Open Mike 05/01/2018

79 comments on “Open Mike 05/01/2018 ”

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1. eco maori 1

   5 January 2018 at 7:46 am

   There you go climate change deniers mother nature is poking us in the eyes once again with with unpredictable unusual weather and you will still come up with some bullshit excuses to try and explain this event here in OUR beautiful COUNTRY New Zealand.
   Now cast your gaze at the Philippin Country and America frozen is America.
   And all that red head wants to do first is line his pockets and not even cast a thought to the future of all OUR mokos and the whole worlds future. I say we need to worship mother nature and care for her and she will care for all of US in the process. We are all on this Waka me and my Maori cultured people call Papatuanuku together and thats a fact. We need to make changes to the way our society works to combat climate change Now as tomorrow never comes in my view.
   As for all the money invested in trying to replicate Papatuanuku te ra well that’s a waste of money they will never get that project to work the money would be better invested in sola and wind and renewable energy. Why would some people want to replicate RA well the 1% must think we won’t have RA is it that they are planning for a nuclear holercast or a space ship to ship the 1% away from this mess they are making on Papatuanuku when we can look after her care for her and all have a positive prosperous beautiful future for all OUR mokos. It US the 99% who have to take control of our society and lead us down the environmentaly friendly cross road path.
   Ka kite an
   • Ad 1.1

     5 January 2018 at 7:58 am

     In November the Metservice ling range forecaster predicted a superdry December but in Jan-Feb more tropical storms to North and East due to very high sea temperatures.

     Was interesting to see this one strengthen consistently.

     We need another 2 good multi-day events to get our ground moisture up.
   • Antoine 1.2

     5 January 2018 at 8:19 am

     > mother nature is poking us in the eyes once again with with unpredictable unusual weather

     She always has!
     • JanM 1.2.1

       5 January 2018 at 8:28 am

       But at least she’s filled our tank – yeah!
       • Rosemary McDonald 1.2.1.1

         5 January 2018 at 8:36 am

         Scuttled out and lifted the lid off our ‘in’ tank….3/4 full. YAY!!! In anticipation of rain we showered and laundered. Simple, mundane activities made special. 🙂
2. adam 2

   5 January 2018 at 8:28 am

   Well I got smashed in this rough weather, my glass house and quite a few of my plants with it, Gone.

   Kitchen is full of tomatoes at the moment, those who survived will stay inside till the winds die down.
   • gsays 2.1

     5 January 2018 at 10:21 am

     If you are inclined, I can share our family green tomato chutney recipe with you.
     • Sabine 2.1.1

       5 January 2018 at 10:37 am

       oh please do.
       • gsays 2.1.1.1

         5 January 2018 at 11:10 am

         3lbs green toms, diced.
         1lb 12oz onions diced.
         Sprinkle with a couple handful of salt.
         Leave 24 hours then drain.

         1/4 oz peppercorns
         1/4 oz cloves both in muslin or just thrown in.
         1/2teaspoon cayenne pepper
         2 pints malt vinegar.

         Boil toms and onions in vinegar and spices till tender (hour plus).

         Mix 1 Tablespoon curry powder, 1T mustard with 2T Cornflour in a little water.
         Stir into fruit, add 2lb sugar stir and boil for half an hour, stirring often.
         Into clean jars.
         • adam 2.1.1.1.1

           5 January 2018 at 11:15 am

           Thank you so much gsays.
         • Sabine 2.1.1.1.2

           5 January 2018 at 11:20 am

           thanks.
           i am sure it will come in handy tomorrow or whenever the deluge stops.

           mind my big walnut is doing a good job sheltering my veggies from the worst of it. So i might be lucky.
   • indiana 2.2

     5 January 2018 at 11:07 am

     Whatever you do, don’t can your tomatoes and take them to a charity.
     https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/99767397/give-generously–but-please-no-tinned-tomatoes-or-chickpeas-say-charities
3. Anne 3

   5 January 2018 at 8:29 am

   Nice hand drawn weather map current as of this moment:

   https://twitter.com/MetService/status/948989905211768833

   I had to draw Cyclone Bola for the Defence Force back in the day. It was a fun time. 🙁

   The big difference: Bola slid down the east coast so the hardest hit areas were Gisborne and Hawkes Bay plus damaging winds across Taranaki. This time the west coast areas are going to be the worst hit.

   Sirens are roaring along Lake Rd to Devonport so suspect roofs are coming off and large trees down.
   • eco maori 3.1

     5 January 2018 at 10:16 am

     My eldest child was born during cyclone bolar we were living in Te tai rawhide that was a big cyclone Ka kite an6
4. Andre 4

   5 January 2018 at 8:33 am

   Electrification of road transport is coming. How fast are we going to choose it here?

   Shenzhen (12 million population) has gone 100% electric with its 16,000 bus fleet.

   https://cleantechnica.com/2018/01/03/100-chinese-citys-record-smashing-16359-electric-bus-fleet/

   And Norway hit it’s 2020 target for new vehicle sales fleet emissions 3 years early, due to strong sales of EVs helped by incentives.

   https://cleantechnica.com/2018/01/03/norway-reaches-carbon-emissions-goal-transportation-three-years-early-thanks-tesla/
   • cleangreen 4.1

     5 January 2018 at 9:06 am

     “Electrification of road transport is coming. How fast are we going to choose it here?”

     Pity these plans failed to find a solution to tyre dust pollution; – which is a large threat to our health in many ways going forward by still using tyres on rough ‘chipseal’ friction road surfaces?

     The current use of tyres; effects; – tyre dust was found to be settling on glacial ice caps and polar ice caps speeding up the melting of our ice caps now;

     ‘Road pollution runoff’; – of tyre dust pollution;

     This is a serious long term pollution threat to our environment and is now causing degardation of our water aqifers rivers lakes and our drinking water quality.

     Electric road vehicles will only reduce some ‘internal combustion engine air pollution’ but not reduce the tyre dust pollution which accounts for around half of all road runoff pollution sources along with brake and clutch dust road polllution also.

     Rail has no tyres and is being used widely as ‘electrified rail transport of freight today overseas so how long will it be for NZ to catch up with the rest of the world now??

     Rail can be electricfied simply and cheaply today, as both freight and passenger transport modes with no tyre dust pollution. The cleanest option.

     http://www.oecd.org/env/the-cost-of-air-pollution-9789264210448-en.htm

     http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/07/31/3554997.htm

     The current study of our ‘human experience in NZ citizens impacted by tyre pollution in our residential communities’; example;

     The Napier Hastings Motorway was designated in 1959 as a commuter route to provide better access from Hastings to the HB Airport in Napier. Regulations meant long distance freight was carried on rail, not road, until deregulation of road freight in 1983 increased trucking from 50% of total freight in 1972 to 81% of total freight in 1993. It has since been turned into a designated truck route.
     Following an investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE),
     Transit NZ CEO, Rick van Barneveld, agreed to retrofit with quiet surface (ogpa) from the Airport to Westshore Holiday Park, and from Prebensen Drive to south of Kennedy Road; this was completed in 2006.

     In 2014, the quiet road surface was covered over by NZTA in an attempt to hold off re-surfacing as long as possible. We have spent the last 3 years trying to get this re-instated and are told it is planned between 2018 and 2024. Meantime we have to live with the adverse effects of noise and pollution:-
     1 truck tyre sheds 10 times the amount of 1 car tyre. Each truck tyre sheds 0.21 g/km of tyre compound (butadiene styrene), that is 5.46 g/km for a 26 wheel vehicle. The roughness of the road surface increases tyre wear 2-3 times.
     Road run-off accounts for 40-50% of urban metal contamination to aquatic ecosystems.
     There is a 7% increase in risk of premature death living near a busy road, increasing the risk of cancer, heart attack, stroke, dementia, childhood diabetes, asthma, allergies.

     Traffic on the expressway has doubled in the last 10 years, and is forecast to double again in the next 10 years, particularly heavy traffic to the port. So, mitigation measures should be increasing, not being stripped away. What was reasonable mitigation 10 years ago would be less than adequate now, and a pittance 10 years from now.

     Unfortunately, during this time, the focus has become more on economic performance and less on environmental and social wellbeing and the lack of mitigation will continue to impact on the health, wellbeing and property values of those living alongside.

     So far the three fundamental principles ‘Precautionary, Prevention and Polluter Pays’ have been ignored in this process.
     • Andre 4.1.1

       5 January 2018 at 9:31 am

       If that OECD link said anything about tyre dust, I didn’t find it. Care to point out where it is?

       Here’s the bit from the abc link that puts a number to how much of the road transport pollution problem is tyre dust:

       “On average, about 80 per cent of all PM10 in cities comes from road transport. Tyre and brake wear causes about three to seven per cent of this component. Each year in the UK, PM10s of all types are blamed for an extra 10,000 deaths, due to heart and lung disease.”

       The last time I bothered to research this, the most credible-looking papers said that tyre dust and brake dust were about equal in their contributions to PM10 (most tyre dust is much larger particles than PM10). So tyre dust is of the order of 1% to 3% of the urban pollution problem, and around 75% to 80% is exhaust and brake dust.

       Brake dust will be mostly eliminated by electrification since most braking in EVs will be regenerative. Exhaust pollution will be completely eliminated by 100% electrification.

       Reducing road transport contribution to pollution from 80% due to exhaust, brake and tyre dust, to tyre dust being just 5% to 15% of the much smaller (1/5 of the current) remaining pollution problem looks like a huge improvement to me.
5. cleangreen 5

   5 January 2018 at 8:36 am

   Latest weather news’

   Tree across road in Warkworth.

   Live: Power outages, slips, roofs lifts as storm set to strengthen

   New Zealand Weather about 1 hour ago

   MetService says the summer storm that has been battering much of the North Island is far from over and will actually strengthen.

   Summer storm expected to intensify overnight

   Waioeka gorge closed by slips

   Radio NZ news at 8am.

   Two large slips have closed the eastern highway 2 from Tauranga, south through the Waioeweka gorge south of Opitiki on highway 2 severing Bay of Plenty to Gisborne/East Coast.

   Local history ; – this famous scenic gorge suffered similar slips twice in 2017 also.

   This famous scenic gorge may suffer same fate as Manawatu gorge in future with changing weather patterns; – and may permanently close this gorge road also cutting whloe east coast roading system.

   http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/347487/live-power-outages-slips-roofs-lifts-as-storm-set-to-strengthen

   Today’s forecast:

   MetService said the summer storm that has been battering much of the North Island is far from over and will actually strengthen.
   The deep low is set to bring severe west to northwest gales to the central and upper North Island, and gale-force southwesterlies across the lower North Island and eastern areas of the upper South Island.
   Meteorologist Nick Zacher said the winds could gust to more than 160 kilometres per hour. He said the storm is fast moving and will keep getting stronger until noon.
   Heavy rain over Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty and northern Gisborne is expected to ease this morning but further bursts are possible throughout the day.
   Up to 150 millimetres could fall around Mount Taranaki, Tongariro National Park and the Tararua Ranges today .
   Rain should ease in the Nelson area this morning but it is expected to become heavy in Marlborough, with up to 160 mm expected about the Kaikoura Ranges.
   There should be a break tomorrow, when the low is expected to move away to the southeast .
   UPDATED JAN 5, 2018 7:55 AM

   The MetService says the Coromandel had 130mm of rainfall from Thursday to Friday morning. Kerikeri and Rotorua also recorded significant rainfall.
6. James 6

   5 January 2018 at 8:53 am

   A good read on the Scott Watson case – there is no doubt he did it – still always nutters with little information and conspiracy theories who know more.

   https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/01/03/72640/the-case-against-scott-watson
   • Stuart Munro 6.1

     5 January 2018 at 9:17 am

     There will always be skepticism in cases with a paucity of physical evidence, and the shell cases in the Thomas case suggest the police are not above planting some kinds of evidence. Hairs are pretty easily acquired and moved. The article runs the police line but does nothing to substantiate its claims.
     • mac1 6.1.1

       5 January 2018 at 3:23 pm

       The claims were substantiated in a court presided over by a judge and decided by a jury having heard all the evidence. Watson failed in appeals to the Court of Appeal, the Privy Council and for a Royal Pardon.

       He had found guilty beyond reasonable doubt and his appeals were unsuccessful.

       How else can claims be better substantiated?
       • Stuart Munro 6.1.1.1

         5 January 2018 at 4:37 pm

         Physical evidence Mac1 – a body, a confession, (not a jailhouse fit-up like Watson’s) testimony that leads further than the dead end police reached after the victims left the water taxi. Circumstantial cases are always weak – and good candidates for the Scottish verdict of not proven.
   • Muttonbird 6.2

     5 January 2018 at 10:26 am

     And authority worshippers always back authority ignoring that authority can often be wrong.
   • Loop 6.3

     6 January 2018 at 8:59 am

     And then there are the nutters that deny all the evidence against the police case, like every witness has recanted their evidence because it was coerced, the hair found after yet another search of the yacht and the cut in the evidence bag holding hair from one of the victims and the denial of the witnesses evidence that saw the 2 mast ketch(It was not, you imagined it), the person in question was described as shoulder length, unkempt and unshaven. Need I go on. Arthur Allen Thomas, Peter Ellis, Scott Watson, Teina Pora, David Bain, and goodness knows how many more! And I remember at the time of the investigation there was some concern by some police of the direction the inquiry was heading.
7. francesca 7

   5 January 2018 at 9:10 am

   Trouble is, there were heaps of people who remember the ketch, who phoned in to police saying so, only to be told, we’re not looking for a ketch anymore. The journalists decided on what they were presented that Watson was guilty. They weren’t presented with heaps of eyewitness accounts that the police didn’t follow up.

   https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/crime/sounds-of-disquiet-what-happened-to-ben-and-olivia/
   • James 7.1

     5 January 2018 at 9:18 am

     There has been zero credible sightings / photos etc of the supposed ketch.

     From same link:

     But in the end, what proved that the ketch didn’t exist was the absence of sightings of it on New Year’s Eve. There were no reports, witness accounts or evidence that could answer the following questions:

     —When did it arrive in Endeavour Inlet?

     —Where did it sail from?

     —Where did it moor or anchor on New Year’s Eve?

     —Where are the witnesses who saw it before New Year’s Day?

     —Of the thousands of photos police collected from the 1500-plus people at Furneaux Lodge that night, why wasn’t there one single photo of it?

     There were more than 100 boats moored off Furneaux Lodge that night – most of them skippered by their owners or experienced boaties.

     If anyone was going to notice this distinctively ornate ketch then it would have been those boaties. Police interviewed all of them. None of them did.
     • reason 7.1.1

       5 January 2018 at 12:56 pm

       I remeber the results of a study that showed the more stupid a person was the more likely it became that they thought they were smarter than other people ….. lets now look at James

       In James link, The reporter wrote …. ” There can be little doubt ….”

       But James wrote , ” there can be no doubt” followed by ‘wank wank – nutters – conspiracy theories etc’

       James superior knowledge and knowing things for certain…. reminds me of when Judith Collins knew and told New Zealand the miners killed at Pike river were carbonized so there was no point in re-entering the mine or investigating further …

       I don’t think Judith ‘knew’ at all ….Judiths ‘certainty’ was for political reasons

       James was for stupid trolling so he could insult posters here ….
       • Ed 7.1.1.1

         5 January 2018 at 1:02 pm

         I have been ignoring James for 5 days.
         Saves a lot of wasted time.
         • reason 7.1.1.1.1

           5 January 2018 at 1:23 pm

           I totally agree Ignoring James is a good course of action for most people ….

           But I like to use trolls …. as a means to post up information and talk about the things they want buried …….

           For instance BM would be horrified to see all the horrible and dishonest actions of Judith Collins being brought up and remembered ….

           I’m happy to use trolls the likes of James for such a service…. and I have noticed they don’t usually talk back much to me …….
         • james 7.1.1.1.2

           5 January 2018 at 2:19 pm

           and yet every day you have to come tell us you are ignoring me. Cannot even do that correctly.
       • james 7.1.1.2

         5 January 2018 at 2:22 pm

         I remember the results of a study (also without a citation) that showed the more stupid a person they go insult the original comment and change the topic – without proving a shred of anything to disprove the original comment made.

         speaking of “wank wank”…..
         • reason 7.1.1.2.1

           5 January 2018 at 3:57 pm

           Were you also insulting Gerald Hope, the bereaved father of Olivia with your idiotic “No Doubt” ” Nutters” ” Conspiracy theories” statements james ??????

           What type of person would do that? ……. a stupid nasty wanker

           “When Scott Watson was found guilty Hope believed police had the right man, but his confidence has been shaken in the years since as he’s reflected on how they and the court process worked.

           “What we got was a conviction but we never got the truth. And that’s the part that still really rips me up. At the end of the day we’re no further ahead than we were on the first or second or third of January of 1998. It’s circumstantial evidence so you’re having to believe a story. And parts of that story are shallow — incredibly shallow.”

           and

           “Gerald Hope is absolutely adamant there were rumours coming from police, including suggestions of incest.

           “There was always whispering here and there, dropping seeds into us about this and that like the incest stuff and the dysfunctional family. ‘Bloody family, they’re all bloody cop-haters and anti-social types’, that sort of thing.” https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/crime/sounds-of-disquiet-what-happened-to-ben-and-olivia/
     • Loop 7.1.2

       6 January 2018 at 9:03 am

       Ummm. the water taxi driver???
8. Ed 8

   5 January 2018 at 9:19 am

   An excellent article on Kauri die back disease.
   The shocking facts are the selfishness of people.
   Another consequence of 35 years of neoliberalism.
   We are too selfish to care about our trees.

   https://i.stuff.co.nz/environment/99440291/kauri-dieback-national-treasure-on-the-brink-of-extinction
   • Ed 8.1

     5 January 2018 at 9:43 am

     Excerpts.

     ‘For 1000 years, Auntie Agatha has stood as a reminder of our primordial past.

     The graceful kauri was a sapling as Māori populated these islands, managed to avoid the logging of European colonists and has stood in recent decades as a beloved symbol for Aucklanders of the wild west coast, nestled in Cascade Park within the Waitākere Ranges.

     But now all that history and grace has ended.

     The mighty tree succumbed to kauri dieback.

     In December, kaumātua taking place in a rāhui ceremony, a desperate attempt to stop other kauri dying from the disease, filed past the tree as if in a funeral procession, stopping momentarily to bless it and whisper goodbyes.

     Auntie Agatha, slowly dying, stands now as a jarring totem to the disturbing gap between self-congratulatory Kiwi rhetoric of our proud commitment to a green, natural environment and the complacent reality that we refuse to do enough to save even such an iconic species as the kauri.

     ‘Campaigns to get the public on board with taking the necessary measures to stop the spread have largely failed. This was most apparent in a 2016 report which found 83 per cent of visitors to the ranges were not scrubbing their footwear at cleaning stations before entering tracks, went off track and were using closed tracks. For whatever reason the message was not getting through to the public.’
     • Ed 8.1.1

       5 January 2018 at 9:44 am

       The words that stand out

       ‘Auntie Agatha, slowly dying, stands now as a jarring totem to the disturbing gap between self-congratulatory Kiwi rhetoric of our proud commitment to a green, natural environment and the complacent reality that we refuse to do enough to save even such an iconic species as the kauri.’
       • mickysavage 8.1.1.1

         5 January 2018 at 9:47 am

         Its a tragedy. To be utterly frank a lot more should have done a lot quicker.

         I have written about it quite a bit on my other blog.

         There is some background at http://gregpresland.com/wordpress/the-waitakere-ranges-rahui/
         • Ad 8.1.1.1.1

           5 January 2018 at 10:00 am

           Will the Waitakere Local Board propose a specific and much increased budget line to Auckland Council’s Annual Plan/LTP?

           I recall the last time we had a crisis of this scale in the west it was the Painted Apple Moth. This was contained only after massive spraying by very low-flying aircraft over dense urban areas.

           If that moth had got into the Waitakere Ranges we would have seen the Kowhai and any other Wattle relative wiped out.

           Central government did the job, against substantial opposition from the local Waitakere Council.

           Auckland Council – including Watercare – are the primary guardians of this Waitakere forest and I see the Council funding for this disease as woefully inadequate.

           What is the $$ that the Waitakere Board proposes?
           • mickysavage 8.1.1.1.1.1

             5 January 2018 at 10:03 am

             Yep we are working on the enhanced environment spend which includes $100m for kauri dieback over 10 years. The Mayor is pitching at about $80m which is still a significant increase (like 20 times the currently planned spend).

             The new government appear to be very energised on the issue as well.

             http://gregpresland.com/wordpress/new-government-intends-take-action-kauri-dieback/
             • Andre …

               5 January 2018 at 10:10 am

               Micky, do you have any insight into why the council is against applying the phosphite treatment to kauri on council land?

               As part of the KauriRescue programme, I’ve treated almost all the kauri on my property (with a few untreated as controls). But there’s a lot of affected kauri on reserve land adjoining my property that I’d be keen to treat as well, but the council employee on KauriRescue was pretty firm about leaving them alone for now.
               • mickysavage …

                 5 January 2018 at 10:18 am

                 Hi Andre is that part of the Zigzag track? I agree that the phosphite treatment is showing a lot of promise and I personally am very happy for it to be used on trees in reserves. I will take this up.
                 • Andre …

                   5 January 2018 at 10:30 am

                   No, not Zigzag track. I’m on the point between Davies Bay and Paturoa Bay (Titirangi Beach). The reserve is the part of the point that’s not my property, if it’s got a name I’ve no idea what it is. It’s not easily accessible or really even easily visible to the public.

                   I’ve had a number of people tell me I should just go ahead and treat them. But to me it’s respect for the council employee that’s telling me not to that’s stopping me.
                   • mickysavage …

                     5 January 2018 at 5:11 pm

                     Send me an email to my Council address Greg.presland@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and I will see what I can do.
                   • weka …

                     5 January 2018 at 5:55 pm

                     The council may have a good reason to not at this stage, so caution is probably good. On the other hand, if you ask and they say don’t do it, but they don’t have a good reason, you can’t go and do it and then beg forgiveness if you get caught 😉
                   • Andre …

                     5 January 2018 at 6:17 pm

                     weka, I can come up with a bunch of good reasons why the council wouldn’t want trees treated yet, especially by the general public. So I agree with the general position, at the moment. Even though I don’t know what reasons are dominant, or even if it’s just bureaucratic inertia and butt-covering.

                     But a sensible general position kind of hinders progress if it can’t be varied in special cases.

                     In my special case, the council land and trees isn’t accessed and seen by the general public, I’m participating in a properly organised project to work out the best dose rates, treatment times etc with extensive data collection. So if I were to go out and just treat them, it would be outside the project and that opportunity for varying the treatment parameters and data collection would be lost.

                     Also, the council dude seems a bit frustrated and disappointed in that council position too, so I’m sure he’s pushing it hard from the inside. If I were to just do it, there’s a risk of undermining what he’s doing.
                   • weka …

                     5 January 2018 at 7:23 pm

                     sounds pretty on to it.
             • Ad …

               5 January 2018 at 1:11 pm

               Cheers Mickey.
               Go hard.
         • Ed 8.1.1.1.2

           5 January 2018 at 10:02 am

           Sounds like too little money was pumped into tackling the problem.
           Bans on areas should have been put in place years ago.
           • alwyn 8.1.1.1.2.1

             5 January 2018 at 10:52 am

             “Bans on areas should have been put in place years ago”.
             OK, so it didn’t happen then. Why isn’t it being done now?
             I would think the local Council could do it by the end of next week if they were willing. Why aren’t they willing?

             It wouldn’t even cost anything. Certainly nothing like the $100 million that the local polies seem to want to spend.
             Could it be that their voters won’t like it? Come on Phil. Stop waffling and take some IMMEDIATE action. Show that you really have the interests of the region’s environment in your wizened little vision.
             • james …

               5 January 2018 at 2:24 pm

               Phil – all talk no action. as you say he could have put this in place ages ago.

               But by not doing he is against the wishes of Maori as well.

               Does Phil hate Maori? Does Phil not care about Maori? (channelling Ed’s logic here)
               • mickysavage …

                 5 January 2018 at 5:13 pm

                 In his defense he has only been Mayor for just over a year and as soon as he heard about the infection figures he wanted urgent action taken. The delay in finalising the report was not his.
       • Ed 8.1.1.2

         5 January 2018 at 9:52 am

         Fewer words to sum it up

         self-congratulatory Kiwi rhetoric
         the complacent reality
         • Ed 8.1.1.2.1

           5 January 2018 at 9:58 am

           Those 6 words don’t just describe New Zealand’s response to Kauri die back.
           It perfectly encapsulates far too many New Zealanders selfish neoliberal reaction to so many societal issues.
           Unless we look at the big picture and stop revering the individual, (as Rand, Hayek and Friedman suggested) and revert to our socialist roots, New Zealand is doomed.
   • JanM 8.2

     5 January 2018 at 12:24 pm

     I am completely at a loss to understand why whoever is the final word on these things hasn’t absolutely forbidden public entry!
     • james 8.2.1

       5 January 2018 at 2:24 pm

       they are gutless would be my guess.
9. The Chairman 9

   5 January 2018 at 10:20 am

   “If the two industries who benefit from medical freebies can not devise a way to disclose those transactions, then perhaps a public watchdog agency should step in.”

   https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/100334505/the-public-has-a-right-to-know-what-gifts-doctors-get-from-drug-companies
10. savenz 10

    5 January 2018 at 11:36 am

    Oceans suffocating as huge dead zones quadruple since 1950, scientists warn
    Areas starved of oxygen in open ocean and by coasts have soared in recent decades, risking dire consequences for marine life and humanity

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/04/oceans-suffocating-dead-zones-oxygen-starved
    • Pat 10.1

      5 January 2018 at 3:22 pm

      “If you can’t breathe, nothing else matters.“

      https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/04/oceans-suffocating-dead-zones-oxygen-starved
      • greywarshark 10.1.1

        5 January 2018 at 5:19 pm

        Such bad news needs about oxygen deprivation in the oceans needs to be repeated over and over until we take notice.

        And it has been said since 1950. The rich had to put a growth spurt on by the 1980’s in order to make sure that they could glop up the maximum wealth before the opportunities closed off for everybody else who would be just trying to manage life, and reeling from one blow after another.

        I hope our hopes for ‘road to Damascus change are not in vain and that we can achieve change the rational discussion and talking-up the value, way. From the dim-bulb approach of the deluded so-called intelligtensia of the RW who come here, it may be that the world would rather carry on distracting themselves scoring points from one another, than act fairly, promptly and decisively.
11. joe90 11

    5 January 2018 at 12:46 pm

    Reason number ### why some people should have their money taken from them for their own good.

    Juicero Founder Now Promoting $40 Jugs of ‘Raw Water’ in Silicon Valley

    […]

    His newfound passion is just one part of a larger New York Times trend piece about Silicon Valley’s latest silly craze. The story notes that several brands have jumped on the bandwagon, and now sell “unfiltered, untreated, unsterilized” water in jugs for as much as $15 to $25 per gallon. They’re almost all exclusively available on the West Coast, and one of them (Zero Mass Water) has already raised $24 million in venture capital.

    http://www.grubstreet.com/2018/01/juicero-founder-doug-evans-now-promotes-unfiltered-raw-water.html
    • Andre 11.1

      5 January 2018 at 1:08 pm

      We’ve got a few sources suitable for them. Especially for the “All Natural Cleansing Purge Guaranteed BioActive” flavour.
      • greywarshark 11.1.1

        5 January 2018 at 5:19 pm

        Andre
        Hah!
12. Sabine 12

    5 January 2018 at 1:18 pm

    be nice to your voluntary fire fighters

    they are getting a work out, call outs everywhere for downed trees, road closures, slips, rocks falling etc.

    Stay save, don’t travel if you don’t have too, tie up anything that could become a flying projectile and yeah, be nice to your voluntary firefighters – they will come and help you fix that tarp should your roof fly away.
    • red-blooded 12.1

      5 January 2018 at 1:34 pm

      Wow! Sounds like you folk are really having a tough time. It’s a bit grey down here in Dunedin, but really still and dry. Kia kaha to those of you in the North.
    • James 12.2

      5 January 2018 at 3:15 pm

      The volunteer fire department is amazing. They do a hell of a job 365. Are amazingly dedicated and professional.
      • halfcrown 12.2.1

        5 January 2018 at 6:52 pm

        Shit I won’t make a habit of this James but agree with you 200%
        Incidentally have a good year
        • james 12.2.1.1

          6 January 2018 at 8:09 am

          thanks – you as well.
13. Sabine 13

    5 January 2018 at 1:29 pm

    maybe the Labour Party and NZFirst could have a look at this and get inspired.

    Yep, he little elf of the white house says that state laws are fro suckers and he is gonna go after states the legalized la marie jeanne.

    And for ones the Colorado Dems have good answers ready.

    https://twitter.com/COSenDem/status/948948921694302209
14. eco maori 14

    5 January 2018 at 1:40 pm

    Well who’s the muppet with the white Hyundi he needs driving lessons he nearly ran me and my wife of the road I have seen this car before with flashing lights in Rotorua.
    I no who it is its redhead who tried to frighten me 4 years ago from that farm in mango he thinks he owns Tokoroa. It did not work then it won’t work now you started this sandfly and I know why you and Gisborne man are so determined to lock eco in jail it has to do with a I’m not saying but I know now idiots.
    Ana to kai
15. Ed 15

    5 January 2018 at 2:22 pm

    John Upton on twitter

    ‘I just spoke with a crabber in California who said crabs are being pulled out of the water mating — well out of season, amid warm temperatures. Nobody’s seen anything like it, he said. “They think it’s spring. They’re really confused.”

    Michal Tal on twitter
    ‘Is anyone actively researching this right now? Investigating how many species are changing their mating pattern or other climate induced changes with profound impact?’

    Good question…..

    https://mobile.twitter.com/johnupton
16. Ad 16

    5 January 2018 at 5:14 pm

    Good to see President Trump finally properly disavowing Bannon.

    Now all her has to do is disavow the entire alt-right and we are seeing him make some progress back from the stone age.
    • In Vino 16.1

      5 January 2018 at 8:08 pm

      ‘To’ the stone age, you hopeless optimist…?
      • Ad 16.1.1

        5 January 2018 at 8:24 pm

        The best way I’ve seen to explain what we are seeing now with Trump and Bannon comes from James Bond’s baddie Silva:
17. greywarshark 17

    5 January 2018 at 5:27 pm

    The cost of independence. How independent can a country be?
    https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/celebrating-new-zealand%E2%80%99s-independent-republics
18. Pat 18

    5 January 2018 at 5:49 pm

    there is only one positive from the very poor quality debate (from ALL sides) currently taking place on RNZ re mining….and thats that there is a public debate…..

    having said that ,constructive action is as unlikely as it ever has been
19. eco maori 19

    5 January 2018 at 7:51 pm

    I can see the sandflys have been spinning there lies again and they blind you all with that badge.
    I can prove that Gisborne man has locked and set up 2 other men who he thought had ECO MAORI Mana but you were wrong you did not expect me to use social media as a defence against your slimy moves. I know you are scared of eco now you know ecos real Mana and that scares you that is why you locked up those others. And you should be scared I won’t say anything I have learnt that old wise Maori philosophy the kumara it never tells how sweet it is I have learnt this lesson the hard way. I have Prof I have a copy of East Coast Maori mifts legends by colonel William Porter this is a good read. Ana to kai
20. adam 20

    5 January 2018 at 8:30 pm

    So the USA has stopped funding ISIS and al-Qaida – and the war in Syria is all but over. Who would have thought it…
    • Ed 20.1

      5 January 2018 at 10:59 pm

      Independent journalists in Syria have shown up the lies the corporate media feed us, day after day.
    • Loop 20.2

      6 January 2018 at 9:18 am

      No different to what happened in Pakistan. With American financial support Al Qaeda and Taliban proliferated.

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