Can it be only a year?

When affection turns to infection, things begin to turn.

This is our fifth first year baby
And I feel like I'm in jail, Lord
I'm holding on to this card
Can't seem to get it in the mail
And the card reads ...

Happy anniversary baby
Got you on my mind
Happy anniversary baby
Got you on my mind

Songwriters: Beeb Birtles, David Briggs.

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First, they came for the gang members

Late yesterday morning, I saw a video of police at a gang tangi, and my response was - Jesus Christ, the number of cops there to ensure that no one wears a gang patch to a funeral is off the hook! Surely there is a better use of their time than this nonsense?

The video began with a shot of many police vehicles parked along the road, which looked like overkill. But when the person taking the video walked along the path towards where people were going, I couldn’t believe what I saw here in Aotearoa - literally dozens of cops, far more than I recall seeing at the hīkoi or any other protest I’ve been to, all there for a funeral - a bloody funeral!

Image: 1 News.

I’m no fan of gangs; I abhor the mentality that exists and the factors that result in people turning to them. But this is mental. Do we want police arresting people for patches at a tangi? Sure, some were arrested for outstanding offences - but do you really need to arrest them at a funeral?

More than anything, though, it made me think of a police state. It might be the gangs now, but what if it’s another group next - like Māori? And if you don’t think that sort of thing could happen here, then ask Tūhoe about what went down not so many years ago in the Ureweras.

I considered uploading the full clip, but it’s a bit long. Instead, look at this clip from Aukaha News and see how it makes you feel about your country.

I’m all for addressing crime, but there seems to be a large presumption of guilt here and gang members or not, I think we should be very concerned about seeing images like this in Aotearoa. Doing this on such an occasion is completely unacceptable in my view.

One of the people who responded to my post about it said, “I agree, this is just ridiculous. I feel sorry for the police having to follow these archaic instructions.”

The Prime Minister gets ram-raided

So, how annoyed are the police with having to undertake this sort of nonsense on behalf of Christopher Luxon while he looks tough from the back seat of a chauffeured car?

Unlike most people who commented on the incident on my page, Kate’s comment showed she was concerned about the PM's well-being. She said, “Is he holding a bloody hanky to his ear?”

Denise was relieved to hear things weren’t too bad, adding, “So Luxon didn't need to be patched up?”

Fortunately, a Department of Internal Affairs spokeswoman—yes, I was surprised there was still one left—said, “No one was injured. The Crown car sustained damage to the rear of the vehicle.” Luxon said he was unsure if the Crown limo would need to be written off.

Image: BeFunky.

Nobody expects the Covid inquiry

So the Covid witch hunt is underway as those who were wrong during Covid seek affirmation that they were, in fact, correct, and they all line up to put the boot into the people who made the brave and right calls at the time. The gloating from those who declared at the time that profits should be put ahead of people is quite grotesque.

That headline might be true, but I have as much sympathy for those people infuriated by having to choose to do the right thing to protect themselves and others when they didn’t want to as I do for those who voted for Trump.

I’m not denying that it made some people angry, but that doesn’t mean they are right. Yes, you have to take people with you, but there is a limit, and in my view, this was beyond that. People just needed to lay off the misinformation and act like well-informed adults.

G News asked last night: “How well do you think New Zealand responded to Covid?” This was my reply:

“I am incredibly proud of the way our government responded. Not just in taking the right health measures based on scientific advice but in how they looked after people and businesses and, most of all, the message of kindness. It made me proud to be a Kiwi, and I will never understand those who responded with such ingratitude and anger.”

As long as I live, I will feel that Aotearoa’s Covid response was one of our proudest moments and that the anger and hatred that was directed particularly at Jacinda later on is one of the most shameful.

The journey from 'Jacindamania' to 'Jabcinda' was swift. (Source: 1News)

Happy Anniversary! Let the infighting begin.

Earlier this week, in recognition of it being a year since the coalition finally managed to form a government, Winston Peters had a few things to say about his boss, and they were rather less cordial than the CEO man might have anticipated.

Deputy Peters said the Government’s tax cuts failed to improve the economy and instead masked its problems. So, not exactly a ringing endorsement of the National Party’s only real achievement, one for which they have had to sacrifice much that is right and decent by enacting the fringe policies of their minor partners.

“It's had, how shall I say, no material or beneficial effect in terms of growth in the economy,” said Winston.

He also told the Post that “Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is struggling, but not in a bad way; that spending cuts have been successful but now investment is needed; and that he’s planning an 18-month election campaign for when he relinquishes the deputy prime minister job in May.”

In other words, he’s gotten all the things he wanted to take to the electorate, and now he plans on being a pain in the ass to the government by spending the second half of this term distancing himself from them to campaign for his own party.

I’d almost feel sorry for Luxon, but this is such classic Winston that he should’ve seen it coming a mile off.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. Photo: Robert Kitchin/The Post.

In scenes reminiscent of Winston’s amnesia over the Covid actions he supported, he said of the tax cuts which he voted for, “We never agreed with the tax cuts, and the reason for that is, not only did we think that we couldn't afford them, but I think that the public was never going to see how bad the economy was whilst we were giving them tax cuts.”

Funnily enough, the Prime Minister disagreed with that assessment and also with Peters’ assertion that he was “struggling”.

“No, no, I’m enjoying this job, and we’re working very well together,” Luxon said.

Hold that thought, Prime Minister, hold that thought. 😂

But I’ve got some good news…

So that was a lot of crappy news there, but as Robert Plant says - “I got some good news”, and it is simply this:

Author of Understanding Te Tiriti, Roimata Smail (left) with Women’s Bookshop owner Carole Beu (right) at the event that inspired the anonymous donor.

Damn it, I nearly made it through one of these without any tears. But these are ones of joy, of course. How bloody awesome is that?

An anonymous donor has facilitated the dispatch of hundreds of copies of Understanding Te Tiriti: A handbook of basic facts about Te Tiriti o Waitangi by barrister Roimata Smail (Ngāti Maniapoto, Tainui, England, Scotland, Ireland) to high schools all over the country.

I feel pretty moved by that. With so much negative misinformation from our government, especially David Seymour, it is good to see someone standing up for knowledge and understanding.

Author Roimata Smail said of her guide, “I have empathy for my own generation who didn’t get to learn our history and anyone else who just doesn’t know the basic facts that I’ve been lucky enough to learn over the course of my career as a lawyer. You don’t have to get a 20-year education like I did, and you don’t have to be an academic to understand Te Tiriti or its principles.”

That feels like a good place to leave things today; take care all you lovely people, and have a most excellent Friday.

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I will move things back behind the paywall starting with my next newsletter. I feel like that is only fair to paying subscribers, and to be honest, I’m also hoping it might prompt a few folks to subscribe and keep reading.

Things are grim in the media landscape, from TVNZ to the Spinoff, with falling advertising revenue and for writers on platforms like Substack, who are funded by subscribers. I managed to lose four yesterday, and I didn’t even say anything offensive.

I’m not going to send too many paywalled newsletters to free subscribers. I appreciate that this could be annoying, but there will be some to remind folks I haven’t simply disappeared, with newsletters only being sent to paid subscribers.

If you’d like to keep reading, receive all my newsletters, and have full access to all my writing, please subscribe; I literally can’t do this without you.

I’m sure an old crooner like Winston could serenade Luxon with this, but that mood was so last year…