I do like a bit of a spunky-looking candidate!
I thought I'd go and check out this Billy T K, as I had heard people talk about him so much.
He also raises some issues where we know that the official line has been less than honest in the past, so that sounded interesting.
And, you know, trying to be open, do my own research, think for myself, that is important, isn't it?
So I found one of his talks and listened to it. On Facebook.
It seems quite an informal little talk, just off-the-cuff, in a day-to-day environment.
A few minutes into the talk I hear this sentence:
"Without Democracy you don't have Outdoors, you don't have Conservatism, you don't have Monetary Reform, you don't have anything".
Having done a bit of study in social psychology, that made my ears prick up.
I asked myself: "What is he actually trying to say?"
"No outdoors without democracy?! Eh??"
Having learned to analyse this kind of thing, I found all these red flags:
1) It's a sentence that is meant to arouse emotion, rather than convey any real meaning.
2) Look at it: 'Outdoors', 'Conservatism' etc...
A sentence that means nothing but chimes with as many as possible.
2)The sentence structure also, with its sequence of buzz words, is designed to be emotive and bypass clear thinking.
Straight from the handbook of manipulation.
That is not just a little informal off-the-cuff talk, there is some sophisticated speech writing behind it!
He's just there to attack the govt, sow confusion.
Who for?
My guess is as good as yours.
🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…
I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?
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Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
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