Chief Stipe

Typical Mardigras response. Why don't you outline for us the differences between the Swedish and NZ Government responses? The tools Sweden have used are quite different.

Why wouldn't it be? Even Adern and Bloomfield say "elimination isn't Zero." The global experience is that many who get it have no symptoms or only mild symptoms. Why is it that we have been through over two 14 day cycles and we are still getting cases albeit low numbers?

I guess that about sums it up for you Mardigras. Unlike some of us you don't give a shit. I guess that's how the Racing Industry got into the mess it is in. None of us spoke loud enough. As for moaning that criticism is only valid if it isn't associated with the suggestion of alternative action. For example you said you don't give a shit how much or what type of Covid-19 testing is undertaken. Well I consider the lack of a wider testing programme a significant gap in this Govenrments Covid-19 management programme. I've actually talked to health professionals and they agree. It is simply astounding that Medsafe NZ has banned the importation of POC Antibody tests until 22 April 2021!!! Enjoy your red wine but make sure you follow Nanny Aderns rules on who you can drink it with.

LOL they tried to do that during Lockdown but were illegally turned back!! Grandpa and Grandma might not have travelled if they were vulnerable due to pre-existing conditions. But they tend to go on overseas cruises anyway rather than bungy jumping in Taupo! I bet my last dollar that there have been more than 1,489 cases of Covid-19 in the community. But we don't test for that.

Speculation based on the "fear factor." What if it had "exploded"?

Wrong Basil. There are articles and video clips on line where Adern refers to Wigram and an 80,000 death toll and she used that as justification for the lockdown. I guess Wigram and Motu - "have revised their modelling in the light of more accurate empircal data." Cough cough -

The Domestic Tourism market is bigger than the International market. The Domestic Tourism market was locked down. $18b of the total $29b is Domestic Tourism i.e. New Zealanders travelling in NZ. The next biggest source of tourism income is Australia. Add their $3b and the total is $21b leaving $8b from the rest internationally. So at worst assuming overseas countries wouldn't have let their citizens travel we would be down $11b. Our GDP for the year end March 2020 is $310b. An impact but not as large as you are making out Mardigras. Subjective at best. You'd find that market prices would adjust to compensate for reduced demand if indeed that demand declined. New Zealand's largest export earning sector is still Primary Production i.e. produce created by our farmers and horticulturalists. Perhaps some people might thank that sector now instead of kicking the shyte out of them. The world still needs to be fed during lockdown. Food supplies were globally declared "essential items." So did the lockdown affect the Primary Sector? Not for unprocessed non value added products. However locking down businesses that added value did have an economic impact. Did you read the article about the manufacturer that makes products out of merino wool? Because of the lockdown they had to send the raw merino wool to China to be processed!! You are cherry picking here Mardigras. Sure Sweden's economy has taken a hit but no where near as bad as Finland or Norway. What's more they haven't borrowed huge amounts of money to hand out to their citizens. They still have that ace largely up their sleeve. Their health system (comparable to ours?) hasn't been over whelmed. Their hospital occupancy rate is running at 80%. NZ's has dropped to 50%!!! If what the epidemiologists and scientists are universally saying is correct then this virus is here to stay. A vaccine could be up to 18 months away if indeed an effective one can be developed. Then Sweden have taken a hit early and kept something in reserve. What have we done? Mortgaged the country, dropped hospital occupancy to 50%, put businesses under and given cash handouts to all and sundry. Now the Government is trying to pick winners in the economy! That's how we have used this grace period of lockdown BEFORE the prime flu and covid-19 season starts. Has the Government invested in more ICU beds? Nup. I could go on and on.....

I understood the logic with your horse selection system. By comparison Thomaas's was illogical and irrational. However I don't understand at all your logic around the "inevitable decline in economic activity."

Yep especially if your internet connection isn't super fast. Most telcos only give you 40Gb before they screw your bandwidth down on a mobile. 40Gb goes fast once you've updated your apps, read the news a few times during the day let alone stream the TAB'S HD trackside on your phone.

It is NOT fact. Check this out: https://www.factcheck.org/2020/05/trumps-flawed-china-travel-conspiracy/ You can go further and check the data this article uses. It is readily available online and or through most flight tracking apps. Aside from the facts about flights out of Wuhan you also need to consider that even if they did continue eevidence shows that the virus was already circulating in Europe. Also Italy didn't close it's borders until 31 January a full week after China imposed restrictions on Wuhan on 23 January. I don't oppose the criticism of a country what I do oppose is criticism that is not based on data, facts and logic. If it isn't based on those things then it is racism or xenophobia. Trump poking the Panda into a corner to suit his own ends isn't going to help the world.

NZ according to Wordometer has undertaken 168,000 Covid-19 tests. These are PCR nasal swab tests. They only test for active cases. There has been ZERO Antibody tests done in NZ. These tests are done on blood samples and test if you have HAD Covid-19 i.e. you don't have the active stage of the virus. On the 22nd April Medsafe NZ BANNED the importation of Antibody test kits.

Firstly I'm not a National supporter. I might be if they crept over the midline back towards the right. However in saying that I believe that they understand business better than the current mob. Actually I may as well declare completely where I stand politically since you are jumping to conclusions. I stood for National in the 1984 election. In 1987 I voted for Roger Douglas. The party most aligned to my current thinking is ACT. I'm currently not active in any political party. Now as for my "made up number of $60m" it has more empirical validity than the projected 80,000 deaths predicted by Wigram and Motu and used by Adern to justify her actions. The reality is the Lockdown decision and more importantly how it was implemented has cost the country billions now and in the future. Robertson's pre-Budget speech is scary in that they have indicated they will interfere in the markets and choose winners. Governments have been notoriously bad at that.

Yes I'm glad you agree. What a huge cost to the country.

This comment I really object to. Obviously you have bought into the Trump/Pompeo "blame our piss pore management on someone else" electioneering line. You blame the Chinese Government regarding their slowness in imposing an International travel lockdown but overlook the slackness displayed by Adern and co to quickly manage our border movements. China may have let flights out but other countries let them fly in. Research is showing now that deaths of people infected with Covid-19 occurred in Europe and even the USA well before anyone knew there was a Covid-19. Yet you are quick to blame the Chinese. Why not blame the Italians for telling us about Covid-19 or the French? The horse had bolted well before the Chinese knew about it. Which isn't surprising when a lot of infections are aysmptomatc, mild or similar to the flu. The last thing we need is China bashing. We poke the Panda at our peril.

The reality in NZ is that we have had 20 people die at a direct ecomomic cost of $3 BILLION each. God knows what the indirect cost will be. Sadly for those 20 they were in the exit lounge anyway. It is clear that this virus claims the most vulnerable I.e. those with pre-existing serious health conditions. This virus is NOT eradicated and the vulnerable unless protected will still die. All the lockdown has done is bought the vulnerable more time to die from what is already killing them. This time has been bought at a large expense which will create more vulnerable and cause more deaths than Covid-19. If I owned a motel or hotel business I wouldn't get Dr Bloomfield to manage it. In the best of times he can only manage 85% occupancy in his hospital beds when there is unsatisfied demand. During Covid-19 lockdown this % dropped to 50%. I don't call that good management.

Did they make the decisions based on the right data and data modelling? I don't think so. Do a Google Search on Wigram Capital Investments, Rodney Jones, Motu Nz and Dr John McDermott. Adern referred to their analysis frequently when justifying the lockdown. It was they who stated 80,000 deaths. Try googling Rodney Jones and George Soros.

LOL. ? That made me laugh out loud.

Yes and the Police Commissioner needs to be given a rap over the knuckles too. Who allowed him to write an Opinion piece for Stuff where he justified the illegal creation of road blocks by Iwi and their gang clans?

I must say Brodie I've never been this angry with a Government before. I don't watch news on TV anymore and struggle to read the Stuff and NZ Herald websites without throwing something. To top it off the Government threw $50m at them. The BS is just constant and the journalism is very very poor. I try to get a rational educated view of the world by reading data based reports so I can decide for myself what the truth is. The latest data I've been researching is regarding a wider testing of the population beyond testing for active cases. That is data concerning antibody testing or testing for those that have HAD the virus. Today it was was reported on Worldometer that 8,000 Covid-19 tests were completed in NZ yesterday. A total of 168,00 to date. NOT ONE test was for antibodies. Every test was of those "displaying symptoms" or random supermarket queue testing. Yesterday I read a science paper that reported on the global testing for antibodies. Their modeling and conclusion was that 10% of the GLOBAL POPULATION have been infected. That's over 700 million people. When you then look at the fatality rate it isn't even close to the seasonal flu.

Who knows. The bigger point is it ISN'T necessary. The WRONG strategic decision for broadcasting is leading to the WRONG decisions about race course viability. The NZRB/RITA have spent beyond their means on flash toys that they didn't need. Now it requires some ballsy leadership to review those decisions.

All for the wrong reasons!!!

I have it on good authority that the reason they are racing at Ascot Park (Invercargill) and not Wingatui (Dunedin) is that Ascot Park has..........wait for it.......a permanent fibre connection!!!!!! Great we'll get high definition coverage of the rain drops (buckets?) and mud clods flying!!!! Of course the majority of starters will have to travel there! FFS RITA get it sorted! That doesn't mean fast tracking the installation of a permanent fibre connection at Wingatui either! What it does mean is reviewing EVERY Strategic Decision made before RITA's inception. Time to start re-negotiating contracts with your vendors!!!!!

There are numerous models. Some are owned by the TAB, some are agencies that are solely betting shops and there are others that are the equivalent of agencies but are within pubs. Then you have the Pokie venues where the TAB owns the pokies and there are usually betting facilities in the same premises. It seems there are as many variations as there are outlets! The only thing common is that the TAB supplies a network connection for the terminals and TV's. My understanding is that the TV's are on their own digital feed now well certainly the ones displaying the odds are. The TAB even owns the printer. They sub-contract to IT providers for repairs and maintenance. I disagree - actually vehemently disagree. I think the sole TAB agency i.e. the outlet that is only a betting shop is dead. The Sport's Bar isn't. I don't think the TAB have grasped the Sports Bar. Unlike our Aussie counterparts. What we've done is basically replicate a racecourse tote window and distanced it from the Bar's main business - selling alcohol. Sorry I should be more PC - providing entertainment. In OZ they have self service little card reader boxes sitting on the bar i.e. it is efficient. We went down the path of providing big expensive self service terminals well away from staff and so they can't offer assistance. We also at the same screwed the pub agency over in terms of what % they earn from the bets. So do you remove the terminals and push people to use their smart phones? Well you'd be surprised how many regular pub/sports bar punters don't use the app. Not surprising really when the app isn't easy to use and there has been no in-house training at the pub for regular punters. In that respect I take my hat off to the local bar manager who has gone out of his way to help and educate the locals on using it. That started when he had to verify the identity of locals so they could access their accounts. I bet the TAB didn't provide any recompense to the owner of the establishment. Pushing people to use the phone app in a pub agency will kill off yet another sector of betting revenue. They did that when they killed Free-to-Air Trackside and Phone betting. I don't think these TAB marketing people have any brains or there is a huge disconnect between Marketing and IT (not uncommon in corporations I might add). The local pub agency I talked about has a TAB data circuit installed for the TV's, terminals, TV odds display. But the local pub doesn't have free WiFi. It would be easy peasy for the TAB to provide free WiFi off the fixed data connection but do they? Only needs a $50 box and an ethernet cable to the router/ntu and some minor network changes. If you really wanted to get mean about its use you could limit what people could access to just the NZ TAB. Not that I've seen anyone watching porn in the pub. As for people writing cheques. Again you would be surprised. I know lots and lots of people that still do. They just happen to be the same people that prefer being served by a person working on a TAB terminal. Why do they write cheques? Well to do financial transactions across the internet scares them for two main reasons. One they find the technology challenging and two they are scared that they will make a mistake or someone will hack them. Both valid reasons. Mind you the banks in their arrogance are no different to the TAB. When lockdown first started I thought I'd take advantage of the once in a lifetime favourable forex rates and exchange some hard currency. I found that although the banks were an "essential service" they were closed. Then they decided to open one day a week for a few hours. So I pitch up to the very long queue. A bank rep then walked down the queue asking people what "essential service" were they there for. The rep told anyone who could do their business on the phone or the internet to leave (they weren't doing forex exchange!). Now there were people of an elder age group (not ancient by any means) who were in the queue because that's how they always did their banking. The bank rep said "OK come in and we will set you up for internet banking and show you how to use it." Some old dears had anxiety attacks there and then. Anyway if the TAB wanted or wants everyone to use the internet and their app why didn't they send trainers/reps out on a Saturday morning/afternoon to show people how to do it? Why didn't THEY go to THEIR customer and help them with the identity verification? NUP it didn't happen or they relied on the unpaid assistance of the local bar manager.

Why is he grumpy? His opinion is valid.

The availability of a permanent fixed high speed fibre connection is a "Red Herring" for a number of reasons. Ask yourself - "Why wasn't it necessary before Covid-19 to broadcast from those racecourses that didn't have it?" The answer is they used other types of connectivity back to the central studio like, but not limited to, satellite. There are other options that are available e.g. temporary circuits, 4G WiFi. The argument now against Satellite use is it is "too expensive." Now that is another "Red Herring." Why has it suddenly become too expensive? How do they do it in Australia? Is Alice Springs on a permanent fixed high speed fibre connection? Echuca? Fanny Bay? There are cheaper options that don't need to be a permanent solution e.g. 4G WiFi or even a permanent fibre connection on each course that is only enlivened for each race day. A permanent fibre connection isn't that expensive to install. On race day just just connect your moveable network and broadcast equipment to it and pay for the data you use. At the end of the day though the data volume RITA would use is all paid through the one account and they would have (should have) negotiated favourable terms. So where is this Bullshit coming from. As you know I don't normally swear on BOAY but this sort of crap annoys me! My guess is that strategically RITA has bought into a high cost broadcast model. It probably aligns with their long term goal of centralisation - well they think it does. The high cost model involves permanent infrastructure and huge data pipes. This isn't where the rest of the innovative world is heading. Who is driving this? The Broadcast and IT geeks aided and abetted by the Telco. The Broadcast geeks - they want multi-streams of high definition uncompressed broadcast feeds back to a central studio. This allows them to be "creative" and demonstrate their amazing skills. Like multiple views of a race, zooming in on a the tongue tie so we can see if it is a rubber band, pantyhose or a piece of string, zooming in on the fashion in the field contestants so we can see if they are wearing bra's and what brand they are or sticky tape. Now what the Broadcast geeks forget is what business they are in. They are in the business of providing at most 3 minutes of racing action so those that pay i.e. the punter and owners can see if their chosen horse gets across the line first. Most of whom don't have a 4k HD TV let alone thinking about getting a 8k one! Has anyone asked what happens to the squillions of bytes of data (video) that they capture across those high speed fibre connections? It probably gets stored in a data centre and is never seen by anyone on TV. I'm sorry but I don't want to see a 4k High Definition view of Bevan Sweeney! The IT geeks - well they like permanent infrastructure. Especially new stuff. The more lights the better. They take their bosses and other stakeholders on tours and show them the big flashy cabinets with all the lights pulsating. "They must be important." Where it gets complicated with corporates is when they outsource a lot of their IT to big corporates like Spark and Datacom who don't really understand racings core business. The Vendors have an incentive to put in permanent infrastructure and big pipes - they make more money. Plus it is easier to support because the can sub-contract onsite installation and repairs to to other organisations and they can monitor things centrally with young people who are paid stuff all to watch for alarms. Now this suits the in-house IT folk because they have shifted the blame if something goes wrong to a Service Level Agreement. I could go on and on. I'm old-school IT.....well actually I'm not old-school I just have some good solid IT management principles and a forever alert technical Bullshit antenna. My base principle as an IT Manager is I'm there to serve and enable the business. To do that I have to understand the business and to put it simply - where does the revenue come from and how to I using IT enable more of it and at less cost. As an apology to the Broadcast, IT and the Vendor minions it isn't necessarily their fault that things get stuffed up. It all comes back to their management. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT BUSINESS THEY ARE IN!