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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

It always shocks the car people, but Wellington is by far the least car-dependent city in Australasia Only half of journeys here are by car. A quarter are by public transit, and the remaining quarter are by walking or cycling.

Transit data showing that half of Wellington journeys are by car, a quarter by public transit, and a quarter by bike/walking

Auckland and Christchurch are both over 85% car

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

This is maybe the perfect example of justifying do-nothing Democratic passivity: "performative nonsense and vote harder is all that is possible"

Appealing to the supreme court is performative sure

That's what they can do in this situation. Signal to the public that they care about the law, that they are willing to fight within the law, and work to win those seats under that message

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

This tweet was a call to action, not something to aspire to. And yet here we are, 8 years later, with people like you saying "we can't even try anything bold because of swing voters/backlash/it-might-not-work"

Tweet saying "The last decade has been the Democrats clinging onto the rulebook going "but a dog can't play basketball!" while a dog fucking dunks on us over and over

The tweet was from 8 years ago, and sadly remains just as applicable today as it was then.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

For what it's worth, the opposition members of the select committee here do a good job summarizing how much of a farce this entire thing has been

In addition, this bill has not had a regulatory impact statement, was not foreshadowed in Manifestos of the Government Parties and has had a shortened select committee. And it is being rushed through at a time when the committee is struggling to find time to consider the wider Resource Management Act reforms with continued extended sittings and urgency. Despite the short timeframe the chief executive officer of the mega Ministry has already been appointed, even before this legislation has been reported back to Parliament. This is clear demonstration of the scant regard this Government has for robust Parliamentary processes.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

I absolutely think that if you're proposing a rushed major government reorganization, and the feedback comes back 99-1 against, then you should put on the brakes and rethink things. It's not like it was 60-40 or even 70-30. The minority opinion of the SC report is very clear on the problems here!

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

The fundamental problem with all the Reconstruction 2.0 stuff is that the actually existing Democratic Party is a bunch of fucking losers. This meme is 8 years old and they're still getting dunked on by the fucking dog while stressing the importance of respecting the refs.

Tweet saying "the last decade has been thr Democrats clinging onto the rulebook going" but a dog can't play basketball!" while a dog fucking dunks on us over and over

The tweet was from 2018, so it's more like 2 decades now

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Seems like an OIA request would likely show that "most teachers" is not true, and that they are not in fact "hugely on board"...

No organisation representing teachers or principals has spoken out in support of the government's changes, but Stanford claimed most teachers backed her.

"Schools I've talked to are hugely on board," she said.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Slay the Spire 2 is fantastic, but I fear my beloved Defect might be in for a nerf -- Thunder + Voltaic can get to ridiculous damage levels super quickly

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

The entire government response, starting with Peters saying the war would obviously end quickly, to Willis and Luxon's bizarre press conferences is basically just this

Dog sitting on chair with coffee while the entire room is on fire
Text says "it's fine"

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

On that note, it's important that half of the journeys in Wellington are made by public transit, cycle, or foot. It's the least car-dependent city in Australasia! Yet political leaders (even those ostensibly on the left) want to give drivers 100 percent of transport funding...

Wellingtonians make 26% of their journeys by foot/cycle, 24% by public transit, and 51% by car

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Once again, Courtenay Place was buzzing on a nice evening. Cities thrive when they have spaces for people, not cars. Time for @andrewlittlenz.bsky.social to finish the Golden Mile. Ignore the complaints: Every city that's pedestrianized a major street has seen benefits for people AND businesses.

Completely full cycle lockup in front of Embassy Theatre tonight. Incidentally there were tons of open car parks nearby...

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Fundamentally this is the only chart that really matters when comparing covid responses across countries. By the most important measure, NZ had the best performance in the world. It did so well that fewer people died than expected!

Chart comparing excess mortality across various countries during the covid pandemic (2020-2023).

US and UK were the worst. Sweden, Australia, Taiwan, and Korea were middle of the pack. NZ was the clear winner by a huge margin.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Check out this guy from a couple days ago - pulled out into the cycle lane and almost hit a couple people just to save himself one cycle of the light. And then got aggrieved when people called out his behavior...

Dickhead driving in the cycle lane in Wellington

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Not only did this asshole driver pull into the cycle lane and almost hit some people yesterday, he was enraged when confronted about it

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Check out this dickhead driving in the cycle lane on Kent Terrace. Guy nearly hit some cyclists and was an aggressive asshole when confronted. NZ driver behavior is bad and getting worse.

A dickhead driving in the cycle lane because he couldn't be bothered to wait in traffic - plate PKA193

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Always useful to remember that Wellington is actually a transit/active mobility city (by Anglosphere standards). Only half of the journeys here are by car, even though car drivers get far more funding than pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users combined.

Data indicating that about 50 percent of journeys in Wellington are made by car, 25 percent by public transit, and 25 percent by walk/cycle. In comparison, Auckland and Christchurch are both >80% car, and even Sydney is 67% car.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024001272

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

It's especially deranged in Wellington, which is easily the least car-dependent city in Australasia. Still pathetic by European standards, but miles ahead of any other city in NZ (Auckland and Christchurch both have >80% journeys by car) Source in alt-text

Data indicating that about 50 percent of journeys in Wellington are made by car, 25 percent by public transit, and 25 percent by walk/cycle

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024001272

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Interesting that cities in Aus/NZ are not quite as car-dependent as US/Canada but nowhere close to Europe. And hooray to Wellington: easily the least car-dependent city in Oceana

Mobility for Wellington showing about 50% journeys by car and the rest split between public transit and walking/cycling

This is a significant contrast to Auckland and Christchurch, which are almost entirely car-dependent

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

To its immense credit, the Guardian spent a paragraph pointing out that DHS is not credible and that the video in this case specifically contradicted their claims. Any media outlet that actually wants to inform its viewers needs to do something similar

The Minnesota Star Tribune reports that the type of gun the Department of Homeland Security claims Alex Pretti was carrying when he fatally shot by border patrol officers on Saturday is a Sig Sauer P320 9mm pistol, which is both popular and frequently carried by US military and law enforcement officers.

While Pretti was licensed to carry a gun, it has not yet been proven that the gun shown in a social media image posted online by DHS was, in fact, his.

The department’s credibility is suspect, given that senior federal officials, including the president, falsely claimed after Pretti was killed that he had approached the federal officers brandishing a gun, when video evidence shows that is not true.

The Minneapolis newspaper also notes: “Federal agents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), also carry P320s, as do many state and local law enforcement officers.”

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

It's notable (and very good) that the Guardian is very pointedly saying up front that DHS credibility is nil. Hope other news outlets follow. It's important to point out that these people just lie brazenly all the time!

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Patty Murray in particular spent last week crowing about the deal she negotiated to keep funding DHS. She thought body cams and more money for training made it okay to give ICE 10 billion more dollars. Even now she's calling for Republicans to do something instead of saying she'll vote against it.

New constraints on DHS include $20 million that must be used to purchase and operate body-worn cameras for ICE and CBP officers, a directive for DHS to provide de-escalation training for ICE and CBP agents, as well as training reminding officers of Americans’ right to record any interactions they have with them. Many videos have gone viral on social media displaying the aggressive behavior toward people recording ICE in the streets of Minneapolis.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Dunno what the point of asking a question and then disabling replies is, but here goes. No, NZ doesn't mandate vaccination, but they should! Declining vax rates just contributed to a measles outbreak here.

A post asking how to mandate vaccination for kids and whether NZ does it.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Does it actually restrict the amount of money that can be spent in detention? I know Senate Ds are claiming this, but the appropriation tables seem to suggest the opposite: the detention budget INCREASES by $403 million

Comparison of current and new budgets for ICE. New bill increases Enforcement and Removal Operations budget by 371 million compared to prior baseline

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Counterpoint: it's political malpractice for an opposition party to vote for billions of dollars of ICE funding (who cares about the baseline) when even independents want to abolish the whole agency by +12. Clarity of messaging matters way more than some useless language around training.

Poll about abolishing ICE. Shows strong Dem support, strong Rep opposition, and moderate independent support (+12)

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

The Democratic party is just a collection of cowards, collaborators, and quislings. They won't even get language barring ICE from deporting US citizens, but they'll vote to fund DHS/ICE anyways.

Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the House’s top Democratic appropriator, acknowledged that the legislation does not include some of the “broader reforms Democrats proposed,” such as preventing DHS from detaining and deporting U.S. citizens or blocking the department from using other agencies’ personnel for immigration enforcement.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Training and body cams for fascist goons is the most Democratic Party thing ever. I was morbidly joking that this would happen, but they're actually doing it! Does anyone actually believe they'd rein in ICE if they controlled Congress? The Democrats are just not a serious opposition party

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

At some point, you'd think EU leaders would realize that you cannot actually engage with Trump like this. He just takes it as a sign of weakness. If you want him to back off, you need a show of strength. It's well beyond time to do something like restrict US tourism, reciprocate tariffs, etc

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

RNZ is doing the same thing across the ditch. It's obscene.

Some fucking bullshit published by RNZ, both-sidesing murder by ICE goons.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Marcy is the dog dunking basketball meme brought to life. Somehow still defending Merrick Garland and his process despite the incredible failure it produced.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Also very important to note that Australia's gun restrictions have loosened over time, and there are currently a record number of firearms in the country! If anything this makes the case for another round of strict firearm restrictions.

Graph of registered firearms in Australia, showing a sharp drop after the gun reforms in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre and a steady increase over the past decade to a record high now.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Chris Hipkins is running with the 2026 campaign message of "Better things aren't possible." He's literally the centrist rally meme as an actual party leader...

NZ Labour leader Chris Hipkins saying "We've had a series of governments now who have encouraged people to be aspiration for New Zealand and have promised things that have been completely unrealistic. I don't think we can afford to do that anymore."

This is apparently the campaign message he's running with after 2 years of reflection and listening, or whatever the fuck he's been doing since getting his ass kicked in 2023

Twitter post saying "Just got back from the centrist rally. Amazing turnout. Thousands of people holding hands and chanting “Better things aren’t possible”"

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

The Western Hemisphere is a very clearly defined geographic term! And nearly every country in the Western Hemisphere had unconditional birthright citizenship...

Map showing that nearly every country in the Western Hemisphere has unconditional birthright citizenship

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

This is what uninspiring centrism and coddling the far-right gets you. And yet Chris Hipkins is looking at this and doubling down on that strategy...

UK electoral projection showing Labour getting completely wiped out and ushering in.l a far-right government

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

You cannot seriously argue that it's incumbent on mayors, etc to waste their time responding to every crank suggestion. These people have actual responsibilities, and to the extent that they do submit, it's about stuff the RC has highlighted (which, in this case, was boundaries, NOT names)

The RC's map of proposed changes in Central Wellington. Note the clearly highlighted boundary change suggestions and complete absence of name change suggestions.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Since 2019 it has essentially become impossible for a first time home buyer. The median age shot up to 40, and the volume of first time buyers plunged. Meanwhile almost all home sales are to well-off old people. Housing is a big problem, and deniers like Will don't want to deal with this

A chart showing stable age for first time home buying through the 2000s and 2010s (in the early 30s),spikijg since 2019 to 40. Over that same time frame, the proportion of repeat buyers has increased markedly, as has the age for repeat buyers

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Come on man, you're cherry picking one favorable year and ignoring long term trends. This is some mendacious bullshit, even by your standards. Anyways the median home buyer age for first and repeat buyers is at a record high. First-time went from 33 pre-pandemic to 40 (!) last year.

Chart showing the median age of home buyers steadily increasing since 2010. There is a one year downtick in 2022, which Will is cherry-picking to downplay the larger, consistent trend upward

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Surprised that the Stuff poll respondents* are this widely opposed to the government's benefit changes for 18/19yos Probably explains why the government is all in on Peters' bullshit * not representative, but they are generally centrist and older, and they usually eat up this kind of youth-bashing

Stuff online poll asking "Should the Jobseeker benefit for teens depend on their parents' income"

19% yes, 74% no, 7% unsure

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

This is really disappointing by @misswhanau.bsky.social These new standards aren't a "huge win" for Wellington. There's nothing good about letting property owners keep dangerous buildings around in order to save money, especially in a major seismic hazard area.

What the changes mean for Wellington

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau said it was a “huge win” for the city known for its issues with earthquake prone buildings, both residential and commercial. Whanau believed the new system would have hundreds of owners from expensive repairs.

She said the number of earthquake-prone buildings in Wellington will be about half.

“Officers will review what these proposed changes mean for the Capital E building, which forms part of the City to Sea Bridge, and whether its earthquake-prone status would be removed under the new rules.”

The pause on the bridge’s demolition demolition will be extended until officers reported back in the new Council term on what options the new rules could give Capital E and the bridge.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 21/09/2025

Is it working backwards to justify not liking Democrats if I criticize their dogshit leadership for being fascist collaborators? Because this is how Trump's junior coalition partners would act, not his opposition.

NBC News headline

Schumer, Jeffries request meeting with Trump ahead of potential government shutdown
The request comes after the U.S. Senate rejected a stopgap measure that would have kept the government open another few weeks.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Democratic leadership again showing that they're fascist collaborators more interested in honoring a Nazi than opposing Trump. And despite months of this, exactly zero elected Dems have called for new leadership. This is what they want. Just a fundamentally irredeemable political party.

House Democratic leaders will vote in favor of a GOP resolution condemning political violence and celebrating Charlie Kirk in the wake of last week’s fatal shooting of the conservative activist in Utah — a measure expected to hit the floor on Friday.

In a closed-door meeting in the Capitol basement Thursday morning, top leaders informed rank-and-file lawmakers they will support the resolution, though they will not push other members to do the same.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

The House increasing its own personal security funding and the Senate providing unanimous consent for a resolution to honor Charlie Kirk. You really do not hate Congress enough.

House lawmakers get $10K per month for personal security following Kirk assassination

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle had been agitating for more protection.

Senate passes "National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk"

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

What, you mean this chart doesn't tell a tale of success that should be emulated around the world?

UK government approval rating under Kier Starmer. Somehow in the course of about a year, his government has gone from neutral to 11% approval and 72% disapproval.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

I wrote back asking for some actual specifics about what he found offensive about Prof Dutta's comments, and why exactly he wanted NZ Parliament to honor this particular American with no NZ connection

Thank you for taking the time to respond. It's something too few MPs do these days, and I want to commend you for engaging with members of the public.

That said, I think it's important to understand what, precisely, you find appalling in Professor Dutta's comments. You have accused him of " divisive and highly politicised rhetoric," but I have read his comments and I cannot find anything that meets this description. Are you contesting the characterization of Charlie Kirk as a "white supremacist" or "far-right" figure? Because Charlie Kirk himself argued that non-white races were inferior and aligned himself with the far-right MAGA movement. Are you affronted that Professor Dutta characterized the attempt to pay homage to him in Parliament as support for the far right? Because again, that seems fairly uncontroversial given that it is a public declaration of honour for a far-right figure. Are there other inflammatory comments that Professor Dutta has made that I'm not aware of?

I will also note that you failed to answer my questions about which of Charlie Kirk's views make him worthy of homage. New Zealand's Parliament clearly does not honour every American who is murdered by gun violence (there are over 15,000 of these people per year); Parliament certainly did not honour the innocent children slain by gun violence in Minnesota earlier this month. As far as I can tell, Parliament has never honoured a foreign figure without a connection to New Zealand (but please correct me if I'm wrong). So again, I am asking you which of Charlie Kirk's views you think are worthy of homage.

I am sure that a champion of open discourse such as yourself would not dodge such a basic question about a figure your wish to honour. Once again, I look forward to your response.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

Sent Joseph Mooney MP a little note inquiring as to his views on Charlie Kirk, and I encourage everyone else to do so as well.

Joseph,

I'm writing to you because I think it's appalling that you're using your platform as a member of the Government to call for a professor to be fired for expressing his views. Ironically, this sort of government interference with academic affairs is exactly the type of thing that advocates for free speech generally argue against. Especially in New Zealand, where all universities are public, it is highly inappropriate for a sitting member of the Government to interfere in academic affairs like you are attempting to do. It really calls into question whether you really care about free speech and open discussion, or if you're more interested in policing discourse and imposing your preferred ideology by force.

Beyond that, and in the interest of free speech and frank discourse, I'm curious to know which of Charlie Kirk's views you think are worthy of homage? Is it that "black women do not have brain processing power to be taken seriously"? That a woman should "submit to [her] husband"? That "Islam is not compatible with western civilization"? That gay people should be stoned to death? That a 10-year-old who was raped and impregnated by her rapist should be forced to carry the fetus to term? That " it’s worth it to have ... some gun deaths every single year" to maintain gun access? Or is it something else he said or did?

Please let me know, as it's certainly in the interest of the New Zealand public to have a full understanding of their elected representatives' views. As you are a champion of open discourse, I am sure I will hear from you on this soon.

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't grunge. It might not be as acclaimed as OK Computer or Kid A, but this was my gateway into music beyond what was playing on mainstream radio, and it'll always be my favorite by them

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

He wasn't a legend. He was an asshole who absconded with kids during a custody dispute, which unfortunately is common in abusive relationships.

At the time of Phillips disappearance, the children and their father were living at Phillips' parents farm in Marakopa. Jayda was eight, Maverick was seven and Ember was five. A custody dispute in the Family Court was ongoing - the children's parents had separated, and Phillips was homeschooling them at the family farm.

Their mother, Cat, said she knew as soon as Phillips disappeared the first time it was not a mistake - it was "a decoy". She told the police Phillips would be in the bush, and that taking the children was not about clearing his head - he was trying to hurt her.

"He's trying to teach me a lesson," Cat told media. "He doesn't care for them, they're just pawns in this game."

In hindsight, police say the first disappearance was a "trial run" for what Phillips was planning to do later.

"We believe it's over custody. I know there's been various opinions out there, including the fact that it may be Covid-related," Acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders said in 2024. "From our point of view, this is straight up about custody of the children."

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psheth.bsky.social @psheth.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Finally saw an Andrew Little campaign sign. Why is it not in Labour red!? What's the point of being the Labour Party candidate if you're not going to match the branding of the other Labour candidates running in the same election? Somehow even his signs manage to be pale, male, and stale...

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