Reposted by High Pants
Bit late to it but if you want to know the chain of events that led to us importing gas (and charging electricity users to pay for it!!), I did this deep dive for RNZ last year www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
The fuel of ‘last resort’: How imported gas became New Zealand’s first choice
It's expensive, vulnerable to price shocks and terrible for the planet. So why are we importing gas?
www.rnz.co.nz
February 10, 2026 at 1:09 AM
Bit late to it but if you want to know the chain of events that led to us importing gas (and charging electricity users to pay for it!!), I did this deep dive for RNZ last year www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Reposted by High Pants
ONE BILLION DOLLARS.
IT WAS THE ADDITIONAL ONE BILLION THAT MADE THEM STOP THE DUNEDIN HOSPITAL AND IREX.
No money for hospitals or the ferries, money to prop up fossil fuels.
IT WAS THE ADDITIONAL ONE BILLION THAT MADE THEM STOP THE DUNEDIN HOSPITAL AND IREX.
No money for hospitals or the ferries, money to prop up fossil fuels.
Given all the really important shit that this government says we "can't afford" it's amazing what they manage to find money for.
'Strategic energy security asset': Govt reveals plans for $1b LNG import facility
Luxon warned New Zealand is experiencing swiftly declining gas supply.
www.nzherald.co.nz
February 9, 2026 at 7:54 AM
ONE BILLION DOLLARS.
IT WAS THE ADDITIONAL ONE BILLION THAT MADE THEM STOP THE DUNEDIN HOSPITAL AND IREX.
No money for hospitals or the ferries, money to prop up fossil fuels.
IT WAS THE ADDITIONAL ONE BILLION THAT MADE THEM STOP THE DUNEDIN HOSPITAL AND IREX.
No money for hospitals or the ferries, money to prop up fossil fuels.
Reposted by High Pants
Some governments raise taxes to fund public health and education. Not Luxon. He is literally raising taxes to subsidise fossil fuels. He is putting a levy on our electricity bills to pay for his LNG import terminal.
February 9, 2026 at 7:21 AM
Some governments raise taxes to fund public health and education. Not Luxon. He is literally raising taxes to subsidise fossil fuels. He is putting a levy on our electricity bills to pay for his LNG import terminal.
Reposted by High Pants
We should not be subsidising fossil fuels.
And it's a whopper of a subsidy: The fuel+capital+operating cost of LNG (via BCG "Energy to Grow" report) is $44/GJ, half of that capital+O&M costs, if its for dry-year cover only. So paying the fixed costs with a levy HALVES the LNG price... 1/-
And it's a whopper of a subsidy: The fuel+capital+operating cost of LNG (via BCG "Energy to Grow" report) is $44/GJ, half of that capital+O&M costs, if its for dry-year cover only. So paying the fixed costs with a levy HALVES the LNG price... 1/-
New Zealand set to build LNG import facility to boost energy security reut.rs/4ryvRYF
New Zealand set to build LNG import facility to boost energy security
New Zealand has shortlisted contractors to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility to boost energy security, provide a reliable backup power source and support economic growth, Energy Minister Simon Watts said on Monday.
reut.rs
February 9, 2026 at 8:38 AM
We should not be subsidising fossil fuels.
And it's a whopper of a subsidy: The fuel+capital+operating cost of LNG (via BCG "Energy to Grow" report) is $44/GJ, half of that capital+O&M costs, if its for dry-year cover only. So paying the fixed costs with a levy HALVES the LNG price... 1/-
And it's a whopper of a subsidy: The fuel+capital+operating cost of LNG (via BCG "Energy to Grow" report) is $44/GJ, half of that capital+O&M costs, if its for dry-year cover only. So paying the fixed costs with a levy HALVES the LNG price... 1/-
Reposted by High Pants
This is a significant issue for democracy and trust in news media (already dismal, as we know). I'm so glad that Meta is taking action against this automated AI slop on their platforms by doing... *checks notes* nothing. #nzpol
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
How fake NZ news pages are swamping Facebook with AI slop
Analysis - "Fake NZ news" pages are bombarding social media with misleading slop, including using AI to animate photos of a teenage landslide victim.
www.rnz.co.nz
February 8, 2026 at 10:26 PM
This is a significant issue for democracy and trust in news media (already dismal, as we know). I'm so glad that Meta is taking action against this automated AI slop on their platforms by doing... *checks notes* nothing. #nzpol
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Reposted by High Pants
Guile... Guinan... Guilenan
February 6, 2026 at 9:15 PM
Guile... Guinan... Guilenan
Reposted by High Pants
The absolute state of it. | NZ Muslim volunteers scour web for extremist content as Internal Affairs faces capacity constraints
www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/nationa... #nzpol
www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/nationa... #nzpol
NZ Muslim volunteers scour web for extremist content as Internal Affairs faces capacity constraints
Non-Govt bodies such as the Islamic group Fianz lead the referrals on terrorist content.
www.newstalkzb.co.nz
February 6, 2026 at 3:03 AM
The absolute state of it. | NZ Muslim volunteers scour web for extremist content as Internal Affairs faces capacity constraints
www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/nationa... #nzpol
www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/nationa... #nzpol
Reposted by High Pants
💉 Many readers will know I tried to correct this weird call by Peters’ during the election campaign. NZFirst are back spreading it…
Here’s a polite take by @helenp-h.bsky.social ⬇️
What struck me was the WHO documents had a clause clarifying that sovereign decision making is unaffected.
1/n 🧵
Here’s a polite take by @helenp-h.bsky.social ⬇️
What struck me was the WHO documents had a clause clarifying that sovereign decision making is unaffected.
1/n 🧵
WHO membership doesn’t threaten NZ’s sovereignty – walking away from it would
The World Health Organization is a global body, but decisions affecting New Zealand are made in Wellington, not in Geneva.
theconversation.com
February 7, 2026 at 5:08 AM
💉 Many readers will know I tried to correct this weird call by Peters’ during the election campaign. NZFirst are back spreading it…
Here’s a polite take by @helenp-h.bsky.social ⬇️
What struck me was the WHO documents had a clause clarifying that sovereign decision making is unaffected.
1/n 🧵
Here’s a polite take by @helenp-h.bsky.social ⬇️
What struck me was the WHO documents had a clause clarifying that sovereign decision making is unaffected.
1/n 🧵
Reposted by High Pants
Documents show RFK Jr lied to Congress about his agenda in Samoa—he did indeed go to spread anti-scientific doubts about vaccines. He was ultimately successful in getting an outbreak going there that killed 83 people, mostly babies and young children.
RFK Jr said during his Senate confirmation hearings that his trip to Samoa in 2019 ahead of a devastating measles outbreak had “nothing to do with vaccines." Documents obtained by @us.theguardian.com and @apnews.com undermine that testimony. Details here, by me and @aliswenson.bsky.social ⬇️
Newly revealed emails undermine RFK Jr testimony about 2019 Samoa trip ahead of measles outbreak
Kennedy later said the purpose of his trip had nothing to do with vaccines. US embassy and UN staff at the time said otherwise, emails show
www.theguardian.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Documents show RFK Jr lied to Congress about his agenda in Samoa—he did indeed go to spread anti-scientific doubts about vaccines. He was ultimately successful in getting an outbreak going there that killed 83 people, mostly babies and young children.
Reposted by High Pants
Relax, bread department
February 6, 2026 at 1:16 AM
Relax, bread department
Reposted by High Pants
Waitangi 2026. A government of Atlas Network slogans confronts a complex nation unwilling to be neoliberal roadkill. Toitū te Tiriti Toitū te Taiao
February 5, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Waitangi 2026. A government of Atlas Network slogans confronts a complex nation unwilling to be neoliberal roadkill. Toitū te Tiriti Toitū te Taiao
Reposted by High Pants
Westboro Baptist Church tried to make an Anti-Luigi Mangione poster but it just looks like Luigi is threatening billionaires and goes unironically hard af
February 4, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Westboro Baptist Church tried to make an Anti-Luigi Mangione poster but it just looks like Luigi is threatening billionaires and goes unironically hard af
Reposted by High Pants
BREAKING: Fast Track panel declines seabed mining bid.
"This is a victory for the moana, for all the people across Taranaki and Aotearoa, from Iwi and hapu and councils and everyone who loves our ocean," said KASM chairperson Cindy Baxter.
#nzpol
www.kasm.org.nz/post/breakin...
"This is a victory for the moana, for all the people across Taranaki and Aotearoa, from Iwi and hapu and councils and everyone who loves our ocean," said KASM chairperson Cindy Baxter.
#nzpol
www.kasm.org.nz/post/breakin...
BREAKING! Fast Track panel rejects seabed mining
PRESS RELEASE
Kiwis Against Seabed Mining are celebrating the Fast Track Panel's draft decision to decline Trans Tasman Resources' bid to mine the SouthTaranaki seabed. The draft decision was publis...
www.kasm.org.nz
February 5, 2026 at 6:42 AM
BREAKING: Fast Track panel declines seabed mining bid.
"This is a victory for the moana, for all the people across Taranaki and Aotearoa, from Iwi and hapu and councils and everyone who loves our ocean," said KASM chairperson Cindy Baxter.
#nzpol
www.kasm.org.nz/post/breakin...
"This is a victory for the moana, for all the people across Taranaki and Aotearoa, from Iwi and hapu and councils and everyone who loves our ocean," said KASM chairperson Cindy Baxter.
#nzpol
www.kasm.org.nz/post/breakin...
Reposted by High Pants
If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don't tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff.
Democracy dies in oligarchy.
Democracy dies in oligarchy.
February 5, 2026 at 12:16 AM
If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don't tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff.
Democracy dies in oligarchy.
Democracy dies in oligarchy.
Happy Anniversary to all who celebrate the Tragedy of Dildo Baggins!
#nzpol
#nzpol
"In the weeks following the purchase, she and her flatmates trained hard at “dildo target practice”. “It was mostly us just throwing the dildo at each other unsuspecting around the house,” she explains." thespinoff.co.nz/politics/05-...
Top yarn by @haydendonnell.bsky.social @thespinoff.bsky.social
Top yarn by @haydendonnell.bsky.social @thespinoff.bsky.social
National milestone: It’s been 10 years since the Waitangi dildo strike
When Josie Butler threw that dildo, she split our nation’s timeline into two eras: before dildo (BD) and after dildo (AD).
thespinoff.co.nz
February 4, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Happy Anniversary to all who celebrate the Tragedy of Dildo Baggins!
#nzpol
#nzpol
Reposted by High Pants
Any media org that lets the current government talk about the unemployment rate like it's something they didn't expressly engineer is failing at their job.
(Source: thespinoff.co.nz/business/16-...)
(Source: thespinoff.co.nz/business/16-...)
February 4, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Any media org that lets the current government talk about the unemployment rate like it's something they didn't expressly engineer is failing at their job.
(Source: thespinoff.co.nz/business/16-...)
(Source: thespinoff.co.nz/business/16-...)
Reposted by High Pants
The French aren't holding back
February 4, 2026 at 1:58 AM
The French aren't holding back
Reposted by High Pants
Pop singer Lorde will donate the $204,000 she made on merchandise sales from her sold-out Minneapolis shows last fall to two Minnesota immigrant rights groups.
Lorde donates merchandise proceeds from Minneapolis shows to immigrant rights groups
Pop singer Lorde will donate money she made on merchandise sales from her sold-out Minneapolis shows last fall to two Minnesota immigrant rights groups, she shared in a post on Instagram on Tuesday.
bit.ly
February 3, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Pop singer Lorde will donate the $204,000 she made on merchandise sales from her sold-out Minneapolis shows last fall to two Minnesota immigrant rights groups.
Reposted by High Pants
The woke scolds are trying to make this about racism. But Musk is right. It's about historical and scientific integrity. When the God of Thunder disguises himself as a swan to seduce and fuck a queen and the resulting baby hatches from an egg, *of course* the baby will be white. It's just science.
Elon Musk claims Christopher Nolan has lost ‘integrity’ over The Odyssey casting
Lupita Nyong’o is reportedly set to play Helen of Troy in Nolan’s upcoming adaptation of Homer’s epic poem
www.independent.co.uk
February 2, 2026 at 12:59 PM
The woke scolds are trying to make this about racism. But Musk is right. It's about historical and scientific integrity. When the God of Thunder disguises himself as a swan to seduce and fuck a queen and the resulting baby hatches from an egg, *of course* the baby will be white. It's just science.
Reposted by High Pants
Remember Willis has wiped $28.8b off GDP since 2023
That is all you need to know
That is all you need to know
Actually I don’t really give a flying fuck what Willis has to say about anything, @stuff.co.nz
Labour and Greens team up - beware ‘radical tax increases and chaos’, says Willis
The Green and Labour parties are expected to hold a rare joint press conference as a show of “unity” in Waitangi.
www.stuff.co.nz
February 3, 2026 at 2:39 AM
Remember Willis has wiped $28.8b off GDP since 2023
That is all you need to know
That is all you need to know
Reposted by High Pants
Obvs my instinctive reaction is fuck off, but could someone please get DPF on the record that he wants Aus labour law and property taxes in NZ plz
OPINION: In this new era where the rules-based order has ruptured, we need to be bigger to survive. Joining Australia will protect New Zealand, enhance Australia and benefit us all.
Time for New Zealand to become the seventh state of Australia
OPINION: In this new era where the rules-based order has ruptured, we need to be bigger to survive. Joining Australia will protect New Zealand, enhance Australia and benefit us all.
dlvr.it
February 2, 2026 at 11:11 PM
Obvs my instinctive reaction is fuck off, but could someone please get DPF on the record that he wants Aus labour law and property taxes in NZ plz
Reposted by High Pants
You won't believe the prices in this Govt's Q4 2025 INFLATION REVERSE SALE!!
Electricity UP 12.2%!
Rent UP 1.9%!
Meat & poultry UP 8.2%!
Milk, cheese & eggs UP 9.8%!
Telecomm services UP 7%!
PRICES YOU CAN'T AFFORD, THAT'S THEIR GUARANTEE!
It's not ok. Enrol to vote. Join your union. #nzpol
Electricity UP 12.2%!
Rent UP 1.9%!
Meat & poultry UP 8.2%!
Milk, cheese & eggs UP 9.8%!
Telecomm services UP 7%!
PRICES YOU CAN'T AFFORD, THAT'S THEIR GUARANTEE!
It's not ok. Enrol to vote. Join your union. #nzpol
February 2, 2026 at 6:50 AM
You won't believe the prices in this Govt's Q4 2025 INFLATION REVERSE SALE!!
Electricity UP 12.2%!
Rent UP 1.9%!
Meat & poultry UP 8.2%!
Milk, cheese & eggs UP 9.8%!
Telecomm services UP 7%!
PRICES YOU CAN'T AFFORD, THAT'S THEIR GUARANTEE!
It's not ok. Enrol to vote. Join your union. #nzpol
Electricity UP 12.2%!
Rent UP 1.9%!
Meat & poultry UP 8.2%!
Milk, cheese & eggs UP 9.8%!
Telecomm services UP 7%!
PRICES YOU CAN'T AFFORD, THAT'S THEIR GUARANTEE!
It's not ok. Enrol to vote. Join your union. #nzpol
Reposted by High Pants
My wife and I were on a beach in the Wellington area and found this at a car park, in the grass.
It is approximately the size of a person's hand,made of bone, and intricately carved.
I've masked the lower half,as only the legitimate owner will be able to fully describe it.
Please share this...(1)
It is approximately the size of a person's hand,made of bone, and intricately carved.
I've masked the lower half,as only the legitimate owner will be able to fully describe it.
Please share this...(1)
February 2, 2026 at 4:39 AM
My wife and I were on a beach in the Wellington area and found this at a car park, in the grass.
It is approximately the size of a person's hand,made of bone, and intricately carved.
I've masked the lower half,as only the legitimate owner will be able to fully describe it.
Please share this...(1)
It is approximately the size of a person's hand,made of bone, and intricately carved.
I've masked the lower half,as only the legitimate owner will be able to fully describe it.
Please share this...(1)
Reposted by High Pants
If a union affiliated with NZ Labour (or the CTU, which National and ACT lie about being Labour affiliates) was hosting a high-profile Epstein associate on a speaking tour of NZ it would be the only story for weeks
Remember their reaction to Benjamin Doyle having a slightly naughty Instagram handle
Remember their reaction to Benjamin Doyle having a slightly naughty Instagram handle
It’s clear since the Tim Jago ACT President was charged & convicted of multiple counts of child abuse, that the money behind ACT protects Seymour, the Party & astroturf organisations from proper scrutiny in the media. Can you imagine if a Labour Leader had run interference for a paedophile?
February 2, 2026 at 6:24 AM
If a union affiliated with NZ Labour (or the CTU, which National and ACT lie about being Labour affiliates) was hosting a high-profile Epstein associate on a speaking tour of NZ it would be the only story for weeks
Remember their reaction to Benjamin Doyle having a slightly naughty Instagram handle
Remember their reaction to Benjamin Doyle having a slightly naughty Instagram handle
Fuck this shit.
#nzpol Stats NZ has put Household Living Price Index data - showing how the cost of living is affecting different households. The cost of living has nearly stalled if you have a high income (1.2%). The poorest have a household inflation rate (3.4%) nearly 3 times the rate of the richest.
February 2, 2026 at 2:33 AM
Fuck this shit.