Open mike 02/09/2024

15 comments on “Open mike 02/09/2024 ”

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1. Ad 1

   2 September 2024 at 9:29 am

   For anyone wondering why New Zealand feels like it's just being left behind by the sustained success of Australia, look no further than this little snapshot here:

   https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/09/02/economy-of-choice-australia-v-nz/

   It naturally focuses a lot on the costs of houses, mortgages and rents, because we are both real estate-dominated economies.

   But it also goes into the differences between economic support from Australian states compared to ours, and the forecast implications of a sustained Chinese economic slowdown.

   It doesn't go into other factors like average salaries, crime, educational attainment, social mobility, etc, but it's a solid medium read. Like a moon drifting to a colder, more distant orbit, the blue earth an annual measure smaller.
2. Ad 2

   2 September 2024 at 10:15 am

   Just a shoutout to the dignified reporting from RNZ over the last 4 days over the death and tangi of Kingi Tuheitea.

   Great to hear PM Luxon almost show emotion. Important cultural signal both domestically and in the Pacific that he pulled out of the Pacific Forum to front up.

   I'll not usually say anything positive about monarchies fake or otherwise, but every single person is saying that this King has left the kind of legacy of unifying New Zealand people by the tens of thousand multiple times, over different cultural and political issues. And that of course includes the tangi itself. Good work Sir.
   • Mountain Tui 2.1

     2 September 2024 at 2:46 pm

     I don't know about that emotion – here he is including his after funeral press conference where he tells press his wife "loved it" at the funeral.
     • Ad 2.1.1

       2 September 2024 at 3:04 pm

       "Almost" is the best you'll get from any pro pollie.
3. Ad 3

   2 September 2024 at 10:21 am

   Also can't help but give a shoutout to the NZPolice in their work against gangs.

   Firstly the massive hit against the Head Hunters, taking their assets. Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says the forfeiture orders come to a total value of $14.8 million against the President of the Head Hunters, Wayne Doyle, under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act.

   https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2408/S00692/landmark-decision-sees-notorious-head-hunters-pad-forfeited.htm

   Secondly against the Comancheros in Christchurch. Every single patched member was arrested; 18 men between 18 and 55. And also $1.9 million of property and 11 vehicles.

   I don't care which government it was under, it's just solid Police work against criminal gangs.
   • Bearded Git 3.1

     2 September 2024 at 11:26 am

     From your three comments it looks like Luxon has your vote next time Ad.

     He's all yours.
     • Ad 3.1.1

       2 September 2024 at 11:38 am

       No I won't be voting National or NZFirst or Act.

       The Police operations cited will have been easily a year in planning and evidence gathering. I lived in an electorate with massive increases in gun crime, gang activity, and deaths by the month.

       The death of King Tuhaitea is but fate. Ardern would have responded the same.

       The NZ relative economic decline is on multiple successive governments but this one has made it worse.
   • bwaghorn 3.2

     2 September 2024 at 12:07 pm

     18 men between 18 and 55

     Result ! Now what I'd like to see is preventative detention for all convicted gang members, you want want to carry on gang banging un jail no release for you, of course that's dependent on pathways for redemption being available.
   • Hunter Thompson II 3.3

     4 September 2024 at 3:22 pm

     Yes, well done the police.

     The law has finally caught up with reality, so career criminals can't enjoy the fruits of their illegal activities, which often are based on narcotics.

     I recently witnessed the effects that drugs have on people and it wasn't a pretty sight. Whole families are damaged, which in turn leads to crime and health problems.
4. Anne 4

   2 September 2024 at 12:09 pm

   https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/526793/should-new-zealand-treat-misogyny-as-extremism

   …. she was hesitant to follow the UK's lead in classifying a form of misogyny as extremism under any law change.

   "I'm inherently uncomfortable and cautious when it comes to any form of censorship or restrictions to free speech. I think we have to be very careful before we embark on any path like that.

   "And I sincerely think that right now one of the most powerful things we can do to stop this behaviour is simply calling it out."

   Typical of short sighted right wing thinking. Of course NZ should follow the UK and classify certain forms of misogyny as extremism. Not only is it psychologically deeply harmful for the victims, but in its most extreme form it can lead to violence and death. Action needs to be taken to enable the police and other agencies to be able to ferret out the dangerous individuals among them with a view to arrest and conviction. As it stands many of the potentially dangerous cases are getting away with it.

   Calling them out [whatever exactly that means] isn’t going to solve the problem. They will just find other ways to demonise the women in their sights.

   I suspect Nicola Willis is looking at the increased cost of such operations rather than any socially appropriate considerations.
   • Ad 4.1

     2 September 2024 at 12:29 pm

     They can ban you from driving for driving crimes, from bars for excessive drinking and being moronic, ban you from animals for animal crimes, ban from around schools for child crimes, and non-contact orders for intimate violence and threats.

     Why not ban sex-terrorist men from coming anywhere near any woman? Just a proximity warning alert on phones would be enough.

     Might just need a new App, not even a new regulation.
   • Visubversa 4.2

     2 September 2024 at 5:43 pm

     Well, a lot of America's mass killings begin with a femicide – usually the killing of a mother or grandmother rather than a wife, And there is good evidence that stalkers and wife beaters will go on to kill if they are not locked up first.

     It is long past time male violence was taken very seriously.
     • Belladonna 4.2.1

       2 September 2024 at 9:26 pm

       However, there is a big difference between violence, or even threats of violence (both of which are already illegal) and 'misogyny' which really doesn't have a good definition – it's a matter of shades of perception. And, very hard to 'prove' that a comment or threat was made because of sex (rather than due to policy disagreement)

       I'd rather the police and the courts concentrated on actual threats – directed towards any prominent woman – and prosecuted those effectively. I do not believe that the low-level Facebook or email warriors concerned are using sophisticated encryption tools to hide their identity. It's just that these are not prioritized as crimes for investigation and prosecution.

       Note: I believe that threats against public figures should be actively prosecuted regardless of sex or gender. Although, they do appear to be disproportionately directed against women.
5. joe90 5

   2 September 2024 at 1:47 pm

   On the business of exclusion.

   @America_2100

   Want to see America's future? Look at our retail chains.

   Costco and Sam's Club are members-only. They have a loyal customer base—but they also keep people out.

   CVS and Walgreens are open to everyone. They rely on high social trust. Guess which model is winning?

   (1/15)

   https://x.com/America_2100/status/1826385727388614867

   https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1826385727388614867.html
   • Graeme 5.1

     2 September 2024 at 6:31 pm

     Back in 70's when the grocery trade was more horizontal most of the stock agents had quite extensive grocery departments. You could only shop there if you were a member of the Co-Op ones or had an account for the commercial agents. The Co-Op one that I got stuff from through an employer had sharp pricing but little selection. Farmlands now has a small grocery selection, again sharp pricing. Can easily see a co-op model like Farmlands having a crack at grocery trade here.

     Retail crime will see some changes here soon, expect Michael Hill to exit the malls, and / or expect the malls to effectively pay them to stay, in order to still have some 'quality' tenants. The rate they were getting hit must have had a huge effect on their profitability this year, and will hike their insurance premiums next year.

     Interestingly my SO is currently doing a retail crime survey from Retail Assn. Can't share 'cause it links to our membership, but it's very in-depth and an eye opener to the criminal and anti-social behaviour retailers are having to deal with.

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