@JC Eno instead of ELP

Q - quango. An offshoot of Asia who were an offshoot of Yes.

No surprises here. St Cindy shares with Key a healthy regard for the polls. It's really a win for both Labour and NZF.

Winnie has saved "Everyman" from the perils of the left. Labour can say if only more of you had given us yr party vote.... and they have effectively spiked National's only attack that was scoring any points

The Greens - well I guess they can revert to bleating on about how much they've saved the planet. Shaw's already going on about how much the current coalition has achieved more in 18 months than the Nats did in 9 years [talk about setting a low bar]

Personally this was pretty clearly the way it was going to play out from the moment the commission was appointed. The whole thing was an appeasement exercise. A gutless smoke and mirrors attempt to mollify the left while watching the polling intently.

I feel sorry for all the Nat supporters who are still bitter about "winning the last election but not being in power" and who naively thought CGT was the issue that would see them ride back into power.

National were fucked from the start unless Labour imploded. They then emasculated themselves with the leadership change and seem incapable of developing a coherent strategy - mainly because they seem collectively to be in denial.

They can't seem to drive a wedge between the coalition partners, they are an ineffective opposition on almost every front mainly it seems to me because they haven't grasped that they need to go bone deep into detail and start holding the (many) ineffective Ministers to account. I guess if your leader is a facile, shallow prick its to be expected the caucus as a whole will be pretty much the same.

National have relied on Labour being really stupid. Which they consistently have been, but the Nats are too poor to take advantage and they are stunned mullets when it comes to trying to counter the Jacinda effect.

I've thought from Day 1 this ould be at least a 2 term government. Now its not going to be taxed - I'd put the house on it.

@Duluth so the Crusaders should make it then

Blues could win all bat a couple of their remaining games but just as easily could lose all bar a couple. Which is vast improvement on last year. I think they've actually got a slightly easier run in than the Chiefs apart from the significant difference of the Canes Home and Away.

@jegga Maria used to be one of my favourite Ferns. She pretty much defines a confidence player. She will take a long distance shot and if it goes in she will start landing them from everywhere. Miss a couple from under the posts and she crumbles.

She always seemed to have time for her supporters and be aware of he sponsor obligations. She was also attractive enough in a pretty sort of way - enough to be a poster girl for NZ Netball at times. When Folau first came out with his mediaeval nonsense last year she publically supported him. At which time I decided she'd been corrupted by an awful Aussie and dismissed her as being an oxygen thief.

@Kirwan my vote goes for over-reaction. Unfortunately. I guess you can’t blame those making the decision- they have to err on the side of public safety but this is a victory for prejudice and paranoia

Correct thread but as a precedent Chinese had a cure for Malaria for a decade or more before they let the wider world in on the secret

It’s not surprising but bitterly disappointing that the Chch Terror Attacks are going to have such a profound impact on ANZAC Day this year.

I assume the issue is Police resources but TBH the only time I’ve seen a copper in decades of attending ANZAC Day commemorations is when they’ve been the band.

Normally I have a choice of a 15 minute walk in one direction for a large ish traditional ceremony or 15 mins in the opposite for a slightly smaller but more community event complete with Tongan Oom-pah band and choir.

This year it looks like 4 or 5 ceremonies across the entire Shore if current reports are accurate.

I’m a paid up life member of the cowards club but I’m more than happy to risk a copy cat or reprisal attack to maintain our Kiwi culture

@Kirwan totally agree. The whole concept was totally flawed.

@MN5 Oh man - you do like to leave yourself wide open - don't you?

@antipodean because historically the non completion rate has been very low so unless all the millennials that got to complete a census for the first time are a bunch of apathetic, self-centred laggards the assumption is its because people/boomers couldn't be bothered to complete an on-line form