Rangelus

Is someone incapable of recognizing a problem without knowing how to solve it?

To add to this, Te Aka Whai Ora was established because of the consistently lower health outcomes for Maori showing that the current system clearly doesn't work for them. It is an organization which aims to bring up those health outcomes in line with the rest of New Zealanders, and as you rightly point out this benefits everyone, not just Maori.

I heard over on reddit that the date for the Waitangi Tribunal hearing was set because that was when the government told them they would be putting the bill through. Then they conveniently changed their mind and moved the date up, so that the WT hearing couldn't happen before the bill passed. Seems pretty blatant to me.

I have a few concerns here.

Firstly, leaving things up to the councils can lead to NIMBYs pushing any medium and high density development out of where it needs to be - close to the centre. Paying lip service to allowing higher density housing is all very well and good, but if they let local councils deny it it's as good as saying they don't want it at all, isn't it?

Secondly, this is going take up more and more arable land, something which I think we need to be very careful of doing. There is plenty of space within most cities, if we build up, that we shouldn't need to take good farmland to put 1000m2 sections on with a 2h commute.

Thirdly, expansion without infrastructure is a recipe for disaster. Our infrastructure is already bad enough, but it will only be stressed further as cities grow larger and larger. Not to mention transportation. If these things aren't planned accordingly, then the whole exercise will fall apart.

Finally, with the relaxation of taxes on landlords, what is stopping landlords from borrowing and buying up all the new buildings? If they want more people into their own home, we should be building a lot very quickly, and limiting how much landlords can offset their incomes with repayments. Most high-density cities around the world are at best net-zero when it comes to rents to mortgage, and many are negative. Here in NZ I can rent a house out, pay off the mortgage and make a small profit from the rents on top of that.

You are welcome to your opinion, it's a free country after all.

I don't know. I never said anything about a solution, did I?

Then you are completely delusional. If you say so.

Not even close. AFIK there are no documented instances of the Chinese government nabbing people overseas and there are numerous documented instances of the USA doing it. You really don't know what you're talking about.

Because it’s irrational and based solely on some weird racist ideology. No it isn't.

Your name can go on a terrorist list at any time. Hell you could have the same name as somebody on the terrorist list and you’ll get nabbed. Your point? How does this invalidate my decision not to use a Chinese phone?

My only point is that you are an insane person who for some reason convinced himself that China is out to get him. Lol, of course, I'm insane because I don't agree with you.

If you need to think I'm paranoid and racist to feel better about yourself, go right ahead. I couldn't care less.

Look dipshit, you can say whatever the hell you want but it won't change the fact that you are arguing against shit you made up.

Does a rapidly ageing population cause changes and problems? Yes, objectively. Does that mean we should force women to become pregnant to stop it? No, what's wrong with you?

I can't stand feijoas, and I feel like it takes away from my Kiwi-ness a bit :-/

Looks like she, if not apologizes, at least acknowledges she went too far now. Apparently she also texted an apology, which is a bit lame but better than nothing I suppose.

I absolutely support this, and hope our small assistance helps save lives and Ukrainian soil.

And you are convinced that if you travel to Japan or Singapore or Taiwan China is going to snag you right?

The chance is not 0. Do I think it is likely? No. Do I think it is marginally more likely than the US declaring I'm a terrorist? Yes.

Why? Because the Chinese government does it more than the US. Even if they didn't, even if they were just as bad, or the US was much much worse, how does that invalidate my decision to use another brand of phone when I have that choice?

And the point of that wasn’t a denial?

Do I think it never happens? No. Do I think it will happen to me? No. Do I think China is more likely to? Yes, even if that chance is small.

Again, how does the US being a worse dictatorship than China invalidate my decision to not use a Chinese brand phone? Two things can be bad at once. One bad thing is better than two bad things.

I don't understand how this is so hard for you to understand.

Anybody can be put on a terrorist list for any reason. There is no court oversight.

Your point? If you are trying to argue the US does bad things, I haven't disagreed with you. If you are trying to say that, therefore, China is fine, well, that's just whataboutism pure and simple.