February 23, 2025 - Personal blog of Rick Giles

Government Airline Messes With Wrong Cat

By NZB3

Without government airlines who would transport our pets safely to Australia? And back. And then back again, all in one trip! Messing with Margo Neas, a Communications Manager, came with some international headlines blowback for the ‘national carrier’ Air New Zealand. Mittens is one of the few New Zealand cats to have her own Press […]

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January 23, 2025

Government Wigs

By NZB3

Part of the reason we can’t have a State, no not even a little one, is that it always grows and ends up controlling and fowling up everything. One crisis at a time, each seemingly “kind” or “necessary” or “urgent” popular need is grasped upon by politicians on the make to expand their powers. In […]

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January 21, 2025

Parklife

By NZB3

Just listening to Radio Hauraki. (Hau-rak-ie not ‘Hoe-raki.’) A Blur song came on and a lyric struck me… “I feed the pigeons, I sometimes feed the sparrows too It gives me a sense of enormous well-being (Parklife) And then I’m happy for the rest of the day Safe in the knowledge there will always be […]

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January 8, 2025

Rakaia Ripoff

By NZB3

How about half million dollars for a government mini-golf course in Rakaia? Ashburton District Council are making a ridiculous demand on their tax livestock. If there was a market for such a thing why not suppose free people could come up with such a business? Do holes in the ground and some astroturf from the […]

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December 20, 2024

Hyperscale Data Centre

By NZB3

This just in about the new Hyperscale Data Centre coming to Westgate, West Auckland. Apparently the woman pulling the strings (or public-facing) is Vanessa Sorenson. Was only half-listening to her “interview” (really PR for ZB and probably comes with a recepit….) and forgot why I hit play. It was because I’m interested in West Auckland […]

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December 13, 2024

“Christopher Luxon says he wants nothing to do with the Greens while he’s Prime Minister. “

By NZB3

These two (image left) are gone now. At least I hope so. Rod Carr just left the Climate Change Commission and James Shaw got out of the Green Party earlier in the year. Interestingly, I had a hunch that Shaw might have had a place in this Ministry. While doing the round in the media […]

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December 13, 2024

Politicians Grab Surveillance Cameras II

By NZB3

National 5.0 have done a very fine job capturing road surveillance cameras from the Police. I often think it’s a bit of a shame that Beehive communications staff aren’t eligible for the New Zealand Film and Television Awards or  AXIS advertising awards. Their sneaky Edward Bernays inspired propaganda is done in the dark. If anyone […]

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December 11, 2024

Brown is my Superpower

By NZB3

I have 2 irritated media observations for you from this weekend’s Otago Daily Times before trailing off into an esoteric discourse on macrohistory analysis. Because, after all, if economics can be broken down into micro and macroeconomics why shouldn’t I use the same terminology for long-term history trends? Firstly then, and briefly, so I can […]

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December 8, 2024

Mediawatch: Move Westport Uphill

By NZB3

“Buller mayor on the plan to potentially relocate Westport” – Newstalk ZB The West Coast town has flooding troubles. What shall they do? Seek advice. Urban design company Isthmus paid “$500,000” to tell Westport what to do. Build on higher ground. The Government are taking us for fools as per usual and who is calling […]

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November 28, 2024

Kea Calculus

By NZB3

New Zealand’s alpine parrot the kea (Nestor notabilis) was once hunted as a pest at the behest of The State. The government bounty was at “$120 a head at one stage. More than 150,000 were shot before the bounty was removed, and they were protected in 1986.” Ref. North & South (2020,) Wayback Machine These […]

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June 3, 2024