minister Shane Jones says.  “While there are no set timeframes for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Applications open for NZ-Ireland Research Call
    The New Zealand and Irish governments have today announced that applications for the 2024 New Zealand-Ireland Joint Research Call on Agriculture and Climate Change are now open. This is the third research call in the three-year Joint Research Initiative pilot launched in 2022 by the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ireland’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Tenancy rules changes to improve rental market
    The coalition Government has today announced changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to encourage landlords back to the rental property market, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The previous Government waged a war on landlords. Many landlords told us this caused them to exit the rental market altogether. It caused worse ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Boosting NZ’s trade and agricultural relationship with China
    Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay will visit China next week, to strengthen relationships, support Kiwi exporters and promote New Zealand businesses on the world stage. “China is one of New Zealand’s most significant trade and economic relationships and remains an important destination for New Zealand’s products, accounting for nearly 22 per cent of our good and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Freshwater farm plan systems to be improved
    The coalition Government intends to improve freshwater farm plans so that they are more cost-effective and practical for farmers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay have announced. “A fit-for-purpose freshwater farm plan system will enable farmers and growers to find the right solutions for their farm ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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