NZ has to stop normalise fascism. Winston and his merry lot of geriatric, rich white people are a danger to democracy. Their rise is a continuation of the shift that has meant Brexit and Trump and other white fascist symbols. Fascism needs to be nipped in the bud. NOW

Would be great if someone could announce these concerts before they happen. I love Nick Cave and this is the first I hear about him having been here in January. I get mail fro NZTX or what they are called but they didn't bother to announce that concert. Does anyone here have a reliable source for concert dates? Im not going to be a bloody Herald every day on the slim chance that there is something is announced in there. Yep, a tip would be appreciated. I don't want it for free. I can offer a tip in return. Stay at school and don't do drugs. Something I've never heeded but it may be of use to someone. :-)

Hmm, actually the "Time warp" ad is pretty funny.
Certainly funnier that the"Dancing Cossacks" ad by the Nats in the seventies...

@TracyMac
Yes, I have lived pretty much lived and worked all over the world (even a year in Oz). And I know quite well what I'm talking about. Maybe you should check NZ out, as u obviously don't live here. New Zealanders have an amazing ability to simply accept the daily corruption without a whim. That could possibly be because moral values are often non-existent in NZ. Just one example is the hordes of pensioners who have lost their live savings to dodgy NZ companies {who in turn are not even held legally accountable, after they have shipped their booty overseas....strange, hmm?)

Admittedly, having lived in India for 2 yrs, I would possibly give that it is marginally worse than NZ in that respect (corruption). What’s happening in NZ is exactly what you are saying: Hordes of "respected" businessmen surviving and thriving on the misery of others.

Please stop marginalizing and justifying the rampant corruption in this country. That's what I'm talking about.
You want more examples? I get burgled or robbed every other week (4 times in the past 2 months to be exact). Just about everybody else in my community has been burgled at least once in recent months. Personal friends (dairy owners) of mine have recently been held at gunpoint, along with 2 or three other small businesses in a 10 km radius. As this is John F(ucking) Key's electorate, the police area commander, Inspector Keith Brady has, in response to the distress of the locals, recently issued a statement in the Rodney Times (dated Tuesday, 10 November 2009, page 4) which claims there is "no crime wave" in Rodney. In the propaganda letter Inspector Brady does not even mention the absolute flood of burglaries in the area. This is Nazi style propaganda!

Funny enough, even though JK was somewhere in Europe just before the Copenhagen convention, he announced going there was a mere "photo opportunity" and said he couldn't be bothered. To be fair, he now talks about attending some of the meetings in Copenhagen - presumably in response to national public outcry, that our government still does not concede to the idea that global climate change is possibly a reality).

Meanwhile the govt has twisted the Emission Trading Scheme in such away that all costs are passed on to the consumers, while the whole idea of the scheme (similar to which have been implemented in Europe since the mid-eighties) should be for the industry(ies) to clean up or at least reduce their rampant pollution, exactly for which they now have no incentive at all. The "commoners" will have to bear the costs in this country. And the Mickey Mouse money we get paid here is a mere fraction of what Australians earn. Almost everybody I know is struggling financially, and this will only get worse

Oh yeah, John Key flew home to open a local hillbilly garden centre (I know the people, they are retarded rednecks, who can't even count to 5). That was certainly a photo opportunity worth of the PM's attending. (Haha, they all look like real dorks, too. Real dueling banjos material...)

I personally have acquired 4ha of mature Kauri rain forest, which I personally protect as my personal contribution to environmental protection. I very much doubt that I will receive any "credits" for this, but I believe in it. (Sadly, our Kauri trees are currently dieing due to some introduced disease – so I plant new ones or other species.)

As another form of protest, I refuse to pay taxes to the current Mafia in power (ok u just can't avoid paying GST, but since I grow 80% of my food, using purely organic methods on my own land, they won't get a lot of that either). I have not owned a car in 10 years and commute by motorcycle that gives me 100mls/gallon (while the government is making environmentally sound transport like that so expensive to run (argument is, that motorcyclists receive more ACC benefits, which is due to them being run over by cars and receiving greater injuries in an accident). OK, I'll switch back to pushbike - even though I have been intentionally run over by motorists a couple of times - just as recently a medical doctor has been intentionally run over and killed by a hillbilly just 4km down the road.

There is a lot of things, may they be even smallest of personal initiatives, that each of us can do. So people! Get your heads out of the sand and start doing something!

And TracyMac throw away your pink binoculars (which are obviously more than a little fogged up), make a stand in the place where YOU live. I'm sure if people in Oz would start giving a shit they could do a lot, too.

And I'm getting really fed up with individuals blaming the Arabs for everything (turns out the Mumbai bombings where at least in part organized by an American - echoes of 9/11?). I've lived and traveled many years in Arab countries, too. Apart from a few uneducated (and therefore easily manipulated) peasants in that region they are sincere human beings and respect others.

The financial crises was initiated by American companies / government greed and their overseas interests. Get your head around that and start fighting imperialism. Boycott American goods and not starving countries like Iran or North Korea.

Right, I'll take a breather - but I'll be back!

hmm...largely corruption free? Having worked in local Govt (Rodney District Council) and represented at least one industrial organization (NZ Master Builders), I have had also insight / personal experience with a number of NZ companys.
Summarizing, New Zealand is (in my experience) only as corrupt as your average small latin-american banana republic (we are not even a republic).
Btw, anyone who can tell me one Government election promise, which has not been broken, or one has actually been followed through as per pre-election campaign will get ... well whatever - a free banana?
Yet, the rather hapless Government (apart from the dozen or so scandals in the first year) still enjoy's 60% or so support.
Nah, no corruption in New Zealand, but in what parallel universe are these people living?

IMO John Key breached the suppression order as he announced that he came to know the identity of the "mystery" celebrity through unofficial channels (as well as the "channel" is in breach of course).

But besides, what civilized third world country has even comparable "suppresssion" rulings? On top of that we have a majority believing it's ok to beat your children to a pulp! And if the govt believes otherwise they cry foul and fashism?

Democratic process should be a priviledge extended to competent members of society (like those with an IQ of at least, say, 80). Which would mean 60% wouldn't even be allowed to vote. I bet NZ would be a real nice place...