Upcoming turkey shoot in the Far North

The 13 councillors voted unanimously, reaffirming a decision they made in May to continue with their Māori ward for the October 2025 local elections

... and then doubled down to continue waste ratepayer funds.

they pushed back against what Cr Hilda Halkyard-Harawira labelled simply Government efforts to remove Māori from local government with the council having to poll people about this decision to keep the ward

We will soon see what the rest of the electorate thinks of such decisions as turkeys vote for Christmas.

Luxon finally gets off the fence!

the Crown is sovereign

and

the position is very clear, 

Māori ceded sovereignty to the Crown

 

At last, a New Zealand Prime Minister states the obvious.

Now lets watch the screams from all and sundry as the heat is applied.  All manner of hangers on, including activist judiciary, deep in the racist corruption that has plagued New Zealand since the Waitangi Tribunal was invented.

One hopes that Luxon has the cojones to stand this ground.  I think not, soon to be a one-term manager, a he speaks with a forked tongue dependent on the audience, once again as witnessed by this weeks visit to the Huntly truckie in Mahutaland.

There's truth in that

The Waitangi Tribunal has slammed the Treaty Principles Bill as ‘unfair, discriminatory’ and will ‘belie’ the partnership between Māori and the Crown 

"belie" - to show something to be false

A partnership?  Now there's a lie, often cited by those dining large on the taxpayer dime, which is yet to be proven to be anything but a falsehood.

  

Enjoyable outcomes await...

Mr Aardvark has once again been poking things of import.

Eventually the SWDC's drawbridge will be dragged down and the shutters pried open by the voice of public outrage.

I notice that, faced with the seemingly tireless onslaught of inconvenient facts and evidence being posted by me on a regular basis, they've even hired a new communications officer to try and spin their way out of the hole they're in.

Fat chance.

You can't "spin" this sort of thing away. I don't make hollow allegations and everything I present is backed up with hard evidence. For the SWDC, the only way out of this hole is to do your damned jobs properly without favour, bias or prejudice and I seen no sign of that happening at all in that building.

They haven't even learned that if you poke a bear (such as myself) with a stick, the outcome may not be something you enjoy.

Let the games continue!

Am a daily Aardvark long-time lurker and as ever, time to stock up on the popcorn.

Polls will be worth every cent

Northland ratepayers potentially face thousands extra in costs for the polls on the less-than-three-year-old Māori wards as a result

the new Māori ward legislation was due to become law on Wednesday

this new legislation could mean the demise of Māori wards

After a recent horrendous rates rise, polls leading to excising those elected via apartheid means from the FNDC ratepayer teat will be worth every cent.

Luxon still sucking on cultural teat

On cultural aspects within the entity, such as karakia, Reti said Levy would take advice from the Houhora Māori Committee

WTF?  

Mr Luxon, either you are governing New Zealand or the natives having completed their coup, have you spreadeagled over their barrel sucking from the cultural teat.

When are you going to cease their co-governance desires forthwith and immediately secularise every facet of government?

Outages II

Remind me how many $M was spent on the last road closure into Northland?

30mm of rain overnight, only recently opened after a never-ending closure and the Brynderwyns are closed yet again by slips on SH1.  The alternative northward route is also closed by a slip.

Mr Simeon Brown, this infrastructure is long overdue for a four-laned fix.  Set the D9's to 15 degree incline and proceed apace toward the summit and down the other side.  A tunnel would be even better to extend the 'holiday highway'.

Meanwhile, further north, the Mangamukas remain closed despite $160M+ being poured into the supposed fix.  Also this piece of infrastructure has the dubious honour of being closed more often than being open in the past five years.

Outages...

 

There's the problem...

"Over my dead body" or similar intent - fighting words from the head honcho at Jafaland Central.

Aucklanders don’t appreciate a dump like Wellington telling us how to live. As a city, we don’t like to be told what to do.

This will be fun as the planners protecting their patches are fired  The government is finally doing something about housing.

Time to get the popcorn in.

Flight of chance

I see this morning that KIW690 is halfway back to Cairns from Tokyo.

A flight of chance.  

Will it make it or will Mr. Luxon have to spend more hours on the deck in Port Moresby?

Removing bureaucrats from your next build [updated]

“Removing the regulatory red tape will not only speed up the build process, it is also estimated to save up to $6,500 just in the standard building and resource consenting fees per build, not to mention all the savings in time and resource," Bishop said.

As a possible owner-builder, I'm all for total removal of the arse-covering box-ticking assume zero responsibility bureaucracy of hoops to jump through councils currently impose on prospective builders.  A knee-jerk reaction to leaky buildings they say.  My local bureaucracy (FNDC) wants to charge $7K+ just for a building consent, let alone anything to do with a resource consent!  And not to mention the "permission to build" separately charged PIM.  God help you if the local savages decide to need to run their eye over proceedings. Taniwhas and necessary bribes abound in those processes.  

Below are some issues that add to the regulatory overburden for owner-builders.

If you can reliably nail or screw bits of 4x2 together, or successfully maintain / replace a single piece of weatherboard / roofing iron / gutter,  pour a concrete footing, you could be an owner-builder.  Although legally mandated, unfortunately there is zero support from the bureaucracy for anything to do with owner-builds.

We have a proven, long established, mostly functional, current building code (NZS 3604:2011) that limits the build envelope to 10m height, 12m maximum width, anything over that envelope needs an engineer.  It also has very well defined range of buildable wind zones which ultimately determine the well listed bracing requirements, up to Extra High (200 km/h) wind zone, above which an engineered design is again required.

Recently a 30 square metres allowance was given for small buildings, an increase from an archaic 25m2 allowance, still not even big enough for a decent 2-car garage.  Now this government wants to go to 60m2 for granny flats attached to an existing main house without council regs.  Good on that!  

Unfortunately, previously when the increase to 30m2 occurred, the last Labour government saw fit to further restrict owner-build options under the building code to exclude the well detailed Extra High wind zone and reduced the envelope height limit to 8m.  Insidious changes to force further entrenchment of regulations.  No doubt engineers had a say in that to preserve their uber-expensive work stream, similarly as was said elsewhere  (Slam Dunc) re this new change - "the engineer will need to run their eye over your design and your good to go!".   I hate to think how much "engineer" will be inserted in this latest mooted change.

I say no to any engineer increase, the current envelope limited building code was designed way back in 1999 to get engineers out of the workstream on residential builds.  It has been extensively modified since then to even include necessary changes from the Canterbury earthquakes. From the BRANZ Basis of Engineering of NZS3604 the ethos is as below:

NZS 3604 Timber-framed buildings sets out the construction requirements for light timber-framed buildings in New Zealand that do not require specific structural engineering design. By limiting the size of the building and scope of application, a series of solutions are presented, enabling a designer to select an element or detail appropriate to the situation without needing to engage a structural engineer.

For those users of NZS 3604 whose projects, designs or systems fall outside its scope, it is important to know the technical basis for the standard. This report documents the engineering basis used to derive the technical provisions of NZS 3604, including the member selection tables and connections. Ambiguities and problem areas are highlighted for attention by future standards drafting committees.

Engineers (and architects) currently do everything to insert themselves into the residential build workstream, causing the owner-builder near insurmountable hurdles.  Councils, each in their own fiefdom, do everything to make design difficult - every consent requires endless paperwork on proven products to support the consent.  Most of this paperwork is commercially available for products that are widely utilised in multiple residential builds.  If a product is stated to meet a required design standard - no paperwork should be required!  Manufacturers employ a lot of expensive engineers to prove their product meet the standards.  

Council wallahs are no more than box-tickers when such products are questioned over fitness for purpose.  (witness the recent furore over Winstone Gib plasterboard versus Elephant plasterboard - councils said if Gib was specified, the equivalent could not be used)

BRANZ is another trougher - every house consent is taxed (BRANZ levy) on the build cost.  Now an owner-builder is rightly not allowed to charge for his/her time on build, but the local council thieves tax the consent as if the build was done by a fully charged out builder!  Another regulation in dire need of change.

Now if we can in future build 60m2 granny flats without regulation, why not build a house 3 bedroom (about 95m2) without the bureaucracy? An increase of 35m2 should be easy, after all the only difference is more bedrooms!

Watch this space - councils and engineers will do every thing to stymie the owner-builder workstream.

I look forward to any small steps toward total removal of councils out of the build workstream.

Yes!

“Māori wards are a mini version of Māori seats in Parliament. Is your next step after Māori wards to remove Māori seats in Parliament?”

The answer to that question is an emphatic "Yes!"

The sooner the better for New Zealand.

Further in same article:

“Local community members deserve to have a say in their governance arrangements.”

via Granny, as naysayers do their level best to stop the bill.

Time to get off the fence Mr Luxon

Asked whether the calls for strike action on Budget Day as part of the nationwide activation were appropriate, Luxon said: “No, that would be illegal.

”I think that is wrong – I think that is entirely wrong. Feel free to protest, that’s what we have weekends for. Te Pāti Māori, they’re completely free to protest as long as it’s legal.

”It’s pretty clear what the rules are around strike action and I would suggest to you that’s not one of them.” 

"Illegal" you say?

Time is up, show the rabble who's in charge.  The rest of New Zealand watches with bated breath, knowing that you do not have the cojones to address this long festering issue.

Currently you are on a fast-track to being a one-term government.  National won't get a second chance, all are watching for definitive action.  Get off the fence. 

Winston's taxi service in air yet again [update]

Trip #3 for Winnie's taxi to Noumea under way.  No sign of any dingoes so far.  Utterly amazing that our ancient Herc is still flying, guess the techs pulled another all nighter.

I see a Frog Airbus is almost 3 hours out of BNE heading to islands.  I guess that now Macron has gone back to his school mistress, the recently imported Gendarmerie and Foreign Legion types are surplus to requirements.  It will be Bon Voyage for Paris, France is going to let the place burn.

[update] The Frog Air Force Airbus passed overhead headed for the NE Pacific.  It passed directly over the Noumea International Airport at flight level 330.  Just to show who's really in charge in the colony.  The imported gendarmerie must still be ashore subduing errant islanders dreaming of independence.

Rescue flights on again

Now that the head cheese eating surrender monkey has been to Nouvelle Caledonie and I assume has buggered off, the rescue flights are today on again.  No doubt the frogs deployed a few capable Gendarmes and Foreign Legion types in recent days to quell internal rioting. 

Our ancient Herc has been in and is just airborne out of the sh*thole toward New Zealand.  I wonder where the 757 is?  Joined its sister as spares?

Meanwhile the Dingos have one C130J (a decent aircraft) about to land, the second has just departed Brisbane aimed for the sunny islands.  At least their aircraft are fit for purpose.

I remain amazed ours actually made it there and back without a breakdown.  We'll watch to see if they run again tomorrow.

Over target!

Stroppy mayors have written to Mr Luxon etc about Maori wards.  The talking head on Pravada 1 remains convinced that race based wards are the way to go.

The first reading of the bill to remove race based wards is tomorrow.  Bound to be top entertainment.

Judging by the recent noise and flak on such matters I'd say the government is right on target as those sucking undemocratically on the ratepayer teat are heading towards a brutal exorcism.

Keep it up Winston and David, you're over the target!

Far North councils ready to waste ratepayers hard earnt taxes

Far North District Council and Northland Regional Council are set to oppose the coalition Government’s signalled changes to Māori wards

The FNDC Mayor, not content with recent 35% rates increases, is going to try it on to retain wards for natives.  Wards that require a quantum to get selected and are not available to the general populace.

The regional council is likely to oppose signalled Local Electoral Act changes on the basis Māori constituencies were not raced-based selections but a “Te Tiriti/Treaty outcome appropriate to deliver equity”

The regional council is in la-la land trying to sell the 'not race-based selections'.  Most see the selections as racist. 

No doubt, like myself, more than few New Zealand ratepayers look forward to the upcoming binding polls to remove all race based wards in every council.

Well, that worked...

Dubai recently turned into a lake during a somewhat unexpected 24 hour downpour of over a year's worth of pluvium.

Some are reporting that there was a 6x run cloud-seeding op conducted on the hours prior.  A great conspiracy theory?

If not so, it worked.  Man can control climate change the weather.

NZ frigate to back Philippines?

Today from over the ditch as things heat up in the 'benign' socialist paradise of the South China Sea.

China’s strategy is to escalate until its adversaries give up, so beating the war drums is intended to cause them to back off

Awaiting Luxon to emphatically back our traditional allies.  Or did he sell us down the river last at last week's visit by the envoy from the Dragon Empire?

Still waiting. For God's sake get off the fence and man up!

The imminent WWIII will truly be bloodletting on a global scale.

via here

NZTA to give monthly updates on Brynderwyn bypass

Simeon Brown, a LabourLite MP, suggested the other day that the Brynderwyns might be bypassed in 10 years or so.

I live in hope that this project will complete much sooner removing the bottleneck that often strangles upper North Island businesses.

And just in from NZTA on this auspicious day of April the 1st... 

We are going to provide monthly updates of progress on this nationally significant roading project.  Complete with maps, fly-by videos, detailed technical reports and other information as might be required.  Every month, without fail for 120 months or so.  

The project purchaser's, the long-suffering New Zealand taxpayer, will also see finely detailed expense accounts showing who's shagging who and which taniwhas might have been diverted from making an appearance with copious brownmail koha.  

As part their contracts, these financials will include the minutiae of payments with reasons made to so-called consultants and local government bureaucrats troughing in or holding up assisting the project with their mostly exorbitant fees.

//

Back to reality.  

If not, why not Simeon?  It is only 120 or so reports easily produced by all parties in this computer age.

Te Reo Luxon misreads the room

Pdm (and Rossco in reply) over at No Minister writes about Te Reo Luxon slipping in a late Thursday  (pre-Easter weekend) backtrack  hoping it will all be forgotten by next Tuesday.

Doubling down,

Luxon has mis read the room and clearly his lack of political experience is showing.

As we know he backed himself and National into a corner on Acts Treaty referenda, this doubles down on that. Here was a golden opportunity to walk back towards the Act position.

Once again Te Reo Luxon shifts painfully on the fence in the corner never willing to firmly confront or challenge the ever deteriorating race relations in New Zealand.  Too worried about votes to lift that scab.

via PDM at No Minister here

A random impertinent question...

A 100,000 tonne 300m container ship loses power exiting the port and ploughs into terra firma at about 15 kmh.  Unfortunately said terra firma was ably supporting the main bridge out of Baltimore.  Tragic results have ensued with the total collapse of the bridge and an unknown loss of life in the 5 degree C waters.

Typically a  large ship might have dual fuels for the main diesel where a low particulate cleaner fuel is used in the harbour environs to keep local greenies happy and a cheaper dirtier low grade heavy fuel oil for use out in the open sea.

There is a question that must be asked.

Was the ship swapping from the finer harbour free-flowing fuel to the open sea tar-like HFO that requires serious pre-heating and subsequently failed with total loss of power, steerage and control at the attempted changeover?

Normal ops would be pre-bridge still in the harbour but winding up the ship for the open sea, ready to ditch the two local pilots on the seaward side of the bridge.

Large clouds of black smoke from the stack (observed by witnesses) as the ship swapped fuels in the dead of night might not overly worry any local greenies wrapped up in their beds on a cold morning.

A question that I hope will be answered.

Bog Irish stand up for family values

On International Women’s Day, the proposed referendum to redefine the family in the Irish Constitution has been resoundingly defeated. Our country has shown its commitment to the traditional understanding of the family as based on marriage.

“This vote stands as a critical moment in Irish history, marking the end of an era dominated by liberal conformity. This decision by the Irish electorate sends a powerful message about the importance of preserving foundational values in the face of sweeping societal changes. 

The liberals and the left in Ireland have been told 'NO" to redefining a family.

the defeat of the measures came despite the “No campaign” being vastly outspent by the government and liberal elites and therefore had to rely on the “conviction and dedication of ordinary citizens” who “fought back against the pressures of liberal agendas, showcasing the deep-rooted commitment to the sanctity of marriage and family life of Irish people

Pity the left in New Zealand cannot even define a woman.

The left attempted to sell their version ...

blame supposed “misinformation” and a general ignorance among the public for failing to go along with their elitist conceptions of gender and family

Now, where have we heard that before?  Pig-ignorant voters listening to misinformation!

via Breitbart

How's your TDS?

She's finally given up.  Donald for the win!

That should trigger some.

via TheoSpark

Comment of the day...

the left and their manipulation of the current systems, and National’s failure to fight against the leftist thinking 

Luxon and his band of wets continue to show no compunction in reversing the leftist thinking.  They're one and the same as the left.  Only there for your vote.

There is hope through ACT and Winston First achieving some minor victories along the way.  Small gains which definitely will be reversed again should the left ever regain the levers of state.

via No Minister

Air Farce to get new planes?

"Would be a shame if something was to happen to your flight..."

The RNZAF openly states its case for acquiring some decent new assets.  Not seconds from the hand-me down bin.  Seems that our Prime Fence-sitter has had to suddenly fly commercial this morning as some unobtainable spares are required for him to reliably travel across the ditch.

In other news, today the RNZN is happy that the Air Farce takes the heat off them and the story about dodgy fuel from Singers.  Army, it's your turn next for 'a meeting without coffee'.

BTW, I often wonder how the project to replace the 30 year old frigates might be progressing.  Got a spare $15+ billion?  Thought not.  How's the diversity-hire for recruits going?

Mayor backs property rights?

leaving the town after 35 years, after being “forced” to sell his property, which had been occupied by a local iwi

checked when they bought the section that there were no land claims or any other issues with it, and after being assured there were none, bought it

Ihumato MkIII.  Proving once again your property rights mean zilch in New Zealand.

iwi members felt betrayed over what were assurances the culturally significant site at Ahipara would be fully protected as a public reserve

The council purchased said piece of 'prime waterfront land' usurping the owner's rights as the locals continued to occupy.

Who would buy land that was being occupied and nothing was being done to move the occupiers off?

Ever ready to charge exorbitantly inflated rates, it's nice to know how the Far North District Council Mayor backs the ratepayer  and their property rights. Not!

via Granny

A sorely needed 100-day item

requesting an urgent meeting so they can plead the case for keeping the scheme, which provides free lunches to about 220,000 students across the country

$160m you say?  For something that parents of 2200,000 school kids should be doing every day as their sprogs are ejected out the door to state daycare, before they themselves attend to their daily work.  And if they're not, a decent wad to do some much needed door knocking to ascertain why not.

Seymour attacked free school lunches during the election campaign, describing them as “wasteful”, “unaffordable”, and a “marketing stunt”

Again Seymour gets it in the neck doing the coalition's dirty work.  "Won't someone think of the children?"

The swingeing cuts of the 100-day agenda continues to make me, one who remains on budget without government handouts, very happy.  I look forward to more cuts along similar lines.

via Granny

Did we have an election?

 From the MSM rantings and narrative this week anybody might think that Labour and their racist fellow travellers still had their clammy hands on matters of state.  Was the left cohort not recently evicted?

Wow, people are pretty fixated on the allowance

Once again the weak and ineffective Mr Fence Sitter Luxon cedes control as the expenses he might claim are argued front and centre all week.  Death by 1000 cuts.  Then he tries to explain his entitlement and late this afternoon he is cornered by the leftards where he now wants to repay some amount.

Grow a pair!  Tell the left to take a hike as you get on with cleaning out the mess in the stables.

Granny shows her bias...

New Labour data expected to paint a mixed picture of employment market. 

Yes Granny, your slip(up) is showing.

Wondering why your FNDC rates increased 35+% recently?

He said the change was the council walking the talk in its goal to boost the use of te reo Māori within the organisation.

FNDC’s Te Kuaka – Te Ao Māori Committee adopted a new te reo Māori and tikanga policy last year which was adopted by the council in September.

He said the council’s new approach to te reo Māori inclusion showed the importance placed on the country’s indigenous language.

Tepania said council iwi partners had voiced support for a logo refresh.

“I’m really proud we are refreshing the council logo and restoring the indigenous name for our area: Te Kaunihera o Te Hiku o te Ika – the tail of the fish.

“Although it’s a small gesture, it’s a gesture to show we are walking the talk.”

He said the new logo was based on best-practice design principles and bilingual guidelines.

The refresh did not alter the council’s legal name – Far North District Council. It would have no financial impact for ratepayers beyond staff time required for the redesign.

As always the squeaky activist wheel gets greased.  "Iwi voiced support ...".  What about those ratepayer that actually fund your largesse?

"no financial impact ..." you say?  Just how much is being wasted on this exercise?

Our rates went up over 35% this year and still we have roads with zero preventative maintenance that eagerly await the lottery of the next minor rain event.  Roads that have been closed more than open in the past 5 years.

Just keep on paying your exorbitant rates English speaking ratepaying fools!  

Hopefully someone in the new coalition government might notice and curtail your excesses in pandering to grifters and their ilk.

from Granny

The Prime Minister's mis-informed view

My personal view is it's a relationship between Crown and iwi, it's akin to a partnership 

Luxon is deluded.  When the natives / savages kick off over the next few days, egged on by the ill-informed that still consider the treaty is a partnership, he'll do well to remember all of New Zealand is watching.  Watching his every indecisive move as he continues to grovel to those whom will never vote for his party but like to travel firmly seated on the gravy train. 

Principles, partnerships, co-governance and the mythical eh-oh-tea-rower are never mentioned in any of the original treaty articles I've ever seen.

Definitely a one term PM.  And then his hold on the reins may be severely curtailed as ACT's moves are lifting the scab on the long-festering pus filled wound that afflicts New Zealand.

Uncle Tom Luxon about to sell you down river

Still on the fence, having a bob each way whilst speaking with a forked tongue to differing audiences, the leader of Natz wets is freaking out.  The racists and their enablers are due for an outing up north this week are having conniptions about the supply of ToW gravy to their trough being savagely curtailed.

talking about race relations freaks out the timid senior MPs in the National Party so badly they want to kill it right now. But the thought of Act’s idea proving popular and them being caught on the wrong side of public opinion and risking the next election freaks them out even more

Yes Humpty Dumpty Luxon, you'd do well to pay attention to public opinion and put the uppity savages in their place.  Sure they'll throw a tanty, but New Zealand will thank you for it.

As for Cuddles and his band of wokesters, fire them forthwith.

via Granny