You can take the man out of the cave...

Social media comments from whanau, fans and friends have called for his body to be brought closer to his family in New Zealand, in accordance with Maori tikanga

I wondered if New Zealand's body snatchers have booked a flight to Perth as you read this?  After all, they have form.

Why not the Police?

Department of Conservation is investigating allegations that Ngapuhi chairman Sonny Tau tried to smuggle native birds on a flight up the length of the country under his jacket

Eh?  Why is DOC involved other than being an adviser?   Mr Plod should be prosecuting this case of "one rule for me and another for you" with some haste.

"the Government needs to take real action"

Bollocks!

The immediate action required is to lock these loons up after dousing them with a fire hose.

Followed by declaring Greenpeace a terrorist organisation in New Zealand.  And then locking up any that support such criminals.

"2015? That's seven years from now. Could it really be that bad?"

Seven years ago the ABC was hyperventilating.

Are we living in the last century of our civilization?

Now unfortunately the awful truth has been revealed.

Seven years later, the network has quietly ignored its horribly inaccurate predictions about 2015.

When it comes to global warming claims, apparently results don't matter for ABC.

From the some might say now thoroughly discredited advisor on GoreBull:

JAMES HANSEN (NASA/AL GORE SCIENCE ADVISOR): We can see what the prospects are and we can see that we could solve the problem but we're not doing it.

from here

HT JoNova via Niche Modeling

Picking at scabs on 90 Mile beach

A governance board made up of iwi and council representatives will "open up a huge can of worms" when it takes over management of Ninety Mile Beach

I can see huge repercussions. It will open up a huge can of worms and the rest of New Zealand will sit back and watch

The scab of the Foreshore and Seabed is being picked at yet again as locals look to charge for access to the beach. When the local troughers get control closing the beach remains an option.

There'll be no help from the Nats - after all it was Key and his bent government that implemented the abortion that is the F&S.  It is about to re-surface.

Len, this is what world class looks like

400,000 passengers per day!  That's some utilisation of assets. 

Can't see that ever happening in Lyin' Len's toy train set staffed by overpaid underworked unionised stiffs.

FFS files: TAIC embarks on 18 month enquiry

Direct from the "You've got to be joking" files.

An investigation into the nationwide radar outage that disrupted more than 160 flights is expected to take around 18 months, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission says

A team of three investigators has begun the initial evidence gathering, working with the Airways Corporation and Civil Aviation Authority

The Commission aimed for an average inquiry duration of 18 months

FFS!  18 months to find out that a server or router fell over yesterday without any redundancy? 

Whatever was fixed (or more likely replaced) yesterday by 1600 was the root cause.  Probably was only a case of powering down and restarting some miniscule piece of hardware.  All that needs doing now is to build in some redundancy.

Nothing but jobs for the boys.

Repeating history ignores nature as the government doles out corporate welfare

Over the weekend we witnessed another weather event flooding various towns and houses.  No doubt in the minds of some it will be a "weather bomb" due to the relentless onslaught of "climate change" caused by all that carbon being released to maintain my lounge at "toasty".  But I digress.

residents in Whangaehu Village, Manawatu, lost everything as a rampaging Whangaehu River flooded their homes

As history repeats, one wonders when will councils stop issuing consents for low lying housing?   The outcomes of such events are well recorded in New Zealand.  All that nice flat land in between the hills exists only because of violent flooding.  Yets councils still let people live there.

At a Whangaehu Beach Rd farm Guy announced the Government would be contributing another $100,000 towards flood relief for farmers in the area

Meanwhile, the government continues to dole out corporate welfare.

NZTA soon to have warning flags for vehicles

The speed limit on a section of State Highway 10 near Kerikeri will be dropped from 100km/h to 80km/h in a bid to reduce serious crashes

Yet another Northland road has its speed limit reduced.

On September 28, 2013, two young women were badly injured when the modified car they were passengers in rammed a car which had stopped at the scene of an earlier accident. A crash investigator put the car's minimum speed at 157-168km/h

Because some irresponsible tosser was doing near the real ton the rest of us mostly law abiding drivers will suffer.

Northland roads are still in such a state with seal breaking up all over the place, large potholes everywhere.   Piecemeal patchwork repairs, poor level of finish and lumpy seal overlaps, I've seen them doing the same job multiple times over the past few years.   Approaches to bridges are something else, they've got a degree in making ski jumps for those.  All designed to bugger your wheel alignment.

I know, I drove SH1 from near Kaitaia southward over the weekend during that foul weather towing a trailer.  Double speed wipers for three hours heading toward Jafaland, playing pothole and surface water pond dodgems in the late afternoon gloom and into the dark.

You're looking just to get up to full speed again, then some NZTA / local council desk jockey has imposed another "temporary" speed restriction on your previously open road.  Never fixing the root cause of poorly finished roads and poor design. Temporary might be good for road works of a few weeks, not years as below.

Just going into Whangarei - these speed signs have been marked "Temporary" for years.  A sudden drop from 80 to 50Km/h.  Like the long unrepaired dip in the road at the rail level crossing a few metres down the road.  So long unrepaired they've had time to erect warning signs.

And the last overtaking lane in Lyin' Len's territory heading north has had temporary road works being done on it for nigh on three years.  It's the only northward overtaking spot for miles either side, you keep up with the traffic looking to possibly pass only to find that Len's roading repair funding doesn't extend that far north and there is still no overtaking after years of "temporary".

I get the feeling that the deskbound "road safety" wankers at NZTA will not be happy till all vehicles are preceded by a man with a flag.

Local government increasingly desperate to implement unelected race based representation

Wellington and Northland will not be reorganised into "super cities"

Local Government Commission needs to pay attention to the vast majority of submitters who opposed the super-city idea

Local Government Commission decided not to proceed with its draft proposals for single councils in Northland and Wellington

That is great news!  Yet Hawkes Bay ratepayers are still marching forward lockstep to higher rates and less democracy.

Meanwhile the Local Government Commission is still hounding ratepayers to succumb to unelected race based added extras at the trough.

Local Government Commission ... would return to those communities to work with them and seek to develop other options to address the challenges

(Northland) regional council also felt any final proposal should have included a wider range of options for Maori representation and decision-making

Apartheid NZ coming right up!  It will be added to your rates bill, no matter what boxes you tick.  And the Nats will enable the process whilst pandering to the native elite for votes.

National to support property rights?

It's important ... to ensure that affected consumers who wish to connect to this world-class service can do so in a timely and straightforward manner

National supporting property rights? 

Business, Innovation and Employment Ministry acknowledged the proposals would impact "the rights that owners have over their property"

Not likely, like all parties on the left, property rights mean nothing.

Government is to bribe thieving blackmailers

Government is seeking a "workable solution" with Ngati Whatua over plans to develop huge tracts of land in Auckland

A "workable solution"?  In other words a bribe using my hard earnt tax money. 

I live in hope one day a real right wing Government will deal these thieving blackmailers.  Unfortunately Labour-Lite is shifting so far left even Winston looks good. 

Cop suggests burglar decides wisely

How cops should be.  Not like the hand wringers we have in New Zealand.

Unions trying to bugger the TPP from both ends

For decades, labor unions have floated the Democratic Party with massive contributions (based on money taken out of the paychecks of members who are forced to join as a condition of employment) and donations of manpower, expecially useful in get-out-the-vote efforts.

The AFL-CIO, along with some public sector unions, announced a campaign finance freeze in March. Unions hoped the threat of withholding contributions would scare Democratic lawmakers out of supporting President Barack Obama’s Trade Promotion Authority, or “fast track,” to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership — a trade agreement labor groups say would hurt manufacturing jobs in the U.S.

The freeze is across the board, intended to punish the party as a whole, not individual members.

Naturally, there are howls of protest.  Just like here in New Zealand from the left, particularly the unions supporting Labour.

Democrats are beginning to lose trust in unions coming through with campaign contributions at all

Long may the freeze continue as unions rank well below "Wall Street, blacks, Hispanics, feminists, and gays" in the Democrat feeding chain.

Comment of the day

Past any conversation, such as when I wiped her bum, “What a bloody nuisance I turned out to be.”

She sat there confused and very distressed. More drugs to keep her dopey. Past “getting” any little jokes.

Would I finish her today (if I could)? Well, she didn’t seem too bad today. She could feed herself nicely but weighted nothing, reminded me of a bird that had flown into a window pane. Kaput. Counting, “One, Two, Three…”

But still, she was my mum, and I loved her. And Dad didn’t see there was anything wrong with her. He was even older, ninety-something.

No, leave it till tomorrow…

Taken from a series of comments over at KB by a Dennis Horne, it is the best commentary against this sudden desire for voluntary euthanasia I've seen.

For those so called libertarians amongst us that wish to change the law he tells exactly how it is.  As it is said, don't knock it till you've been there.

One day it might be you sitting there having to make that decision for someone loved.

It's gotta to be doubly good for ya all!

the best data can get adjusted the most, to make it more like the bad data, then it can count for more

This is Double-Good-Science!

The 'scientists' at NOAA 'adjusted' the buoy data deliberately adding a weighting to good data to make it fit the bad data supporting the global warmist mantra.

It's gotta to be doubly good for ya all!

Read all about it here along with the other ways the data was fiddled to meet the Gorebull outcomes with a 'global warming pause'.

Great news: Drill it, Mine it, sell it!

Environmental Protection Authority has granted a marine consent to Shell Todd Oil Services for the offshore Taranaki Maui gas field for another 35 years

Great news!  That should keep us warm for a while.

total revenue from the Maui field over the next 15 years could top $8 billion

As usual there's a few rabid loons that don't want to stay warm.

Climate Justice Taranaki spokesman Urs Signer said the EPA's decision was a disappointment.

"Disappointment is probably an understatement. It's a sad day for the environment and it's a sad day for the Taranaki coast, that we're going down a path of destruction rather than solution," he said.

Should be certified and locked up.  Drill it, mine it and sell it!

What I did wonder about was how much koha was paid to get the consent?  The local natives should talk to their northern anti-everything cousins about selling their souls for oil dollars.  Obviously no climate change imminent in the 'Naki around Mt Egmont. 

Staying warm has to be good for you.

No to changing the law [update]

With the sad passing of Ms Seales today and the subsequent judicial ruling in the negative, it has served to stir strong emotions nationwide re legalising voluntary euthanasia.

We as a family just recently farewelled our oldest and last of that generation parent in her early nineties.  A good innings, but her time was up as she often told us.  Do not resuscitate was her order well prior to her decline.  Witnessing her decline from fit and healthy a year or so ago to her passing was very difficult.

She had been living independently but a fall with a hip replacement was a trigger for mild dementia and the longer term inability to do anything for herself ended in hospital care in the local rest home.

The hospital and rest home staff were nothing less than fantastic, keeping her dignity and comfort at the forefront at all times.  For that I thank them.

Which now brings us to today's ruling.  Like Ms Seales, one that I deeply thought about, whilst sitting with my mother in law.  Something that she even talked about.  Ms Seales chose to actually do something about it using her legal skills.

Maybe there could be a different way rather than waiting.  One thing I thought about, if it were legalised , was would any of the doctor or nursing staff would be willing to administer the extra dose to hasten the inevitable?  Their job is the care and comfort of their charges, which they do admirably, knowing that the time will eventually come.  To be saddled with the task of delivering a final shot is too much.

For me I think today's ruling is correct and nothing will change that view.

HT: Ele at Homepaddock feels the same way

Update:  Dennis Horne commenter at KB says it better in a series of comments starting here.

Little Red Hen - 2015 version

"Who will help me plant my wheat?" asked the little red hen.

"Not I," said the cow.

"Not I," said the duck.

"Not I," said the pig.

"Not I," said the goose.

"Then I will do it by myself." She planted her crop and the wheat grew and ripened.

"Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.

"Not I," said the duck.

"Out of my classification," said the pig.

"I'd lose my seniority," said the cow.

"I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose.

"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen, and so she did.

"Who will help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen.

"That would be overtime for me," said the cow.

"I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck.

"I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig.

"If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.

"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen.

She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share but the little red hen said, "No, I shall eat all five loaves."

"Excess profits!" cried the cow. (Nancy Pelosi)

"Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck. (Barbara Boxer)

"I demand equal rights!" yelled the goose. (Jesse Jackson)

The pig just grunted in disdain. (Harry Reid)

And they all painted 'Unfair!' picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.

Then farmer Obama came. He said to the little red hen, "You must not be so greedy."

"But I earned the bread," said the little red hen.

"Exactly," said Barack the farmer. "That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle."

And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful, for now I truly understand."

But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again baked bread because she joined the 'party' and got her bread free. And all the Democrats smiled. 'Fairness' had been established.

Individual initiative had died but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared so long as there was free bread that 'the rich' were paying for.

Sounds just like the NZ left with their over inflated sense of entitlement.

via Woodsterman

Labour's education policies have ruined the core maths skills of a generation of children

Maths performance ... late-1990s ... has been in decline since then

then Minister of Education Trevor Mallard of the Labour-led government rolled out the Numeracy Project

the Numeracy Project has returned little benefit at substantial cost

Dumbing down future Labour voters comes at a generational cost.   Modern NZ rugrats and their teachers cannot count or utilise core math that are required lifelong skillsets. 

A report every parent that cares about their kids core math skills should read.

HT: from here via Kiwiblog

Harnessing energy from your greens

Maybe we could use a mangrove swamp or two and harness the energy from the plants on an incoming salt water tide.  Even better, plant a rabid greenie or two in the same fetid swamp.  Both are useless, one chokes our harbours, the other chokes our Parliament and airwaves.

Talking of useless, here in NZ this idea would probably never fly, as there's more than likely to a taniwha that needs its palm greasing with a bribe. 

Engineering at its best - #1.

Engineering at its best - #1.

Labour: Always accentuating the negative

From the 'fresh face' of Labour:

Government plans to issue social service bonds have come under fire from Labour's health spokesperson

Annette King said the Department of Internal Affairs has warned against the idea

Annette King stated bankrolling mental health work with private investors was a disaster in the making

So typical, no alternative offered, just negatives.  Yet those on the left wonder why people have switched off?   I'd say always accentuating the negative just switches the missing million voters off.

Sounds like a great idea though these social bonds.


Something else I noticed in the article;

Their own officials said there are very real difficulties in assessing what projects have potential to deliver net benefits for the government, and even greater difficulty in evaluating if they've been successful

Now, where have I heard that before?  Sounds like the very job description of a certain native health programme endorsed by pandering Nats for votes.

One which New Zealand's head auditor found to be dodgy, of questionable benefit, outcomes unable to be explained or quantified, but one which the Nats have today given the lead protagonist a gong for the votes of his racist party. 

HT: Lindsay Mitchell post