Looking forward to cheaper house builds.

So Luxo has signed us up to trading with the sub-continent.

Recent investigations on my part shows that their building code (IS 875) evolved from the British Standard (India was all British in the days of the Raj, speaking and understanding English very well).  

Very similar in intent and application to our building standard of AS/NZS 1170 series (we've partnered with Oz).  And tried to have both the British standard and the Yank ASCE series for content.

So they understand the standards-based processes involved, have a similar range of climate extremes and have been doing the build business for 300+ years.

So, hopefully in this now tariff-free nirvana of the near future, one could expect that engineers, architects and others that seriously inflate our build costs might hang their shingles at much reduced in providing services to NZ.

One wonders how that might go down in the totally risk-averse closed-shop MBIE / BRANZ / local council / Worksafe ticket-clipping world?  Or "for your own good" would more road cones be required?

And one for Mr. Penk - Housing Minister.  Would there still be room for DIY builds using such engineering services from the sub-continent?  Although I believe there is a DIY avenue in law, but the utterly risk-averse councils do everything possible to stop such a train of thought.

I sincerely hope that in the long-term such competition does arrive via the FTA and reduce build costs.

The dragon flexes

The dragon flexes yet again.

Xi warns the South Pacific that he soon aims to lob a nuke-capable brick south of the Equator.

Just showing Luxo, Albo and Modi his tentative reach.  Doesn't need to take his flotillas down to visit or lay siege to their respective ports.   

A couple of dirty bombs into Oz or NZ cities would light up our 'benign region'* and render all manner of defence intentions thereof utterly useless.  Our so-called allies being USA and the EU would do nothing, too scared to respond and initiate Apocalypse Now.

Like his tanks in Tienanmen Square displayed a year or two ago, the world knows he's the real boss.

* a past utterance from the Sandringham harridan long proven otherwise to be totally false

More virtue-signalling for Mr. Luxon to fix

Not so long ago when Mr. Luxon was selling his vision for your vote he said National would excise the pidgin infesting government literature.  Understood by many to be along the lines of "English language first" in all public-facing documentation.  

After all, English is the language of the real world.

Recently I've had cause to interact with the IRD website as tax return filing day fast approaches this week.  It is a hotchpot of English and virtue signalling pidgin.  Every label has to be read twice to ensure that we're on the correct section.  And the front page is awash with the emboldened pidgin above the small-fonted English labelling.

They've provided an "English only" button.  Good one might think, only it does not work.  The pidgin remains embedded, infesting every page.  An easily fixed, but total implementation failure.

Meanwhile my local council (FNDC) follows the same process.  One might think we live in a country called Hairy Rower and we all utter pidgin in our daily lives.  Maybe is is because of a government directive or as is suspected, a lack thereof.

As promised in the pre-election pitches, when are you going to fix such websites, Mr. Luxon?

idea from a Good Oil General Debate comment today

Co-governance works in Far North. Not!

arrangements and practices that the department itself should have managed better over a sustained period

the review confirmed that, since at least 2021, the booking systems for the campgrounds had operated outside department-controlled systems and the revenue collected from campers had been retained by Ngāti Kuri, rather than being paid into a Crown bank account

issues are now the subject of an external investigation, with DoC estimating the Ngāti Kuri Trust Board owes $1.8 million in “campsite revenue”

Department of Conservation (DoC) has acknowledged it failed to properly oversee the management of three Far North campgrounds for years

Co-governance on steroids.  A fine example!

Like past actions in the Urerewa, it means we will do the governance, keep the cash readies.  You, the ever-suffering coloniser taxpayer can maintain and pay for any upkeep.

Obscene how this DOC/iwi rort has been going on for five years or more.  No doubt the local FNDC and NRC councils also contribute my hard-earnt property taxes to enable this operation.

via Granny

Worth voting for

New Zealand needs a smaller, more efficient government if we are going to balance the books, lift wages, restore trust in democracy, and unlock New Zealand’s potential

he told supporters there should be just 19 departments - down from the current 43. and he said there should only be 18 ministers, down from 28

And for the bonus. 

ACT Party, focusing on cutting Wellington’s bureaucracy and limiting what beneficiaries can spend money on

ACT is definitely worth your two ticks.

Another to add to the Kiwi lexicon

Most would know of the report on the Erebus disaster.

an orchestrated litany of lies

Here's another from MP Erica Stanford re the unfolding saga at MBIE as her staff look for bucket loads of whitewash .

provided with advice that was diametrically opposed to the truth

Add that one to the Kiwi lexicon.

What next for DJT?

Now he's sorted the Strait of Trump and the Reflecting Pool has turned green yet again, what might pique DJT's interest in the near future?   250th celebrations, when is that or has it happened?   Is that the next item on the bucket list?

Venezuela's oil to China has supposedly been sorted along with more than a few would be narco-couriers and their ever so necessary high speed fishing vessels joining Davy Jones locker.  Diminishing cheap oil supply will give China pause to think.  

Failing communist state Cuba has long been an interest due to their proximity to the US via Florida, they'll be there in the mix.  Unfortunately by themselves they're doing a pretty good job of economy wrecking without Donald's involvement.

In other news today, Germany now says tonight they're ready to take on Vlad's empire.  Funny that, withdrawal of US troops has that effect.

Even Great Britain found the cojones to take on one of Vlad's shadowy sanctioning-breaking ships in the Channel.  But, how the once mighty have fallen.   How are those now absolutely useless anchors once named as pride of the fleet aircraft carriers doing?  Are they still at sea or laid up by non-functional bogs?

Bibi is getting his chain shortened by the Iran deal, Vlod in the steppes is just an effing nuisance in the ointment.  Bomb Boy above the 38th parallel is yet another with a destructive future.   All yet to be fully dealt with, but events may overtake that.

Maybe when any Iran art-of-the-deal celebrations and 80th birthday festivities afterglow fades later this month, I'd bet on Vlad getting more than a close tune-up.  

The world's policeman is guaranteed to come calling at your trouble spot.  

Most of the trouble-makers of this planet are gaming that their empires will run the clock on DJT.  particularly Xi, Bomb Boy and Vlad.  Somehow I don't think so, when he goes in a couple of years most will have been sorted.  

Bring on a TDS epidemic as DJT completes some outstanding deals.  

Mentioned in dispatches

Aardvark has made Te News!

In the long-standing arm's length Mayor vs. local Mr Bruce Simpson war on the right to independently film public meetings, there is a public notice from the SWDC ivory tower.

Seems a councillor has earned himself a censure causing a walkout.  All in support of Mr. Simpson.  SWDC seems to want to be the sole (read censored) source of 'truth' emanating as the public record.

Bruce runs an oft-read fine blog at Aardvark.co.nz which has long detailed the ongoing stoush.

I look forward to reading the fine detail which will no doubt continue to not favourably show the Mayor and his cohorts over coming days.  Time for a Commissioner to sort?

Public notice at herald, showing $34K of ratepayer taxes wasted just in legal fees over this censure.  That'll get you votes Mr. Mayor.

The question is when, Minister? [Updated]

The Minister has finally acknowledged the message following months of dithering.

The Government will stop unelected individuals from voting on council committees, a move an Act MP has characterised as closing an “anti-democratic loophole”

Meanwhile the head honcho at FNDC says he'll ignore such missives and continue on unabated.  At least I think that is what his word salad in Manglish says.

“So I say to those that want to try and detract or to put focus on us on whether or not the instruments that we’re implementing in here to include Māori at the final district council are right or wrong, that argument and that debate needs to go to central government who have legislated that it’s absolutely fine and we are carrying on with our mahi.”

Congratulations to Councillor Ms Davina Smolders for standing her ground and initially raising the issue months ago.

So Minister Watts, when?  Today would be preferable, under urgency!

[update]

From further reading:

Watts said on Tuesday that once the law is passed councils will have six months to review their appointments before the law change takes effect

This cornered prick is really taking the piss.  Any such appointments should be axed immediately.  It will be unlikely that the necessary law change will be implemented before the election.  Only being seen to be doing something to chase votes.  Potaka and Luxon will be watching closely that nothing more is promised.

Now, what about Maori Wards?

Yes is the only answer!

Could we entertain submarines with nuke-propulsion in our waters?

Maybe our very own Red October?  I can just imagine the permanent encampment of the unwashed that would descend upon the Devonport dockyard gates!  Better still, relocate the Navy / Dockyard to Army Bay and and lock off the end of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.

Definitely time to get a few greenies and other wokester tossers well exercised over their long held anti-nuke stance.

Many years ago was a front-seat witness to the idiot nutters last time the such a ship visited our waters.  And to think we could have had a nuke-power station producing never-ending cheap power on the Kaipara Harbour.  Imagine the koha bribes that would have to be paid with attendant corruption to build such a power station these days?

Definitely time for that conversation.

The no-to-apartheid message maybe is getting through

At last the National MPs are paying attention.  They've probably noticed that they are haemorrhaging potential voters with inaction over endless Maorification and co-governance.

We are now consulting with Iwi leaders before introducing legislation

WTF?  Does Parliament not legislate in New Zealand?  These slippery bastards are still asking permission to proceed.  Parliament is sovereign in New Zealand, not the ancestry challenged elite.   There is no partnership or co-governance.

Just get on with total removal of any references to the treaty in any legislation.

The no-to-apartheid message is finally getting through.  There must be  an election soon.

Shane Jones tries to retract...

From The Good Oil, Shane Jones has tried to retract using a FaceBook post.

FNDC, “Pork & Puha” committee must not undermine local growth and democracy.

It would seem that my free rhetoric given in a media interview yesterday has stirred the political dust.

The Far North District Council have a new ‘pork and puha’ hapu committee. This creation is being distorted by mischief makers.

NZFirst does not support co-governance in any form, full stop. Our party has been consistent and vocal about fighting against co-governance.

My rhetoric is aimed at councils who cannot work together locally. It has been my view Northland must sort out local issues locally.

Getting Wellington to come North and intervene every-time a Council drops the ball means local democratic representatives are not serving their local communities.

Come on, far North, we live in Godzone. Our economic challenges are vast, our infrastructure is creaking and iwi priorities need to be aligned with the broader community.

An example is the need for a region wide Northern water infrastructure entity. A self evident innovation.

The suggestion that there should be hapu representation on that Board is cultural escapism. Our Party will never consent to such wokism!

Furthermore the offensive suggestion that hapu still have their constitutional sovereignty is delusional. It will never be accepted or agreed to by us.

The depressing Nga Puhi claim is a blight upon the local leadership. It will be fixed however in the first 100 days of a future government that we maybe privileged to serve in.

FNDC elected officials have a duty to all ratepayers. Sadly local issues can be manipulated and have a negative impact on a properly functioning council for our entire community.

The corrosion of democracy can easily emerge without vigilance from Papatoetoe to Kaikohe.

But do not forget this situation all stemmed from when the Independent Maori Statutory Board was put in place with the Auckland Super City in 2010 by the National/Act/Maori Party government, where unelected Iwi representatives where given a seat at the table - and this is something that NZFirst has been fighting against since day one.

Too late, your first post showed NZ First's true colours.  Your leader's actions of pandering to voters over his three-decade career with zero actual action on such matters is confirmed.

Those that run with the hares and hunt with the hounds are definitely not to be trusted. 

Shane Jones says the quiet bit out loud

Once again Winston First's boy mouths off saying the quiet bit out loud.

Shane Jones has labelled an Act councillor’s complaints that a co-governance “takeover on steroids” was happening in the Far North as “perverse” and “pathetic”

This confirms what we have known since forever that NZ First is only there for the bros.  We now know why removing co-governance has not occurred during this coalition.  Both Winston and Luxon support co-governance.

He then proceeds to shoot at the messenger.  Obviously not the 'right' kind of councillor.

Smolders’ complaints are a “bad look for the north” and shows she’s “probably not worthy of being a councillor”

Voters beware: If you are thinking of NZ First as your panacea at the ballot box, think again.  Mr. Jones just told us that like National, NZ First will not support ending co-governance.   

Smolders: Māori influence was “infiltrating every single decision” and was a “complete takeover” resulting in “two systems, two rules”

Act remains the only choice as they do not support stacking council committees with the unelected.  Perverting democracy may currently be legal, but any representation gained because of your ancestry is utterly wrong.

Clayton's apology from arrogance personified

You always know it's a Clayton's apology when you get:

I apologise ... but ...

The FNDC mayor has apparently seen the error of his ways - read cornered by the minister.  He has issued a Clayton's apology "to all those I have disappointed" over his two-word formal written reply re sex and travel to Duncan Garner the other day.

As is normal in such apologies, he continues to double down on related matters.  Festering un-elected personnel directing council policy and co-governance matters do indeed require urgent democratic discussion. 

This mayor continues to make it clear he is not willing to address such matters within his fiefdom.

Arrogant prick.

Colour me surprised

Rawene Hospital is broke and looking for more funding.

The makeup and name of the outfit running the shop was changed in recent times.  Change was needed to be more inclusive of the local bro.  Some might say a HePuaPua trough in the making.

We locals were sold such changes as being necessary, to include things such as the ancient art of witch-doctoring.  A big increase in staff to administer such schemes.

Subsequently a couple of years on, the balance sheet went from positive to negative in a big way.  Well, colour me surprised.

By the bro, for the bro doesn't seem to work anywhere.  All those make-work treaty courses deemed necessary for staff, ki oras in every communication from Mr./Ms nga mihi eat dollars, but do nothing for the bottom line.

Standby for more extreme negative health statistics from the area.  Soon it will only be multi-hour trips to  Whangarei, Kawakawa or Kaitaia hospitals for the sick north of Auckland.