Wandering Eye

Sad news, Fat Freddy's Drop founder Chris 'Mu' Faiumu has died unexpectedly in his sleep. Their hit, Wandering Eye is one of those sounds of the summer anthems, and quintessentially Kiwi. In the embedded video, look out for a young woman, Danielle Cormack (1:31), who went on to become a successful actress:

UK Voting Age Lowered

UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer has announced plans to lower the age at which people can vote. The voting age will be lowered to 16 from the current age of 18.

Well, what is wrong with that? 

There's a lot wrong with it, as it turns out. Sixteen year-olds have no or very little real-world experience. If 16, then why not 15, or 14? How about all those legally resident in the UK, regardless of citizenship? 

Basically, what we are seeing is more of bonkers Britain. Starmer is desperate to hang on to power, and he must figure children can be fooled with lots of free giveaways prior to the election.

Whatever you do rest of the World, don't copy this.

Air India 787 Crash

Reports are saying it appears one of the pilots intentionally caused the plane to crash. 

Election 2024 Rigged?

Maybe, maybe not, but there are some things to consider in this report.

New Zealand Ditches Open-plan Classrooms

It was never going to work. To my certain knowledge, open-outcry, large open shared space classrooms have been tried before and in every instance, failed. Educational theorists just won't let it go. Children do not learn in these environments, so it's good to finally see some commonsense returning:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/567106/government-shuts-the-door-on-open-plan-classrooms

She said the big open spaces were too noisy and distracting for many children, and they would learn better in individual classrooms.

"My message to parents is that your children will be learning in single-cell classrooms that are modular so there will be open-and-close sliding doors that will allow for those classrooms to become bigger for when events require," she said.

"But when they are learning using explicit teaching, the new curriculum, the new maths books they will be learning in single-cell classrooms."

New Zealand Covid Response

Public submissions are being made this week to the real government-led Covid inquiry. The previous inquiry has long since concluded, and it was a Labour government cover up and, thus, widely ignored.

Coincidentally, the following are matters readers may find interesting. The myth of Covid is still very much alive, and the harms the jab caused are conveniently parked under other headings, such as 'long covid'.

Conclusion: Numbers are still being pulled out of thin air, governments are still making things up, and the Southland doctor who prescribed and supplied Ivermectin is a hero.

Feedback: I'm placing this post here just to see my blog visits crumble. There are at least three things Google strangles talk of; Covid, Israel and Epstein. I wonder why that is? 

https://centrist.nz/did-new-zealands-covid-models-overstate-lives-saved/

“One model… suggests we might have seen up to 30,000 more deaths. But these estimates are uncertain and depend on assumptions not borne out in local data.”

https://centrist.nz/long-covid-left-out-despite-rising-toll-new-study-shows/

A new Otago-led study published in the International Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health found that over 20 percent of children and young people in New Zealand are experiencing persistent health problems following COVID. 

These include fatigue, headaches, anxiety, and school absences severe enough to impact daily life. “These symptoms weren’t just happening; they were actually limiting their ability to participate in life,” said lead author Associate Professor Julie Bennett.

Despite this, Long Covid is not on the agenda at this week’s hearings, which instead focus on lockdown decisions and vaccine mandates. 

https://centrist.nz/doctor-punished-for-covid-heresy/

A Southland GP who prescribed Ivermectin during the COVID pandemic has been formally censured by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.  

Ghislaine Maxwell

Will Donald Trump give Ghislaine Maxwell a pardon? Another possibility is she may be awarded a retrial. 

MAGA Furious, Demand Truth

Yes folks, after all the talk it is Donald Trump covering things up and shutting down free speech. But, this won't go away, that's because every parent out there is outraged at what is being covered up. 

Shane van Gisbergen

NASCAR fans are now discovering that New Zealanders are very good race car drivers. Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen has now won three races on road or street courses, now all he has to do is learn to drive on sealed oval tracks. Obviously, that's easier said than done, but SVG is capable of it, he has mastered just about everything else.

Donald Trump Confirms Files Exist

The story has changed again. A few days ago, Pam Bondi was claiming that an Epstein client list or Epstein files simply did not exist. But, now the President of the US, Donald J Trump is saying the files are some kind of fake, produced by his political enemies. So, Trump has confirmed the existence of the files, which contradicts Bondi and others.

People have also noticed that Trump is becoming unhinged. His social media posts are now illogical and rambling. This raises questions over just how long he can remain in office.

What's the Weather Doing?

Hilarious Aussie take on TV weather presenters, turns out South and Central America are where it's at:

Millionaire Migration

Who is attracting the most millionaires to their shores? Looking at the data, New Zealand seems to be doing fairly well, with a small net migration inflow. Millionaires are a good migrant because they tend to make good investment decisions and they invest in businesses that employ more people.

The country doing the worst is the United Kingdom. The UK is really plumbing the depths with its idiotic government.

Anyway, study the graph which shows the net position:

Millionaire Migration

Tariffs, Brazil and Copper

US President, Donald J Trump has slapped a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil. He's said that's due to the prosecution of the former President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. 

What I've noticed is that critics of Trump are rushing to the defense of Brazil. Hang on though, isn't it possible that Donald Trump is correct?

I'll explain: Brazil is not exactly a bastion of free and fair elections, and its judicial system is not highly regarded either. Political candidates are assassinated, elections are stolen, and the police are corrupt. So, it is possible for the election in which Bolsonaro was standing was rigged.

Then, Bolsonaro tried to launch a coup. Brazil has a long history of coups and military rule, so it's also believable that a coup would be a response to a rigged election.

It is also possible that Trump saw all this, and has reacted. The question then needs to be asked, are tariffs an appropriate response? Well, it's one response, I suppose.

Then Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Copper imports. Copper prices shot up after the news, and people are complaining. Well yes, but copper is not an ore that is hard to find and the US has many copper mines, and further mines either sitting there unused, dormant, or undergoing permitting. This is one area where a tariff can have the effect of boosting local production and creating jobs. It's not like the rare earth elements argument, resources which are commonplace but countries like the US lack the refining or processing capacity.

As the actress said to the bishop - it's complicated.

The Elusive Client List

Is there an Epstein client list? I thought it useful to check out body language experts, to see whether those asking us to trust them are telling the truth:

European Discovery of New Zealand

Do you think the New Zealand government is capable of lying about early European exploration of NZ? I certainly do, and here's something to wet your appetite:

Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, located in Wellington, has a Spanish helmet secreted away. No-one talks about it, no-one researches it, it just sits there.

This is the helmet and Te Papa's attempt to explain it away: https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/131208?page=1&rtp=1&ros=1&asr=1&assoc=all&mb=c

The age of the helmet is consistent with the period when the Portuguese and the Spanish divided up the world between them. NZ sits within the Spanish part:

NZ Spanish Zone

Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira was active in the Pacific at this time, and his discoveries included the Cook Islands. Now, Cook Islands speak a form of Maori language, so what do you bet that Alvaro took some Cook Islanders to NZ to visit their relatives...hmm? I'd say that's a solid bet, wouldn't you?

I've also found a Portuguese discovery, reproduced in the Portolan atlas 1547. Check out the following link: https://hdl.huntington.org/digital/collection/p15150coll7/id/53389

Page 23 of 103, Chart 1, f. 1v - remember, South is up on these maps. The north island of New Zealand is clearly drawn, called Illa do Magna right where it should be off the east coast of Australia. The port of Wellington can be seen at the bottom of the island, the very place where the Spanish helmet was found. So, this is strong circumstantial evidence that the Portuguese first found NZ, then the Spanish followed, and they both knew about Wellington harbour. Wouldn't the Spanish have checked out earlier maps?

The Epstein Files

Well this went exactly the way many predicted. Now, we are meant to believe there is nothing to see, there is no client list. 

Shane van Gisbergen Wins Chicago

Finally, some exciting car racing. I watched New Zealand's Shane van Gisbergen give another one of his master classes in street racing as he took out the NASCAR Chicago street race. He has now won four times in Chicago, and made it a sweep over the weekend, winning both the Xfinity and Cup races. The only thing he has to do now is work on his performances on sealed oval tracks. NZ doesn't have any of those, so it will take a bit of time, but he's talented and so long as he keeps performing, victories on Amerca's high speed ovals will follow.

With Scott Dixon doing well in IndyCars, along with fellow Kiwis Scott McLaughlin and Marcus Armstrong competing in that series as well, the NZ flag is well represented. 

New Zealand produces excellent race car drivers and the country as a whole becomes obsessed with racing over the summer. The country has dirt track ovals throughout the country, and sealed road courses, one of the best being at the Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell in the South Island. When I say best, many drivers from overseas who have raced there say it is the best place they've raced at and that it is their favorite track. It really is superb.

Nelson's Rocks Road Closed

The main access road for trucks heading to the Port of Nelson is closed once again. The region has been experiencing heavy rainfall, but Rocks Road which forms part of SH6, has always been a problem as it sits under a cliff at one point. Rocks often fall and block the road, but this now appears serious and all traffic is now prevented from using that route, forcing trucks to go an alternative route through the city of Nelson itself. Clearly, this is not acceptable, and a long term solution has to be found. 

It should be noted that the previous Labour government scheduled work to be done, but the current National government cancelled it. That's typical of National, they have a record of hurting Nelson, the most notable example being their scrapping rail and pulling up the tracks. National are vandals.

What could be done with Rocks Road? One way is to pin the cliff face back. While this is done throughout the country, I'm guessing this is not possible in this location as the rock face is full of water and loose material. In other words, it is unstable and stabilising it is probably not economic.

I suggest the government look to build a causeway bridge around the danger zone. There is nothing but rock underneath to sit the bridge on, so building it wouldn't be a problem.

I have just driven past this area, before it closed. Here is a photo taken from almost the exact spot of the rockfall, the photo is looking toward the top 10 rated Tahunanui Beach:

Rocks Road Nelson

The causeway bridge would go around, out over the water and come back at about where the fishing platform can be seen in the above photo:

Rocks Road Bridge Nelson

A causeway bridge would look like this:

Causeway Bridge

Emmanuel Macron, President Trump and Candace Owens

This is brilliant; Candace Owens is claiming Donald Trump called her, saying that the President of France, Emmanuel Macron asked him to stop Candace Owens talking about his wife.

The story is told so well it must be true. 

Nelson 2025

I'm visiting Nelson, New Zealand at the moment, and I have to say it seems to have turned the corner. It is looking quite prosperous these days. 

A quick recap: Nelson has been the poor cousin of New Zealand for a long time, often getting kicked in the teeth but always managing to get back up and then just getting on with it. The region had a bad flood this week too, but the locals didn't buckle, they never do. 

I took a few snaps, the first being fish and chips bought from The Sands Fish and Chips at Tahunanui:

One Scoop Chips and One Fish Dorie (got one bonus)

The shop is over the road from Tahunanui Beach, rated Top 10 in the world by Lonely Planet. They're not wrong, the beach is beautiful, safe, convenient and the sand is gorgeous:

Tahunanui Beach, Nelson, Top 10 Rated by Lonely Planet

Also at Tahunanui Beach is a statue of Abel Tasman, the Dutch explorer who did not discover Tasman Bay on which the beach sits, and he did not set foot on land. So, it is rather peculiar this is still allowed to sit there:

Abel Tasman in the wrong place

Anyway, back to important things - fish and chips, I walked past the place where I first tasted the cuisine. The shop still exists, it is on Alton Street next to NMIT, aka Nelson Polytechnic. And yes, that means this shop is old:

Ken's First Taste of Fish and Chips

Oh and I'm just going to throw in a random pie, bought in Havelock on the drive into Nelson from Blenheim, forget the name of the place, they had gluten free options, with vegetarian pies advertised, but this one is a mince and cheese:

 

Havelock Pie

Havelock's marina was looking different from when I last visited, clearly people have got money for boats:

Havelock Marina

And after Havelock, as I passed through I remembered to take a photo of the Callender-Hamilton bridge over the Pelorus River. It is still taking heavy traffic after decades of use. The type of bridge was invented by Kiwi engineer, A.M. Hamilton, the man also responsible for the Hamilton Road through Kurdistan. Callender-Hamilton bridges litter the landscape in Indonesia.

Callender-Hamilton Bridge Pelorus

Of course, being a beach goer I did not overlook my second favorite beach of all time. It should also be ranked top 10 by Lonely Planet, and that beach is Rabbit Island, near Richmond:

Rabbit Island

On the way back to Richmond from Rabbit Island, I came across an old Newmans Bus sitting in a field. Newmans used to be a Nelson based bus company operating all over the country. This one is a Mercedes:

Newmans Mercedes 0317

Nelson has a boulder bank which forms a natural harbour, it is really quite something, this is the start of it:

Boulder Bank

It ends at the cut, where ships enter the port. If you look into the distance you can see a ship has sailed, it looks small but it is a Panamax size vessel:

The Cut Port Nelson

There is a large tidal area behind the boulder bank, swarming with life in the mudflats. It is also a good place for small boats and kayaking:

Nelson Haven inside the boulder bank

The port of Nelson can be seen off in the distance in the above photo, it is very busy exporting logs at the moment, and for those who do not know, New Zealand is the world's largest exporter of logs. Nelson does manufacture MDF and LVL lumber products too, the forest harvest is fully exploited one way or the other with only certain classes of logs finding their way overseas. The other industries that are significant; fisheries, apples, kiwifruit growers, hops, dolomite fertilizer, grapes and wine. Tourism plays a large part in the region as well, as it is known for its sun and wonderful beaches.

I've gone out of my way to avoid talking about the obvious touristy stuff, but I will add a photo of 10 Avon Terrace in Nelson. It is where I grew up:

10 Avon Terrace

The house has been updated and renovated since its construction in the 1960's. It was designed by the architect Stokes, just before he moved to Christchurch and designed many houses there, mostly in Ilam. This then is an early Stokes house. My father brought the bricks in from out of the region to avoid buying bricks from a competitor. The concrete in the foundations was supplied by my father's ready-mix concrete firm, and he said he lost track of the amount of concrete that went into the place. The house was over height at the time and had to have a structural engineer involved (Dick Sanders of Sanders Lane and Page), and my father had to do a lot of talking to the council to avoid having to fit fire doors throughout the building. 

Anyhoo...that's Nelson.