Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Sam Sachdeva

"Captain" "Ruck" "Cohlchez" @captainruck.bsky.social · 4d

oh my god

"My newest hobby is finding lines from The Simpsons that could pass for Morrissey song titles."

I took this image from somewhere else and can't write all of these out on my phone, so if you're reading this because you need the alt-text, take the opportunity to brainstorm some good ones of your own.

Sam Sachdeva @samsachdeva.bsky.social · 6d

Christopher Luxon and Donald Trump meet one on one for the first time, ahead of an Apec leaders' dinner in Gyeongju, South Korea

1 2 3

Reposted by Sam Sachdeva

Marc Daalder @marcdaalder.bsky.social · 12d

New from me: Just eight of the Government's 17 Roads of National Significance have already seen costs blow out by $5.1 billion - before any shovels are even in the ground.

The full programme would cost $44-$54 billion on the latest numbers.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/23/5...

$5b-plus blowout for eight Roads of National Significance

The Government's 17 Roads of National Significance will cost it at least $44 billion – enough to rebuild Dunedin Hospital 23 times over. Marc Daalder reports.

newsroom.co.nz

14 72 150

Reposted by Sam Sachdeva

The Wellington Skellington (No Longer Spooky) @wellingtonskeleton.space · 15d

I wrote a (short!) piece in a newsletter for work about the use of generative AI to process and analyse submissions, sent it out, and then checked Newsroom only to see a (very good!) piece from @samsachdeva.bsky.social piece on the topic with more up-to-date numbers and a chat with the Clerk. #NZPOL

Parliament deluged by tsunami of submissions

Almost half of the select committee submissions since 1996 have come in this term of Parliament – creating headaches for MPs and staff alike. Sam Sachdeva reports.

newsroom.co.nz

1 3 9

Reposted by Sam Sachdeva

Waffle 🧇 @wafflecut.bsky.social · 18d

Learned that an anonymous outside expert on submersibles did an interview with the OceanGate Titan investigation, and they released a transcript, with all the names redacted. The first line of his first answer? "I'm sure you're familiar with my film Titanic."

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD
*****************
Investigation of:
LOSS OF THE SUBMARINE TITAN
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
ON JUNE 18, 2023
*
*
*
*
*
*
Accident No.:
*********** * * * * * *
Interview of:
Co-designer/Pilot
Deepsea Challenger
DCA23FM036
via Microsoft Teams
Friday,
July 26, 2024

INTERVIEW OF
10
BY LCDR
11 Q. So how did you get yourself started into submersible
12 operations?
13
A.
Well, I'm sure you're familiar with my film Titanic.
When I
14
set down the path to make that film, the first thing that I did
15
was arrange to be introduced to the head of the submersible
16
program at the P.P. Shirshov Institute in Moscow, a guy named
17|
Professor
I. I did that through a mutual friend
18
of ours, a guy named
, who is one of the preeminent
underwater cinematographers in the world. And had been on a
20
submersible expedition out to Titanic the previous year with the
21
Russians. And that was organized by a Canadian company that was
22 doing an IMAX film which was released under the title Titanica.

270 3.6K 14K

Sam Sachdeva @samsachdeva.bsky.social · 18d

A New Zealand ‘slave master’ and human trafficker is set to have two of his convictions quashed, after being caught up in a procedural bungle from the solicitor-general’s office. More @newsroom.co.nz:

newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/16/s...

'Slave master' to have some convictions quashed after solicitor-general bungle

Procedural flaws from Crown Law have affected another high-profile case, Newsroom can reveal.

newsroom.co.nz

Reposted by Sam Sachdeva

DairymanNZ @dairymannz.bsky.social · 19d

To me, Jim Bolger's legacy will always be how he prevented NZ from becoming a nuclear superpower by declining the offer of a nuclear submarine as payment for butter

www.theguardian.com/world/2013/o...

Missiles for milk: how Russia offered NZ military hardware to settle dairy bill

Former PM Jim Bolger 'absolutely stunned' to be offered a nuclear sub and two MiGs in lieu of money, new book reveals

www.theguardian.com

5 12 52

Reposted by Sam Sachdeva

Marc Daalder @marcdaalder.bsky.social · 20d

New: Climate Change Minister Simon Watts concedes the Government’s new methane target could result in outcomes not consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5C above preindustrial levels – a threshold mandated in New Zealand and international law.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/15/c...

Climate minister admits new target may breach global 1.5C goal

Climate Minister Simon Watts admitted the Government's new methane target may not be consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5C.

newsroom.co.nz

3 37 71

Sam Sachdeva @samsachdeva.bsky.social · 24d

Wild, wild swing!

1

Sam Sachdeva @samsachdeva.bsky.social · 24d

In 2022, Selwyn mayor Sam Broughton won a third term with a 12,049-vote margin. Now, he's 11,341 votes behind mayor-elect Lydia Gliddon – pretty staggering change in fortunes.

Here's my pre-election @newsroom.co.nz piece on why Broughton was facing a tough battle: newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/06/t...

The growing pains shaping a Canterbury mayoral race

Selwyn's population is booming, and its economy is also holding up, so why is its three-term mayor facing a tough re-election battle?

newsroom.co.nz

2

Reposted by Sam Sachdeva

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 26d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

340 9.1K 29K

Sam Sachdeva @samsachdeva.bsky.social · 25d

Well that's that then! Now you say it, I do vaguely recall the change

Sam Sachdeva @samsachdeva.bsky.social · 25d

Could he try to run a 'Waihopai Ploughshares' (so to speak) defence? And what would the odds of success be? Slim to none, I would assume.

1

Reposted by Sam Sachdeva

Phil Twyford @philtwyford.bsky.social · 27d

Earlier this month Rachel Boyack, @teanau.bsky.social and I carried out a NZ MPs fact finding mission on Myanmar. Check @samsachdeva.bsky.social's story for a good summary. #NZMPsMyanmarFactFinding #Myanmar #SpringRevolution #ShamElection #whatishappeninginmyanmar newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/02/n...

NZ must reject 'sham' Myanmar election, MPs say

After meeting Myanmar's revolutionary groups and political prisoners, NZ politicians say we must offer more than 'nice words on paper'

newsroom.co.nz

4 5 17

Sam Sachdeva @samsachdeva.bsky.social · 28d

Did a deep-ish dive on the race for the mayoralty in Canterbury's Selwyn district, which raises some interesting questions about how councils handle rapid growth, the rates debate, and the relationship between central and local govt. More here: newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/06/t...

The growing pains shaping a Canterbury mayoral race

Selwyn's population is booming, and its economy is also holding up, so why is its three-term mayor facing a tough re-election battle?

newsroom.co.nz

1 2

Reposted by Sam Sachdeva

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · Sep 30

OpenAI employees are very excited about how well their new AI tool can create fake videos of people doing crimes and have definitely thought through all the implications of this

220 3.3K 11K

Reposted by Sam Sachdeva

Marc Daalder @marcdaalder.bsky.social · Sep 30

New: My analysis on the Government's just-announced energy reforms. The uninspired package doubles down on fossil fuels, after a major market review recommended privatising the gentailers.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/01/g...

Damp squib energy reforms reject 8 of 10 review recommendations

Analysis: The Government's limited energy package doubles down on fossil fuels after a market review recommends privatising the gentailers

newsroom.co.nz

5 15 34

Sam Sachdeva @samsachdeva.bsky.social · Sep 28

I think the 'pragmatic' element (about which I hope the piece makes clear my feelings) is the argument that other countries recognising Palestine has made the situation in Gaza worse rather than better, and we're best to wait for some unknown time when the conditions for peace are better

2 1

Sam Sachdeva @samsachdeva.bsky.social · Sep 27

challenge their govts' policy, it should say* - cf theguardian.com/politics/202... and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

2

Sam Sachdeva @samsachdeva.bsky.social · Sep 27

From me this morning - Coalition’s Palestine cop-out puts pragmatism above principle: newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/28/c...

Comment: A crucial part of New Zealand’s national identity – or myth, depending on your cynicism levels – is our history of moral leadership on the world stage.

Whether on nuclear-free advocacy, the suffragette movement or the war in Iraq, we like to tell ourselves we are willing to put our head above the parapet on issues that affect our national conscience.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ announcement that New Zealand will not yet support Palestinian statehood, splitting from the announcements made by Australia, the United Kingdom and a number of other close partners, at least technically maintains our claim to an independent foreign policy.

But the coalition’s decision will leave a sour taste in the mouths of many New Zealanders, and a sense that pragmatism (bordering on cowardice) has trumped principle when it comes to the future of a territory that a United Nations commission has determined is being subjected to genocide.

3 12 25

Sam Sachdeva @samsachdeva.bsky.social · Sep 27

I can’t help but wonder how the officials at Mfat are feeling about the coalition’s decision on Palestine: we’ve seen officials in other countries their govts’ policy, and NZ is now a real outlier on the issue

7 4 33

Reposted by Sam Sachdeva

Giovanni Tiso @gtiso.bsky.social · Sep 23

What are Eve's financial credentials though?

Reserve Bank set to appoint first woman as governor, according to reports

6 6 57

Sam Sachdeva @samsachdeva.bsky.social · Sep 22

NZ First 'agreed to disagree' on the China trade deal in 2008 too - and Winston was foreign minister at the time! Confidence and supply deal rather than coalition, but still.

1 3

Reposted by Sam Sachdeva

ArtButMakeItSports @artbutmakeitsports.bsky.social · Sep 21

Izquierda Derecha, by Juan Genovés, 1967, 📸 via @beysicc

11 210 1.4K

Reposted by Sam Sachdeva

Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social · Sep 20

Post now deleted, more or less confirming it was a DM. Great opsec!

Not found. This resource could not be found.

71 1.5K 5.4K