Threats against Nick Smith
NZPA report:
A Nelson man allegedly tried to buy a firearm to shoot Cabinet Minister Nick Smith yesterday before a threat forced Dr Smith to close his Nelson office.
Dr Smith, also MP for Nelson, was not at his office yesterday when police and the diplomatic protection squad dealt with the threat.
Senior Sergeant John Price of Waimea police said police were investigating an incident involving an allegation of a threat against Dr Smith, the Nelson Mail reported.
Dr Smith was told a man attempted to obtain a firearm and said he was going to use it to shoot Dr Smith.
When the man was refused there was an incident involving a knife and the police were called.
The diplomatic protection squad had been “escorting” Dr Smith since the alleged threat.
The man who made the threat was believed to have been involved with mental health services and was known to police.
That is very scary. The man sounds a nutter but it is the nutters who may just turn up and shoot you.
What is not clear is if the man is in custody or not?
July 10th, 2009 at 6:47 am
Probably be best if Smith was in custody. That way he won’t be able to wreck more havoc on NZ. The man is a nut case. Still thinks the IPCC’s hockey stick graphs are legitimate. Still thinks we should put ourselves in bondage forever to pay Russian capitalists money.
Clear who is madest.
July 10th, 2009 at 7:36 am
At least under National this poor mad bastard might get some help. Under Labour he’d currently be facing sedition charges.
July 10th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Wonder if it was the same person that tried to remonstrate with the good Doctor whilst he was in his car?
Nelson is quite notable for its inhabitants colourful view of the World
July 10th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Nah… he won’t be in cusody. The police will not be holding him because there is ‘insufficient evidence’ and ‘no crime had been committed’, and as there is now virtually no effective mental health system in this country he will not be being held for observation and any meds he may be prescribed will be purely voluntary with no follow-up on whether he is taking them. The most important focus now will be to preserve this individual’s ‘human rights’.
Of course, as everybody knows, the really hard-core crime in this country is being committed by people who drive at 111 kph on a 6-lane motorway. These are the criminals who the law enforcement agencies are focusing on. Merely trying to buy a firearm to kill somebody isn’t serious compared to this is it?
July 10th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Nelson is quite notable for its inhabitants colourful view of the world.
It also happens to be the city with the lowest crime rate in NZ (I think).
At least under National this poor mad bastard might get some help. Under Labour he’d currently be facing sedition charges.
Nah… he won’t be in cusody. The police will not be holding him because there is ‘insufficient evidence’ and ‘no crime had been committed’, and as there is now virtually no effective mental health system in this country he will not be being held for observation and any meds he may be prescribed will be purely voluntary with no follow-up on whether he is taking them. The most important focus now will be to preserve this individual’s ‘human rights’.
Of course, as everybody knows, the really hard-core crime in this country is being committed by people who drive at 111 kph on a 6-lane motorway. These are the criminals who the law enforcement agencies are focusing on. Merely trying to buy a firearm to kill somebody isn’t serious compared to this is it?
Do you guys actually find your own jokes funny and intelligent? I mean, seriously.
July 10th, 2009 at 8:44 am
What is it with Nick Smith and nutcases? Has he got some strange magnetism for psychos? Or is it just that half of Nelson needs medicating?
July 10th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Is it a coincidence this kind of stuff keeps happening to Nick Smith?
Smith is off the reservation. If you think what Worth did relected badly on the National Party wait and see what Smith does. He will disgrace the Government at some stage, mark my words. If it happens near the election it could lose it for National.
The National party knows this so why dont they get rid of this liability.
July 10th, 2009 at 9:07 am
It’s a worry when and MP from any party is threatened in this way. Those with long enough memories will remember Dail Jones being stabbed by a constituent back in the 1980′s when he was a National MP.
July 10th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Alas, yet another incidence where I don’t know whether to be dismayed by the nutcase, or encouraged by his choice of target.
I don’t wish death on Dr Smith, but I do wish he would disappear out of a position of authority by some other means.
July 10th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Buggerlugs
“At least under National this poor mad bastard might get some help. Under Labour he’d currently be facing sedition charges.”
Given that Parliament repealed the sedition offences in 2007, under a Labour-led government, this isn’t too likely.
July 10th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Do you guys actually find your own jokes funny and intelligent? I mean, seriously.
Ruby, maybe when you grow up a little more you will find that the world is a wonderful diverse place and should be celebrated as such.
The only advice I can give you right now in your development is – Whatever you do, do not become a lawyer, they are well known for their complete lack of humour (something to do with dusty tomes I believe)
Cheers
CL
July 10th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Ruby says:
“Do you guys actually find your own jokes funny and intelligent? I mean, seriously.”
Well … yes actually … I mean, seriously!
… and Ruby … do you think that the Police are focusing on what they should focus on and that they don’t indulge in popularist and political spin-doctoring on a host of issues, including the glib recitation of statistics that are no indicator of what’s actually happening on the crime front – I mean, seriously?
… and by way of example, do you think that it was a correct allocation of Police resources and even appropriate for Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Pannini to hold a news conference with dancing bears and flashing camera’s to announce the charging of a South Auckland shop owner with assault in defending his property (no case to answer at depositions) because, in his own words “it is important to send a message to the community” (the community incidentally, being one in which the Council had to hire its own security guards to keep residents and business owners safe because the Police were invisible), I mean seriously? Or do you prefer the view that he should not simply enforce the law, but should have the nig song and dance to not only look like he’s actually doing something, but to also intimidate crime victims into NOT defending themselves; that they should instead call the invisible police after they have had the crap beaten out of them and their gear pinched, I mean seriously?
… and was that the same community in which people are robbed and run over in the car park, or followed home to receive a brutal beating, I mean seriously?
… and by way of further example, was it appropriate for Police to leak the Veitch house raid to the media so that the public, with the assistance of more dancing bears and flashing lights, could see the police getting tough on domestic violence, I mean seriously?
Part of Dave Mann’s comment reflects a serious question over Police management, its motives and the culture that has been developed from the top down; the way in which it prioritises resource, and the fact that whilst these things happen, there is some prat hiding in a suburban driveway with a radar gun during the day, and is tucked up at home in bed during the night when he/she really ought to be out there, or pinging someone on a long straight in perfect conditions with no traffic in order to meet a quota.
The other aspect reflects a common frustration with an apparent pre-occupation with criminal’s rights at the expense of society’s rights. A good example of that is the recent hue and cry over car crushing and requiring inmates to build the crim tins.
I thought Dave’s comments neatly reflected all of those frustrations, I mean seriously!
July 10th, 2009 at 10:55 am
These are the criminals who the law enforcement agencies are focusing on. Merely trying to buy a firearm to kill somebody isn’t serious compared to this is it?
Can’t fine someone for attempted murder…..
July 10th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Ruby, you just got PWNED.
I mean seriously!
July 10th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Yesterday there was a well publicised suggestion from Southland that the community, family and friends of young people, need to accept some responsibility regarding driving safety. If we stopped grizzling about being caught breaking the law and taught our kids by example then maybe the police wouldn’t need to use radar. Or clean up so many messes.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Surely this kind of situation is above politics. No policy or political position taken by an MP deserves this kind of treatment. It does recall the horrific events in Rick Baker’s office a few years back:
THE EVENING POST, 8 DEC 1998
Gunman wanted to see me – Barker
——————————————————————————–
A Hawke’s Bay man, Roger Johnson Reid, was remanded in custody until December 22 when he appeared in Hastings District Court today on four charges after yesterday’s armed hostage-taking in Tukituki MP Rick Barker’s office.
Reid, 52, of Otane, 35km southwest of Hastings, appeared before Judge James Rota on charges of possessing a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun with intent to kidnap, unlawfully presenting a firearm to the Labour MP’s electorate secretary, Janet Woodhall, unlawfully detaining her and unlawfully attempting to detain Rick Barker.
Judge Rota declined an application for name suppression by Reid’s lawyer, Nigel Hewat, and remanded Reid for a psychiatric report.
Mr Barker said he was in no doubt that the gunman went to his office to see him.
Reid spent more than nine hours holed up with Ms Woodhall as a hostage, before giving himself up last night.
“I was not in much doubt about it. He wanted me rather than Jan. He was there to see his local member of Parliament about a problem he had,” Mr Barker said today.
Mr Barker had left the Warren St office shortly before the man’s appearance at 10.30am, and heard about the situation while he was in Napier. Ms Woodhall had been talking on the phone when the man entered and she was able to tip the caller off.
Mr Barker said while driving to the scene he was trying to figure out who the man was and there were “a number” of possibilities.
After visiting the scene, he headed back to Napier police station where a phone line had been set up with the man.
Mr Barker revealed that throughout the negotiations, it was Ms Woodhall herself who did most of the talking on the phone as the man gave her instructions.
“Jan was just fabulous – just extraordinary. She held it together. I don’t know how many other people could have stood there all the hours talking. It was very draining.
“At one point, she said to me `look you’ve got an appointment with such and such, you’d better cancel it.’ So I told her a little white lie and said I’d already done it. But I was just thunderstruck by that.”
July 10th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I’m just as right wing as the rest of you, but it’s getting absolutely pathetic how many times people try to link everything in with laws that Labour have broken in an attempt to be funny when really the comparisons just aren’t witty at all.
July 10th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
We keeping giving tacit approval, even encouragement, to all sorts of things and then wonder why shit happens.
We abuse politicians and and wish them harm
We complain about being done for speeding
We keep saying a bit of smacking is good
We think we can handle our booze.
“Tui beer labels were plastered on two of the three coffins and at Jesse’s funeral a family spokesman in a Tui cap urged them to “keep cruising” and “party hard”, before leading the congregation in a drinking song.”
Are we any better than this? We all stick beer stickers on coffins in different ways.
Of course we won’t go too far, or too fast, or lose control.
“Neighbours say they heard a man yelling he didn’t mean to hurt anyone, minutes before armed police raided a Rotorua house where two bodies and firearm were found. ”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2582381/Man-yelled-I-didn-t-mean-to-hurt-anyone
And we wonder why the police and the politicians don’t stop others from doing shit. Our kids. Our friends. Our neighbours.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/2581066/Solution-a-community-effort
July 10th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
For christs sake just give the bastard the gun.
Make my day.
July 10th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
No wonder shit happens.
July 10th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
[redbaiter mode]
Typical lying leftist scum.
[/redbaiter mode]
July 10th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Poor Ruby, she finds it pathetic how many here link our woes on Liarbore’s reign of terror. I’m sorry Ruby but you can lump me in with the rest the pathetic people here. A high percentage of this countries ills can be laid squarely at the feet of the socialists. What we have lacked over the last decade is leadership, real leadership not the dross and bullshit handed down by the Dear One and her cabal of tossers, freaks and shady characters. We are asked to set ourselves up as role models for the next generation while our role models should be those in power, some bloody role models they were. Is it any wonder the people view the laws of the land with disdain, you only had to look at the examples in government to get some idea of how the law is viewed by those in power at the time. Having said that unless National start to get off their fat hairy arses and start showing some real leadership things are only go further down the toilet.
July 10th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Cerium, the examples you give of things “we” keep giving tacit approval, even encouragement, to can’t be conflated together in the way you’ve done.
Well I can think of one person who advocates dangling socialists from lampposts by their disembowelled entrails, and a couple more on this thread seem to wish Nick Smith harm. But DPF was boasting of several thousand registered commenters IIRC, so that’s a very small percentage even of the blososphere, which I’d argue was nuttier than the societal norm.
“We” (being wider society) ridicule, lampoon, complain and deploy sarcasm against politicians but I think you’ll find most people just wish the whole lot of them would bugger off rather than hoping they go down in a hail of bullets.
And with good reason, when the “speeding” is a few kms over the limit, the penalty is disproportionate to the risk, officers generally refuse to use their discretion and issue a warning, senior Police are smug and hectoring when asked to justify this, and whole sorry mess makes not one jot of difference to the road toll. Oh, and while the officers who’re “busy” with their radars are unavailable to attend burglaries and other “minor” crimes and, despite the vast revenue received from fines, our state highways are still donkey tracks in most places.
Again you’re confusing a small number of extremists with the majority of people who rarely smack their children (and when we do it’s always with nothing more than an open palm on a fleshy area, not a punch to the head) and don’t want to be criminalised by time-wasting Police (see above) when we do. And who probably might have let the law change slip by if we weren’t hectored and vilified by Sue Bradford, Deborah Morris-whatsit et al as “child beaters”.
You’re right about a far greater number of people with this point than with your others, I think. But I (and many others) still have a problem with arbitrary cut-off points above which you must be drunk. Like any chemical, alcohol affects different people to differing degrees in different ways. If there was a band above and below the arbitrary line which put you into the “doubtful” category and meant you had to pass a roadside sobriety test I’d be a lot happier.
July 10th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
If we all abuse politicians and say we’d rather they all bugger off and sometimes worse, and a nutter (who has less reasoning skills) decides to take it further it has nothing to do with us?
If we keep speeding because we can handle it and it’s only 20 or 30 k over a stupid arbitrary law and then our kid (who has less reasoning and driving skills) speeds into a wall or tree or another car it has nothing to do with us?
If we smack our kids harmlessly every now and then and say smacking never did anyone any harm and keep repeating that 80% of the country thinks smacking is good and someone (who has less reasoning skills) loses their rag and thrashes their kid it has nothing to do with us?
Or we ignore screams next door because it’s none of our business?
Beer stickers on coffin, sing a drinking song at funeral, yeah, he died doing what he enjoys so the rest of you should party hard, drive hard! Surely you don’t need a more graphic illustration than that.
Teenagers haven’t learnt responsibility, but they have learnt bad habits and bad attitudes.
We can’t stop stupid people doing stupid things. But can’t we be a little less stupid ourselves?
July 10th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Cerium, when your brain has returned from outer space and rejoined your body, you might care to reflect on what is actually being said here.
No one is suggesting that we should all drive at 30kph over the limit or that kids should have the crap beaten out of them or worse; and you know it. Nor does anyone wish harm on politicians (well, not all of them).
The reality is that we have experienced an increasing trend in legislating for the lowest common denominator and as a consequence, infringed upon the rights, freedoms and enjoyment of the rest of society. And by way of example of the lowest common denominator, look no further than the Trailertrash family that plastered the Tui beer labels over the coffin (good grief – Tui!!)
This blog regularly reflects the frustration of people who are sick to death of being told how to live their lives when they regard themselves as responsible citizens. These would be people who do in fact take responsibility for the welfare of their children, their driving, driving sober, working, saving for retirement, and respect for others’ property. They want their children to succeed and don’t want them to be insulated from the challenge and consequences of competition, whatever its form.
They are also sick to death of being told to pay for the lifestyle choices of the Phil Ures and Trailertrash families of this world. We aren’t talking about people who still need a hand after they’ve done their best. We are talking about people who just don’t give a shit about the consequences of the way they live their lives and the example that they set for THEIR children, and expect the rest of the population to subsidise those choices in one way or another.
Your pious little spout inferring that I’m obliged to be a role model for your children is naive and imposes a responsibility upon me that I don’t owe and don’t accept. I don’t drive around pissed in an unregistered, unwarranted and unroadworthy car. I don’t beat the shit out of kids. I’m not on the bludge and I don’t want Full Moon King’s folic acid in my bread. Curiously however, that doesn’t appear to have improved the parenting skills of the Trailertrash family; nor has it inspired Mr Ure to actually make an effort to help himself.
If your brain had not in fact been circling Mars over the last nine years, you might have noticed the erosion in expectations for people to take personal responsibility for their lives. That’s consistent with socialist philosophy to make citizens dependent on the State.
Can’t say I had much to do with that. Phil Ure and the Trailertrash family haven’t taken much notice of my example. I doubt the Trailertrash family checks out this blog; more likely that they’ll be hooking into the piss or whatever, or otherwise making lifestyle choices that will continue a downward inter-generational spiral.
Do you think that they might have noticed the political example? Perhaps the behaviour of the last Government and its cronies. The lies, the deceit, and the unapologetic abandonment of any ethical standards. The theft of public money. The willingness to intervene at the drop of a hat so as to average our society down to that lowest common denominator. The core message that “the Government will take care of you” (when in fact it didn’t). The cynical and venal “election” campaign. The nasty spiteful behaviour that they continue to demonstrate in opposition.
I agree with the proposition that role models can be a contributor; but what you perceive to be the low hanging fruit on this blog ain’t what’s brought us to where we are.
July 10th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Blame it on the last nine years. Blame everything on the last nine years. Not my fault. Not our fault. Everything’s gone to pack over the last nine years.
Hang on, must have been commies in charge when they stopped belting kids at school. Blame them for it too. That’s why there’s no personal responsibility now. Bloody commies.
In my day we took our punishment and it never did us any harm. Look how responsible we are.
Blame it on the commies.
July 10th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
My god. How can anyone suggest that shooting an MP is a solution? What a sick fuck. MT_tinman this is about you and the other creeps like you.
July 11th, 2009 at 1:12 am
thedavincimode: Well said.
July 11th, 2009 at 4:13 am
Forgive me please Ruby for making an observation.
Sorry that is doesn’t suit M’am, or Sir?
Like a give a *********.
I mean Really?
July 11th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Well actually Cerium, I blame it on the last 60 years of both National and Labour governments, whose social policies have entrenched a mindset within some elements of society that the gumint has some responsibility for every ill that befalls them; that our social welfare system was a feather mattress rather than a helping hand.
Shipley was actually trying to address this issue but unfortunately in her typically hamfisted fashion, she completely garbled the message which, as far as I could discern, boiled down to the proposition that Government (ie taxpayers) should help people in times of need, but those people had to be prepared to help themselves. They actually had to make an effort and be prepared to take responsibility for themselves. One could infer from that proposition that it recognises that people are different and have different capacities to help themselves, be it with parenting or whatever.
Predictably, she copped a lot of flack over that perfectly reasonable propostition and that, combined with a stupid and dishonest response to a question regarding her dining arrangements, was the end of that.
At the time, my impresssion was that there was an increasing recognition amongst young people starting out that they had to take care of themselves. That came on the back of the very difficult years and high unemployment in the late 80s and early 90s.
Klerkingrad certainly put an end to that and there was a very sharp reversal in what had been a positive trend. To that extent you are right in that I particularly blame the last nine years.
My point, which appears unable to gain any purchase in that barren vaccuum between your ears, is that it doesn’t matter how law-abiding or responsible the rest of us are, it won’t affect the Trailertrash family and it won’t encourage Phil Ure to get off his arse and do something useful; if only to be a positive role model as a parent.
On the other hand, if a Government carries on in the way the last one did, it is a highly visible benchmark against which people might at worst apply to justify their own poor behaviour, or by which they might be to some extent influenced in terms of the way they live their lives.
I’m not suggesting all Governments are perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But I am saying that in terms of its standards of behaviour, the last one consistently set new lows by substantial margins.
If you seriously think that having regard to the social mindset in some quarters, that the rest of us becoming Jehovah’s Witnesses, never exceeding the speed limit and not smacking children on the backside, will stop some retard from claiming an entitlement to hit his daughter on the head with a piece of concrete as part of “parental discipline”, or parents defending their kids nocturnal motoring habits and further suggestthat taxpayers should pay for alternative facilities, then its time that you stopped taking your pills.
July 11th, 2009 at 8:21 am
“If your brain had not in fact been circling Mars over the last nine years, you might have noticed the erosion in expectations for people to take personal responsibility for their lives. ”
It’s not just about other people needing to take personal responsibility for our lives. The erosion isn’t just everywhere else but with “me” and “mine”. None of us lives in isolation. It’s also about family responsibility, community responsibility, and country responsibility.
“That’s consistent with socialist philosophy to make citizens dependent on the State.”
What do you blame it on after the (likely at least) six years of National? Why is it that in NZ the “last nine years” are blamed for everything. In the US it’s the last six months that are blamed. Some are already ripping into Key and National because they pseudo socialists. I don’t think they will ever be happy. Painted themselves into an ideological corner. They can resign themselves to being perpetually bitter and twisted, or find most people and most things are moderate and not black and white.
July 11th, 2009 at 8:43 am
“My point, which appears unable to gain any purchase in that barren vaccuum between your ears, is that it doesn’t matter how law-abiding or responsible the rest of us are, it won’t affect the Trailertrash family”
The rest of us aren’t always law abiding and responsible. We seem to think that we should be able to do as we please, laws are others. We are often hypocritical. We say “I don’t see anything wrong with speeding” and they say “I don’t see anything wrong with burgling”. We say “but speeding doesn’t do any harm” – accept when wankers take someone else out of course, but that will never happen to me, I am too good a driver and I’m responsible.
I’m saying “we” because I include me. Shit can happen, to anyone. I think I’m reasonably law abiding and responsible. But I often speed, just a bit. A couple of years ago my son rolled his car, fortunately only writing the car off. A year before that my stepson rolled his car, he walked away too, his passenger only lost a finger.
I was driving around Te Anau last week, very similar conditions to this week, foggy and near zero. I have driven in Central Otago and Dunedin winters for yonks and have never wiped out on ice. With more good luck than responsibility I didn’t wipe myself out, or my wife, or someone coming the other way.
And we don’t like this pointed out, obviously. I am not just aiming at others on the blog. I’m putting my own hand up too.
July 11th, 2009 at 9:11 am
The statistics don’t bear this out. The road toll has fallen considerably over the last 20 years whilst road usage has increased considerably. Credit for this needs to be given to drivers and car manufacturers.
July 11th, 2009 at 9:39 am
You have a bad case of liberal white guilt there Cerium.
I recommend you stay in bed today in case something you do triggers off a crime wave.
I’m off to rob the bank down the road, because Bernie Madoff made me do it.
July 11th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Credit for this needs to be given to drivers and car manufacturers.
Actually Sonny Blount I’d give little or no credit to drivers and almost all the credit to legislation, policing, road engineers and the billions spent on roads.
July 11th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Cha,
Our roads are crap, it is the biggest factor in car crashes. How mny people have died on SH1 between Pukerua Bay and Paraparamu as opposed to between Johnsonville and Porirua?
Clearly shock ads and fines promote certain behaviour, but it is still the drivers driving the cars and carrying out the message, its ok to give them a pat on the back.
Would you tell a employee who did their job well that it was only because you told them what to do and because you’d fire them if they didn’t?
July 11th, 2009 at 10:14 am
The guy who hit his daughter with concrete because she wouldn’t go to church doesn’t get it –
“had an inability to understand whacking someone on the head is unacceptable”.
He doesn’t think he should be told what to do either. He seems to think smacking/whacking/bashing is a parent’s right.
It may not have made any difference whether he thought he had 80% support or not. But if some closer to him started to get it, to realise there are some misguided emotions being shouted around, maybe even within his Mormon congregation, and exerted a bit of peer pressure it may help him get it. Then once he get’s out his family may feel a bit safer.
July 11th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Our roads are variable. But something we are supposed to learn when we get our license and from our family and peers, is that we should drive safely in the conditions. We should be good enough drivers to deal with whatever conditions we encounter. Blaming roads is a very poor excuse.
Not a bad case of guilts Sonny (you don’t know if I am white or “liberal”) – I am realising that I could be a better role model to those close to me, and I could be a safer driver. If might save someone’s life. I can’t blame the road if I nod off at the wheel. I’ve been close to that more than a few times. That’s not expressing guilt – I haven’t killed anyone. It’s expressing relief that I haven’t killed anyone, and I’m still here to talk about it myself.
It’s easy to forget or ignore – there is potentially just a blink of an eye between being a responsible law abiding driver and a suicider or manslaughterer.
July 11th, 2009 at 10:52 am
“Our roads are variable. But something we are supposed to learn when we get our license and from our family and peers, is that we should drive safely in the conditions. We should be good enough drivers to deal with whatever conditions we encounter. Blaming roads is a very poor excuse.”
Complete bollocks cop out.
We pay taxes and charges for our roading infrastructure. We are not getting the results we have every right to ask for. In fact we, as road users, are blamed for the lack of infrastructure investment.
I used to live in Taihape and work for the roading company there. We would lend our equipment to help out with accidents. When we were notified of an accident, the location did not need to be stated, we would head to the same corner just north of town. If this 500m piece of road were fixed, the accident rate in the Taihape area would drop 90%. Many different drivers, same piece of road.
We have 2 broad philosophies here, expect all drivers to have the skill level to negotiate whatever is put in front of them, or build roads that make it very hard to have dangerous crashes on.
Driver skill level should at least be tackled by far more extensive and ongoing testing to gain a licence, but you need to be realistic about the population, there will always be people with limited co-ordination and IQ who will never be super-skilled drivers.
Far greater result would be achieved by seperating oncoming traffic, wider carriageways , properly maitained seal, and less harsh, shadowed corners. Fixing these would save more lives than anything else we could do.
Taxing people off the road is just the cheapest way to do nothing about it.
July 11th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Sonny.
I got my drivers license in 1969 and well remember the first time I drove from Auckland to Wellington, when you left the motorway at Manakau and the next 10 hours or more of the trip was along goat track roads that were much like todays Pukerua Bay-Paraparamu route.
State Highways 1, 2, 3,4 and 5 where I’ve done most of my driving over the last forty years are nothing like they were even twenty years ago with huge improvements in routes, surfaces and markings. Although I will concede that in places we still have the goat tracks of my youth where the problems of terrain, second most hilly country after North Korea apparently, and ground conditions, that’s why we don’t do concrete surfaces, are not so easy to resolve.
As for the death strips that are the Pukerua Bay-Paraparamu and the Bombay-Ngatea routes, it seems that no matter what anybody does idiots are idiots and I refuse to drive on weekends or a public holiday because I don’t want to be killed by a f***wit who cant stay on their side of the road.
July 11th, 2009 at 11:14 am
And in another 20 years I expect to see more huge improvements.
Half a billion dollars being spent on roads instead of a trainset would save lives.
The billion dollars or so being taken every year on fines being spent on roads will save lives
We tax on petrol being spent on roads will save lives.
Abusing the people who provide this money doesn’t do much.
July 11th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Viking2 set the tone for this thread with his post and some from the rabid left and right of politics proceeded, Lemming like, to insert their two pence worth. Bit like Pavlovs dog.
Any encouragement or excuse of someone planning to inflict physical harm on an MP (any MP) is to be abhored. Those doing so are proof positive of how sick our society has become … sigh.
July 11th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Well, ross miller, I didn’t advocate violence, merely suggesting the wrong person was being targeted for locking up. If you can provide a sensible reason why Smith should be let lose with his loopy uninformed policy that will affect NZ for the next generation or more then I will maybe take notice but until then Smith needs locking away with the mad ones until his brain cools and sense returns.
Oh that’s right we don’t have lockups for nut cases anymore the socialists let them all out and closed the only safe places they had to exist. No wonder Smith is lose. Still with any luck he will be the next Minister to go. Stupid man.