It's Me Mark

It's Me Mark opinions and reviews, and occasionally politics on Tiktok

25/09/2026

🚍 A new NZ road rule starts on Thursday 1 October 2026.

Drivers must give way to buses leaving bus stops on roads where the speed limit is 60km/h or less.

So, if a bus ahead signals that it’s pulling out from a stop, slow down and let it enter the lane.

This does not give buses priority every time they indicate. It applies specifically when a bus is leaving a bus stop in an area with a speed limit of 60km/h or less.

Did you already think this was the law?

25/09/2026

Winston Peters is not fighting the establishment. He is the establishment!!!!

He first entered Parliament in 1979. Since then, he’s served in governments led by both National and Labour, held major ministerial roles, been Deputy Prime Minister multiple times, and helped decide who gets to govern.

Yes, there have been breaks. But after nearly five decades at the centre of New Zealand politics, presenting yourself as the outsider taking on “the system” is a bit rich.

At some point, you have to own the fact that you helped build, run and shape that system.

24/09/2026

The most important thing to know for this election...

24/09/2026

⛽ 91 petrol is around $3.47 a litre again.

At that price, approximately $1.23 per litre is direct tax and levies, including GST. That works out to roughly $61 on a 50-litre fill.

The Government can’t control global oil prices, and fuel excise helps pay for roads and transport. But it does control its tax settings and has temporarily reduced fuel excise before.

With households and businesses being squeezed again, should temporary fuel tax relief be back on the table?

23/09/2026

⛽ 91 PETROL AT $3.47 A LITRE. HERE’S THE BREAKDOWN.

At that price, around $1.23 per litre is direct tax and levies, including GST:

• Fixed fuel taxes and levies: 77.254 cents
• GST included in the $3.47 price: 45.26 cents
• Total: $1.225, rounded to $1.23 per litre

On a 50-litre fill:

• Total cost: $173.50
• Tax and levies: approximately $61.26

To be fair, the Government doesn’t control global oil prices, and much of the fuel excise helps fund roads, transport and ACC but the Government does control its tax settings. It has temporarily reduced fuel excise before and could choose to provide relief again while households and businesses are being hit this hard.

Also worth noting: fuel excise is fixed, so it doesn’t rise with the pump price. However, the GST amount does increase as petrol gets more expensive.

This isn’t about pretending the Government caused the global price increase. It’s about asking what it could do to soften the impact here at home.

Should temporary fuel tax relief be back on the table?

23/09/2026

🎵 If AI wrote the lyrics, melody, vocals and music… can you genuinely call yourself the songwriter?

I recently came across an artist who openly describes himself as a songwriter while also saying he uses Suno to create his music. It got me thinking about where we draw the line.

If someone writes their own lyrics, develops the ideas and uses AI as a production tool, I think “songwriter” is fair.

But if they enter a prompt and Suno generates the lyrics, melody, arrangement and performance, did they write the song? Or did they commission and curate a song created by AI?

That doesn’t necessarily mean the finished music isn’t art. Photography, digital design and electronic music all involve technology. But perhaps the issue is transparency and taking credit for work you didn’t personally create.

What do you think? Is prompting AI a new form of songwriting, or should people describe themselves as AI music creators instead?

19/09/2026

I’ve taken a break from political posts while travelling, but here’s one message I’ll always share:

Please vote. 🗳️

You may feel like one vote won’t make a difference, but your voice still matters. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Ninemile Dvakz, Kura Rakete, Janice McLean, Shane Brought...
19/09/2026

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Ninemile Dvakz, Kura Rakete, Janice McLean, Shane Broughton, Mark Bradley, Pam Pine, Colleen Niovara-Dave, Diniece Turner, David Eric Wattam, Joseph Cairns, Shelley Merito, Neil Sturgeon, Noel Gilliver, BÚbârh Zhāvia, Kopa Lee, Marva Lynn Suzuki, Audrey Kingi, Johnny Waiaua, Alan Tyfa, Noelene Day, Tazz King Apachie Maximillian, Georgina Warena, Anah Iwihora, Victor Hooper, Dane Phillipson, Charlie Morgan, Kerehomie Kudz, Areta Koopu, Whio Momoa, David Shatford, Albert Rangi, Ata Te Kanawa, JT Hati, StormYah MapiriYah, Chris Bouzaid, Dennis Chen, Hinepounamu te Rito, Jo Jones, Neville Smith, Wayne Paaka, Savannagh Garland, Suzanne Hall, Kelly Atamira Tai Rakena, Gaye Yates, Kon CR, Mark Mataiti, Shane Lewis, William Pihema, Jo Laird , Noel Pritchard

12/09/2026

French and English signs are everywhere at Vancouver Airport, and no one seems confused or inconvenienced.

Canada also has its own painful history of suppressing Indigenous people, cultures and languages. That makes me wonder why some New Zealanders still act as though seeing and hearing te reo Māori in Aotearoa is such a struggle.

Language matters. Representation matters. Te reo belongs here.

09/09/2026

Here’s an uncomfortable truth: your social media feed is not proof that you’re right.

Every platform learns what holds your attention, then feeds you more of it. That applies to socialist content, conservative content and conspiracy theories.

It also applies to people who believe they’ve “woken up”. You may not have escaped the manipulation. You may have simply been fed a different narrative.

Some content reaches you because someone has paid to promote their message or agenda. Other content spreads because anger, fear and outrage keep people watching, which makes the platform money.

This isn’t a conspiracy. It’s how these platforms operate.

Your feed isn’t reality. It’s a personalised version of reality built around your behaviour.

So question the content you disagree with, but question the content that confirms everything you already believe even more.

Address

Christchurch

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when It's Me Mark posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category