On the shootings in Napier

Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, May 8th, 2009 - 65 comments
Categories: uncategorized - Tags:

I’m sure I speak for everyone when I express my condolences towards the victims in the Napier shootings and the families of everyone involved. As someone who grew up in Napier, it hits very close to home.

Chaucer Rd, where this is all taking place, is right in the heart of Napier, one of the oldest streets. The steep section going up the Hill where Jan Molenaar’s home is known to all Napierites as Breakneck Rd – it’s a bit of a rite of passage the first time you’re brave enough to go down there on your bike. It’s right beside the old cemetery and the botanical gardens where carols in the park is held. The gully opens right into the CBD so the noise of the shots has been heard throughout the city. I guess what I’m saying the place this is happening is very important to Napierites and it will be particularly devastating because of that.

I don’t want to get too florid in eulogising someone I didn’t know but I know we all are thankful that there are people like Len Snee who are willing to do the difficult job of being a Police Officer and it is a tragedy that he has been killed serving his community. Again, I know I’m not alone in wishing a speedy recovery to those who have been injured.

The family of Molenaar are clearly as devastated as everyone else about what has happened. Geoff’s sensitively handled interview with Molenaar’s brother on National Radio this was very moving and worth listening to when it comes online if you missed it.

Let’s all hope know that this terrible situation can be resolved without anyone else being hurt.

Thanks to the Standardistas for inviting me to write this.

– Clinton Smith

65 comments on “On the shootings in Napier ”

  1. bilbo 1

    Well done Clinton I agree with your sentiments entirely a pity that some of the other posters, commenters and the sysop are unable to behave the same way.

  2. substandard 2

    “Let’s all hope know that this terrible situation can be resolved without anyone else being hurt.”

    What?

    Let’s all hope that the cops get a chance to blow this low life’s brains out.

    • Eddie 2.1

      Hear hear Clinton.

      substandard. The thirst for revenge is deep and immediate in all of us. It’s a basic and instinctive response. But I’m not sure how it would solve anything.

      The Police have said they do not want to shoot Molenaar, they want to arrest him. I don’t see why a police officer should have to become a killer too to satisfy your primal bloodlust.

  3. substandard 3

    Eddie

    Why the concern for the killer, is he a Labour party voter?

    • r0b 3.1

      SS, you’ll find a more receptive audience for your trolling over on Kiwiblog. Why don’t you head on over there and knock yourself out.

    • Eddie 3.2

      Please people can you show some decorum and not try to wedge politics into this?

      • Patrick 3.2.1

        not only a labour party voter – but a union rep

        [from stuff]
        “Molenaar was a storeman at a railways workshop in Napier about 20 years ago and, when that closed, he worked as a shunter and was also a union rep”

        • felix 3.2.1.1

          Is there some reason why this prick hasn’t been given a lifetime ban?

        • lprent 3.2.1.2

          How exactly do you get “labour party voter”? You can’t. You’re making an assumption. Like me he was in the territorials in the 1980’s – that sounds just as likely that he was a right-wing wingnut, especially if he was as armed as he appears to be.

  4. Hilary 4

    What really worries me (apart from the subhuman comments above) is that behind these incidents are usually serious mental health issues. So what has Tony Ryall done? Cut funding and targets for mental health services.

    • substandard 4.1

      Well done Hilary, I can always rely on left wing scum to politicise a tragedy like this.

      You people have NO shame.

      • Maynard J 4.1.1

        You better have a chat to your mate Bilbo, he’s been at it for two days. Oh, and look in the mirror, you fucking prick:

        “Why the concern for the killer, is he a Labour party voter?”

        • bilbo 4.1.1.1

          Maynard you panty wetter can you please point to where I’ve been trying to politicise this tragedy ?

          • Maynard J 4.1.1.1.1

            bilbo you panty wetter your first comment is a pretty obvious pointer. If you actually gave a hoot, as opposed to coming here to fling about some mealy-mouthed bullshit you wouldn’t have had your little cry about other commenters etc.

          • bilbo 4.1.1.1.2

            Congratulations Maynard from Mayfair you are an idiot…….for an example of politicising this see Hilary’s comment.

          • Maynard J 4.1.1.1.3

            Meh, you’re a bit of an idiot too, could have just commented on the story instead of going in for the political dig, but thumbs up for the comment about naenae bro: sometimes eloquence is not required.

    • wtf 4.2

      It sounds as though you may have a serious mental health issue Hillary.

  5. Brett Dale 5

    Well said Clinton. Hats off to the NewZealand Police they are showing more patience, than they have too.

  6. gobsmacked 6

    Clinton, thanks for your post. Heartfelt and informative.

    Could everybody – and I mean everybody – please resist the temptation to turn this thread into a political scrap. Every other thread is there for us to do our usual food-fight … but not this one.

    RIP Len Snee, and let’s just hope this tragedy ends without further loss of life.

  7. student_still 7

    It is great to finally see some support here on The Standard for Police. Too often have I come on this blog only to find Police being ridiculed as bumbling idiots, who plant evidence and deviously spy on innocent people.

    This incident is a wake up call. Despite the perceived glamour of the life of an officer, Police more realistically and regularly do the kind of on-duty tasks that nobody else would want to do. They serve and protect us from the drug addled, ignorant, stupid, uneducated and socially unevolved ‘unfortunates’ in our society. It takes an exceptional kind of person to do this.

    Substandard, your petty black-and-white tit-for-tat thinking offers nothing to the discussion. Personally, I’d rather see Police keep the offender alive, so he is ultimately held accountable for the destruction he has caused.

    And on a separate note, substandard, you can’t wish the guy dead for being the ‘scum’ that you think he is without taking some of the blame. Many NACT voters continue to ignore the deeper social issues involved in cases like this, and continue to right these people off as unable to be helped, doomed from the beginning. This kind of denial, accompanied by vengeful knee-jerk reactions towards the crimes they commit, is not solving anything. It is truly sad that people like substandard are unable to see these people AS people, and instead wish police had the power to destroy them at will!

    • substandard 7.1

      What utter crap, your lot have been in power for the last nine years, the NACT government has nothing to do with the so called “social issues” involved in cases like this.

      What we have now in our society is a lawlessness that has been fostered and developed under Labour, the lazy are rewarded and the productive are penalised.

      • lprent 7.1.1

        bb: I suggest that you read the comment as a whole rather than just reacting as is your usual practice. You look like you’re assigning ‘left’ support to anyone that disagrees with you. That is an attitude that you should leave at the sewer. Argue what they say rather than whatever label you just attached to them

        • bilbo 7.1.1.1

          “You look like you’re assigning ‘left’ support to anyone that disagrees with you. That is an attitude that you should leave at the sewer.”

          In case you haven’t noticed that’s an attitude that is fairly prevalent at the standard as well…… anyone who disagrees with the posts must be a “NACT” supporter or a troll.

          • lprent 7.1.1.1.1

            Nope, I’m very discriminating, and so most of the commentators. If that persists then they tend to get a warning, and desist.

            Trolls are pretty easy to recognize – they violate the policy and don’t desist when warned. Indeed most seem to start saying explicitly or implicitly that they should be allowed to say what they like whenever they like – which is plain stupid. But even some of our former trolls have managed to come back on under different or even the same pseudonyms, changed their behaviours, and survived without banning. In fact I’m having problems remembering who I or others here last banned (not counting people with permanent bans).

            I do admit to using wingnut and CCD occasionally. Mainly for effect.

          • bilbo 7.1.1.1.2

            There’s a Tui ad in there somewhere.

          • lprent 7.1.1.1.3

            BTW: I’ve even tolerated your excursions into different identities to slag someone off.

            However I do urge you to read the policy on pointless personal attacks and not let it grow to be too much of a habit. That particular comment nearly got you a weeks vacation.

          • bilbo 7.1.1.1.4

            It needed to be said.

    • lprent 7.2

      Too often have I come on this blog only to find Police being ridiculed as bumbling idiots, who plant evidence and deviously spy on innocent people.

      I think that is over-stating the facts considerably. This should probably be pushed to a different thread in a later post. As far as I can tell from the media the police are doing a good job in Napier. However your point is one that you’ve raised before – you’ve asked it of Anita and never got an answer for at the time. Since you’ve raised it again, I’ll give a long answer from my perspective rather than let your statement stand. Anita’s view is probably similar.

      It is difficult to argue that the precept that most of the nz police do a hell of a good job in difficult circumstances. They follow the rules and get the job done within them. Their overall efficiency explains why NZ has a far smaller police force per head of population than most comparable countries.

      To me it is the mainly the relatively senior police at the fringes in specialized units that seem to have some unusual ideas about what their role and powers are. The difficulty is that there appears to be little control on those units, and the effective avenues of complaint are few. Complaints about the police seem to drop into a vacuum to emerge a year or two later with a bland statement that amounts to “we cannot see what you’re complaining about”. This induces a considerable degree of skepticism amongst people who are aware of these cases, like me, about the management and control of the police by themselves – which is how they are largely governed.

      Most posts that you see here about the police are related to the police interactions with activists – I have written many of them. A lot of people who frequent this site are political activists who are often friends with activists who are pushing for changes in society in various areas in a more direct peaceful and lawful manner . We know these people and the harassment activity by the police directed at them is very hard to justify. That is where you see the criticism of the police coming from. For instance many of us will know or know of the people in the ‘terrorist’ arrests in 2007 and know damn well that the charges against many of them can only be described as being bogus. There are a few mad hatters there as well, but it is likely that mainly what they’re guilty of is spinning bullshit – down to the standards of the sewer, but on the evidence to date, not worse. The ‘training camps’ are no more than Rob Gilchrist was running presumably on instructions from his handlers.

      The track record of police arresting activists at protests, charging them, and then being unable to make the charge get through the court is appalling. Many activists have whole files of multiple charges that they have successfully defended. The main ‘convictions’ are from activists opting for diversion or simply giving up when faced with a year of going through to defend themselves. Some get convicted because they are unable to make one of the multiple court dates, don’t get notified of a court date until very late, or get witnesses to attend yet another date that gets deferred. When that happens, of course happens to be the one that the police finally decide to stop asking for extensions and present their case.

      The pattern of behavior is so consistent from the police side, that in some cases it has to be deliberate, others look like bumbling. Effectively these amount to the police abusing their powers to charge. It appears to me that some police are using the slow court system as a type of extra-legal punishment. Most notably in the numerous cases where the police run a charge right up to the final court date, and then do not offer any evidence to support the charge. Furthermore in the cases where this happens or the charges are dropped, there is no effective recourse – the courts do not even award costs.

      Despite the perceived glamour of the life of an officer, Police more realistically and regularly do the kind of on-duty tasks that nobody else would want to do.

      Exactly. It is a job that I wouldn’t want to do any more than I particularly like doing the volunteer political activist work that I do and I see other activists doing. Both are activities that are required for a society to operate effectively. This site was specifically set up to allow those views to be shared and holes in our political and societal structures to be argued. The police get discussed here because they have considerable powers and very limited oversight outside the police. That is required for the organization to do that job effectively – I don’t think that many people would care to have politicians in control of the police, and the Police Act is a pretty good compromise.

      However because there are few safeguards outside of the police, then sites like this are an important channel to point out the flaws in police operations, which do it a service rather than a disservice. If the police don’t get feedback from the various elements of the public, including activists, about the issues with their procedures and policies – how are the police ever going to fix them.

      The issue for the police is that these deficiencies will continue to get pointed out until they do fix the procedures or ensure that the rationale behind them is clear to the public observing – which it usually isn’t. For instance applications for search warrants (probably the most intrusive of all police powers) that have virtually nothing about local animal rights activism, unsubstantiated and incorrect gleanings from the Internet about AR activities offshore doesn’t engender respect for the police in those who have seen them. Nor does the entering into evidence of video tapes of coronation street episodes to bulk out the evidence.

      The unfortunate side effect is that criticism of particular practices of the police is often perceived by police and their supporters as attacking the institution as a whole. That simply isn’t the case. It is a matter for the police to clean up their own affairs – we simply do our bit from the outside to ensure that they have the motivation by commentary and opinion from the outside. The defensive reflex isn’t particularly useful – I really wish the police would get over it.

  8. Tane 8

    I really don’t see what this has to do with partisan politics. Nice piece by the way Clint.

  9. student_still 9

    substandard, I’m not saying that NACT supporters CAUSE the social problems experienced by these people, I’m just suggesting that they tend not to take them into consideration when they get all fired up about the ‘ghastly’ crimes they commit.

    Lawlessness is not the problem. And just because you have some twisted sadistic tit-for-tat idealism, and believe that criminals being treated as HUMAN BEINGS (which they still are despite their actions) is wrong, it doesn’t mean that labour subsequently ‘rewarded’ them for it.

    substandard, you brought the whole tone of the discussion down by suggesting the offender deserved to have his brains blown out. I was simply responding to that comment, which I felt was completely inappropriate.

  10. Hilary 10

    I was just pleading for more attention to mental health services and funding. These tragic incidents don’t just come out of nowhere. I wasn’t belittling the incident, the police or the families.

    But it is very short sighted policy to remove policy attention and funding to mental health, which is what Tony R has just done. Both events have featured on the news all morning. What’s wrong with connecting the dots?

  11. substandard 11

    What is wrong with admitting that this killer has been on the dole for twenty years, and admitting that Labour have did nothing with the long term unemployed for nine years.

    Labour have blood on their hands over this.

    • Eddie 11.1

      It’s disgraceful of you to try to take political advantage out of this tragedy.

      I’m not going to engage with your claims, they’re simply rubbish and you’re doing yourself a big disservice by making them.

    • ak 11.2

      (mmmmm Ed, – Lynn must be busy, unusual to see rubbish like this left lying about the Standard…)

  12. naenae bro 12

    It is a sad day when police raid a private home over a few tinnies and start a war.

  13. student_still 13

    naenae bro

    How about admitting that Molenaar is culpable for his own actions? He was the one who, for whatever reason, turned something fairly routine into a blood-bath. It is disrespectful and petty to suggest that Police provoked this situation.

  14. Lew 14

    Welcome back Clinton. I have one objection to your post – Geoff Robinson’s interview with the clearly-distraught, unprepared and incommunicative Peter Molenaar this morning was opportunistic and exploitative, not much different to the rest of the coverage on the matter. A live interview at mumble o’clock in the morning with a man who probably hasn’t slept, has had no media training, and is confronted with the likely death of his brother in a hail of gunfire within a matter of hours – even without asking him what he thought would happen – is wretched. Ethical Martini makes the point better than I do.

    L

    • Lew, thanks for drawing attention to Clinton’s comment about this morning’s interview on Morning Report. I was going to make the point myself. No need now and thanks for the link too.
      EM

  15. student_still 15

    Good point Lew, I too felt uneasy about the interview. I couldn’t quite figure out why it irked me, but I totally agree with your sentiment. I’m not sure that having the inarticulate deer-in-headlights relatives taking up a fairly large chunk of Close Up last night was the way to go. The journalist conducting the interview appeared pushy and detached. I wonder to what extent the mother and brother were talked into doing it, and if they realised they had the option of refusing to take part? Considering that it is STILL an incident in progress, and very little detail is known about the actual series of events themselves, why did journalists/producers from Close Up think it was appropriate to drag family members into it and have them comment on a situation that hasn’t even fully unfolded yet (more than 24 hours after the triggering incident). Seems like they jumped the gun a bit.

    • Eddie 15.1

      The idea is that Jan might hear his family members and give himself up. I doubt the Police would have been against the interviews.

      It also helps us not to demonise the family and remember Molenaar is a person too with people who care about him, despite the terrible thing he’s done.

      • Lew 15.1.1

        Eddie,

        The idea is that Jan might hear his family members and give himself up.

        That might have been the case if the purpose of the interviews was clearly and expressly to communicate with him. It wasn’t – and hasn’t been until tonight, when they broadcast a message from Molenaar’s old mate on Checkpoint. Before now, all the communication about him has been in the third person. In last night’s interviews on Checkpoint Superintendent Sam Hoyle refused to answer questions on the grounds that ‘he listens to the same radio stations as everyone else’ – still a form of megaphone diplomacy, but you can hardly argue that’s its purpose.

        L

        • dirk 15.1.1.1

          haven’t heard the cops complaining about the interviews though

          even though there was a cop on right after the brother this morning

          • Lew 15.1.1.1.1

            dirk and eddie,

            Why would the cops have an opinion on interviews with the offender’s family?

            I’m not talking about them – I’m talking about exploitation of the interviewees.

            L

  16. gobsmacked 16

    Considering that it is STILL an incident in progress

    This is exactly why people should shut up. This is a public forum. Act responsibly.

  17. John's Angry Mate 17

    Nothing like exploiting the death of a police officer to warm the public to your cause. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0905/S00112.htm

    While the guy’s body is still lying on the ground in open air. Rot in hell you fringe-dwelling, crazy-eyed, bottom feeding creeps.

    • Haduoken 17.1

      You’re ignoring the fact that this death is directly related, or even caused by, the drug war.

      This death is a political issue, no matter how you feel about the death of Len Snee.

      • bilbo 17.1.1

        No the death was caused by an idiot who chose to pick up a gun and shoot three police officers and a member of the public….his mum got it spot on with her comments on TV.

        ……… oh and fuck off you tool.

        • Haduoken 17.1.1.1

          Indirect cause is still a cause.

          [Captcha – holiness – I guess this is what I’m violating?]

          • Pascal's bookie 17.1.1.1.1

            [Captcha – holiness – I guess this is what I’m violating?]

            Nah, you’re violating simple human decency, viable political strategy, and logic.

            In descending order of importance

  18. serpico 18

    Lynn Provost has blood on her hands again

  19. Irascible 20

    Interesting reactions to this and other violent events if one trolls facebook pages of NZers living overseas. Consensus of most is “Why return to NZ? It’s too, too violent.”
    If that’s a perception of N.Z. by NZers over-seas perhaps there’s a journalist’s story along the lines of “N.Z.ers exit country because of violence… National to blame.”
    After all similar headlines appeared in the N.Z.Herald as trumpet blasts for National policies in 2008.
    I was told of a foreign national who was awarded a travel scholarship to N.Z. asking for reassurance that the country was safe both from a health point of view and crime as he’d heard that the country was rife with “swine fever” and had a record for violent crime. He was so worried he wanted to ring the NZ embassy to get a travel advisory reassurance.
    Let’s face it, reading the NZ media, particularly the Herald online, is to see N.Z. as being a country be-devilled by violence.

    • marco 20.1

      Very good point. I have been told by a rather interesting and very relible source in the police that what the Herald reports is 25% truth and 75% bulls#*t when it comes to matters involving the police and crime. They rely too heavily on chinese whispers to be taken serously.

      From someone who is neither heavily left nor right (i.e the majority of all NZers), thank you Clinton for a well considered post. Our thoughts are with the families of all those involved. Incidents like this do not happen every day but they are however, part of being a police officer and everyone should be thankfull that people like Len Snee are there to protect the public from those who wish us harm.

      • RedLogix 20.1.1

        If you have ever been involved in some matter or event that was subsequently reported by the media you will have been likely stunned at how inaccurate the article was.

        My experience is that the media is probably like that all the time.

  20. naenae bro 21

    What a sad day for the familys of both victims.Lets hope this the Police get it right next time.

    • “Lets hope this the Police get it right next time.”

      You’d have to elaborate, Naenae bro, there are a couple of angles to this comment.

      aladin

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  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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