David Farrar: Chambers on Kim Dotcom

Deborah Chambers QC reviews the Dotcom extradition saga:

The Kim Dotcom saga should be a source of deep shame to New Zealanders. To successive governments who failed to fix the legislation. To our courts. And to every New Zealander who believes this country can run a competent extradition system.

Fourteen years. That is how long it has taken – and counting – to get a man arrested in a high-profile raid in January 2012 to the point where he might finally be put on a plane to face the music in the United States.

Matua Kahurangi: Kim Dotcom claims Luxon rejected peace offer, teases Covid exposé and new party

Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom has returned to X following his serious stroke late last year and claims that Prime Minister Chris Luxon has rejected a “peace offer” he made directly to the Government.

Dotcom, 51, is still facing extradition to the United States on multiple charges related to his former file-sharing website Megaupload, which once dominated global internet traffic before it was shut down by US authorities in 2012.

“Peace offer” to the Prime Minister

Mike Butler: Moment of truth for Harawira

Former MP Hone Harawira blinking while refusing to admit defeat was probably the standout moment in election coverage last night. Harawira’s performance was pivotal for Kim Dotcom, the "billionaire" German internet entrepreneur facing extradition to face copyright infringement charges.

Dotcom launched the Internet Party in March of this year, and entered an agreement with Harawira's Mana Party under which the parties could demerge six weeks after polling day. Dotcom donated $3-million to the Internet Party, and shortly after former Alliance Party leader Laila Harré was announced leader.

Mike Butler: Poverty, wealth, and the election

Dirty politics from the Left during the current New Zealand general election campaign obscures policy at a time when the issue of wealth or poverty and how to get there should be critical. Party policy can give a picture of the sort of country that the various politicians imagine. A wealthy country is good for everyone. A poor country is not. I looked for what the parties said about wealth and poverty and this is what they posted.

Wealth and poverty don’t just occur without a reason. Both are outcomes of human activity. Diligent activity towards a specific goal can result in wealth. Sitting around doing nothing will get you nothing.

Mike Butler: Dotcom shows up shallow reporting

“Human headline” Kim Dotcom’s launch/non-launch of his Internet Party has been “a study in the politics of naivety”, journalist and commentator Sean Plunket wrote this week. Writing in in the Dominion Post under the headline "Internet party amateur and vain", Plunket also noted that it has also a glowing example of the gullibility of certain sections of the New Zealand news media and public.

The Dotcom Party launch was leaked on the Whaleoil blog on Wednesday with the logo and details of funding. Left-wing blogger Martyn Bradbury was named as the candidate for Auckland Central, being paid $8000 a month. (1)

Karl du Fresne: Dotcom and Bradbury - a match made in heaven ... or should that be hell?

Some of the greediest people I've known were lefties. In fact I suspect the reason they were lefties is that they were deeply, bitterly envious of people with wealth and wanted a share for themselves.

In a few notable cases, once they discovered their inner capitalist, there was no holding them back. This was true of several people I can think of who were once staunch union activists but later discovered a talent for making money.