Only got as far as the EROI comparison to get to the first dishonesty. Essentially they assume the wind energy can be directly used at every moment it's being generated which is not always true – to the the H2 case where the energy has been stored and can be used when you need it. In other words they've discounted the value of the energy storage to zero and gotten to a stupid answer.
Second dishonest comparison, they take the high price of a new tech, low volume car and use that to inflate the cost of conversion. In any real world scenario the maturity, volumes and costs of H2 vehicles would be considerably better, just as the first EV's were too expensive but became affordable over time. And more importantly would be part of the usual vehicle fleet replacement price which a quick back of envelope calculation already costs us around $5b pa, not an incremental new cost they present it as.
Third dishonest claim is platinum catalyst availability limit – as if this was not well understood and being actively researched. (Far too many links to be bothered posting here.)
Fourth dishonest claim is hydrogen embrittlement in metals is equally blinkered – there are good alternatives to using metals already in production. Nor was there any attempt at qualifying the issue which is not the deal breaker they're pretending it is.
Fifth dishonesty is to go all in on ‘the world’s largest hydroliser at 10MW’ as if this was some kind of limit. It’s not.
Finally their 100MW example is pathetically small compared to the projects underway. All at a GW scale with considerable investment; maybe their engineers know something this pair don't. For example most of this first H2 is not destined to power cars, but other applications like de-carbonising steel and concrete production, or large vehicles where the very low energy density of batteries is a deal breaker. But none of this mentioned.
Summary – hit piece easily pulled apart with a few moments on a search engine. The only upside is I did learn a couple of new things.
That's very interesting. Another rumour I spotted a few weeks back is that FMG are looking at using the Marsden Point infrastructure for some kind of H2 project.
I don't want to oversell H2, it's not a silver bullet, but part of a mix of technologies that we will need to decarbonise. I spent most of last year commissioning at a lithium plant and this year looks like it may be H2 – so I'm not biased. Just diversified
Why do they call it "green" hydrogen? This is greenwash. Complete bollocks.
We don't say I'm going to put green solar panels on my roof to help power my green house or to feed the grid to power my green EV that uses green batteries.
The evidence in the video looks pretty compelling to me. Hydrogen makes no sense at all compared to the far cheaper and more efficient (and getting rapidly more efficient) battery storage model.
The real question is how we generate and distribute electricity in the first place to meet future demand; I have posted before on TS about how wind turbines destroy landscape values, meaning they are only a very limited option IMHO. Solar and offshore wind turbines are the best options.
Green hydrogen is extracted using a method that does not produce GHG emissions. As the name suggests, its production is sustainable and environmentally friendly. Green hydrogen is most commonly produced using a device called an electrolyser. Electrolysers use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The key to this method of producing green hydrogen is that the electricity that powers the electrolyser comes from renewable sources, such as wind, solar, which have no associated GHG emissions. There are also pathways to produce green hydrogen from waste biomass.
Blue hydrogen
Blue hydrogen is produced using a process called ‘steam reforming’, which uses steam to separate hydrogen from natural gas. This process does produce GHGs, but carbon capture and storage technologies capture and store those emissions.
Grey hydrogen
Grey hydrogen is also extracted from natural gas using steam reforming but in this case, relevant technologies don’t capture resulting emissions. Instead, they are released into the atmosphere.
Brown and black hydrogen
Brown hydrogen (made from brown coal) and black hydrogen (made from black coal) are produced via gasification. It’s an established process used in many industries that converts carbon-rich materials into hydrogen and carbon dioxide. As a result, gasification releases those by-products into the atmosphere.
However, if technology ends up storing those emissions, that hydrogen can sometimes be called blue.
There are other colours too
Turquoise hydrogen
Turquoise hydrogen describes hydrogen produced when natural gas is broken down into hydrogen and solid carbon via pyrolysis. This method uses heat to break down a material’s chemical make up. It’s seen as ‘low carbon’ as the hydrogen production process doesn’t emit any GHGs. But there can beemissions associated with the mining and transport of natural gas that is used as the starting product.
Yellow, purple and pink hydrogen
But wait, there’s more! We occasionally see yellow hydrogen describing hydrogen made from direct water splitting, or purple (or pink) for hydrogen derived using nuclear power. There are also murmurings of white hydrogen, which may be extractable from underground.
There is a bit more to it than 'bollocks'
The evidence in the video looks pretty compelling to me.
Ah OK I didn't know that. But it alters little as the description you give says:
As the name suggests, its production is sustainable and environmentally friendly. Green hydrogen is most commonly produced using a device called an electrolyser. Electrolysers use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The key to this method of producing green hydrogen is that the electricity that powers the electrolyser comes from renewable sources, such as wind, solar, which have no associated GHG emissions. There are also pathways to produce green hydrogen from waste biomass.
Again I say this is greenwash-the inefficiencies of needing huge amounts of power (compared with the alternatives) to to make and store hydrogen means it is not green at all.
You've found a use for the crazy pedestrian crossing we have in Wellington. We can update each line by writing in the amount of that type of hydrogen that we are using. Perhaps we can update the numbers every 6 months or so.
It won't be graffiti I will simply be a means of keeping the public up to date. I hope there are enough colours.
No problem with the green hydrogen – provided you look back up the whole supply chain, especially with GHG producing energy sources.
But blue hydrogen can only be described as being useless.
This process does produce GHGs, but carbon capture and storage technologies capture and store those emissions.
As someone who was trained in earth sciences, I have enormous scepticism about getting the kinds of long term storage required. Just as I have about highly radioactive waste.
I don't think that it can be done safely at anything apart from exorbitant cost. If at all. After all we are talking about near to geological time scales required for sequestration. You want a reliable way of storing without environmental leakage for centuries at a bare minimum. In environment where climate change alone creates a major risk.
Basically humans simply don't have any technology that could make that safe. They also don't appear to be developing any that would met a cost/benefit analysis over simply not creating greenhouse gases by changing to known and working technologies.
For instance, the most common delusion, stuffing carbon in any form into expired gas or oil fields is just a deferral for a few years or decades. Those formations leak like crazy after they have been penetrated, partially collapsed or fractured under pressure pushing hydrocarbons out. Even to get them into the ground, they'd have to force out the junk that they stuck in the domes to get the last of the hydrocarbons out. And that is before considering the regular earthquakes.
Same problem for almost every other way that I have ever seen to sequester carbon.
The need for hydrogen power is pretty clear. It is as RL said
For example most of this first H2 is not destined to power cars, but other applications like de-carbonising steel and concrete production, or large vehicles where the very low energy density of batteries is a deal breaker. But none of this mentioned.
Concrete and steel (each about ~8% of emissions) de-carbon are a major climate change targets. Steel has already been demonstrated to be relatively easy to convert to virtually no carbon if there was sufficient H2. Cement a lot less so because you can use it reduce heating costs, but it doesn't help at all with CO2 process emissions driven off the clinker.
With high load vehicles like trucks, ships, aircraft, and most construction equipment. Electric power is pretty useless for really heavy loads and is unlikely to get much better. It'd probably require decades to get the required increases in density steps if there is a possible way to do it and to make them safe enough to use widely.
All of those are industrial level equipment and can afford to install the large levels of protection that storing and transporting large quantities of hydrogen entail. That is several orders of magnitude more of distribution and storage problem than with virtually all of the current hydrocarbons in use.
But shifting hydrogen is also something that is already done on an industrial scale. Just not something that I'd consider as being safe enough to put into a personal vehicle with an average young kiwi driver. Doesn't look that problem is going to be fixed in the coming decades as well – most of the approaches looks like it is decades away from widespread engineering.
For cars, light load vans, light load trucks and buses – EV is already viable and starting to be in widespread use.
The problem there is mostly in the power supply chain – mostly that a lot of generation worldwide isn't green. Plus that electricity grids aren't designed to handle stored electrical power or micro-generated electrical power. To me that looks to be more of an issue about investment and software than basic science or engineering. Lots of lithium storage bunkers dotted around like the traditional ammo bunkers are in your future.
Yes – I'm not much of a fan of CO2 capture and underground reservoir storage. I wasn't promoting it, just pointing out what the various 'hydrogen colours' actually meant.
My rant was more about the issues. but I see that I used the 'you' word in there once – sorry. I'm trying to break myself of that habit.
One of the things that I tend to dislike about a lot of discussion and policy about climate change is the dependence on on unproven GHG reduction or mitigation technologies. That may have been a valid policy use in the 1990s. Now more than 20 years later it really only qualifies as wilful obstruction.
And yet when you look at COP-26 that is mostly what is on the table. Including by our government. The farming community has had the last 20 years to figure out how to decrease methane, yet have managed to increase the total volume of emissions of the most dangerous short term GHG gases of methane by ~8% between 1990 and 2018, and nitrous oxide by more.
Right now we need to concentrate on using technologies that are at least working and dropping emissions as fast as possible. Not exactly what we promised in our largest GHG problem over the next 30 years – agricultural policy was all about tech that neither exists nor shows that much promise based on what has been proven not to work at any scale. We should just start doing back taxes on agriculture backdated to the introduction of the ETS.
As is pointed out by juice media, at this point policies incorporating future tech promises are just bullshit. I must start donating to that crew.
Right now we need to concentrate on using technologies that are at least working and dropping emissions as fast as possible.
I've repeatedly said I've no problem with the Solar/Wind/Battery crowd and I wish them the best. I expect we will push what can be achieved in that mode as far as possible. But equally we don't hear a lot from them around the very real limits of what can be achieved with renewables either. They can definitely play a role now, but they cannot take the whole 8 or 9b of humanity into anything like an acceptable future.
De-carbonising is not going to be a set of 'one off, drop in and done' replacements for our existing modes of production. It will be successive waves of evolution, starting with the SWB mode we're in right now and then over the next decade or so we'll see a host of other technologies that are in the research or development stage now – start to appear in production.
Yes it would be nice if the development of all of this had happened decades ago – but then I have my own views on why that never happened.
De-carbonising is not going to be a set of 'one off, drop in and done' replacements for our existing modes of production.
But planning on future technologies to bridge the gaps 20-30 years down the line (like the aussie and our government) is just a recipe for increasing the total GHG emissions between now and then. It just increases risk and at present those risks are starting to get into the mode of being in the big upswing of a S curve.
It is a classic investment problem. Putting in a relatively shit technology like lithium battery banks next to variable power sources for fats load balancing isn't optimal.
Even with the rapid battery replacement, it is even better than having to fire up a old coal powered power station or installing a new gas powered station with a 30 year investment life span and a need to find a new field, or trying to rush in a SMR without a viable waste disposal plan.
In GHG terms it probably even beats putting in a new dam because those have a very large build carbon footprint.
Yes it would be nice if the development of all of this had happened decades ago – but then I have my own views on why that never happened.
Who doesn't. But mostly I think it is just investors wanting to realise returns from current investments, and not wanting to get taxed for the benefit of the future.
Also I'd point out that very few of the current H2 generation projects are 'Green Hydrogen'. Almost all of them apart from a few bleeding edge projects using brand new tech (ie requiring decades of debugging) have a hydrocarbon feed stock.
The relevant information about sequestration of carbon for these projects that I am aware of could be taken apart by anyone who has studied any earth sciences in minutes. Most of them are simply ways to effectively throw the pollutant costs on to later generations because they rely on shonky and engineering and science that has never been even remotely tested.
They really need to do the equivalent of crash test testing on it.
Rather than using electricity to split water into its constituent parts, heat can do it.
Electricity generated by wind towers or photo electric solar cells is not the only way to split water into Hydrogen and Oxygen to release Green Hydrogen.
Concentrated solar arrays can produce extremely high temperatures where water disasocciates, no electicity or electolysers needed.
Install Ivanpah sized solar collectors in the hot Australian interior feed them with water. Voila.
Summary…they take actual existing real world data for the basis of their assessment and you continue to assume future capabilities that may never occur.
"Hydrogen’s viability as a fuel source — regardless of industry — depends on rapid development of a variety of transport, delivery and storage technologies that are young but fast-evolving. Commercializing these technologies will not be simple, but they are being addressed. Below is a summary of some work being done."
"Industrial gas giant Linde will build and operate what it claims will be the “world’s largest PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) electrolyser” plant to produce green hydrogen once it is operational at the Leuna chemical complex in Germany.'
And how long do you wish to wait for these grand technical advances?….never mind the basic EROI of hydrogen production isnt going to change irrespective.
The calculation of EORI used in that video is the wrong calculation when the source of the energy is solar/wind. The correct term to be using is not the energy produced (which is essentially free), but the energy embedded in the solar panel/wind turbine infrastructure. That's a quite different calculation to the simplistic one presented.
It is a different calculation…and one that makes the EROI even worse, they have been generous by only measuring the operational EROI rather than the embedded and operational energy costs.
They make the very common mistake of including the operational wind/solar energy in the EORI calculation, when for renewables you don't care about that at all. There is nothing 'generous' about this at all – it's simply irrelevant.
Also it wasn't clear to me how their numbers added up, but that could be my fault.
Can i reproduce it?….I imagine so, however i dont need to because the calculation has been reproduced by many and often…it is generally accepted that for every unit of energy from hydrogen produced 4 units of energy are involved in its production…..do you wish to prove otherwise?
It adds up…its not perhaps the way I'd choose to present it but I havnt had the opportunity to ask why it was presented thus….but i see no fundamental flaw.
Again I refer you to the previous chart…an EROI of essentially 0.25.
EROI stands for energy returned on energy invested. It's not the flow of energy through the system.
If the energy flow is essentially free and limitless as sunshine is – then you don't care about it, it's not a cost or investment of any kind. But apparently the calculation in the video includes it in the H2 case – although apparently not in the battery case.
But it's your reference – if you cannot defend it then just say so.
Are you suggesting there is no energy cost to storing hydrogen?….or that it dosnt need to be stored for use?….either way it would seem an odd proposition.
I had a machine with a DuPont SPE PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane). Meant to be one of the best on the market. The problem is PEM filters block up depending on water quality. That can lead to plate wear.
Looks like an epic scam to me – preferred route of manufacture is natural gas – not a renewable. No reticulation infrastructure, and pretty significant issues to overcome with safety – all so people can pretend to drive green vehicles instead of stepping away from them.
There is no 'preferred route' – methane was merely the conventional method of producing H2 for industrial purposes. Then there is the Hazer process that's running at pilot scale and shows another pathway.
Meh – the government is funding it because they see possible export $ – there has been no mature consideration of viable green technologies – it's on a par with Brazilian carbon credits – what governments do instead of rising to meet the challenges (and opportunities) of the 21st century.
What 'viable green technologies'? The left rules them out just as soon as they realise they're not compatible with their wild dreams of reverting to a pre-industrial utopia.
Whatever you like always seems to be broadbrush smears of the left as a whole. What you claim the left believes is not remotely accurate, it's just intellectually lazy provocation. Such wild claims about such a diverse group as an entire wing of the political spectrum aren't useful if we want to have any kind of rational political debate here.
There was your opportunity to make the effort to outline what you meant by 'viable green technologies' – instead you throw a little rant.
I've put in a decent effort today to explain what H2 has to offer and why it has a place in the wider decarbonising scheme. In response there's been nothing but ill-informed negativity and repeated claims that 'it can't be done'.
I didn’t mean anything by ‘viable green technologies’ because I didn’t make that comment, that was Stuart Munro.
What I am objecting to is your unfounded and un-cited claim about the beliefs of the left as a whole. We all should be discouraged from making such ridiculous claims about our political oppenents, it doesn’t make our arguments any stronger nor does it make us seem rational.
Butanol for one – you make it from a cellulose feedstock – ie it soaks up carbon before you burn it – it runs in existing engines and reticulation infrastructure.
But no, it has to be hydrogen. I suppose we're meant to be grateful it's not fusion.
They're green enough – they just struggle against subsidized petrochemicals at present.
The cost of inputs however, is very low, and that means in first principles terms, that given sufficient development this technology will be competitive with fossil fuels.
The big missing factor of your preference, hydrogen, is the energy source. Even given all the multifarious issues of hydrogen were resolved, absent a cheap energy surplus, hydrogen fails. Moreover, if there is a way to use cheap surplus energy without the conversion to hydrogen, that use will invariably be much more efficient, and likely much greener too.
Or maybe, it now seems – after reading RL's contribution above. From his last link:
Despite all the challenges that 2020 has brought, a staggering 50GW of green-hydrogen electrolysis projects have been announced this year, out of a current global total of 80GW, as more and more countries announce ambitious clean-hydrogen strategies to help them decarbonise transport, heating and heavy industry.
Many of these projects are gigawatt-scale, with the hope that their immense size will quickly bring down the cost of green hydrogen through economies of scale — in the same way that the prices of wind and solar power have fallen exponentially over the past decade.
It has been a remarkably rapid development for green hydrogen when you consider that the world’s largest electrolyser currently in operation is only 10MW, and that most of these gigawatt-scale H2 projects will also be among the planet’s largest renewables plants.
I was a bit harsh above. Green H2 is not a magic bean that will solve all our problems, it has to be understood in it's correct context before it makes sense.
Read Reds links and you will see his claims are grossly overstated AND based on expectation rather than existence…..we can all create futures where the improbable occurs
A interesting case unfolds. I don't have enough information to make a judgement. But I think police will need to be 100% confident their actions were justified. I would also like to know who made the complaint. Police have been know in recent times to turn up on certain gun owners doors and ask about their political views.
I agree. If this pastor is found to be in the wrong and a threat, that's fine – one less nutter in society. If the police are found to be wrong, or acted on flimsy information to curtail someone who spouts unpopular views in public, that's not fine. Should that be the case I would expect the media to be onto this like a rabid dog. But they won't. It may not even get a mention.
Personally i have no use for guns generally, but as per the article, he gun was locked away in a safe and that safe was ripped of the wall and then opened with a key that was found elsewhere. Ah, good old terrorism laws that can be used so easily against non criminal law abiding contrarians.
The story reminds me of Rachel Stewart and her merry go round with the Police in regards to her weapons that came courtesy of activists that use the Police to bully 'contrarians' all legally and government sanctioned.
Well per the article they managed to rip it of the wall, but then found a key and opened it. go figure.
His instinct was to check if his gun was still in the safe, he said, but it had been ripped from a wall and opened using a key found in a drawer.
The guy seems to bit of a tosser- but as far as i know we are still allowed to hold believes other then the official puree served by highly paid PR figures. This whole article describes something that I would consider as government sanctioned harassment and intimidation. And if government thinks that the police overstep its boundaries it can check its lazy law making and maybe tighten some screws so that overzealous cops will know when to stop.
That is exactly the point. They should have waited for him to show up, demand entry, ask about the weapons, ask a few general questions to see if he is any danger and in the end simply confiscate said weapon and ammunition on the laws provided.
He was and still is a law abiding citizen.
If this article is correct, that was incredibly stupid on the parts of the police.
He had only recently bought the gun and 500 rounds of ammunition.
He has been showing more extreme views recently obvious to someone within the church or maybe his wife was worried.
[RL: You are still in pre-mod until you acknowledge the requirement to gives cites or references when needed. Please acknowledge this. If not the usual practice is to turn the pre-mod into a ban.]
Appeal rights – if the police have confiscated your gun after deciding you are not a fit and proper person to possess a firearm and ammunition under the Arms Act 1983 (& revoking or suspending your firearms licence, which they haven't done yet) – are:
Right of review of licensing decisions
There are changes to the right of appeal section.
The main change is if a decision is made to refuse a person a firearms licence, or to revoke a person’s firearms licence, that person may first apply to the Commissioner of Police for a review of the decision (s62). They can also appeal the decision to the District Court, provided they have first applied to the Commissioner for a review and received the Commissioner’s decision on that review (s62B(2)).
If they do cancel his firearms licence, I shouldn't imagine he'd have much joy appealing to Police Commissioner Andy Coster. He'd probably have to take it to the District Court.
But the article says police raided his place after they had received information “relating to concerns around an individual’s wellbeing and the likelihood the man was armed” – which suggests to me that they consider he might be mentally unstable.
(I personally find it hard to believe he intends to "go possum shooting at some point". More likely he wants the gun for protection.)
Hope Stuff follows up on this story. It's piqued my interest.
Just because some calls the police to your house claiming you are mentally unstable and should not own any kitchen knifes, or guns, or other sharp objects does not mean that you are mentally unstable. You might just be a contrarian that does not sing to he official tune, and someone might be quite happy to use the Police to harras and intimidate other wise law abiding citizens, such as Rachel Stewart and this Priest.
I would again not be surprised if this is exactly the same. Some disgruntled activist using the Police as their personal private little enforces. Btw, how is the Police doing on Gang Crime, on anti social and dangerous social housing tenants, on drink driving, etc?
Going up against a group of individuals that fight, that are physically aggressive, have numbers, have public relations people, are lawyered up, have political allies
''I personally find it hard to believe he intends to "go possum shooting at some point". More likely he wants the gun for protection.''
Yes, I would say he's received serious threats from people who are more likely to carry out violent acts than he is. The gun is probably for self protection.
As the self defence saying goes: ''It's better to be judged by 12, than carried by 6''
Self defence laws need overhauling, especially for Indian dairy owners who have been threatened in the past with possible prosecution for defending themselves.
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.
No, I didn't say he was a pastor. Nor was he a Catholic priest ( for balance).
The biblical verses you mention were teachings that Jesus taught to stop the innocent making karmic links with people who were doing them wrong. However, I think his teachings would have had exceptions that haven't been historically recorded for a variety of reasons.
You are welcome to turn the other cheek to someone wanting to harm you or a loved one. I'm not.
As I understand it – at the time & place when Jesus lived, striking backhand a person of a lower class was a means of asserting authority and dominance. If the struck inferior "turned the other cheek," this is therefore seen by some Christians as a challenge. By turning the other cheek, the person struck was showing courage and demanding equality, not being a doormat.
Yes that is one interpretation the concept of non-violent resistance to oppression. So it was a fairly radical idea then, and even now. The subsequent verse of giving your shirt and your coat as well carries the same message. While you may blush in your subsequent nakedness, you also bring shame onto the one who forces you into this situation. The sermon on the Mount (or on the Plain) – depending on whether its Matthew or Luke – contains some pretty radical stuff for its time.
As a general principle, and in cases of minor harms, it seems a good policy to "absorb" the harm and bury it, karmically; revenge, equalising and the escalation that usually follows, is something to be avoided wherever possible, imo.
Agreed. There are methods whereby you absorb the wrong (energy) into your body and transmute it into neutral energy for your advantage.
Taoists and Western Alchemy use such methods. No karma is produced; and the offender is giving you a free boost of energy at his expense, plus still having to carry the karmic load for his wrongs. That's true justice.
Yes and no. Hard to explain. First you must see/feel everything as energy. Remember what Tesla is reputed to have said:
''If you want to find the secrets of the Universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.’''
That's very hard to do because we live in a material world…and toast is toast. Even though it's not.
The next thing is to have the right mindset (very very important). The last thing is to experience the results for yourself. The only part imagination plays is to kick start the process because energy follows thought. Eg,think of crime…do the crime.
At the end of his talk, someone from the audience asked His Holiness Dalai Lama, “Why didn’t you fight back against the Chinese?” His Holiness looked down, swung his feet just a bit, then looked back up at us and said with a gentle smile,
“Well, war is obsolete, you know”. Then, after a few moments, his face grave, he said, “Of course the mind can rationalize fighting back…but the heart, the heart would never understand for it. Then you would be divided in yourself, the heart and the mind, and the war would be inside you.”
— Dalai Lama
SETH: "There are deeply hidden areas of human behavior far below the surface of actions, and these cause the actions. They are psychic exchanges. Before the beginning of any war, subconsciously each individual knows not only that a war will occur, but its precise outcome. Battles like other physical acts exist first in the mental realm. When this realm is peaceful there are no wars. All of your physical activities, from the political to the economic and to the most insignificant individual concerns have their origin in mental existence, and their outcome is known.
To create a harmonious inner existence is a positive act with far-reaching effects, and not an act of isolation. To desire peace strongly is to help achieve it. To accept war helps prolong its physical existence. These are not idle words nor are they meant symbolically."
Seth( I'm assuming the spirit entity that was channelled), has put it succinctly. And so has the Dali Lama. They are right. It's not for nothing South American shamans do their most important work early in the morning before the mass of humanity awakens and their astral and mental angst starts polluting the atmosphere a little more than the day before.
"I would say he's received serious threats from people who are more likely to carry out violent acts than he is" thats about as good as a reckon on zbshoutback . do you know this person personally blade or is this you putting your "mana" on the line again?
Talking of talkback, I believe Heather Du Plessis-Allen is back this afternoon. Good solid Tory commentary. It almost makes reading your comment bearable.
'His .22 rifle had been taken, along with 500 rounds of ammunition.'
Well that can cover everything from a single shot .22 rimfire that you'd teach your kids to shoot rabbits with to a 223 AR that's really only got one purpose and that's not recreational hunting. (Yes you can use them for hunting but for anything other than shooting masses of goats from a chopper there's much better )
If the guy's sitting on an AR and 500 rounds, really what's his lawful purpose.
'Well that can cover everything from a single shot .22 rimfire that you'd teach your kids to shoot rabbits with to a 223 AR that's really only got one purpose and that's not recreational hunting.'
No thats incorrect, let me explain:
A .22LR rimfire round assuming thats what he has and it most likely is because its the most popular ammunition in the world is very different to a .223 (or 5.56) centrefire round
A picture speaks a thousand words so they say so here is a .22LR rimfire and a .223 centrefire side by side
A semi auto .22 rimfire rifle with a ten round magazine is perfectly legal in NZ to own (I should know because I own one)
Semi-auto centrefire rifles are banned for general use in NZ, you can use AR-15s for professional pest control in NZ but I'd imagine there'd be some stringent hoops to jump through.
So if he has an AR-15 then he really is up s**t creek however I don't think it is an AR-15 type rifle because the media love to report on that type of thing
It's illegal if he loses his rag and kills someone or ones.
And the man who has a gun for his own good reasons, which we infer from what he said, does that? The world would go crazy about the cops doing nothing about to stop him.
The Christchurch Mosque murderer legally had a gun. He wasn't a mass murderer until he was. If the police had some reservations about him having a gun and entered his home and taken it?
There are a lot of nutcases around preaching how terrible things are in the country.
Could the hysteria and lunacy see someone who has a gun they've never used and seem to not really know why they've got it, see themselves as some sort of Pastor Rittenhouse and go out to save the world?
So we should allow the police to go into the house of everyone and confiscate every weapon – even those locked in safes and such? Would that also include knifes, axes, saws, needles, pots n pans and such? Cause all that can be used to hurt / harm others. And when can the Police start with the Gangs? Today maybe? Or is that in the too hard and too dangerous category and thus is not ‘helpful’?
Maybe we need a law that allows us a few blunt items – no steak knives though, just hold the steak in your hands and bite of it that should do the trick – to prepare food etc, maybe a "single use allocation" for a saw and other handy tools, like you fill out a form for the intended use, the duration of the use and when done bring it back to he local Mitre 10/Bunnings legally authorized and police certified Saw/Axe/Grinder/Machete lender, to be registered as returned and entered back into stock?
Surely such a law can be quickly passed under urgency to protect the people of currently law abiding citizens who may or may not be tossers, but who openly don't agree with the government on all things?
Depends what he was saying in public and to other people. Having a weapon and ammo isn't unlawful if you have an firearms license. However there are a pile of responsibilities that go with it.
It isn't a right to 'bear arms' in NZ it is a privilege – one that can and should be withdrawn any time that someone shows even a smidgen of a lack of responsibility about their usage or intentions about usage. Read the firearms act.
As PR pointed out above, he can go to a internal judicial review by the head of police – who ultimately has full responsibility for the misuse of firearms, and then to court to resolve. The police making the decision have to present evidence to explain their actions and so does the person that has had their arms licence revoked or constrained.
Personally I'd far prefer that the police are preemptive about firearms rather than (metaphorically) winding up in a ambulance at yet another massacre.
His instinct was to check if his gun was still in the safe, he said, but it had been ripped from a wall and opened using a key found in a drawer.
His .22 rifle had been taken, along with 500 rounds of ammunition.
Bromley said he was given the gun only a few months ago, but wouldn’t say by whom, and said he had bought the ammunition in the last month because “things are going up in price”.
Explaining why he owns a weapon, Bromley said he is not a hunter but may go possum shooting at some point.
Just that of which sounds to me that he is entirely too casual about the responsibility of owning firearms. Doesn't matter if he is a loudmouth as well.
The police are likely to be aware of even moderate ammo purchases. Sellers log purchases against firearms licences because they are required to only sell ammo to firearms licence holders. Police will be checking those often these days.
I also have to wonder if he had had his storage looked at and approved by a firearms officer. It is required for all firearms licence holders. If he hadn't, then the police would be wondering about it.
One of the first questions for someone who wasn't known to have firearms and a reason to use plus who was buying ammo would be:- if he was reselling ammunition so someone who didn't have a firearms licence. Which is unlawful except in a few specified exceptions.
f the police received any complaint about him with some supporting evidence, then a large purchase of a ammunition from someone who (by the sounds of it) hasn't purchased ammunition previously would be of interest.
Overall this guy doesn't read like someone who I'd want living a few suburbs over, apparently untrained, and without any obvious reason to need to use a weapon.
On the face of it and without looking at any other evidence other than the news report, I'd say that the police have a good prima facie reason to search and remove. Also well within their duties with their responsibilities as our arms officers.
While I haven't held a firearms licence in decades, I did pest control on my parents farm, got trained in the army, and recently spent years building training systems for upgrading the skills of soldiers with their use of weapons.
I don't like people being casual around firearms. I know of entirely too many ways that can end badly.
Marginally economical per round. FFS looking at the most popular .22LR at Gun City Penrose
CCI .22LR Stinger 32gr Copper Plated Hollow Point 1640fps
50 rounds = $21.99
500 rounds = $199.00
Nett bulk saving is $20.90 buying 10×50 vs buying 50 rounds or about 4.2c per round.
I suppose he could have gotten a cheap value pack of about 500 subsonic rounds, which usually retail at something like $70-80. Great if you want to learn how to clean the weapon and what drop looks like.
For someone who'd apparently just gotten a 0.22 given to him. It just seems weird when he didn't seem to know what he'd gotten it for. I'd have thought that the message should have penetrated even the thickest of people that having a firearm is fraught with responsibilities, and there are lot of people (including the police) intent on making sure the irresponsible idiots don't play with them.
The day the 'balance' in NZ tips to a point where frontline police and/or the general public don't feel 'safe/safer' unless they carry/own a gun is not a good day, imho – are we there yet? If the answer to a problem is "more guns" then we have a real problem, because guns make it easier to kill people.
Adult gun enthusiasts (law-abiding or not) puzzle me, just as my enthusiasm for more progressive and less rortable taxation systems puzzles some here.
To me, "a gun enthusiast" is a person filled with enthusiasm for (owing/using/viewing) guns. Some, but not necessarily all gun enthusiasts might become ardently absorbed in their gun interests or hobbies, possibly even to the extent of encouraging others of all ages to share in their interests.
Definition of enthusiast : a person filled with enthusiasm: such as
a : one who is ardently attached to a cause, object, or pursuit
// a sports car enthusiast b : one who tends to become ardently absorbed in an interest
Don't think that there is anything intrinsically wrong with enthusiasm for guns (as long as it's a healthy), although the appeal eludes me.
I would be interested in trying to understand the appeal of private gun ownership, which seems to have moderately strong hold on some. After all, we live in a relatively safe society. One way to change that, imho, would be to increase private gun ownership above the current 7 – 8% (350,000 – 400,l000) level, imho.
But for me personally firearms are fun and the combination of human, rifle and round all working in synch to hit the target just appeals to me
First-person shooter video games may appeal for similar reasons – a combination of human, computer and mouse/controller all working in synch to hit a target. Each to their own – can't imagine a situation in my life that would require firearm skills, although I did enjoy firing rubbish into the bin – missing not so much.
Other activities have greater appeal to me – find your own best path.
The puzzle remains (for me) – why might some people find a real rifle in the hand fun and just better than other pastimes. Is there a nuture (environmental) component, or is it mostly down to nature, i.e. you were always going to be attracted to target shooting as a pastime.
I'm all in favour of diversity, and would be concerned if NZ society was moving in directions that gave more people cause to acquire and/or use gun(s), simply because I believe that more guns in private ownership, and normalising gun use, are undesirable trends. Just a personal opinion, based on the possibly erroneous idea that as the number of guns and gun users in a community increases, so does the (admittedly very remote) chance that I will be shot.
Associations between men’s and women’s conformity to masculine role norms and firearm ownership: Contributions beyond, race, gender, and political ideology. [2021, in Psychology of Men & Masculinities] A negative binomial regression revealed that firearm ownership was best explained by a combination of being White, a man, politically conservative, and reporting more conformity to masculine role norms emphasizing violence, risk taking, and power over women, as well as (for women only) less conformity to playboy norms. These results suggest that owning a firearm may be a behavioral manifestation of a broader traditional gender role identity.
Firearm Instrumentality: Do Guns Make Violent Situations More Lethal? [14 Sept 2020] Studies on the lethality of guns, the likelihood of injury by weapon type, offender intent, and firearm availability provide considerable evidence that guns contribute to fatalities that would otherwise have been nonfatal assaults. The increasing lethality of guns, based on size and technology, and identifiable gaps in existing gun control policies mean that new and innovative policy interventions are required to reduce firearm fatalities and to alleviate the substantial economic and social costs associated with gun violence.
"why might some people find a real rifle in the hand fun and just better than other pastimes."
Is it just firearms or any pastime in general?
For instance substitute firearms for stock car racing and would you feel the same.
'Is there a nuture (environmental) component, or is it mostly down to nature, i.e. you were always going to be attracted to target shooting as a pastime.'
Again just speaking for myself but I had virtually no experiences with firearms growing up.
I enlisted in the army more out of having nothing better to do at the time.
Mind you I do love action movies and will happily ramble on about them at a drop of a hat (especially Predator and Aliens)
I do think the nature is a more likely aspect, for me anyway.
I remember playing branding at school (basically tag with tennis balls) so hand eye coordination plus hitting a target
got bored at work so me and my mate throw stones at a target to see who'd win.
Got bored in East Timor so practised free throws (my best was 8/10 after a couple of days)
I think a lot of people like aiming at things and seeing if they can hit them and firearms are a natural extension of that.
"why might some people find a real rifle in the hand fun and just better than other pastimes."
Is it just firearms or any pastime in general?
For instance substitute firearms for stock car racing and would you feel the same.
Might not be understanding your question. If you're asking would I be puzzled about why some people find stock car racing fun and just better than other pastimes, then yes, I am also be puzzled by that.
But I wouldn't really care if stock car racing became a more common pastime – the increased noise and carbon emissions might give me pause, but racing doesn’t give me real concerns for my safety.
And thanks for that explanation of the personal appeal of 'target-related activities' – makes sense. I remember (as a kid) occasionally chucking stones at inanimate targets, typically as part of a group activity, and enjoying that even though I wasn't crash hot. Guess I sorta grew out of it – found other things that were more enjoyable and that I was better at (there’s probably a correlation).
Still can't help feeling uneasy about the possibility of increased 'casual' gun use in NZ. Imho a loaded gun it something to be feared, not fondled, but (as you rightly observe) we're all different.
Many years ago a took a Cop to the IPCA. I too got calls from a private number that I disregarded.
I got a full apology, written and in person from that cops boss – for harrasment, stalking, and just plain unprofessional behaviour, threats of unwarranted legal actions and arrest at my work place. . Just saying. Maybe Cops should not use private numbers when calling people, unless it is now a crime to not answer every call that comes to your phone?
Ripping a save of a wall should count as 'rampage' considering that they could also have shown up personally, knock on the door, and have a chat. And is it illegal to own 500 rounds? Is there a limit to what one can own?
If not, i can see the Police again send someone to offer excuses, and even pay to replace a safe and fix what ever damage was done.
well if it was just recently, would you then also assume that hte police did not do due diligence and missed him going 'troppo'? And if that is the case, you need to get hold of a terrorism law, and break and enter the dwelling of a law abiding citizen, and then break open a safe – because you could not find the weapon anywhere (telling me his a safety conscious gun owner) and then upon finding the gun declare victory?
Sure, he totally could have gone 'troppo' since. maybe after he complaint to the police about threats he received that were responded to with "We are too busy". You did see that part at the end of the article, yes?
Anyone who is not totally buried in the myth of the current – all is well bullshit from the US coming out of the white house and d-shop – knows that the US is a cinder block waiting to explode. Heck the people in the US know it.
Of course, because we are all mature political observers here on TS, we all understand that the 'great divide' in US politics and society is itself fueled just as relentlessly by these same Liberal news outlets who pretend to somehow float above it, as it is by any right wing press….
99% of modern main stream liberal press have no asserted moral high ground over any rightwing press, and deserve none, they are just as divisive, destructive and in case you haven't noticed spew out the same pro war western imperialist lies and propaganda. It should go without saying that without doubt that these liberal news outlets (like The Guardian) are more effective enemies of any serious progressive Left wing movement than the right wing media could have ever have dreamt of being.
I don’t have the time to read all of the first link, but this paragraph seems to sum up the US situation:
The United States today is, once again, headed for civil war, and, once again, it cannot bear to face it. The political problems are both structural and immediate, the crisis both longstanding and accelerating. The American political system has become so overwhelmed by anger that even the most basic tasks of government are increasingly impossible.
A good broad summation. Anyone who has been around on this planet for a good few decades would surely recognise the wisdom of those words. It's been brewing since the start of the Cold War years when US manufactured paranoia saw many thousands of innocent US citizens – and elsewhere – disenfranchised because they dared question the wisdom of their overly-indulged Cold War mentality.
Sadly, its been downhill ever since but, as has been acknowledged, they can't and won't see it.
Very good response Anne. The situation in the US today is pretty dire politically.I don't know where other commentators above get their ideas from that the Democrats are all happy and think everything is sweet. One only has to look at the current plea by Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer to push for the Voting Rights Bill
The next month in the Senate will shape whether Democrats can pass a voting-rights bill before the 2022 midterm elections.
If Republicans block a Democratic-backed elections plan this month, the Senate will debate potential changes to filibuster rules, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Many Democrats have made voting rights a priority as states push restrictive elections laws and the U.S. approaches the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
To expand Americans’ access to the ballot box and reduce the influence of big money in politics, and for other purposes.
Frankly despite Manchin being a signatory to the Bill I don't hold out much hope for its passing as he could well be the one who sends it to the the dustbin of political history. The result will be a far more repressive regime for voting rights in red wing states enshrining the continuation of government by the minority.
Just how low can the BBC go?…well how about inviting friend of Jeffrey Epstein and accused sex offender Alan Dershowitz on to comment on the Ghislaine Maxwell Verdict FFS….
Here is one from the archives to cleanse the palette a little…though keep in mind this public humiliation of Dershowitz cost Norman Finkelstein his career…
Norman Finkelstein VS Alan Dershowitz
American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein
But he only got one massage and he stayed fully clothed. And he is a constitutional lawyer. And he is a teacher at a fancy million dollar 'elite' university. Don't you think it is funny that the only one who will see the inside of a prison for this mess is a non male. Lol. Public entertainment, here have a drink, some chips, get saturated peasants.
Wow great debate nice to see a younger amy goodman and the impromtu kinda studio setup amy,s gestures for example to turn the sound down an dershowitz,s gesture to get a drink of water love it everythings so damn perfect in studios these days an so damn boring !Thanks for that adrian .On the show trial itself the whole thing makes me sick especially the part that millions of americans applaud the putting of a woman in prison for sixty years as if thats gonna change something !
Well. They're probably breathing slightly easier at NATO H.Q. "Funny" how everyone seemed to forget 1990s Belgium and so didn't look for any 'threads' through time….
In the 1990s there was a huge child sex ring scandal in Belgium. Initially, protests brought the country to a standstill. But over time, the victims speaking up were vilified and everything got swept under the carpet.
One of the children (much later) was the subject of a BBC doc that used to be available on youtube. An enlightening watch.
Ok so the test isn't going as well as expected unless you're from Bangladesh then its going not too bad at all, just imagine if one of the premier all rounders playing today were playing (Shakib Al Hasa, 40 with the bat and 31 with the ball)
However I'm going to predict that the Boss will help salvage a draw.
So why is this happening, because Kane isn't playing?
No, of all the decisions Kane not playing has, imho, the least effect on the game.
I'll start with the biggest and that is the retirement of BJ Watling. BJ is not only NZs greatest wicketkeeper/batter (by a country mile) he would also walk into most of other teams of any era
He averages (I'm rounding) overall 38 with the bat but that jumps to 42 (with a high of 205) at the number 6 position and this is the key.
BJ is top six batter, historically wicketkeeper/batters were number 7 or down but because BJ also fulfils a role as a top order batter that means theres an extra space for a a bowler, a batter who bowls a bit, a bowler who bats a bit, a bits and pieces type bowler etc
Or the ability to play 4 medium-fast to fast-medium bowlers
BJs gone and it looks like Blundell is struggling. I don't want the Blackcaps to go back to throwing players on the scrap heap but Blundell looks like (for now) he's too high at 6 and needs to go down the order to 7 or 8
The other issue we have (and this is harder) is that we have no genuine all rounders. Chris Cairns averaged 43 batting at the number 7 position and averaged 29 with the ball. Dan Vettori averaged 40 with the bat at number 8 and averaged 34 with the ball
At the moment we have bowlers who can bat a bit and batters who can bowl a bit but no balance.
Ravindra is a very good, young player and will no doubt become a NZ great in time but to use him as the spin option is to do him a disservice (I do approve batting him down the order though) as his FC bowling stats are nothing to write home about.
So we need to have a spinner in the team, and show faith in that spinner, can anyone think of a spinner thats doing pretty good at the moment..?
But to fit Patel in and because BJs retired one of the big four bowlers would need to be dropped to make way for Patel, first headache.
Second headache is the batting is looking fragile, Blundell needs to go lower in the order whichs means, unfortunately, Ravindra has to go as theres just no place for him, at the moment, plus hes young. So here is, imho, the strongest all round team NZ can put out for the next test.
1. Latham
2. Young
3. Conway
4. Taylor
5. Nicholls
6. Mitchell
7. Blundell
8. Jamieson
9. Wagner
10. Boult
11. Patel
Tim Southee draws the short straw but we also need to rest and rotate our bowlers. I'm still not happy in that I think Jamieson is batting too high
The other thing NZ has to do is start preparing pitches that offer a little to our spinners
What it might do is make the pitches a bit more even, a bit of something for everyone.
It got me thinking during the T20 world cup what a huge, massive advantage winning the toss was and how unfair it is that luck has such a big determining factor in the game.
mod note. I’ll be pushing this to the ban list soon. We’ve been here many times before Tricledrown, you *have to check the Replies to see if there is a moderation.
Yes Puckish all power to the Bangladeshis. I think they will take this test out, though Ravindra was batting well last night.
I'm not sure about Mitchell. More of a one-day player perhaps. He has 1-142 in his test bowling to date.
Agree about BJ-not only was he a fine keeper and batsman, he also got fought to get runs when conditions were tough. People always remember Brendon's 302, but I watched every ball as BJ and Brendon put on 352 to take NZ from a hopeless position at 94-5 to 446-6. (BJ 124).
If it were rugby the main focus would be on chucking the coach out. Respect for the ability of the other team and how they played wouldn't come into it.
Home conditions, home circumstances and not performing anywhere near max against far lower ranked opposition would have had everyone going berserk.
The coaching staff is very, very good. World test champions, well beaten finalist in the T20, unluckily beaten in the 50 over world cup is something that may not be done again for a very long time.
100% Bearded Git. I agree. We won that game. Referee not knowing the rules + stupid rule change (that has since been changed back) to have a super over.
'Huh! I queried bringing Patel in on you last cricket column…..'
I think that unless there extenuating circumstances you should always have a spinner in the time but the NZ bowling attack has been going very well however I'm also man enough to admit when I'm wrong
I'm wrong and Patel should always be in the team unless there is absolutely no chance of any assistance at all in the pitch
'Interesting analysis that the team are missing BJ……makes sense. Could Latham be wicket keeper?'
I'm old school in that, to me, the wicketkeeper should be good, very good.
If catches win matches then I'd rather have a wicketkeeper that takes his chances and maybe doesn't bat as well than a wicketkeeper that bats well but may put down a couple more chances over the entire test.
Captaining, opening and keeping is a pretty big ask for anyone
'I must sayBangladesh do deserve to win this and I would be pleased for them.'
They haven't won yet
'But for me, win or lose, the Black Caps can do no wrong. Love the boys'
The Lord of the Rings is the best trilogy ever put to screen so he deserves everything hes got, although I understand why some might not like the movies.
The Hobbit should have only been one film, maybe two at the very most but even so when the TV series comes out it'll show exactly how impressive The Lord of the Rings really was
Why there was no 20 year anniversary release is beyond me
and like the dude in Norway, this dude should also NOT go to prison.
He may be a truly abhorrent person, but these are his private ideas, his own believes and rather then send complaints the people in attendance of his speech should have simply boo'ed him down, publicly.
Citing a biased media, Trump cancels his planned press conference on the anniversary of the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters. Promising to air his grievances on the result of the 2020 election at a later public rally on the 15th of Jan.
Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America
In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am canceling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday, January 15th, in Arizona……
Classic Trump: "In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media…"
His hordes of doting, manipulable clods will remain in awe of the intellectual giant.
In his signature garbled delivery Trump, in his statement announcing the cancellation of his planned January 6 press conference, says the January 6 Select Committee should not investigate his supporters violent storming of the US Capitol. Instead the Select Committee should be investigating, "the Crime of the Century" The 'Crime of the Century', according to Trump, is his oft repeatedly stated, but provenly false accusation, that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by the Democrats.
Trump CANCELS Jan. 6 Presser at Mar-a-Lago
Caleb Howe 12 mins ago
"…..the fraud of the 2020 Presidential Election, not the primary topic of the Unselect Committee’s investigation? This was, indeed, the Crime of the Century.
I look forward to seeing our Great American patriots in Arizona next weekend for a big rally to Save America!
We will have to wait to see, whether the January 15 rally will be a further incitement by Trump of his supporters to attack US democracy.
I often read of prisoners not getting parole because they won't admit guilt for the crime they've been imprisoned for. I wonder about saying you didn't do it for the simple reason that you didn't do it.
I regularly see people opining about the death penalty and the fact it should be used more. I regularly see of cases in the USA similar to one in the news today.
'US man freed from prison 37 years after witness lied and took police bribe of drugs and sex'
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Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
Asia Pacific Report Barangay New Zealand’s Rene Molina has interviewed the country’s first Filipino Green MP Francisco Hernandez who was sworn into Parliament yesterday as the party’s latest member. This is the first interview with Hernandez who replaces former Green Party co-leader James Shaw after his retirement from politics to ...
An Australian Strategic Policy Institute report says Pillar Two could raise the industry to state of the art capability - or "crush" it "under the weight of the globe's biggest player". ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marlene Longbottom, Associate Professor, Indigenous Education & Research Centre, James Cook University ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the violence experienced by First Nations people in encounters with the Australian carceral system. It also contains references to ...
“Instead of following along countries that are investing in death and better ways of killing people faster, we need to invest in life and in making Aotearoa a fair, just and equitable place where everyone has what they need for a dignified life.” ...
MARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI, TPM MP FOR TAI TOKERAU This Government will not waver in its mission to exterminate Māori. CHRISTOPHER LUXON Oh well look you know I don’t think that hard-working Kiwis want to hear language like that. It’s just really unhelpful rhetoric. My Government is genuinely committed to advancing outcomes ...
The body positivity movement started with women confronting the unrealistic expectations and unrepresentative portrayals of them in media and advertising. Men weren’t part of it … their bodies hadn’t been sexualised to the same extremes and they didn’t really need it. But now that’s changed. And in a warped sort ...
The New Zealand comedy legend takes us through her life in television, including the time she hugged Elton John and the unshakeable legacy of a girl named Lyn. In 1981, Ginette McDonald stood on the stage of Auckland’s St James Theatre and directly addressed Queen Elizabeth II. It was a ...
An essay by Lily Duval from the just-released anthology Otherhood: Essays on being childless, childfree and child adjacent.I was 22 when my friend Alice gave birth in the living room of our pokey Addington flat. She laboured in the blow-up pool for hours. Garish fish swam along the inflated ...
Ella Borrie on the best books about motherhood she’s come across so far. Over the past few years I’ve been drawn to books about motherhood. I’m fascinated by the joys and horrors of becoming a parent. The question of children also feels more pressing than it used to. It’s like ...
Out of gift ideas for mum? You can’t go wrong with a bottle of toilet cleaner and a new squeegee. Emily Writes is the writer and editor of Emily Writes Weekly. This week marks five years since I published a post on The Spinoff about Mother’s Day marketing titled ‘A ...
My husband is posted overseas for 12 months and I’m armed with an expensive, newfangled vibrator. Will I miss him? The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.A few days after my husband leaves, a new sex toy arrives at the front door. Nestled ...
Jaimie Baird’s new book Here Today Gone Tomorrow is a record of four decades of graffiti and street art in Wellington, told through more than 1,200 photographs. He spoke with Joel MacManus about what inspired the book. How did you first get interested in photographing street art? I remember ...
Editor Madeleine Chapman looks back at a busy week where food of all political leanings dominated. Sometimes you’re just going about your week thinking you’ve got a good handle on what might be coming as far as news topics and then someone (usually a politician) says something so ridiculous that ...
In a week of cold rain and frost, the climate in courtroom four upstairs at the Invercargill courthouse was simmering with restrained indignation. At times it felt like the famous Mexican standoff scene from Reservoir Dogs, or, as someone watching the proceedings described it, there was so much throwing of ...
A banner notification alerts me to the fact that I’ve received an Instagram message from @felicity.loves. She always comments on my posts. I shouldn’t have opened the message, but clicked on the notification before rationalising this. OMG! Are you in Wellys? X I debate not replying, but Instagram will inform ...
In Melbourne’s hardscrabble western suburbs where AFL – Aussie rules football – is a state religion, Callum Donaldson has been quietly grafting away, four months into an odyssey that he hopes will take him to another promised land: the NRL. It was a solid 2023 for the softly spoken 20-year-old ...
Pacific Media Watch Television New Zealand Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to investigative journalism and Pacific communities in a ceremony at Government House, reports 1News. She has been the Pacific correspondent for 1News since 2002, breaking many ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tuesday’s budget will respond to the deepening public agitation over Australia’s housing shortages by pouring new money into crisis accommodation for women and children, social housing and infrastructure. A specially-convened national cabinet late Friday ticked ...
By Kaneta Naimatu in Suva Journalists in the Pacific region play an important role as the “eyes and ears on the ground” when it comes to reporting the climate crisis, says the European Union’s Pacific Ambassador Barbara Plinkert. Speaking at The University of the South Pacific (USP) on World Press ...
Aldora Itunu is back in the Black Ferns squad after a three-year absence. The last of her 24 internationals was an underwhelming loss to France (7-29) in Castres to conclude the disastrous 2021 Northern Tour. The powerhouse prop won a Rugby World Cup in 2017 and thought she was done. ...
The fight to control major transport policy and projects in Auckland has burst into the open again, with councillors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s latest attempt to steer things more under his influence. Councillors from the left and right broke ranks on the mayor’s bid to control Auckland Transport more directly ...
Exhausted by the general election campaign, horrified by the twilight zone of coalition negotiations, distracted by the silly season and waiting for the honeymoon to begin, Raw Politics has been in hibernation since October. From today, we’re back. Our weekly political video show and podcast returns for ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Authorities in the small town of Boulouparis have commemorated Armistice Day on May 8 with a new memorial honouring New Zealand soldiers who were stationed in New Caledonia during World War II. The ceremony took place in the township on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney The High Court unanimously ruled today that the Australian government can keep asylum seekers in immigration detention indefinitely in cases where they do not “voluntarily” cooperate with their own ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Munro, Lecturer, Creative Industries and Digital Media, University of South Australia Twenty-four hours after the release of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine protest song Hind’s Hall on social media on May 7, the video had already notched up over 24 million views. In ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
350 Aotearoa is calling the Environment Select Committee’s decision to allow oral submissions from just 40% of individual, unique submitters who asked to speak to the committee ‘a disgraceful blight to democracy’. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Helal, Assistant Dean (Sustainability), The University of Melbourne Dubai skylineAleksandarPasaric/Pexels Since ancient times, people have built structures that reach for the skies – from the steep spires of medieval towers to the grand domes of ancient cathedrals and mosques. Today ...
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Green Hydrogen…
or not.
Only got as far as the EROI comparison to get to the first dishonesty. Essentially they assume the wind energy can be directly used at every moment it's being generated which is not always true – to the the H2 case where the energy has been stored and can be used when you need it. In other words they've discounted the value of the energy storage to zero and gotten to a stupid answer.
Second dishonest comparison, they take the high price of a new tech, low volume car and use that to inflate the cost of conversion. In any real world scenario the maturity, volumes and costs of H2 vehicles would be considerably better, just as the first EV's were too expensive but became affordable over time. And more importantly would be part of the usual vehicle fleet replacement price which a quick back of envelope calculation already costs us around $5b pa, not an incremental new cost they present it as.
Third dishonest claim is platinum catalyst availability limit – as if this was not well understood and being actively researched. (Far too many links to be bothered posting here.)
Fourth dishonest claim is hydrogen embrittlement in metals is equally blinkered – there are good alternatives to using metals already in production. Nor was there any attempt at qualifying the issue which is not the deal breaker they're pretending it is.
Fifth dishonesty is to go all in on ‘the world’s largest hydroliser at 10MW’ as if this was some kind of limit. It’s not.
Another dishonesty is to pretend their pathway is the only one possible, while there are many other options being actively explored. Or this process that is at pilot scale now. They’re assuming that the process technology will not and cannot be improved.
Finally their 100MW example is pathetically small compared to the projects underway. All at a GW scale with considerable investment; maybe their engineers know something this pair don't. For example most of this first H2 is not destined to power cars, but other applications like de-carbonising steel and concrete production, or large vehicles where the very low energy density of batteries is a deal breaker. But none of this mentioned.
Summary – hit piece easily pulled apart with a few moments on a search engine. The only upside is I did learn a couple of new things.
The Firstgas plan to convert New Zealand's total gas pipeline to hydrogen has plenty of government and industry support.
Everyone's motivated to tell Genesis where to go for the bulk customers.
That's very interesting. Another rumour I spotted a few weeks back is that FMG are looking at using the Marsden Point infrastructure for some kind of H2 project.
I don't want to oversell H2, it's not a silver bullet, but part of a mix of technologies that we will need to decarbonise. I spent most of last year commissioning at a lithium plant and this year looks like it may be H2 – so I'm not biased. Just diversified
No vested interest there….lol.
It's my observation that people who indulge in little but cynicism – deliver nothing useful.
And its my observation that healthy cynicism is an important function of planning…..and not much happens without that.
Why do they call it "green" hydrogen? This is greenwash. Complete bollocks.
We don't say I'm going to put green solar panels on my roof to help power my green house or to feed the grid to power my green EV that uses green batteries.
The evidence in the video looks pretty compelling to me. Hydrogen makes no sense at all compared to the far cheaper and more efficient (and getting rapidly more efficient) battery storage model.
The real question is how we generate and distribute electricity in the first place to meet future demand; I have posted before on TS about how wind turbines destroy landscape values, meaning they are only a very limited option IMHO. Solar and offshore wind turbines are the best options.
Why do they call it "green" hydrogen? This is greenwash. Complete bollocks.
The colours are shorthand descriptions that have a specific technical meaning:
There is a bit more to it than 'bollocks'
The evidence in the video looks pretty compelling to me.
It was meant to be compelling.
Ah OK I didn't know that. But it alters little as the description you give says:
As the name suggests, its production is sustainable and environmentally friendly. Green hydrogen is most commonly produced using a device called an electrolyser. Electrolysers use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The key to this method of producing green hydrogen is that the electricity that powers the electrolyser comes from renewable sources, such as wind, solar, which have no associated GHG emissions. There are also pathways to produce green hydrogen from waste biomass.
Again I say this is greenwash-the inefficiencies of needing huge amounts of power (compared with the alternatives) to to make and store hydrogen means it is not green at all.
You've found a use for the crazy pedestrian crossing we have in Wellington. We can update each line by writing in the amount of that type of hydrogen that we are using. Perhaps we can update the numbers every 6 months or so.
It won't be graffiti I will simply be a means of keeping the public up to date. I hope there are enough colours.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/127422011/new-paint-job-for-wellingtons-rainbow-crossing
No problem with the green hydrogen – provided you look back up the whole supply chain, especially with GHG producing energy sources.
But blue hydrogen can only be described as being useless.
As someone who was trained in earth sciences, I have enormous scepticism about getting the kinds of long term storage required. Just as I have about highly radioactive waste.
I don't think that it can be done safely at anything apart from exorbitant cost. If at all. After all we are talking about near to geological time scales required for sequestration. You want a reliable way of storing without environmental leakage for centuries at a bare minimum. In environment where climate change alone creates a major risk.
Basically humans simply don't have any technology that could make that safe. They also don't appear to be developing any that would met a cost/benefit analysis over simply not creating greenhouse gases by changing to known and working technologies.
For instance, the most common delusion, stuffing carbon in any form into expired gas or oil fields is just a deferral for a few years or decades. Those formations leak like crazy after they have been penetrated, partially collapsed or fractured under pressure pushing hydrocarbons out. Even to get them into the ground, they'd have to force out the junk that they stuck in the domes to get the last of the hydrocarbons out. And that is before considering the regular earthquakes.
Same problem for almost every other way that I have ever seen to sequester carbon.
The need for hydrogen power is pretty clear. It is as RL said
Concrete and steel (each about ~8% of emissions) de-carbon are a major climate change targets. Steel has already been demonstrated to be relatively easy to convert to virtually no carbon if there was sufficient H2. Cement a lot less so because you can use it reduce heating costs, but it doesn't help at all with CO2 process emissions driven off the clinker.
With high load vehicles like trucks, ships, aircraft, and most construction equipment. Electric power is pretty useless for really heavy loads and is unlikely to get much better. It'd probably require decades to get the required increases in density steps if there is a possible way to do it and to make them safe enough to use widely.
All of those are industrial level equipment and can afford to install the large levels of protection that storing and transporting large quantities of hydrogen entail. That is several orders of magnitude more of distribution and storage problem than with virtually all of the current hydrocarbons in use.
But shifting hydrogen is also something that is already done on an industrial scale. Just not something that I'd consider as being safe enough to put into a personal vehicle with an average young kiwi driver. Doesn't look that problem is going to be fixed in the coming decades as well – most of the approaches looks like it is decades away from widespread engineering.
For cars, light load vans, light load trucks and buses – EV is already viable and starting to be in widespread use.
The problem there is mostly in the power supply chain – mostly that a lot of generation worldwide isn't green. Plus that electricity grids aren't designed to handle stored electrical power or micro-generated electrical power. To me that looks to be more of an issue about investment and software than basic science or engineering. Lots of lithium storage bunkers dotted around like the traditional ammo bunkers are in your future.
Yes – I'm not much of a fan of CO2 capture and underground reservoir storage. I wasn't promoting it, just pointing out what the various 'hydrogen colours' actually meant.
My rant was more about the issues. but I see that I used the 'you' word in there once – sorry. I'm trying to break myself of that habit.
One of the things that I tend to dislike about a lot of discussion and policy about climate change is the dependence on on unproven GHG reduction or mitigation technologies. That may have been a valid policy use in the 1990s. Now more than 20 years later it really only qualifies as wilful obstruction.
And yet when you look at COP-26 that is mostly what is on the table. Including by our government. The farming community has had the last 20 years to figure out how to decrease methane, yet have managed to increase the total volume of emissions of the most dangerous short term GHG gases of methane by ~8% between 1990 and 2018, and nitrous oxide by more.
Right now we need to concentrate on using technologies that are at least working and dropping emissions as fast as possible. Not exactly what we promised in our largest GHG problem over the next 30 years – agricultural policy was all about tech that neither exists nor shows that much promise based on what has been proven not to work at any scale. We should just start doing back taxes on agriculture backdated to the introduction of the ETS.
As is pointed out by juice media, at this point policies incorporating future tech promises are just bullshit. I must start donating to that crew.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=173372838258055
Right now we need to concentrate on using technologies that are at least working and dropping emissions as fast as possible.
I've repeatedly said I've no problem with the Solar/Wind/Battery crowd and I wish them the best. I expect we will push what can be achieved in that mode as far as possible. But equally we don't hear a lot from them around the very real limits of what can be achieved with renewables either. They can definitely play a role now, but they cannot take the whole 8 or 9b of humanity into anything like an acceptable future.
De-carbonising is not going to be a set of 'one off, drop in and done' replacements for our existing modes of production. It will be successive waves of evolution, starting with the SWB mode we're in right now and then over the next decade or so we'll see a host of other technologies that are in the research or development stage now – start to appear in production.
Yes it would be nice if the development of all of this had happened decades ago – but then I have my own views on why that never happened.
But planning on future technologies to bridge the gaps 20-30 years down the line (like the aussie and our government) is just a recipe for increasing the total GHG emissions between now and then. It just increases risk and at present those risks are starting to get into the mode of being in the big upswing of a S curve.
It is a classic investment problem. Putting in a relatively shit technology like lithium battery banks next to variable power sources for fats load balancing isn't optimal.
Even with the rapid battery replacement, it is even better than having to fire up a old coal powered power station or installing a new gas powered station with a 30 year investment life span and a need to find a new field, or trying to rush in a SMR without a viable waste disposal plan.
In GHG terms it probably even beats putting in a new dam because those have a very large build carbon footprint.
Who doesn't. But mostly I think it is just investors wanting to realise returns from current investments, and not wanting to get taxed for the benefit of the future.
Yes – but you do know I'm trying not to say the n-word
Also I'd point out that very few of the current H2 generation projects are 'Green Hydrogen'. Almost all of them apart from a few bleeding edge projects using brand new tech (ie requiring decades of debugging) have a hydrocarbon feed stock.
The relevant information about sequestration of carbon for these projects that I am aware of could be taken apart by anyone who has studied any earth sciences in minutes. Most of them are simply ways to effectively throw the pollutant costs on to later generations because they rely on shonky and engineering and science that has never been even remotely tested.
They really need to do the equivalent of crash test testing on it.
Talking about bleeding edge technologies.
Rather than using electricity to split water into its constituent parts, heat can do it.
Electricity generated by wind towers or photo electric solar cells is not the only way to split water into Hydrogen and Oxygen to release Green Hydrogen.
Concentrated solar arrays can produce extremely high temperatures where water disasocciates, no electicity or electolysers needed.
Install Ivanpah sized solar collectors in the hot Australian interior feed them with water. Voila.
https://scitechdaily.com/engineers-develop-water-splitting-solar-thermal-system-to-produce-hydrogen-fuel/
Oh dear….claiming dishonesty with your own.
Summary…they take actual existing real world data for the basis of their assessment and you continue to assume future capabilities that may never occur.
"Hydrogen’s viability as a fuel source — regardless of industry — depends on rapid development of a variety of transport, delivery and storage technologies that are young but fast-evolving. Commercializing these technologies will not be simple, but they are being addressed. Below is a summary of some work being done."
https://www.compositesworld.com/articles/cfrp-pressure-vessels-for-hydrogen
"Industrial gas giant Linde will build and operate what it claims will be the “world’s largest PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) electrolyser” plant to produce green hydrogen once it is operational at the Leuna chemical complex in Germany.'
https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/linde-to-build-world-s-largest-electrolyser-to-produce-green-hydrogen/2-1-944080
Hope is a wonderful thing….delusion not so much.
I've seen this argument before – it rests on the idea that no technical progress ever happens.
And how long do you wish to wait for these grand technical advances?….never mind the basic EROI of hydrogen production isnt going to change irrespective.
The calculation of EORI used in that video is the wrong calculation when the source of the energy is solar/wind. The correct term to be using is not the energy produced (which is essentially free), but the energy embedded in the solar panel/wind turbine infrastructure. That's a quite different calculation to the simplistic one presented.
It is a different calculation…and one that makes the EROI even worse, they have been generous by only measuring the operational EROI rather than the embedded and operational energy costs.
I went back and checked their claims.
They make the very common mistake of including the operational wind/solar energy in the EORI calculation, when for renewables you don't care about that at all. There is nothing 'generous' about this at all – it's simply irrelevant.
Also it wasn't clear to me how their numbers added up, but that could be my fault.
Mistake?…look at the first calculation…essentially an EROI of 0.25….no calculation for energy source….energy in v energy out.
Its a dog….and we dont have energy to spare
Can you reproduce the basis for this calculation?
Time stamped?…i think not, youve linked to the beginning of the video i linked.
Can i reproduce it?….I imagine so, however i dont need to because the calculation has been reproduced by many and often…it is generally accepted that for every unit of energy from hydrogen produced 4 units of energy are involved in its production…..do you wish to prove otherwise?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_economy
I've given you the video link above, timestamped to the relevant moment in the discussion. I'm interested to see how it's done.
"look at the first calculation…essentially an EROI of 0.25….no calculation for energy source….energy in v energy out."
You wish to prove otherwise?…remembering shes a published, peer reviewed engineer of decades standing.
Time stamped?…I think not ..youve provided nothing more
than a re link to the video I attached.
If you think your calculations can show otherwise then by all means present them.
t=6:57
And a student of (i suspect) of Al Bartlett….you have quite some pedigree to contest….go for it.
Doesn't make any sense does it?
It adds up…its not perhaps the way I'd choose to present it but I havnt had the opportunity to ask why it was presented thus….but i see no fundamental flaw.
Again I refer you to the previous chart…an EROI of essentially 0.25.
Woof
EROI stands for energy returned on energy invested. It's not the flow of energy through the system.
If the energy flow is essentially free and limitless as sunshine is – then you don't care about it, it's not a cost or investment of any kind. But apparently the calculation in the video includes it in the H2 case – although apparently not in the battery case.
But it's your reference – if you cannot defend it then just say so.
Are you suggesting there is no energy cost to storing hydrogen?….or that it dosnt need to be stored for use?….either way it would seem an odd proposition.
I had a machine with a DuPont SPE PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane). Meant to be one of the best on the market. The problem is PEM filters block up depending on water quality. That can lead to plate wear.
Looks like an epic scam to me – preferred route of manufacture is natural gas – not a renewable. No reticulation infrastructure, and pretty significant issues to overcome with safety – all so people can pretend to drive green vehicles instead of stepping away from them.
Butanol is a better system.
There is no 'preferred route' – methane was merely the conventional method of producing H2 for industrial purposes. Then there is the Hazer process that's running at pilot scale and shows another pathway.
Or the Australian National Roadmap. There's plenty to chew on in that.
Meh – the government is funding it because they see possible export $ – there has been no mature consideration of viable green technologies – it's on a par with Brazilian carbon credits – what governments do instead of rising to meet the challenges (and opportunities) of the 21st century.
What 'viable green technologies'? The left rules them out just as soon as they realise they're not compatible with their wild dreams of reverting to a pre-industrial utopia.
This canard again. Tilting at straw men.
What "viable green technologies'? You don't explain what you mean – so I get to fill the vacuum with whatever I like.
Whatever you like always seems to be broadbrush smears of the left as a whole. What you claim the left believes is not remotely accurate, it's just intellectually lazy provocation. Such wild claims about such a diverse group as an entire wing of the political spectrum aren't useful if we want to have any kind of rational political debate here.
There was your opportunity to make the effort to outline what you meant by 'viable green technologies' – instead you throw a little rant.
I've put in a decent effort today to explain what H2 has to offer and why it has a place in the wider decarbonising scheme. In response there's been nothing but ill-informed negativity and repeated claims that 'it can't be done'.
You brought nothing.
I didn’t mean anything by ‘viable green technologies’ because I didn’t make that comment, that was Stuart Munro.
What I am objecting to is your unfounded and un-cited claim about the beliefs of the left as a whole. We all should be discouraged from making such ridiculous claims about our political oppenents, it doesn’t make our arguments any stronger nor does it make us seem rational.
OK so you're objecting to my tone.
No, not tone. You made the claim:
This surely requires a citation or the caveat that this is entirely in your imagination.
This entire thread more or less proves my contention.
Where are the wild dreams of reverting to a pre-industrial utopia in this thread? Or in fact anywhere? Cite it or retract it.
lol – I'll retract it.
Butanol for one – you make it from a cellulose feedstock – ie it soaks up carbon before you burn it – it runs in existing engines and reticulation infrastructure.
But no, it has to be hydrogen. I suppose we're meant to be grateful it's not fusion.
I'm skeptical – biomass schemes don't have a sparkly track record to date, why would this one be different?
They're green enough – they just struggle against subsidized petrochemicals at present.
The cost of inputs however, is very low, and that means in first principles terms, that given sufficient development this technology will be competitive with fossil fuels.
The big missing factor of your preference, hydrogen, is the energy source. Even given all the multifarious issues of hydrogen were resolved, absent a cheap energy surplus, hydrogen fails. Moreover, if there is a way to use cheap surplus energy without the conversion to hydrogen, that use will invariably be much more efficient, and likely much greener too.
Not, it seems.
Or maybe, it now seems – after reading RL's contribution above. From his last link:
I was a bit harsh above. Green H2 is not a magic bean that will solve all our problems, it has to be understood in it's correct context before it makes sense.
Nevertheless I take your point their analysis appears does not appear to recognise all the current research and projects underway.
Read Reds links and you will see his claims are grossly overstated AND based on expectation rather than existence…..we can all create futures where the improbable occurs
A interesting case unfolds. I don't have enough information to make a judgement. But I think police will need to be 100% confident their actions were justified. I would also like to know who made the complaint. Police have been know in recent times to turn up on certain gun owners doors and ask about their political views.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/127426117/police-seize-rifle-500-ammunition-rounds-from-controversial-christchurch-pastor-in-new-years-eve-raid
I guess it is much easier ransacking a priests home rather then going after gang members that real havoc rather then just someone who is outspoken.
I agree. If this pastor is found to be in the wrong and a threat, that's fine – one less nutter in society. If the police are found to be wrong, or acted on flimsy information to curtail someone who spouts unpopular views in public, that's not fine. Should that be the case I would expect the media to be onto this like a rabid dog. But they won't. It may not even get a mention.
Personally i have no use for guns generally, but as per the article, he gun was locked away in a safe and that safe was ripped of the wall and then opened with a key that was found elsewhere. Ah, good old terrorism laws that can be used so easily against non criminal law abiding contrarians.
The story reminds me of Rachel Stewart and her merry go round with the Police in regards to her weapons that came courtesy of activists that use the Police to bully 'contrarians' all legally and government sanctioned.
They ripped it off the wall instead of using a key?!?!
To me thats…I'm not sure what you call it but hopefully he takes the police to court for damages or something
Well per the article they managed to rip it of the wall, but then found a key and opened it. go figure.
The guy seems to bit of a tosser- but as far as i know we are still allowed to hold believes other then the official puree served by highly paid PR figures. This whole article describes something that I would consider as government sanctioned harassment and intimidation. And if government thinks that the police overstep its boundaries it can check its lazy law making and maybe tighten some screws so that overzealous cops will know when to stop.
So I'm guessing he wasn't there at the time because if the police want to see whats in my cabinet I'll just open it up for them
That is exactly the point. They should have waited for him to show up, demand entry, ask about the weapons, ask a few general questions to see if he is any danger and in the end simply confiscate said weapon and ammunition on the laws provided.
He was and still is a law abiding citizen.
If this article is correct, that was incredibly stupid on the parts of the police.
Agreed
He had only recently bought the gun and 500 rounds of ammunition.
He has been showing more extreme views recently obvious to someone within the church or maybe his wife was worried.
[RL: You are still in pre-mod until you acknowledge the requirement to gives cites or references when needed. Please acknowledge this. If not the usual practice is to turn the pre-mod into a ban.]
Mod note
Perfectly all right to be anti society and illegally armed, don’t dare be anti government and legally armed with one hunting rifle.
Interesting indeed.
Appeal rights – if the police have confiscated your gun after deciding you are not a fit and proper person to possess a firearm and ammunition under the Arms Act 1983 (& revoking or suspending your firearms licence, which they haven't done yet) – are:
https://www.police.govt.nz/advice-services/firearms-and-safety/new-firearms-laws-and-what-they-mean/24-december-2020/graduated-response
If they do cancel his firearms licence, I shouldn't imagine he'd have much joy appealing to Police Commissioner Andy Coster. He'd probably have to take it to the District Court.
But the article says police raided his place after they had received information “relating to concerns around an individual’s wellbeing and the likelihood the man was armed” – which suggests to me that they consider he might be mentally unstable.
(I personally find it hard to believe he intends to "go possum shooting at some point". More likely he wants the gun for protection.)
Hope Stuff follows up on this story. It's piqued my interest.
And then Rachel Stewart took the police to court and got her weapons back and yes, she is legally totally fit to own her weapons.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2021/08/12/rachel-stewart-gets-her-guns-back/
Just because some calls the police to your house claiming you are mentally unstable and should not own any kitchen knifes, or guns, or other sharp objects does not mean that you are mentally unstable. You might just be a contrarian that does not sing to he official tune, and someone might be quite happy to use the Police to harras and intimidate other wise law abiding citizens, such as Rachel Stewart and this Priest.
I would again not be surprised if this is exactly the same. Some disgruntled activist using the Police as their personal private little enforces. Btw, how is the Police doing on Gang Crime, on anti social and dangerous social housing tenants, on drink driving, etc?
You're onto it.
Going up against a group of individuals that fight, that are physically aggressive, have numbers, have public relations people, are lawyered up, have political allies
or
people like Rachel Stewart
Can you whiners prove the police dont go after gangs.?
Its a fucking ridiculous argument, saying a fringe nutter should keep his guns ,because Gangs!!!
No, its saying the police can do both, at the same time.
best post here bwaghorn. too many on here add one and one and get eleven. outrage is their default setting!
''I personally find it hard to believe he intends to "go possum shooting at some point". More likely he wants the gun for protection.''
Yes, I would say he's received serious threats from people who are more likely to carry out violent acts than he is. The gun is probably for self protection.
As the self defence saying goes: ''It's better to be judged by 12, than carried by 6''
Self defence laws need overhauling, especially for Indian dairy owners who have been threatened in the past with possible prosecution for defending themselves.
And you say he is a Pastor?
No, I didn't say he was a pastor. Nor was he a Catholic priest ( for balance).
The biblical verses you mention were teachings that Jesus taught to stop the innocent making karmic links with people who were doing them wrong. However, I think his teachings would have had exceptions that haven't been historically recorded for a variety of reasons.
You are welcome to turn the other cheek to someone wanting to harm you or a loved one. I'm not.
And yet here
January 2022 at 7:48 am
your link says:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/127426117/police-seize-rifle-500-ammunition-rounds-from-controversial-christchurch-pastor-in-n
Exactly. Including not protecting themselves from physical violence. Just as he behaved when arrested, striped naked, flogged, and crucified.
I was quoting what the article called him. I don't know if he's a pastor or a mechanic.
''Exactly. Including not protecting themselves from physical violence. Just as he behaved when arrested, striped naked, flogged, and crucified.''
You forgot to quote my rider.
''However, I think his teachings would have had exceptions that haven't been historically recorded for a variety of reasons.''
Now, if you are comparing the supposed pastor to the actions of Jesus, I can't argue against someone's interpretations and perceptions.
As I understand it – at the time & place when Jesus lived, striking backhand a person of a lower class was a means of asserting authority and dominance. If the struck inferior "turned the other cheek," this is therefore seen by some Christians as a challenge. By turning the other cheek, the person struck was showing courage and demanding equality, not being a doormat.
Yes that is one interpretation the concept of non-violent resistance to oppression. So it was a fairly radical idea then, and even now. The subsequent verse of giving your shirt and your coat as well carries the same message. While you may blush in your subsequent nakedness, you also bring shame onto the one who forces you into this situation. The sermon on the Mount (or on the Plain) – depending on whether its Matthew or Luke – contains some pretty radical stuff for its time.
"The biblical verses you mention were teachings that Jesus taught to stop the innocent making karmic links with people who were doing them wrong. "
By saying you are not willing to turn the other cheek, are you consenting to "making karmic links" with someone who might be doing you wrong?
Just interested to know.
Yes. However, we are talking degrees of wrongs. And what has, and hasn't, been left out of the bible ( in my opinion).
As a general principle, and in cases of minor harms, it seems a good policy to "absorb" the harm and bury it, karmically; revenge, equalising and the escalation that usually follows, is something to be avoided wherever possible, imo.
Agreed. There are methods whereby you absorb the wrong (energy) into your body and transmute it into neutral energy for your advantage.
Taoists and Western Alchemy use such methods. No karma is produced; and the offender is giving you a free boost of energy at his expense, plus still having to carry the karmic load for his wrongs. That's true justice.
These methods use imagination for their effectiveness?
Yes and no. Hard to explain. First you must see/feel everything as energy. Remember what Tesla is reputed to have said:
''If you want to find the secrets of the Universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.’''
That's very hard to do because we live in a material world…and toast is toast. Even though it's not.
The next thing is to have the right mindset (very very important). The last thing is to experience the results for yourself. The only part imagination plays is to kick start the process because energy follows thought. Eg,think of crime…do the crime.
"
At the end of his talk, someone from the audience asked His Holiness Dalai Lama, “Why didn’t you fight back against the Chinese?” His Holiness looked down, swung his feet just a bit, then looked back up at us and said with a gentle smile,
“Well, war is obsolete, you know”. Then, after a few moments, his face grave, he said, “Of course the mind can rationalize fighting back…but the heart, the heart would never understand for it. Then you would be divided in yourself, the heart and the mind, and the war would be inside you.”
— Dalai Lama
SETH: "There are deeply hidden areas of human behavior far below the surface of actions, and these cause the actions. They are psychic exchanges. Before the beginning of any war, subconsciously each individual knows not only that a war will occur, but its precise outcome. Battles like other physical acts exist first in the mental realm. When this realm is peaceful there are no wars. All of your physical activities, from the political to the economic and to the most insignificant individual concerns have their origin in mental existence, and their outcome is known.
To create a harmonious inner existence is a positive act with far-reaching effects, and not an act of isolation. To desire peace strongly is to help achieve it. To accept war helps prolong its physical existence. These are not idle words nor are they meant symbolically."
—TES8 Session 337 April 26, 1967"
Seth( I'm assuming the spirit entity that was channelled), has put it succinctly. And so has the Dali Lama. They are right. It's not for nothing South American shamans do their most important work early in the morning before the mass of humanity awakens and their astral and mental angst starts polluting the atmosphere a little more than the day before.
The mass of humanity…is asleep when it's morning in South America?
Curious!
this is always a good one to listen too.
TRY JESUS
Tobe Nwigwe
Try Jesus
Not me
'Cause I throw hands
Try Jesus
Please don't try me
Because I fight
I know what He said about getting slapped
But if you touch me or mine
We gon' have to scrap
So
Try Jesus
Please don't try me
Because I fight
I have no problem layin' these hands
Try Jesus
Don't try me
'Cause I throw hands
Try Jesus
Please don't try me
Because I fight
Oh, He said, "Turn the other cheek"
Oh, but that's one part of the Bible, that don't just sit right with me
So try Jesus
Please don't try me
'Cause I fight
I have no problem layin' these hands
"I would say he's received serious threats from people who are more likely to carry out violent acts than he is" thats about as good as a reckon on zbshoutback . do you know this person personally blade or is this you putting your "mana" on the line again?
Talking of talkback, I believe Heather Du Plessis-Allen is back this afternoon. Good solid Tory commentary. It almost makes reading your comment bearable.
They'd tried to contact him, and couldn't, what's the odds a angry anti vaxxer would claim hes been ransacked?
500 rounds!! That's alot of ammo.
Best to err on the side of caution imho.
If he proves to not be a dangerous nutter I'm sure hell get his license back,
Its not really that large an amount for a .22
'His .22 rifle had been taken, along with 500 rounds of ammunition.'
https://www.guncity.com/ammunition?facets=0~00003%7CRimfire%7CAmmunition&sort=price1%20desc
Its only $70 or so and cheaper than buying smaller amounts
(No I really don't think hes going out shooting possums either)
'His .22 rifle had been taken, along with 500 rounds of ammunition.'
Well that can cover everything from a single shot .22 rimfire that you'd teach your kids to shoot rabbits with to a 223 AR that's really only got one purpose and that's not recreational hunting. (Yes you can use them for hunting but for anything other than shooting masses of goats from a chopper there's much better )
If the guy's sitting on an AR and 500 rounds, really what's his lawful purpose.
'Well that can cover everything from a single shot .22 rimfire that you'd teach your kids to shoot rabbits with to a 223 AR that's really only got one purpose and that's not recreational hunting.'
No thats incorrect, let me explain:
A .22LR rimfire round assuming thats what he has and it most likely is because its the most popular ammunition in the world is very different to a .223 (or 5.56) centrefire round
A picture speaks a thousand words so they say so here is a .22LR rimfire and a .223 centrefire side by side
https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-5933707761e7ee65c9a26d8e59001429-lq
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-zealand-bans-military-style-semi-automatics-and-assault-rifles
A semi auto .22 rimfire rifle with a ten round magazine is perfectly legal in NZ to own (I should know because I own one)
Semi-auto centrefire rifles are banned for general use in NZ, you can use AR-15s for professional pest control in NZ but I'd imagine there'd be some stringent hoops to jump through.
So if he has an AR-15 then he really is up s**t creek however I don't think it is an AR-15 type rifle because the media love to report on that type of thing
PR That's what I was to advise,bloody hand wringers.
is it illegal to do so?
Of course it's not illegal.
It's illegal if he loses his rag and kills someone or ones.
And the man who has a gun for his own good reasons, which we infer from what he said, does that? The world would go crazy about the cops doing nothing about to stop him.
The Christchurch Mosque murderer legally had a gun. He wasn't a mass murderer until he was. If the police had some reservations about him having a gun and entered his home and taken it?
There are a lot of nutcases around preaching how terrible things are in the country.
Could the hysteria and lunacy see someone who has a gun they've never used and seem to not really know why they've got it, see themselves as some sort of Pastor Rittenhouse and go out to save the world?
Of course.
Its illegal to own a centrefire, semi auto rifle assuming thats what Graeme means by AR
So we should allow the police to go into the house of everyone and confiscate every weapon – even those locked in safes and such? Would that also include knifes, axes, saws, needles, pots n pans and such? Cause all that can be used to hurt / harm others. And when can the Police start with the Gangs? Today maybe? Or is that in the too hard and too dangerous category and thus is not ‘helpful’?
Maybe we need a law that allows us a few blunt items – no steak knives though, just hold the steak in your hands and bite of it that should do the trick – to prepare food etc, maybe a "single use allocation" for a saw and other handy tools, like you fill out a form for the intended use, the duration of the use and when done bring it back to he local Mitre 10/Bunnings legally authorized and police certified Saw/Axe/Grinder/Machete lender, to be registered as returned and entered back into stock?
Surely such a law can be quickly passed under urgency to protect the people of currently law abiding citizens who may or may not be tossers, but who openly don't agree with the government on all things?
Depends what he was saying in public and to other people. Having a weapon and ammo isn't unlawful if you have an firearms license. However there are a pile of responsibilities that go with it.
It isn't a right to 'bear arms' in NZ it is a privilege – one that can and should be withdrawn any time that someone shows even a smidgen of a lack of responsibility about their usage or intentions about usage. Read the firearms act.
As PR pointed out above, he can go to a internal judicial review by the head of police – who ultimately has full responsibility for the misuse of firearms, and then to court to resolve. The police making the decision have to present evidence to explain their actions and so does the person that has had their arms licence revoked or constrained.
Personally I'd far prefer that the police are preemptive about firearms rather than (metaphorically) winding up in a ambulance at yet another massacre.
Just that of which sounds to me that he is entirely too casual about the responsibility of owning firearms. Doesn't matter if he is a loudmouth as well.
The police are likely to be aware of even moderate ammo purchases. Sellers log purchases against firearms licences because they are required to only sell ammo to firearms licence holders. Police will be checking those often these days.
I also have to wonder if he had had his storage looked at and approved by a firearms officer. It is required for all firearms licence holders. If he hadn't, then the police would be wondering about it.
One of the first questions for someone who wasn't known to have firearms and a reason to use plus who was buying ammo would be:- if he was reselling ammunition so someone who didn't have a firearms licence. Which is unlawful except in a few specified exceptions.
f the police received any complaint about him with some supporting evidence, then a large purchase of a ammunition from someone who (by the sounds of it) hasn't purchased ammunition previously would be of interest.
Overall this guy doesn't read like someone who I'd want living a few suburbs over, apparently untrained, and without any obvious reason to need to use a weapon.
On the face of it and without looking at any other evidence other than the news report, I'd say that the police have a good prima facie reason to search and remove. Also well within their duties with their responsibilities as our arms officers.
While I haven't held a firearms licence in decades, I did pest control on my parents farm, got trained in the army, and recently spent years building training systems for upgrading the skills of soldiers with their use of weapons.
I don't like people being casual around firearms. I know of entirely too many ways that can end badly.
Iprent just to be clear,500 rounds otherwise known "as A Brick" is the most econonical way to purchase .22 ammo of this type.
Marginally economical per round. FFS looking at the most popular .22LR at Gun City Penrose
CCI .22LR Stinger 32gr Copper Plated Hollow Point 1640fps
50 rounds = $21.99
500 rounds = $199.00
Nett bulk saving is $20.90 buying 10×50 vs buying 50 rounds or about 4.2c per round.
I suppose he could have gotten a cheap value pack of about 500 subsonic rounds, which usually retail at something like $70-80. Great if you want to learn how to clean the weapon and what drop looks like.
For someone who'd apparently just gotten a 0.22 given to him. It just seems weird when he didn't seem to know what he'd gotten it for. I'd have thought that the message should have penetrated even the thickest of people that having a firearm is fraught with responsibilities, and there are lot of people (including the police) intent on making sure the irresponsible idiots don't play with them.
The day the 'balance' in NZ tips to a point where frontline police and/or the general public don't feel 'safe/safer' unless they carry/own a gun is not a good day, imho – are we there yet? If the answer to a problem is "more guns" then we have a real problem, because guns make it easier to kill people.
Adult gun enthusiasts (law-abiding or not) puzzle me, just as my enthusiasm for more progressive and less rortable taxation systems puzzles some here.
'Adult gun enthusiasts (law-abiding or not) puzzle me'
What, to you, constitutes a gun enthusiast?
To me, "a gun enthusiast" is a person filled with enthusiasm for (owing/using/viewing) guns. Some, but not necessarily all gun enthusiasts might become ardently absorbed in their gun interests or hobbies, possibly even to the extent of encouraging others of all ages to share in their interests.
Don't think that there is anything intrinsically wrong with enthusiasm for guns (as long as it's a healthy), although the appeal eludes me.
I would be interested in trying to understand the appeal of private gun ownership, which seems to have moderately strong hold on some. After all, we live in a relatively safe society. One way to change that, imho, would be to increase private gun ownership above the current 7 – 8% (350,000 – 400,l000) level, imho.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_my_cold,_dead_hands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_law_in_New_Zealand
While I can appreciate the time and effort (and money) that goes into restoring old cars its not that something that appeals to me
But for me personally firearms are fun and the combination of human, rifle and round all working in synch to hit the target just appeals to me
Target shooting is great fun and can be as cheap (air rifle) or expensive (.50 cal) as you like
I don't own a shotgun (yet) but clay bird shooting is something I do every now and then and seeing the disc shatter is a good feeling.
I like using my .22 down at the range (must rejoin the range), getting it set up and popping off at 50 meters and cheaper than using my 7mm08 rifle
To me its similar to archery, darts, shooting hoops or throwing a stone at a tree
You aim, you shoot, you hit where you aim = fun and entertainment
First-person shooter video games may appeal for similar reasons – a combination of human, computer and mouse/controller all working in synch to hit a target. Each to their own – can't imagine a situation in my life that would require firearm skills, although I did enjoy firing rubbish into the bin – missing not so much.
Other activities have greater appeal to me – find your own best path.
'can't imagine a situation in my life that would require firearm skills'
Sometimes its just fun, doing something because you like it and not because its a skill or anything. Something frivolous.
I also enjoy video games but the only first person shooter I liked was the original Halo game because the story was just so compelling
I'm more of a of Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Saints Row type of guy.
I think because a real rifle in the hand is just better than sprites on a screen
The puzzle remains (for me) – why might some people find a real rifle in the hand fun and just better than other pastimes. Is there a nuture (environmental) component, or is it mostly down to nature, i.e. you were always going to be attracted to target shooting as a pastime.
I'm all in favour of diversity, and would be concerned if NZ society was moving in directions that gave more people cause to acquire and/or use gun(s), simply because I believe that more guns in private ownership, and normalising gun use, are undesirable trends. Just a personal opinion, based on the possibly erroneous idea that as the number of guns and gun users in a community increases, so does the (admittedly very remote) chance that I will be shot.
"why might some people find a real rifle in the hand fun and just better than other pastimes."
Is it just firearms or any pastime in general?
For instance substitute firearms for stock car racing and would you feel the same.
'Is there a nuture (environmental) component, or is it mostly down to nature, i.e. you were always going to be attracted to target shooting as a pastime.'
Again just speaking for myself but I had virtually no experiences with firearms growing up.
I enlisted in the army more out of having nothing better to do at the time.
Mind you I do love action movies and will happily ramble on about them at a drop of a hat (especially Predator and Aliens)
I do think the nature is a more likely aspect, for me anyway.
I remember playing branding at school (basically tag with tennis balls) so hand eye coordination plus hitting a target
got bored at work so me and my mate throw stones at a target to see who'd win.
Got bored in East Timor so practised free throws (my best was 8/10 after a couple of days)
I think a lot of people like aiming at things and seeing if they can hit them and firearms are a natural extension of that.
But thats just me
Might not be understanding your question. If you're asking would I be puzzled about why some people find stock car racing fun and just better than other pastimes, then yes, I am also be puzzled by that.
But I wouldn't really care if stock car racing became a more common pastime – the increased noise and carbon emissions might give me pause, but racing doesn’t give me real concerns for my safety.
And thanks for that explanation of the personal appeal of 'target-related activities' – makes sense. I remember (as a kid) occasionally chucking stones at inanimate targets, typically as part of a group activity, and enjoying that even though I wasn't crash hot. Guess I sorta grew out of it – found other things that were more enjoyable and that I was better at (there’s probably a correlation).
Still can't help feeling uneasy about the possibility of increased 'casual' gun use in NZ. Imho a loaded gun it something to be feared, not fondled, but (as you rightly observe) we're all different.
There's something approximately like a death a day on our roads
You're more likely to be killed while driving
Drunk drivers, inattentive drivers, speeding drivers, untrained and unlicensed drivers
All more likely to kill you than some random person with a firearm
Unlikely – I don't drive, nor do I belong to a minority faith community.
Many years ago a took a Cop to the IPCA. I too got calls from a private number that I disregarded.
I got a full apology, written and in person from that cops boss – for harrasment, stalking, and just plain unprofessional behaviour, threats of unwarranted legal actions and arrest at my work place. . Just saying. Maybe Cops should not use private numbers when calling people, unless it is now a crime to not answer every call that comes to your phone?
Ripping a save of a wall should count as 'rampage' considering that they could also have shown up personally, knock on the door, and have a chat. And is it illegal to own 500 rounds? Is there a limit to what one can own?
If not, i can see the Police again send someone to offer excuses, and even pay to replace a safe and fix what ever damage was done.
Part of the responsibility of being a legal gun owner is being visited by the police.
You would think that happens before you get the lisence.
Because it's not possible that hes gone troppo since he got his license?
well if it was just recently, would you then also assume that hte police did not do due diligence and missed him going 'troppo'? And if that is the case, you need to get hold of a terrorism law, and break and enter the dwelling of a law abiding citizen, and then break open a safe – because you could not find the weapon anywhere (telling me his a safety conscious gun owner) and then upon finding the gun declare victory?
Sure, he totally could have gone 'troppo' since. maybe after he complaint to the police about threats he received that were responded to with "We are too busy". You did see that part at the end of the article, yes?
Popcorn, my internet friend, pass the popcorn.
Nicely said Sabine. All your comments on this thread.
The Rachel Stewart comparison is just to striking to be ignored.
I've got a licence and I was visited by the police but you know what they didn't do?
Break into my house, wreck my cabinet and cause damage to my walls
Well said Puckish, all your above comments.
Frankly this whole issue could have been handled much better.
Not sure what to make of this. Alarmist or a true warning. Taken in conjunction with this Canadian professors opinion, interesting times ahead.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/04/next-us-civil-war-already-here-we-refuse-to-see-it?utm_term=61d4633af17fa0686a776f23c643c31a&utm_campaign=USMorningBriefing&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=usbriefing_email
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/03/us-rightwing-dictatorship-2030-trump-canada
Anyone who is not totally buried in the myth of the current – all is well bullshit from the US coming out of the white house and d-shop – knows that the US is a cinder block waiting to explode. Heck the people in the US know it.
Of course, because we are all mature political observers here on TS, we all understand that the 'great divide' in US politics and society is itself fueled just as relentlessly by these same Liberal news outlets who pretend to somehow float above it, as it is by any right wing press….
99% of modern main stream liberal press have no asserted moral high ground over any rightwing press, and deserve none, they are just as divisive, destructive and in case you haven't noticed spew out the same pro war western imperialist lies and propaganda. It should go without saying that without doubt that these liberal news outlets (like The Guardian) are more effective enemies of any serious progressive Left wing movement than the right wing media could have ever have dreamt of being.
I don’t have the time to read all of the first link, but this paragraph seems to sum up the US situation:
A good broad summation. Anyone who has been around on this planet for a good few decades would surely recognise the wisdom of those words. It's been brewing since the start of the Cold War years when US manufactured paranoia saw many thousands of innocent US citizens – and elsewhere – disenfranchised because they dared question the wisdom of their overly-indulged Cold War mentality.
Sadly, its been downhill ever since but, as has been acknowledged, they can't and won't see it.
Very good response Anne. The situation in the US today is pretty dire politically.I don't know where other commentators above get their ideas from that the Democrats are all happy and think everything is sweet. One only has to look at the current plea by Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer to push for the Voting Rights Bill
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/03/voting-rights-bill-senate-to-consider-filibuster-rule-changes.html
key points of which are:
The Freedom to Vote Act can be read in full here:
https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/s2747/BILLS-117s2747pcs.pdf
It's intended purpose:
Frankly despite Manchin being a signatory to the Bill I don't hold out much hope for its passing as he could well be the one who sends it to the the dustbin of political history. The result will be a far more repressive regime for voting rights in red wing states enshrining the continuation of government by the minority.
Just how low can the BBC go?…well how about inviting friend of Jeffrey Epstein and accused sex offender Alan Dershowitz on to comment on the Ghislaine Maxwell Verdict FFS….
Here is one from the archives to cleanse the palette a little…though keep in mind this public humiliation of Dershowitz cost Norman Finkelstein his career…
Norman Finkelstein VS Alan Dershowitz
American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein
https://watchdocumentaries.com/american-radical-the-trials-of-norman-finkelstein/
But he only got one massage and he stayed fully clothed. And he is a constitutional lawyer. And he is a teacher at a fancy million dollar 'elite' university. Don't you think it is funny that the only one who will see the inside of a prison for this mess is a non male. Lol. Public entertainment, here have a drink, some chips, get saturated peasants.
Epstein was in prison when he killed himself wasn't he?
Hard to see how Sabine missed that…
Did he jump or was he pushed
Will we ever care?
yeah, funny that ey? Solitary confinement and sleeping guards. Pass the chips bro!
Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein were clearly one of those couples that like to finish each others sentences.
Ha!
Wow great debate nice to see a younger amy goodman and the impromtu kinda studio setup amy,s gestures for example to turn the sound down an dershowitz,s gesture to get a drink of water love it everythings so damn perfect in studios these days an so damn boring !Thanks for that adrian .On the show trial itself the whole thing makes me sick especially the part that millions of americans applaud the putting of a woman in prison for sixty years as if thats gonna change something !
as if thats gonna change something !
Well. They're probably breathing slightly easier at NATO H.Q. "Funny" how everyone seemed to forget 1990s Belgium and so didn't look for any 'threads' through time….
No idea what your alluding to there bill but if you feel like elaborating ?
In the 1990s there was a huge child sex ring scandal in Belgium. Initially, protests brought the country to a standstill. But over time, the victims speaking up were vilified and everything got swept under the carpet.
One of the children (much later) was the subject of a BBC doc that used to be available on youtube. An enlightening watch.
Many orgs. located in Belgium, including NATO.
https://i.imgur.com/eFdTNys.gif
Cricket, cricket, cricket!
Ok so the test isn't going as well as expected unless you're from Bangladesh then its going not too bad at all, just imagine if one of the premier all rounders playing today were playing (Shakib Al Hasa, 40 with the bat and 31 with the ball)
However I'm going to predict that the Boss will help salvage a draw.
So why is this happening, because Kane isn't playing?
No, of all the decisions Kane not playing has, imho, the least effect on the game.
I'll start with the biggest and that is the retirement of BJ Watling. BJ is not only NZs greatest wicketkeeper/batter (by a country mile) he would also walk into most of other teams of any era
He averages (I'm rounding) overall 38 with the bat but that jumps to 42 (with a high of 205) at the number 6 position and this is the key.
BJ is top six batter, historically wicketkeeper/batters were number 7 or down but because BJ also fulfils a role as a top order batter that means theres an extra space for a a bowler, a batter who bowls a bit, a bowler who bats a bit, a bits and pieces type bowler etc
Or the ability to play 4 medium-fast to fast-medium bowlers
BJs gone and it looks like Blundell is struggling. I don't want the Blackcaps to go back to throwing players on the scrap heap but Blundell looks like (for now) he's too high at 6 and needs to go down the order to 7 or 8
The other issue we have (and this is harder) is that we have no genuine all rounders. Chris Cairns averaged 43 batting at the number 7 position and averaged 29 with the ball. Dan Vettori averaged 40 with the bat at number 8 and averaged 34 with the ball
At the moment we have bowlers who can bat a bit and batters who can bowl a bit but no balance.
Ravindra is a very good, young player and will no doubt become a NZ great in time but to use him as the spin option is to do him a disservice (I do approve batting him down the order though) as his FC bowling stats are nothing to write home about.
So we need to have a spinner in the team, and show faith in that spinner, can anyone think of a spinner thats doing pretty good at the moment..?
But to fit Patel in and because BJs retired one of the big four bowlers would need to be dropped to make way for Patel, first headache.
Second headache is the batting is looking fragile, Blundell needs to go lower in the order whichs means, unfortunately, Ravindra has to go as theres just no place for him, at the moment, plus hes young. So here is, imho, the strongest all round team NZ can put out for the next test.
1. Latham
2. Young
3. Conway
4. Taylor
5. Nicholls
6. Mitchell
7. Blundell
8. Jamieson
9. Wagner
10. Boult
11. Patel
Tim Southee draws the short straw but we also need to rest and rotate our bowlers. I'm still not happy in that I think Jamieson is batting too high
The other thing NZ has to do is start preparing pitches that offer a little to our spinners
Do they go to morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea? Do they wear well knitted white jumpers? Do people still inspect the pitch?
I wouldn't be wearing a jumper today, its a bit warm but its good to follow traditions…some of them
Things aren't looking good, and we could well get cleaned out quickly and give Bangladesh a token run chase.
But, if we could get 150 ahead, things could get interesting:
Firstly, their opening batsman, Joy, has his arm in a sling with split webbing on his hand, so they are effectively one batsman down already.
Having to re-gig the opening role could make them vulnerable to a collapse.
And, the pitch is getting a lot more variable, so could be difficult for them to bat last.
Test cricket is always number 1 although I would like to see a removal of the toss. The visiting team chooses to bat or field.
That's an interesting idea PR. Visiting team, who are at a disadvantage for all sorts of reasons get to decide whether they bat or bowl first.
Well done Bangladesh! They deserved the win…..
Good bowling at the end from the BCs. Well be back!
What it might do is make the pitches a bit more even, a bit of something for everyone.
It got me thinking during the T20 world cup what a huge, massive advantage winning the toss was and how unfair it is that luck has such a big determining factor in the game.
Yes we will, payback begins in Christchurch!
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[Tricledrown, you’re in premod until you respond to moderation. I’m letting this one through to tell you, but I’ve deleted your content. Please go here and respond https://thestandard.org.nz/bad-covid-takes/#comment-1845599 – weka]
mod note. I’ll be pushing this to the ban list soon. We’ve been here many times before Tricledrown, you *have to check the Replies to see if there is a moderation.
Yes Puckish all power to the Bangladeshis. I think they will take this test out, though Ravindra was batting well last night.
I'm not sure about Mitchell. More of a one-day player perhaps. He has 1-142 in his test bowling to date.
Agree about BJ-not only was he a fine keeper and batsman, he also got fought to get runs when conditions were tough. People always remember Brendon's 302, but I watched every ball as BJ and Brendon put on 352 to take NZ from a hopeless position at 94-5 to 446-6. (BJ 124).
I'm looking at Mitchell as a containing bowler, build the pressure at one end with maidens and let the other bowlers attack and take the wickets.
However in 7 test innings hes got one 100 and two 50s plus hes 30 so been around a bit
Yeah BJ should always been in the frame for best wicketkeeper/batters of all time.
If it were rugby the main focus would be on chucking the coach out. Respect for the ability of the other team and how they played wouldn't come into it.
Home conditions, home circumstances and not performing anywhere near max against far lower ranked opposition would have had everyone going berserk.
The coaching staff is very, very good. World test champions, well beaten finalist in the T20, unluckily beaten in the 50 over world cup is something that may not be done again for a very long time.
But it doesn't mean they're infallible.
I still don't accept NZ was not beaten in the ODI World Cup final.
I'm not going to disagree with you on this one
Have you worked out what that double negative is saying? It means you do think we were whipped doesn't it?
One could almost say – NZ beat NZ in the ODI final.
100% Bearded Git. I agree. We won that game. Referee not knowing the rules + stupid rule change (that has since been changed back) to have a super over.
NZ had bowled England out. Game over
"World test champions"
Yeah, but that was last year. What have you done for us recently?
"If it were rugby the main focus would be on chucking the coach out."
Except that they didn't – he is still there.
'Huh! I queried bringing Patel in on you last cricket column…..'
I think that unless there extenuating circumstances you should always have a spinner in the time but the NZ bowling attack has been going very well however I'm also man enough to admit when I'm wrong
I'm wrong and Patel should always be in the team unless there is absolutely no chance of any assistance at all in the pitch
'Interesting analysis that the team are missing BJ……makes sense. Could Latham be wicket keeper?'
I'm old school in that, to me, the wicketkeeper should be good, very good.
If catches win matches then I'd rather have a wicketkeeper that takes his chances and maybe doesn't bat as well than a wicketkeeper that bats well but may put down a couple more chances over the entire test.
Captaining, opening and keeping is a pretty big ask for anyone
'I must sayBangladesh do deserve to win this and I would be pleased for them.'
They haven't won yet
'But for me, win or lose, the Black Caps can do no wrong. Love the boys'
Agreed!
Always play your best keeper-England have discovered that in the current Ashes tests.
Yeah your keeper might score some runs but if he misses three chances over two innings then how much worse off are you…
Oops
Well one wkt to go lead 31.
Lunch??
Good to see the nz batting coach had a plan for today.!!!!!
And I thought I was a pessimist when I thought they would be all out for 217 in yesterday's daily review.
Well shit…
Forbes anoint Jackson Lord of the Bling.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2021/11/12/bilbo-bags-a-billion-lord-of-the-rings-director-peter-jackson-is-officially-a-billionaire/?sh=53c4539012ca
Good on him.
The Lord of the Rings is the best trilogy ever put to screen so he deserves everything hes got, although I understand why some might not like the movies.
The Hobbit should have only been one film, maybe two at the very most but even so when the TV series comes out it'll show exactly how impressive The Lord of the Rings really was
Why there was no 20 year anniversary release is beyond me
and like the dude in Norway, this dude should also NOT go to prison.
He may be a truly abhorrent person, but these are his private ideas, his own believes and rather then send complaints the people in attendance of his speech should have simply boo'ed him down, publicly.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/belgian-surgeon-sentenced-to-10-months-in-prison-over-sexist-speech/JY2N6MD7YW64NNWKUFAFOLHAK4/
we need to get a grip on this.
Couldn't agree more Sabine (about the surgeon being sent to prison). His views are abhorant to me, but better out in the open than sent underground.
It seems like he expressed these views at a lecture, so a matter for the university or his professional body.
Most people would say what a sexist dick and be done with it. Or fair enough complain to his professional body.
Citing a biased media, Trump cancels his planned press conference on the anniversary of the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters. Promising to air his grievances on the result of the 2020 election at a later public rally on the 15th of Jan.
Classic Trump: "In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media…"
His hordes of doting, manipulable clods will remain in awe of the intellectual giant.
In his signature garbled delivery Trump, in his statement announcing the cancellation of his planned January 6 press conference, says the January 6 Select Committee should not investigate his supporters violent storming of the US Capitol. Instead the Select Committee should be investigating, "the Crime of the Century" The 'Crime of the Century', according to Trump, is his oft repeatedly stated, but provenly false accusation, that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by the Democrats.
We will have to wait to see, whether the January 15 rally will be a further incitement by Trump of his supporters to attack US democracy.
I often read of prisoners not getting parole because they won't admit guilt for the crime they've been imprisoned for. I wonder about saying you didn't do it for the simple reason that you didn't do it.
I regularly see people opining about the death penalty and the fact it should be used more. I regularly see of cases in the USA similar to one in the news today.
'US man freed from prison 37 years after witness lied and took police bribe of drugs and sex'
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/us-canada/300490676/us-man-freed-from-prison-37-years-after-witness-lied-and-took-police-bribe-of-drugs-and-sex