A newly installed gender-busting Santa Claus is on display at Auckland’s Ponsonby Central.

Dressed in fish-net stockings, holding a bag and umbrella, this jolly statue pushes the stereotype of the traditional male Santa Claus.

In a touch of luck, the statue went up the same week Simon Bridges created controversy by saying: “Mary Poppins is a woman, Santa Claus is a man. That’s how it should be.”

“You guys this morning are telling me that man didn’t walk on the moon, now you’re telling me Santa’s a woman - I just want a few things I can believe in,” Bridges told The AM Show.

The creators said the new “Mary Poppins Santa” is set to put a fresh perspective on the gender diversity conversation.

“Our representation of Santa can be Mary Poppins or whatever race/gender/persuasion we prefer and can imagine. The Coca-Cola company doesn’t have a monopoly on what he/she looks like,” they said.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12168358

NZTA is warning 10,000 drivers their warrant of fitness may be dodgy.

That’s almost double the number already revealed, after warnings went out to 5500 vehicles from two suspended garages.

The new warnings include almost 3500 customers who got their warrants from Orient Motors in Glenfield, Auckland and 600 who got warrants from Te Aroha Automotive who need to get them rechecked.

The agency “is stepping up enforcement action for non-compliance across all regulatory areas for which it has responsibility”, said Meredith Connell’s Steve Haszard who took over managing road safety compliance last month after the New Zealand Transport Agency admitted failing to enforce the rules for years, and the government ordered a review into it. (more…)

Report by Karen on the Clementine Ford event in Auckland last night.

In reply to feminists I would say it is time to KILL ALL FEMINIST SCUM!!!

The protest against Clem had some good action. It looked like there was some scuffle between security and the protest group at the early stages.

The Clem protest was vigorous and enjoyable.

The Auckland council now appears to be supporting Free Speech. This could be very liberating for the NF, and may be the start of new era of freedom for us. it is more Free Speech than even I could imagine.
It seems you can now insult groups all you like, call for their death, and still get the benefit of a nice council venue, security, and a large tax funded police turn out.
Perhaps after the councils persecution of heroes Stefan and Lauren they have decided to cast off their totalitarian ideals.

(more…)

The prime minister has come under renewed pressure over the burgled professor case, with a coalition of academics and civil society figures calling for government action to safeguard academic freedoms and the safety of Anne-Marie Brady.

An open letter to be delivered this morning to both prime minister Jacinda Ardern and foreign minister Winston Peters, calls on the governing pair to “be transparent about the outcome of any investigation” and “make a clear statement in defence of academic freedom in light of the Brady case.”

“Be very clear that any intimidation and threats aimed at silencing academics voices in this country will not be tolerated.”

The letter was triggered by an ongoing campaign of harassment against the University of Canterbury professor - apparently linked to her work researching China’s foreign policy - that has included burglaries of her home and office and suspicions her car had been sabotaged. (more…)