Kiwiblog

Kiwiblog is the personal blog created by David Farrar, launched in July 2003 after he became hooked on reading various blogs. Before starting his blog, he was actively involved in Usenet Internet newsgroups since 1996. On Kiwiblog, David shares his thoughts on a wide range of topics, primarily focusing on politics, along with insights into technology and the Internet. The blog also serves as a platform for his friends to stay updated on his life, featuring personal stories, travel photos, restaurant experiences, theater or movie reviews, and anything else he wishes to share. The blog attracts about half a million pageviews each month. David typically publishes three to five posts daily, generating over 500 comments on busy days. There are more than 10,000 registered users who actively comment on the blog.

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Prebble on Labour and TPM

1 week ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

Richard Prebble writes:Claims standards of parliamentary behaviour have fallen are nonsense. Except for Te Pāti Māori, this is a well-behaved House. The Speaker’s referral of the floor protest to the Privileges Committee was not discretionary. It was required by Standing Orders. The Speaker was lenient. He could have ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to end the Māori Party haka. Any MP who resisted is automatically suspended for the rest of this Parliament.
Imagine if it wasn’t the NZ flag?

1 week ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

Amid public debate over a controversial art installation that encourages people to walk on a New Zealand flag, a woman has pledged to pick the flag up from the floor each day in protest. This comes after the Nelson installation, with the words “please walk on me” written on a New Zealand flag, sparked a feud between local leaders this week. Ruth Tipu took to social media to share her anger towards the installation, showing herself in a video picking up the flag and draping it on another art piece.
Keep it up Tory | Kiwiblog

1 week ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

Stuff reports:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon made some comments about local government, and Wellington in particular, which its mayor Tory Whanau has rejected. Speaking to Newtalk ZB, Luxon said there was “way too much ideology and party politics” in local government. “Wellington should be more than just a public service town.
What a change | Kiwiblog

1 week ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

Since 2020, the radio audience numbers are:NewstalkZB +110,800 listeners, a 20.7% gainRadio NZ -186,600 listeners, a 29.5% dropEach one individually is remarkable. A 21% increase is listeners in five years is massive, especially at a time when most media is losing audiences. But equally a 30% drop in listeners in just five years is also massive – the other way. If that was a commercial media outlet, they would be having to change things to stay afloat. The difference between the two is huge.
It’s a tax delay, not a tax break

1 week ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

Newsroom reports:It’s audacious. It’s astounding. We’re doing the time warp again. Even ministers struggled to comprehend the scale of the tax incentive scheme they’d signed off in the Budget. Shane Jones left his own noisy beer-and-crayfish Budget night party, upstairs in Parliament Buildings, to return to the House to check with other ministers whether there really was no cap on the size of an asset that could receive the 20 percent tax deduction. Then he calls back, jubilant.
Winston rules out Hipkins

1 week ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

The Herald reports:New Zealand First leader Winston Peters wants to make it very clear: he won’t be working with Labour after the election if the party is still led by Chris Hipkins. …“When I ruled out Hipkins in 2023, I ruled him out permanently,” Peters said (he actually ruled out Labour in November 2022, three months before Hipkins became leader).
Transformational | Kiwiblog

1 week ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

The BBC reports:Fights arranged in school via social media, then filmed and shared online. Pupils leaving lessons upset about social media comments. These were regular occurrences at Cardiff West Community High School – one of the most “challenged” schools in Wales – until mobile phones were banned as part of a range of measures introduced to tackle bad behaviour.
Different budget approaches

1 week ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

Thomas Coughlan writes:Much of the commentary has focused on how small this Budget is – its $1.3 billion allowance of “new” operating money being the smallest in decades. While correct, that misses the fact that the package of new spending decisions, the line-upon-line of budget decisions (the tax credit change, the learning support funding, etc) actually totalled $6.7b a year – a vast sum, which might be larger than some of Labour’s last budgets.
A good move on Syria

1 week ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

Reuters reports:President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria at the behest of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, a major U.S. policy shift ahead of an expected meeting with Syria’s Islamist President Ahmed al-Sharaa. …The surprise move came despite deep Israeli suspicion of Sharaa’s administration, worries initially shared by some U.S. officials. Israeli officials have continued to describe Sharaa as a jihadist, though he severed ties with al Qaeda in 2016.
More nice tributes to Bob Jones

1 week ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

John Bowie has a great tribute to Bob Jones, that fans would enjoy reading. One extract:He could be irascible, infuriating, and absolutely impossible to pigeonhole.