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140 Responses to “General Debate 28 February 2012”
You’d have thought a number of wealthy individuals in the Otago region would be jumping to put some money to rescue the union — 2 million is not that much cash for an entire region. Then it is a shortfall of a million or so a year?
Drove thru the Hawkes Bay yesterday saw hundreds of workers out picking fruit and vege, not a white skin or maori among them, all PI imports. New Zealanders get paid too much to sit on the couch and will never lower themselves to a seasonal job. Mr Apple cant get enuf workers for the packing sheds. Why isnt work and income making these arseholes do a job? Feck!
immigant, how do imported players lead to Otago not being able to pay its bills?
Maybe building a stadium for tens of millions of dollars that no one goes to has something to do with it?
@ Colville; the stadium is a bit of a red herring; Otago only played their last two matches there last season after the handover of the stadium was delayed for a week or two. They would certainly expect to get better crowds this season at the FBS than they would have done at Carisbrook, especially with the preponderance of night matches now.
Keepingstock, I dont think the stadium is a herring at all…Dunners is the only major town I have never been to a match in. I just cant get there. I would have to fly PN – ChCh – Dunners and as there is onl 2 flights. If I cant get there for a test why am I ever going to make the effort for a super rugby game. The place is a bottleneck so how can they expect supporters to vist?
dime, The Stranded will be a laugh today, rabid leftards foaming at the mouth. But bring on 3 years more welfare reform! yippee! bout fecking time!
Alex
The only people who can get work in CHCh city are poms. The govt even set up their own recruitment agency for them. We are all sick to death of them.
If Greenpeace reports approx 2.9M financial members, and Lucys protest resulted in 133K emails, does that mean around 95% of Greenpeaces own membership couldn’t be bothered supporting this protest enough to flick off an email?
The idiots blaming the city-financed Forsyth-Barr stadium in Dunedin for the ORU’s financial troubles are just that – idiots.
The stadium allowed the ORU to sell Carrisbrooke and thus only be a lousy two mil in debt.
The FB stadium will be one of the most important assets in Dunedin, as the only covered stadium of any size in the South Island it will attract not just major footie matches but any large concert/entertainment event heading south bringing many, many $ to Otago that would normally not head that way.
Fucking great, the accommodation supplement will be dumped, that will have a number of bludging landlords weeping.
As for the Rugby Unions, you wanted to pay players while expecting ratepayers to pay for the stadiums you use, so tough, the answer is obvious do not pay provincial players.
From the “Some people realise the benefit is a privilege, not a right” file:
I was chatting to a couple of friends last night. Their son (about 19 – 20 years old) is in Wellington trying to find work. He is entitled to the benefit. He is receiving, at his own request, just half a benefit – because he feels that he can adequetely live on that in his current circumstances.
More of the same I’m afraid dime. Not a word, nary a mention of creating jobs or reinstating youth rates nor any of the things that actually work.
Bennett is just another over educated idiot that thinks work grows because beneficiaries are hounded to get jobs. Plenty round here been trying. Just ain’t jobs.
Yellow are laying off 125 and so it goes on.
What everyone including the Govt needs to understand is that times have changed. There is a huge collection of people, all around the world, who will never ever work like we used to. Jobs have changed. The world has changed and we have offshored our industry, of which you are a beneficiary, at the expense of taxpayers. That’s because the places you import from don’t have automatic rights to ACC, and a dozen other advantages that Kiwi’s have. IMHO we should add that to the cost of your imports in Kiwi amounts. then industry might return and with it jobs.
Unlikely cause beneficiaries like yourself would scream and yell at the top of your noise range if we slapped an import tariff on you.
evidently being a right wing nutjob makes ya happy!
Tinman @ 10.29 yeah and how much is the lease on the new Stadium? they are a union that once was great but have been left well behind thru bad management.
It seems there’s no business like snow business. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/rebuilding-christchurch/6489588/Skifield-tipped-to-bring-1b-Canterbury
Whatever happened to climate change?
Interesting how private businesses, who would undoubtedly lose from any global warming, are so willing to invest their money on projects like this.
Yet, governments remain ever keen on taxing us to pay for their folly of a faith!
Hori, how is a landlord a bludger? they dont choose the lifestyle of the tennant. I am sure all landlords would LOVE hardworking white rightwing tennants but it seems that hardworking white rightwingers choose not to bludge off the taxpayer!
Viking2 you need to understand the vast majority of jobs in a developed economy are service jobs and not manufacturing. The is no inherent virtue in working on a production line versus serving coffee at starbucks.
Colville, I agree the OFU management is at fault but the stadium is not one of those bad management decisions.
It is, in fact, one of the few good ones.
As for rent, I don’t have the figures but as a drain on OFU funds I suspect it would be no more than the upkeep on the hardly ever used Carrisbrook was.
Viking2 your starting point (that the Gummint needs to be the party “creating jobs”) is the great fallacy that leads on to some of your other gripes.
Governments rarely create jobs, they frequently disguise unemployment and unproductive exercises. In the process they make people like Bob Jones extremely happy and give local body politicians a false sense of living in a vibrant, exciting and growing economic environment whereas quite the opposite is true. The money-go round spiral is downwards and ever-decreasing and it is done at a cost to the taxpayer at large. Meanwhile the productive sector (remember them?) get starved of capital needed to support expansion and real job growth.
The best a Government can hope to do in the long term is to create an environment that is conducive to the growth of productive businesses for it is they (and the wages thay pay) that will pay the taxes to provide the safety net that most of us support for those who REALLY need it to survive with dignity.
immigant, don’t see how we’re importing too many players, James Haskell maybe? I think we export far more than we bring in.
Player payments started out far too high when professional rugby started, Jock & co panicked and the ceiling for payments (to AB’s of course) was set at around $100K up to $250K…..unsustainable. Average provincial players commanding over $30K is stupid.
Agree wholeheartedly Tinman (10.29am); Jim Kayes summed it up well on RadioSport this morning when he said there’s no way that he would go to Carisbrook on a winter night to watch ITM Cup rugby. If the ORFU can stitch together some sort of survival package and be able to play a full season at Forsyth Barr, the crowds will improve markedly. There are also indications of much better support for the Highlanders this season (this week’s match at the FBS is sold out), so there will be a dividend to the ORFU at the end of the season if the Highlanders make money.
Colville, I’ve done that vege & fruit picking in the ‘bay……just about all of us were Maori and the whole bloody lot of us were moaning because our fields were being picked off slowly by contractors who were using under-the-table labour (read illegally cheap) from the islands (both islanders & Fiji indians). I suspect it is now virtually all island labour…..as usual, it’s Maori who get thrown under the bus first.
Do you actually know anything or do the words just spill out before the mouth moves?
MT Tin @ 10.21
agree with your sentiment. all help appreciated – i have met many poms in the area i live in (Canterbury) and they have added energy and personality.
Jim Kayes summed it up well on RadioSport this morning when he said there’s no way that he would go to Carisbrook on a winter night to watch ITM Cup rugby.
Me neither, especially after five months of Super and Test rugby.
There’s been two main problems (ORFU management aside) – too much rugby for the local market, and scheduling optimised for TV coverage wher the real money is (do unions get any cut from that?)
O’stadium has the obvious advantage of weather protection. It still gets cold and draughty, I watched the first game there on a day we had snow flurries, but if you’re not dressed for it in DUnedin it’s your own fault.
Another advantage is atmosphere, enclosed and close to the action.
I watched RWC England v Argentina, fantastic atmosphere easily exceeding the semi I watched in Auckland (where we got soaked just before the game started) – although Eden Park had twice the crowd it was much more spread and remote.
Even the North Otago/West Coast game (about 5,000 I think) had a great atmosphere so O’stadium ismuch better for small crowds than a sparse Carisbrook.
Dazzaman well Mr Apple have plenty of taxed above board jobs going that they cant fill. The guy I was fishing with hires PI workers thru an agency, I have hired PI scrubcutters thru a forestry company, but hey dont let the fact that Maoris just cant be arsed getting off the couch sink into your thick skull.
@Dazzaman
Like you I had a similar experience in vineyards where we were replaced by contract P.I. boys working for half the minimum wage, it’s a total scam and shame on horticulturalists who exploit them. Needless to say there are still positions available for Kiwi’s who can operate machinery ie harvesters, tractors, diggers which require kiwi licenses to operate and experience.
Ummmm, have you actually ever been a landlord? Or known one? I was a landlord a few years ago, albeit on a small scale, and I would be fascinated to hear your explanation as to how I was ‘bludging’.
Suffice it to say, I was (and still am) working fulltime, and putting money into the property. I was not making a profit off my tenant, and I was charging slightly below market rental at the time.
KevinH, I’m sure there is and I’m sure there are positions being filled by Kiwi’s but no one works for peanuts….except those hired by Colville & his scamming mates.
You know as well as I do that those are the sort of jobs & industries that do rely on paying peanuts due to the fact that they are by & large massively labour intensive with the attendant expense that that comes with. So, pay as little as possible.
grumopyhori – I was a landlord. I don’t remember bludging off anyone while cleaning up the crap and refuse that another lot of fine New Zealand underclass had left me. Being a landlord was the hardest thing I have ever done and gave me insight into the way the underclass live and think. They are almost all thick as pigshit but strangely also all as cunning as shithouse rats.
viking – you want to go back to a protectionist economy????
there are thousands of jobs out there. half the problem seems to be people think they are worth more than they actually are.. or jobs are “beneath” them.
The Occupy Auckland endorsed petition which requests: “That the House conduct an urgent inquiry into the decisions regarding prosecutions relating to the Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009″ is being presented to the House at 2pm today – Tuesday 28 February 2012.
Thank you Labour MP for Auckland Issues, Phil Twyford who is the MP who presented this petition.
This should help cast a HUGE national and international public spotlight on the fact that the balance of power in New Zealand ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt country in the world’ (according to Transparency International’s 2011 ‘Corruption Perception Index’ – is currently being held by an arguably yet-to-be charged or convicted ‘white collar’ criminal John Banks – ACT MP for Epsom.
ACT purportedly believe in ‘ONE LAW FOR ALL’ – so how come that hasn’t yet applied to the current and former Leaders of the ACT Party? For more background information (including – the Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009) check out http://www.pennybright4epsom.org.nz
Don’t be too optimistic about big games/events at the Dunedin Stadium.
The Highlanders /Crusader game is always well attended as the red and black don’t have far to travel.That game last year got 20000 at the uncovered “rubbish” C’brook.
One stand for this weeks game is not even open,how dumb is that ,if you are expecting a big crowd?
Being the first game it also attracts alot of students who don’t tend to return in big numbers.
Also for this game there are quite a few of free tickets available to what is now called the “Zoo”……..so the rate and taxpayer continues to subsidise student entertainment.
Ireland are touring this winter,any Dunedin games? Apparently not.So much for big south Island events.
That’s incredible, rouppe. Thank you for the link.
How has the judicial system sunk this low? The criminals are getting bolder and brasher with this absurd type of sentencing.
What are the views of Greenpeace and Lucy Lawless of Te Runanga o Ngati Ruanui Trust and New Zealand Energy Corporation last week signing a ground-breaking agreement – the trust to offer cultural advice and support to the company as it moves through its exploration, consent and production activities in the district, In return for employment, educational and training opportunities as well as sharing relevant environmental and technical information, and giving the iwi unprecedented access to top-level decision-makers?
Will a conviction for robbery place effect future work visas for United States or New Zealand or is Lucy lawless?
Although regarded is a ‘lesbian icon’ from television series XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS, Lawless is heterosexual, but has appeared at gay pride events such as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. In a 2003 interview with Lesbian News magazine, she said that she had come to see Xena and Gabrielle’s relationship as gay after viewing the series finale, though she has also stated on several occasions that she was undecided on the nature of the relationship while playing the role, but Rainbow Labour saw through her indecision and bestowed on Lawless the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2004 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
On 6 May 1997, Lawless inadvertently exposed her breasts as she concluded a performance of the US national anthem at an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, California, between the Mighty Ducks and Detroit Red Wings. Lawless was quoted in Newsweek as saying, “Obviously, I was mortified….It was quite a bit more exposure than I want.”
But in her latest television series SPARTACUS, Lawless apparently continually accident prone, inadvertently exposes her beasts and pubic region to the extent that any intrigue surrounding one of the “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” [People Weekly Magazine] must have long ago evaporated, so one wonders now why all media reference now is – Lawless, along with 5 other [nameless] Greenpeace activists …
And still Penny, you talk about one law for all – as long as it isn’t you …
You are, after all, the woman who advocates STEALING power from the Auckland City Council.
And you are the woman who has advocated STEALING water which she has not paid for, and has demonstrated to others how to do it.
So Penny, could you please do the decent thing and add the following to the petition forms that you have passed on to Labour MP Phil Twyford?
“How come ACT’s ‘one law for all’ (conveniently) didn’t apply to Penny Bright, who has publicly advocated STEALING power from the Auckland City Council, STEALING water from various suppliers, and has actively encouraged others to do the same?
How about YOU Penny?
Do YOU support ‘ONE LAW FOR ALL’?
Or not?
If not – why not?
ONE LAW FOR ALL – EVEN YOU, PENNY BRIGHT!
And although I’m certainly not a lawyer, or trained in the law, my reading of the Crimes Act is that advocating other people to steal anything is illegal.
rouppe: you also need to understand that because of the wording of the Sentencing Act, the “one year in jail” handed down by the Judge automatically becomes a sentence of six months. The one bright spot – which is perhaps not very good wording in such appalling circumstances – is that he has now been convicted of a “strike” offence. He is thus on the road to being locked up for a very long time when, as is almost inevitable, he commits more violent offences when he gets out. He almost certainly has a string of them to his name already. If the 3S law had been in five or ten years ago this might be his third strike rather than his first.
I think the three strikes law ought to be amended to a points system, like driver demerits. If I speed a little, I get 20 demerits, if I speed a lot I get 40 demerits (or something like that).
If you bash someone you get 34 demerits (1 strike), if you leave someone brain damaged you get more and 100 demerits is the current third strike. So that it is in fact possible to enter the realms of maximum sentence, no parole after fewer than 3 strikable offences…
Collecting signatures now for another Occupy Auckland endorsed petition which:
“Respectfully requests:
That the House urgently legislate to adopt an enforceable Code of Conduct for the New Zealand Judiciary based upon the ‘Bangalore Principles for Judicial Conduct’ which are intended to establish standards for the ethical conduct of judges, and include the following underpinning judicial values and principles: independence; impartiality; integrity; propriety; equality; competency and diligence.”
Time for NZ Judges to be held accountable and have the LAW applied to them?
Or should NZ Judges be allowed to continue to exercise ‘discretion’ and make decisions which are NOT based upon the ‘RULE OF LAW’?
Check out Vince Siemer’s website (in my considered opinion) NZ’s leading ‘whistle-blower’ against NZ judicial conflicts of interest, and corruption: http://www.kiwifirst.co.nz
Since education and charter schools are in the news lately, I thought some of you may be interested in this. It’s a free ebook (119 pages) by Seth Godin called “Stop Stealing Dreams (What is school for?) written about education. It can be downloaded in different formats to suit you. Enjoy!
rouppe: that is actually not a bad idea…sadly the only amendment to the 3S law which is likely is the repeal of it by a Lab-Maori-Green-Mana government….given the calibre of his voter base Peters would probably support its repeal as well, and sell it to the members of Grey Power as a good idea…The only hope is that we somehow get another centre right government which leaves it alone until – by reason of the mongrels it has locked up on third strike – it becomes impossible to repeal.
David Garrett said: “The one bright spot – which is perhaps not very good wording in such appalling circumstances – is that he has now been convicted of a “strike” offence. He is thus on the road to being locked up for a very long time when, as is almost inevitable, he commits more violent offences when he gets out. He almost certainly has a string of them to his name already. If the 3S law had been in five or ten years ago this might be his third strike rather than his first.”
You are mistaken. The article notes:
He was originally charged with assault but that was withdrawn and replaced with injuring that, had death been caused, he would have been guilty of manslaughter.
Injuring by unlawful act (Crimes Act 1961, s 190) is not a strike offence. Nor, for that matter, is injuring with reckless disregard, which is the step above. No strike offence carries a maximum penalty of less than 7 years’ imprisonment. This charge is 3 years’ max, and injuring with reckless disregard is 5 years.
How come ‘three strikes and out’ doesn’t apply to ‘WHITE COLLAR’ criminals?
How come the ‘pin stripe mafia’ are excluded?
Why is that David Garrett?
Hey!
While you’re there, David Garrett – do YOU believe in ACT’s ‘ONE LAW FOR ALL’?
Do YOU believe that John Banks and Don Brash should be charged for signing Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses that contained untrue statements?
YES or NO?
(FYI – the former former Leader of the ACT Party – Rodney Hide agrees that they should be charged, and said so on Radio Live).
What do YOU say David Garrett?
Or are YOUR ACT Party ‘principles’ conveniently ‘flexible’?
That’s presuming that you are still a member of the ACT Party?
Graeme: Thanks for that…I have just smacked myself on the hand for being too lazy to check the list…time fades one’s memory, and I have had a few other things on lately…
Dime: two good points well made…but there are a couple of other reasons I strongly suspect this guy has a record of violent offences and will commit more of them…but I’m afraid I must keep them to myself….got enough battles on my hands at the moment…
Trying to trap ACT members into admitting hypocrisy is a fucking waste of time when hypocrisy, in a world of change, is about the only thing not changing.
You had an opportunity to pounce in there on the tail of ‘Sir’ Douglas Graham being convicted but you have missed that for some inexplicable reason.
“Hey, kiwibloggers, have you seen this?” then regurgitating yet another version of your boring hobbyhorse is no longer cutting it – if it ever did
Do YOU believe that John Banks and Don Brash should be charged for signing Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses that contained untrue statements?
Do you think that any of the opposition parties, especially Winston [BNZ wine-box] Peters, have not considered all aspects of carrying through with your accusations to their own advantage?
I’m sorry, Penny, but I fail to see where anything I have said is wrong.
Nowhere did I accuse you of being ‘sneaky’.
I have merely pointed out the facts.
You have advocated STEALING power from the Auckland City Council.
You have advocated STEALING water which she has not paid for, and has demonstrated to others how to do it.
And yes – I agree with you on one point – these facts are a matter of public record.
There is also a slightly more serious reason. I find it hypocritical of her to the extreme to point out others’ real or imagined failings, and pursue them with such fervour (maybe she secretly has a crush on John Banks … hmmm …), yet loudly hold herself up as a “public watchdog” and make herself out to be somehow morally superior to them.
David Garrett ‘got enough battles on my hands at the moment…’,
You mean breaking the law yourself? Must be kinda hard being so tough on crime. I wouldn’t be surprise if you are one of those people that breaks the law all the time and only gets caught now and again. STOP BREAKING THE LAW SCUMBAG!
U Turn ahead?
The sale is in trouble on all sides at the moment, not least because one of the prospective parties has claimed the land had been seized and they now have the money to buy it back, they’re pressing a head with that to Court I believe.
I admit missing the boat on this big time, although I had no idea of the pleading in the JR apart from the small detail in the papers, I thought Fay and his group didn’t have a dog’s show. I always admire a good strategist despite my personal opinion of them.
Penny – Check out Vince Siemer’s website (in my considered opinion) NZ’s leading ‘whistle-blower’ against NZ judicial conflicts of interest, and corruption: http://www.kiwifirst.co.nz
Since Penny’s link, like many of her utterances, fails to go anywhere, those wishing to inflict more punishment upon themselves than they probably deserve, could look at – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_Siemer
Idolising Siemer as “NZ’s leading ‘whistle-blower’ ” could explain some of Penny’s problem
jonnobanks – that line of over the top attack gets very boring.
David Garrett tends to add a lot more interest to discussions here than you do, and his various experiences are a part of that. Why don’t you try addressing points of discussion rather than pointlessly abusing?
I must be a masochist, Yvette … I had a very quick look at the Wikipedia entry.
Funnily, the only bit that really grabbed my attention was this: “Siemer appeared at a New Zealand Court of Appeal hearing dressed up as Alice in Wonderland.”
If the maximum is three years why didn’t he get that? What does one have to do in order to get three years? He put a man in a coma and caused long term brain damage.
There is a problem with our justice system and that is that we don’t take violence seriously enough. Someone trafficks a drug and they get something on the order of 10 years. 10 years for doing nothing more than transporting a drug.
Even if you’re one of these simpletons that thinks locking up drug traffickers actually achieves something, who should we be more afraid of? Who do we not want to meet at 5am in the morning on K Rd? A non-violent drug trafficker or a man who violently attacked another man and put him in a coma? To think that this animal will be out in a year walking a street that I frequent makes me sick.
For all the talk of “tough on crime” in conjunction with three strikes it really hasn’t addressed the fundamental problem and that is the way we look at violent offenses. Injuring should have a maximum of 15-20 in my view and this animal should have been locked up for at least 10. Similarly murder without extenuating circumstances or exuse should start at the presumption of life without parole. There should be no 2nd and third chances for violent thugs.
And sorry Dime, but statements like “im sure most guys here have punched someone at some stage. doesnt make us all violent criminals.” is exactly the problem we have. Punching people is not normal, and this sort of statement legitimizes violence as an expression of anger. People need to control themselves and if they cannot then they need to be locked up. We too often try to ascribe normalcy to violent behaviour and emphasize the resulting injuries as unintended consequences. But violence is not normal, it is abhorrent precisely because this is what can happen and if animals like Sitaleki is too fucking stupid to know that punching people can result in serious injury then too bad, off to jail for a very long time he should go. The public shouldn’t be put in harms way because of the stupidity of people who think that attacking other people is an understandable because they were propositioned for sex.
Pete George – Because he still hasn’t owned the fact that he is still a law breaker, and when he dismissed this the other day, it is very hypocritical of him to act like he is so against breaking the law. Once he acknowledges the fact that he is also a law breaking scum bag (still to this day), I will stop calling him a law breaker, I hate hypocritical politicians, worse than left wing ones. OK.
Disgraced former ACT MP David Garrett says he is “deeply ashamed” of driving drunk.
Garrett yesterday pleaded guilty to one charge of driving with excess blood alcohol, and was disqualified from driving for six months from February 20, and fined $550 plus court costs.
Weihana: Amusing to be on the same side as you for a change..You seem not to have noticed my post which points out this guy will only in fact serve six months, not a year, because of the Sentencing Act 2002.
Johno: (you really should do as I have done, and give up the sauce Simon) I will respond to you just his once. To plead guilty is to acknowledge that one has broken the law. I plead guilty to the charge arising from the passport affair of 28 years ago because I was guilty. I plead guilty to the drink driving charge as couple of weeks ago because I was guilty of it.
‘deeply ashamed’ hey, what of driving drunk or getting caught?
The drunk driving scum who killed a high school mate of mine was also ‘deeply ashamed’. Maybe they should not keep breaking the law if they are so ‘ashamed’. My money is on David being in the news sometime in the future for breaking the law again for something.
No forgiveness here mate. Owning it means, stopping breaking the law, not just pleading guilty.
I know he is no longer a politician. He was one of the reasons why the ACT Party is now fucked. That is the greatest tragedy of all… and another reason why I think of him a scumbag.
OK, I will stop giving David shit for being a hypocrite, but if and when he is back in the news for breaking the law….
johnobanks 3:03 pm. Name one thing you’ve done to fix a political, or social problem in New-Zealand over the last ten years.
David Garret has actually done the hard yards, and acheived something.
Regarding the guy who got six months for causing brain damage, a number of you appear to have jumped the gun. The herald gives a more accurate report, including spelling the perp’s name right.
>>”Sitaleki Langi Koloamatangi, 21, earlier pleaded guilty to punching Trevor Kaukau, causing him to fall backwards and bang his head on a Karangahape Rd pavement.”
>>”Defence counsel Jo Scott asked the judge to take into account Koloamatangi’s youth, his early guilty plea, his low risk of re-offending, his lack of relevant previous convictions, and his completion of an alcohol and drug treatment programme.”
jonobanks, I’d say, based on the puerile crap you post on Kiwiblog, your highschool mate is the lucky one, not having to witness what a areshole you have become in his(?) name.
Regarding the guy who got six months for causing brain damage, a number of you appear to have jumped the gun. The herald gives a more accurate report, including spelling the perp’s name right.
>>”Sitaleki Langi Koloamatangi, 21, earlier pleaded guilty to punching Trevor Kaukau, causing him to fall backwards and bang his head on a Karangahape Rd pavement.”
Trevor Kaukau does not appear a small man so it would seem to me that considerable force would have been necessary to knock him off his feet. It’s a pretty weak excuse in my books to say “the pavement did it”. He only fell on the pavement because he was incapacitated by Sitaleki.
People have to learn that hitting is not okay. Lets just imagine that things turned out different. Lets imagine that Sitaleki punched him in the head and he didn’t hit the pavement he just woke the next morning with a black eye. That to me should still deserve jail time. Not a fine, not community service.. jail time. People need to learn that other people’s bodies are not punching bags with which to vent frustration.
Ms Scott said Koloamatangi had responded badly to being sexually propositioned, “like many young males would”.
This annoys me. It is just what I was saying before, we try to normalize violence and particularly when someone has been sexually propositioned. The implication is that the context of the violence changes something and makes Koloamatangi more understandable. It doesn’t change it for me and there’s no reason to consider that other young males might also be violent pricks. Perhaps it’s time we stop just accepting that young males will be violent and hold them to higher standards of expectation.
The other problem of course is prejudice and intolerance towards homosexuals. Suffice to say if it was a woman asking Koloamatangi for sex he wouldn’t have objected. Even if she was a fat pig at most he would have said “no thanks”. But unfortunately our culture seeks to justify the anger of people like Koloamatangi and it is on that basis that people like him think it’s okay to get violent because another man propositioned you.
You may never have taken a swing at anyone, but I certainly took a swing or two in my youth and been swung at a few times too. (can’t think why ) Mostly handbags at ten paces, but could easily have ended in tragedy had one of us landed a lucky punch and knocked the other senseless causing him to fall back as a dead weight.
Fact is, Kaukau was plain unlucky. For every 100 punches thrown, very few land square enough to cause instant concussion.
I don’t think Justice has anything to do with luck.
John boy Key seems to be a PM in need of a backbone at least a backbone New Zealand could admire. The USA wants Kim.com back inside, does NZ say piss of we are NZ and we have our justice system, but our gutless money market dealer who worked for the firm that caused the financial crash says nothing. The happy smarly pm holidays in his homeland Hawaii not NZ is KEY a overseas paid TOADY, a lapdog of the USA and CHINA, where his wealth(keys)comes from.
Judging by the guy’s name he is Tongan, and apparently Tongans have a particularly violent mana restoration code. Not saying it’s an excuse, it’s just the way things are.
Mainstream homophobic attitudes don’t help either.
No I haven’t and I don’t consider it any more acceptable than indecent assault. Why is it that the vast majority of men are quite capable of controlling themselves around women, and certainly we all look severely upon any man that would indecently assault a lady, but being loose with our fists is almost seen as a right of passage?
And I agree with you, justice isn’t about luck. But this isn’t a case of being unlucky. If he intended to cause brain damage I would judge him even more severely, but I judge him on the fact that he violently attacked another human being, a person who had done no more than proposition him for sex.
MT-Tinman
It is very , very difficult , almost impossible for an Asian to get work in CHCH..They may have a lot of experience , NZ quals and speak half a dozen languages but they cannot get work. It is a mighty whitey town and as I said , only poms are welcome in the workforce.
MT_Tinman … you’re a prick. Why don’t you take a minute and think about what you just said.
So he is lucky that a drunk driver killed him? And you say this because I called David a hypocrite? Nice one!
I make no apologies that I don’t like drink drivers, even if they feel remorseful afterwards. Plenty of killer scum in jail that feel remorseful after they go through the court systems, how about thinking before they commit the crime. And for this, I get called an ‘areshole’ (sic)
But yes, I do think David did a amazing job getting the 3 strikes law in place.
Jonobanks, no, I’m calling him(?) lucky because you are using his(?) death as an excuse for being an out and out F$#@wit.
He’s lucky not to witness your disgrace.
What a POS you are bereal, you scared little fuckwit. Just because I said he did an amazing job with the 3 strikes doesn’t not change anything and just not mean I am sucking up. Good one.
KiwiGreg (2,281) Says:
February 28th, 2012 at 10:53 am
Viking2 you need to understand the vast majority of jobs in a developed economy are service jobs and not manufacturing. The is no inherent virtue in working on a production line versus serving coffee at starbucks.
On what basis do you say that. People often enjoy working in that situation. Spent plenty of time doing that myself.
Actually they should have the choice to do so.
Why should they all pour lousy coffee for adicts with piss poor taste just because you and others think our work should be given to someone else because you and others don’t have the capability to do that type of work. Loved working on production lines, especially the type I worked on.
Fuck off and become a coffee monkey if you want. But leave the rest of us to do what we want.
david (2,045) Says:
February 28th, 2012 at 10:57 am
Viking2 your starting point (that the Gummint needs to be the party “creating jobs”) is the great fallacy that leads on to some of your other gripes.
Governments rarely create jobs, they frequently disguise unemployment and unproductive exercises. In the process they make people like Bob Jones extremely happy and give local body politicians a false sense of living in a vibrant, exciting and growing economic environment whereas quite the opposite is true. The money-go round spiral is downwards and ever-decreasing and it is done at a cost to the taxpayer at large. Meanwhile the productive sector (remember them?) get starved of capital needed to support expansion and real job growth.
The best a Government can hope to do in the long term is to create an environment that is conducive to the growth of productive businesses for it is they (and the wages thay pay) that will pay the taxes to provide the safety net that most of us support for those who REALLY need it to survive with dignity.
First question. Where did I say the Govt should create jobs?
No, its the Govt.’s job to create the conditions that will allow businesses to start, grow , employ.
They don’t and remain entrenched against business. They continue to lump business with costs that are not faced in other countries, the continue to deny business the right to negotiate their own wages and conditions with younger workers, they allow local Got. to fleece the crap out of business. They continue to rob business of its capital.
In short they are business unfriendly.
Landlording is a business and a large one at that. In their infinite wisdome they decided to steal the depreciation from a landlord. Watch what happens in the next year or two. We will never have an abundance of accomodation anymore. Yes there were some exccesses but they were better dealt with than doing what they did.
Govt. (local and Natonal), is businesses biggest competitor.
grumpyoldhori (2,124) Says:
February 28th, 2012 at 10:34 am
Fucking great, the accommodation supplement will be dumped, that will have a number of bludging landlords weeping.
Not at all. Just shows how unintelligent you really are.
But there will be lots of families sleeping under hedges.
and Guess what. The moment that starts to make press or TV Key and co will be running around like hens with no heads attempting to stop the conflagation that will arise.
1) Ad homs come……Ad homs go. Over all little has changed except we’ve lost some of the screwiest commentators & gained others.
2) Luc has installed a dungeon in his garage over the summer holidays & spends most of his time kissing the whip of SWMBO. Probably that was all that was missing from his life.
3) Open season on religious nutters has been delayed for a couple of weeks. I’ll let you know when to start praying.
Department of Homeland Security
Secretary Janet Napolitano today unveiled the Department of Homeland Security’s fiscal year 2013 budget request of ### $39.5 billion ### in net discretionary funding.
Those towel heads have made their biggest gain in turning the USA into a police state.
There was a man who lost one of his arms in an accident. He became very
depressed because he loved to play Golf .
One day in his despair, he decided to commit suicide.
He got on an elevator and went the top of a building to jump off.
He was standing on the ledge looking down and saw this man skipping along,
whooping and kicking up his heels.
He looked closer and saw that this man didn’t have any arms at all.
He hurried down and caught up with the man with no arms.
He told him how glad he was to see him because he lost one of his arms
and felt useless and was going to kill himself.
He thanked him again for saving his life and said he knew he could make
it with one arm if that guy could go on with no arms.
The man with no arms began dancing and whooping and kicking up his heels
again.
He asked, ‘Why are you so happy anyway?’
He said, “I’m NOT happy, my balls itch.”
A coach driver is transporting a group of blind kids back from a school trip. It’s a hot summer’s day and he decides to stop for a break at a country pub. As the blind kids get out the coach he notices them carrying a football. “How are you gonna play football? You’re blind”, he enquires. “Oh we’ve got a special football with a bell in it”, says one of the kids, “Go and have a drink, we’ll be fine!”
Slighty amused, the driver goes into the pub, gets a drink,and sits down to read the paper. Some time passes and a police officer enters.
“Who’s in charge of those blind kids outside?” asks the officer.
“I am officer, is there a problem?”
“A problem!? They’ve just kicked a morris dancer to death”
A man was driving through Wyoming one spring evening. The road was deserted and he had not seen a soul for what seemed like hours. Suddenly his engine started to cough and sputter and then died, leaving him sitting by the road in total silence. He popped the hood and looked to see if there was anything that he could do to get it going again.
Unfortunately, he had a limited knowledge of cars, so all he could do was look at the engine, in total disgust. As he looked at the engine by the gradually fading light of his flashlight, he cursed that he had not put in new batteries.
Suddenly, through the shadows, came a deep voice “It’s your fuel pump”. The man jumped when he heard the voice, causing him to hit his head on the underside of the hood. “Who said that?” he demanded. As he looked out into the moon lit night, he saw two horses standing in the field alongside the road. The man was amazed when the nearest of the two horses repeated “It’s your fuel pump; tap it with your flashlight, and try it again”.
Still dazed from bumping his head, the man tapped the fuel pump with his flashlight, and then got into the car, turned the key and sure enough, the engine roared to life. He muttered a short thanks to the horse and then sped away in his car.
When he reached the next town, he ran into the local bar. “Large whiskey, please!” he said. A rancher sitting at the bar looked at the man’s ashen face and asked “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” “It’s unbelievable” the man said, as he started telling the rancher what had just happened to him down the road. The rancher took a sip of his beer, as he looked thoughtfully at the man. “A horse, you say? Was it by any chance a white horse?” The man replied “Yes it was! Do you think I’m crazy?” “No, you aint crazy. In fact, you’re lucky,” said the rancher. “Because I happen to know the black horse down there don’t know diddly about cars!”
The teacher in Johnny’s school asked the class what their parents did
for a living. One little girl said her father was a doctor, another
said her mother was an engineer. When it was Little Johnny’s turn, he
stood up and said, “My mum’s a hooker.”
Naturally, after that remark, he got sent off to the principal’s office.
Then, 15 minutes later, he returned. So the teacher asked
“Did you tell the principal what you said in class?”
Johnny said, “Yes”
“Well, what did the principal say?”
“He said that every job is important in our economy,
gave me an apple and asked for my phone number.”
Who else has noticed that the warmists have lost the dangerous man-made global warming scientific debate to the sceptics? Now we just need the news media, the politicians and the civil servants to catch up – probably in that order. Of course very few of the left/greens/watermelons will ever admit that they were wrong. Has the Herald ever admitted that it was wrong? Check out the world’s best science blog at http://www.wattsupwiththat.com
Who else has noticed that the warmists have lost the dangerous man-made global warming scientific debate to the sceptics?
Billjack it’s an interesting question. Is it for example the case that just cos the science is clearly bollocks and the alarmists clearly mental, this doesn’t mean the media message is going to change anytime soon?
Is it the case there’s too much invested in the project? That the truth doesn’t matter, it never did. Ever?
Is it the case the original Tavistock designers back in the 70′s did everything right just like they did with feminism, except they didn’t take the interweb into account? No-one, not even DARPA who invented it, knew what it would become over these last few decades. They hate it. But they can’t control this version of it, hence the probability they’ll cause something like a nuclear power station meltdown, blame it on the interweb, take it down and replace it with Internet2, which they can control?
OTOH, has the whole AGW all along been just a straw man? A disposable distraction, designed to obscure the political moves which have been made over the last several decades and then just fade away in the 2010-2020 decade, along with peak oil and the other meme bollocks setup for the sheep?
OTOH, is it just a bunch of stuff that just randomly happened, and somehow, all the western MSM got into the same groove all at the same time and in lockstep since the mid-1990′s just coincidentally all determined it must be twue in evewy way – it’s the pwanet, people and somehow all the universities and research institutes all over the world just somehow all in similar lockstep randomly determined they’d only be funding that research which fit the meme?
Who knows. Golly. One things for sure, the UN is certainly innocent, aren’t they. After all, they’re the ultimate democwacy for the whole world, aren’t they. How could they possibli be involved in the scam, in any way at all?
Billjack @8:42. Where have all those alarmist CAGW true-believers gone? Could it be that their ‘science’ has been shown to be a public complacency fueled ponzi scheme… and the the new believers have stopped showing up? Well done Anthony Watts, Jo Nova, Steve Macintyre and many, many others who have kept the spotlight on the greatest scam to afflict humanity.
For those still unsure, the Skeptic Case is an excellent summary of the positions, both scientific and political.
No KK the got fed up with pointless link wars.
You of course know about. ‘dissuading teachers from teaching science’ Heartland and Smog blog
We had tonnes of fun over that.
I see someones pushing wuwt again
Never trust a scientist or a university always go to the blog site run out of a domestic house for your scientific knowledge
Any site with govt or edu are just in on the deception. TUI of the year
ALT SCIENCE at its best they tell me they even had a mention in the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) project
Pointing out that their continuous bleating that the records are are a lie is demonstrably false.
February 28th, 2012 at 8:05 am
Sue Bradford bene advocate slams Govt benefit reforms. Surprise surprise. Bring it on , well overdue. Get a job bradford.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:09 am
Same could be said of Phil Ure and Penny Dim, perennial bludgers. Hell will freeze over first.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:13 am
Do as the UK left say not as they do
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/london-mayor-election/9105977/Ken-Livingstone-uses-loophole-to-save-50000-in-tax.html
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:15 am
Otago rugby union gone under?
I don’t get this, Rugby is NZ’s top sport.
You’d have thought a number of wealthy individuals in the Otago region would be jumping to put some money to rescue the union — 2 million is not that much cash for an entire region. Then it is a shortfall of a million or so a year?
Small bikkies in the days of professional rugby.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:17 am
Maybe if NZ rugby did not import so many players, this would not be a problem.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:25 am
So Lucy’s done some work for Shell:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/6490008/Protesting-Lawless-shrugs-off-Shell-ad
Pfft. Who hasn’t:
http://iantan.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/venus960px1.jpg
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:33 am
Why is our media in NZ so useless that they just print press releases, masquerading as journalism? I see in this story that they are trying to tell us that NIWA have developed a new process: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10788514
Yet in Victoria, they have been doing the same thing for more than 20 years: http://www.srela.com.au/case_studies/Berrybank.pdf
Are they all really that inept and that thick.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:34 am
Nice to see that John Tamihere isn’t so blinded by Labour ideology that he can’t recognise an opportunity for Maori when it presents itself:
http://keepingstock.blogspot.co.nz/2012/02/unlikely-ally.html
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:35 am
Drove thru the Hawkes Bay yesterday saw hundreds of workers out picking fruit and vege, not a white skin or maori among them, all PI imports. New Zealanders get paid too much to sit on the couch and will never lower themselves to a seasonal job. Mr Apple cant get enuf workers for the packing sheds. Why isnt work and income making these arseholes do a job? Feck!
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:37 am
Colville,
Most of the farm workers in the Canterbury Dairy conversions are Phillipino.
And i bet there is still unemployment in Christchurch.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:43 am
immigant, how do imported players lead to Otago not being able to pay its bills?
Vote:Maybe building a stadium for tens of millions of dollars that no one goes to has something to do with it?
February 28th, 2012 at 8:53 am
@ Colville; the stadium is a bit of a red herring; Otago only played their last two matches there last season after the handover of the stadium was delayed for a week or two. They would certainly expect to get better crowds this season at the FBS than they would have done at Carisbrook, especially with the preponderance of night matches now.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:56 am
Maoris for Hone, Blacks for Obama: http://www.prisonplanet.com/obama-plays-race-card-calls-on-churches-to-support-campaign.html
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 9:00 am
@ manolo the irony of Obama callling on the churches….
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 9:05 am
Mr nui
Are they all really that thick and inept?………..Yes.
Foreign workers. Even at Lake Tekapo I see the beds in the hotels being made up by “non NZers”.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 9:05 am
Ironic enough, indeed.
Vote:Similar to the picture of him kissing Nancy, which was labelled: “Last time you see a Muslim kissing a pig”.
http://christwire.org/2012/02/obama-caught-kissing-nancy-pelosi/
February 28th, 2012 at 9:17 am
the welfare reforms – i saw an article on stuff. thats it. did the herald cover it at all? or did i just miss it?
i did go over to the standard for a laugh. eddie was verging on hysterical.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 9:20 am
keeping stock@853 Stadium
red herring?
white elephant.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 9:24 am
Keepingstock, I dont think the stadium is a herring at all…Dunners is the only major town I have never been to a match in. I just cant get there. I would have to fly PN – ChCh – Dunners and as there is onl 2 flights. If I cant get there for a test why am I ever going to make the effort for a super rugby game. The place is a bottleneck so how can they expect supporters to vist?
dime, The Stranded will be a laugh today, rabid leftards foaming at the mouth. But bring on 3 years more welfare reform! yippee! bout fecking time!
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 9:38 am
remember when mallard was in here a few years ago telling us the key/english partnership wouldnt work? he hinted at an imminent, demise!
at the time i bet him a bottle of grey goose that goofball would go first. dam shame he never accepted.
theres a lesson in there though – always bet against mallard
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 9:39 am
Alex
Vote:The only people who can get work in CHCh city are poms. The govt even set up their own recruitment agency for them. We are all sick to death of them.
February 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
A sad admission. Time to fix the problem: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9107485/George-Osborne-UK-has-run-out-of-money.html
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 9:43 am
So, the warrior princess is charged with burglary. Questions:
1. Will she pay back the dirty filthy money she received from Shell for the advert?
2. If convicted, what does this mean for her ability to travel? What passport does she use?
3. She lives in LA. What fuel did the plane use to get here? Fairy dust?
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 9:46 am
If Greenpeace reports approx 2.9M financial members, and Lucys protest resulted in 133K emails, does that mean around 95% of Greenpeaces own membership couldn’t be bothered supporting this protest enough to flick off an email?
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 9:57 am
Hush your mouth Peter; Greenpeace doesn’t like it when haters and wreckers actually quote statistical facts that paint Greenpeace in a poor light
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 9:59 am
@ immigrant
Which players are NZ Rugby importing?
I’d suggest we are importing far less than many other top Rugby Union nations (e.g. France, England, Wales, Ireland, Australia).
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:21 am
Joana, you’re telling lies again.
Anyone fit and willing to work will get work in ChCh.
Further, those coming into Christchurch to work in the reconstruction are welcome, appreciated by damned near everyone in the area.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:29 am
The idiots blaming the city-financed Forsyth-Barr stadium in Dunedin for the ORU’s financial troubles are just that – idiots.
The stadium allowed the ORU to sell Carrisbrooke and thus only be a lousy two mil in debt.
The FB stadium will be one of the most important assets in Dunedin, as the only covered stadium of any size in the South Island it will attract not just major footie matches but any large concert/entertainment event heading south bringing many, many $ to Otago that would normally not head that way.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:34 am
Fucking great, the accommodation supplement will be dumped, that will have a number of bludging landlords weeping.
As for the Rugby Unions, you wanted to pay players while expecting ratepayers to pay for the stadiums you use, so tough, the answer is obvious do not pay provincial players.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:37 am
From the “Some people realise the benefit is a privilege, not a right” file:
I was chatting to a couple of friends last night. Their son (about 19 – 20 years old) is in Wellington trying to find work. He is entitled to the benefit. He is receiving, at his own request, just half a benefit – because he feels that he can adequetely live on that in his current circumstances.
How cool is that?!
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:38 am
dime (3,980) Says:
February 28th, 2012 at 9:17 am
the welfare reforms
More of the same I’m afraid dime. Not a word, nary a mention of creating jobs or reinstating youth rates nor any of the things that actually work.
Vote:Bennett is just another over educated idiot that thinks work grows because beneficiaries are hounded to get jobs. Plenty round here been trying. Just ain’t jobs.
Yellow are laying off 125 and so it goes on.
What everyone including the Govt needs to understand is that times have changed. There is a huge collection of people, all around the world, who will never ever work like we used to. Jobs have changed. The world has changed and we have offshored our industry, of which you are a beneficiary, at the expense of taxpayers. That’s because the places you import from don’t have automatic rights to ACC, and a dozen other advantages that Kiwi’s have. IMHO we should add that to the cost of your imports in Kiwi amounts. then industry might return and with it jobs.
Unlikely cause beneficiaries like yourself would scream and yell at the top of your noise range if we slapped an import tariff on you.
February 28th, 2012 at 10:48 am
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/6491924/What-makes-Kiwis-happy?comment_msg=posted#post_comment
evidently being a right wing nutjob makes ya happy!
Tinman @ 10.29 yeah and how much is the lease on the new Stadium? they are a union that once was great but have been left well behind thru bad management.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:48 am
It seems there’s no business like snow business.
Vote:http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/rebuilding-christchurch/6489588/Skifield-tipped-to-bring-1b-Canterbury
Whatever happened to climate change?
Interesting how private businesses, who would undoubtedly lose from any global warming, are so willing to invest their money on projects like this.
Yet, governments remain ever keen on taxing us to pay for their folly of a faith!
February 28th, 2012 at 10:51 am
Hori, how is a landlord a bludger? they dont choose the lifestyle of the tennant. I am sure all landlords would LOVE hardworking white rightwing tennants but it seems that hardworking white rightwingers choose not to bludge off the taxpayer!
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:53 am
Viking2 you need to understand the vast majority of jobs in a developed economy are service jobs and not manufacturing. The is no inherent virtue in working on a production line versus serving coffee at starbucks.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:54 am
Colville, I agree the OFU management is at fault but the stadium is not one of those bad management decisions.
It is, in fact, one of the few good ones.
As for rent, I don’t have the figures but as a drain on OFU funds I suspect it would be no more than the upkeep on the hardly ever used Carrisbrook was.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:54 am
We had climate change here this morning. Went from nice and warm to too bloody cold.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:55 am
Hori, don’t knock the landlords too much, experience has shown me that the majority (particularly the slum type) are from your lot.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:57 am
Viking2 your starting point (that the Gummint needs to be the party “creating jobs”) is the great fallacy that leads on to some of your other gripes.
Governments rarely create jobs, they frequently disguise unemployment and unproductive exercises. In the process they make people like Bob Jones extremely happy and give local body politicians a false sense of living in a vibrant, exciting and growing economic environment whereas quite the opposite is true. The money-go round spiral is downwards and ever-decreasing and it is done at a cost to the taxpayer at large. Meanwhile the productive sector (remember them?) get starved of capital needed to support expansion and real job growth.
The best a Government can hope to do in the long term is to create an environment that is conducive to the growth of productive businesses for it is they (and the wages thay pay) that will pay the taxes to provide the safety net that most of us support for those who REALLY need it to survive with dignity.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:57 am
immigant, don’t see how we’re importing too many players, James Haskell maybe? I think we export far more than we bring in.
Player payments started out far too high when professional rugby started, Jock & co panicked and the ceiling for payments (to AB’s of course) was set at around $100K up to $250K…..unsustainable. Average provincial players commanding over $30K is stupid.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:57 am
Agree wholeheartedly Tinman (10.29am); Jim Kayes summed it up well on RadioSport this morning when he said there’s no way that he would go to Carisbrook on a winter night to watch ITM Cup rugby. If the ORFU can stitch together some sort of survival package and be able to play a full season at Forsyth Barr, the crowds will improve markedly. There are also indications of much better support for the Highlanders this season (this week’s match at the FBS is sold out), so there will be a dividend to the ORFU at the end of the season if the Highlanders make money.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 11:08 am
Colville, I’ve done that vege & fruit picking in the ‘bay……just about all of us were Maori and the whole bloody lot of us were moaning because our fields were being picked off slowly by contractors who were using under-the-table labour (read illegally cheap) from the islands (both islanders & Fiji indians). I suspect it is now virtually all island labour…..as usual, it’s Maori who get thrown under the bus first.
Do you actually know anything or do the words just spill out before the mouth moves?
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 11:09 am
MT Tin @ 10.21
Vote:agree with your sentiment. all help appreciated – i have met many poms in the area i live in (Canterbury) and they have added energy and personality.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:22 am
Jim Kayes summed it up well on RadioSport this morning when he said there’s no way that he would go to Carisbrook on a winter night to watch ITM Cup rugby.
Me neither, especially after five months of Super and Test rugby.
There’s been two main problems (ORFU management aside) – too much rugby for the local market, and scheduling optimised for TV coverage wher the real money is (do unions get any cut from that?)
O’stadium has the obvious advantage of weather protection. It still gets cold and draughty, I watched the first game there on a day we had snow flurries, but if you’re not dressed for it in DUnedin it’s your own fault.
Another advantage is atmosphere, enclosed and close to the action.
I watched RWC England v Argentina, fantastic atmosphere easily exceeding the semi I watched in Auckland (where we got soaked just before the game started) – although Eden Park had twice the crowd it was much more spread and remote.
Even the North Otago/West Coast game (about 5,000 I think) had a great atmosphere so O’stadium ismuch better for small crowds than a sparse Carisbrook.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 11:23 am
Dazzaman well Mr Apple have plenty of taxed above board jobs going that they cant fill. The guy I was fishing with hires PI workers thru an agency, I have hired PI scrubcutters thru a forestry company, but hey dont let the fact that Maoris just cant be arsed getting off the couch sink into your thick skull.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 11:25 am
@Dazzaman
Vote:Like you I had a similar experience in vineyards where we were replaced by contract P.I. boys working for half the minimum wage, it’s a total scam and shame on horticulturalists who exploit them. Needless to say there are still positions available for Kiwi’s who can operate machinery ie harvesters, tractors, diggers which require kiwi licenses to operate and experience.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:26 am
grumpyoldhori:
Ummmm, have you actually ever been a landlord? Or known one? I was a landlord a few years ago, albeit on a small scale, and I would be fascinated to hear your explanation as to how I was ‘bludging’.
Suffice it to say, I was (and still am) working fulltime, and putting money into the property. I was not making a profit off my tenant, and I was charging slightly below market rental at the time.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 11:29 am
Farewell. Just shut the door behind you: http://sport.msn.co.nz/sportnews/rugbyleague/8426697/sonny-bill-will-be-joining-roosters-johns
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 11:40 am
SBW – a great athlete with cerebrum impaired celebrityitis.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 11:41 am
KevinH, I’m sure there is and I’m sure there are positions being filled by Kiwi’s but no one works for peanuts….except those hired by Colville & his scamming mates.
You know as well as I do that those are the sort of jobs & industries that do rely on paying peanuts due to the fact that they are by & large massively labour intensive with the attendant expense that that comes with. So, pay as little as possible.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 11:47 am
grumopyhori – I was a landlord. I don’t remember bludging off anyone while cleaning up the crap and refuse that another lot of fine New Zealand underclass had left me. Being a landlord was the hardest thing I have ever done and gave me insight into the way the underclass live and think. They are almost all thick as pigshit but strangely also all as cunning as shithouse rats.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 11:52 am
viking – you want to go back to a protectionist economy????
there are thousands of jobs out there. half the problem seems to be people think they are worth more than they actually are.. or jobs are “beneath” them.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
CONFIRMED!
The Occupy Auckland endorsed petition which requests: “That the House conduct an urgent inquiry into the decisions regarding prosecutions relating to the Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009″ is being presented to the House at 2pm today – Tuesday 28 February 2012.
Thank you Labour MP for Auckland Issues, Phil Twyford who is the MP who presented this petition.
This should help cast a HUGE national and international public spotlight on the fact that the balance of power in New Zealand ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt country in the world’ (according to Transparency International’s 2011 ‘Corruption Perception Index’ – is currently being held by an arguably yet-to-be charged or convicted ‘white collar’ criminal John Banks – ACT MP for Epsom.
ACT purportedly believe in ‘ONE LAW FOR ALL’ – so how come that hasn’t yet applied to the current and former Leaders of the ACT Party? For more background information (including – the Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009) check out http://www.pennybright4epsom.org.nz
Penny Bright
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Don’t be too optimistic about big games/events at the Dunedin Stadium.
The Highlanders /Crusader game is always well attended as the red and black don’t have far to travel.That game last year got 20000 at the uncovered “rubbish” C’brook.
One stand for this weeks game is not even open,how dumb is that ,if you are expecting a big crowd?
Being the first game it also attracts alot of students who don’t tend to return in big numbers.
Also for this game there are quite a few of free tickets available to what is now called the “Zoo”……..so the rate and taxpayer continues to subsidise student entertainment.
Ireland are touring this winter,any Dunedin games? Apparently not.So much for big south Island events.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
kowtow – youre getting south africa in september. thats a better fixture than ireland in june/ during super rugby season
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
A man is assaulted and left “severely brain damaged” and the offender gets just 1 year in jail?
Judges definitely need performance reviews where this sort of sentence results in a negative assessment.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
That’s incredible, rouppe. Thank you for the link.
Vote:How has the judicial system sunk this low? The criminals are getting bolder and brasher with this absurd type of sentencing.
February 28th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
What are the views of Greenpeace and Lucy Lawless of Te Runanga o Ngati Ruanui Trust and New Zealand Energy Corporation last week signing a ground-breaking agreement – the trust to offer cultural advice and support to the company as it moves through its exploration, consent and production activities in the district, In return for employment, educational and training opportunities as well as sharing relevant environmental and technical information, and giving the iwi unprecedented access to top-level decision-makers?
Will a conviction for robbery place effect future work visas for United States or New Zealand or is Lucy lawless?
Although regarded is a ‘lesbian icon’ from television series XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS, Lawless is heterosexual, but has appeared at gay pride events such as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. In a 2003 interview with Lesbian News magazine, she said that she had come to see Xena and Gabrielle’s relationship as gay after viewing the series finale, though she has also stated on several occasions that she was undecided on the nature of the relationship while playing the role, but Rainbow Labour saw through her indecision and bestowed on Lawless the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2004 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
On 6 May 1997, Lawless inadvertently exposed her breasts as she concluded a performance of the US national anthem at an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, California, between the Mighty Ducks and Detroit Red Wings. Lawless was quoted in Newsweek as saying, “Obviously, I was mortified….It was quite a bit more exposure than I want.”
Vote:But in her latest television series SPARTACUS, Lawless apparently continually accident prone, inadvertently exposes her beasts and pubic region to the extent that any intrigue surrounding one of the “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” [People Weekly Magazine] must have long ago evaporated, so one wonders now why all media reference now is –
Lawless, along with 5 other [nameless] Greenpeace activists …
February 28th, 2012 at 12:24 pm
And still Penny, you talk about one law for all – as long as it isn’t you …
You are, after all, the woman who advocates STEALING power from the Auckland City Council.
And you are the woman who has advocated STEALING water which she has not paid for, and has demonstrated to others how to do it.
So Penny, could you please do the decent thing and add the following to the petition forms that you have passed on to Labour MP Phil Twyford?
“How come ACT’s ‘one law for all’ (conveniently) didn’t apply to Penny Bright, who has publicly advocated STEALING power from the Auckland City Council, STEALING water from various suppliers, and has actively encouraged others to do the same?
How about YOU Penny?
Do YOU support ‘ONE LAW FOR ALL’?
Or not?
If not – why not?
ONE LAW FOR ALL – EVEN YOU, PENNY BRIGHT!
And although I’m certainly not a lawyer, or trained in the law, my reading of the Crimes Act is that advocating other people to steal anything is illegal.
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1961/0043/latest/DLM328506.html
Section 66: Parties to offences(1) Every one is a party to and guilty of an offence who—
(a) actually commits the offence; or
(b) does or omits an act for the purpose of aiding any person to commit the offence; or
(c) abets any person in the commission of the offence; or
(d) incites, counsels, or procures any person to commit the offence.
Not a good look for a self-proclaimed ‘public watchdog’ bravely fighting corruption … is it, Penny?
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
rouppe: you also need to understand that because of the wording of the Sentencing Act, the “one year in jail” handed down by the Judge automatically becomes a sentence of six months. The one bright spot – which is perhaps not very good wording in such appalling circumstances – is that he has now been convicted of a “strike” offence. He is thus on the road to being locked up for a very long time when, as is almost inevitable, he commits more violent offences when he gets out. He almost certainly has a string of them to his name already. If the 3S law had been in five or ten years ago this might be his third strike rather than his first.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 1:21 pm
I think the three strikes law ought to be amended to a points system, like driver demerits. If I speed a little, I get 20 demerits, if I speed a lot I get 40 demerits (or something like that).
If you bash someone you get 34 demerits (1 strike), if you leave someone brain damaged you get more and 100 demerits is the current third strike. So that it is in fact possible to enter the realms of maximum sentence, no parole after fewer than 3 strikable offences…
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 1:23 pm
You’re actually quite wrong Graham.
I have always taken full personal responsibility for everything I have done.
(Hardly ‘sneaky’ about it when I have my actions recorded for the public record?
How about YOU stop ‘talking about it’ and DO something about it?
If YOU think that I have broken the law – YOU initiate proceedings and take me to court.
Go on!
PUT UP OR SHUT UP.
(yawn……… )
Penny Bright
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 1:36 pm
Collecting signatures now for another Occupy Auckland endorsed petition which:
“Respectfully requests:
That the House urgently legislate to adopt an enforceable Code of Conduct for the New Zealand Judiciary based upon the ‘Bangalore Principles for Judicial Conduct’ which are intended to establish standards for the ethical conduct of judges, and include the following underpinning judicial values and principles: independence; impartiality; integrity; propriety; equality; competency and diligence.”
Time for NZ Judges to be held accountable and have the LAW applied to them?
Or should NZ Judges be allowed to continue to exercise ‘discretion’ and make decisions which are NOT based upon the ‘RULE OF LAW’?
Check out Vince Siemer’s website (in my considered opinion) NZ’s leading ‘whistle-blower’ against NZ judicial conflicts of interest, and corruption: http://www.kiwifirst.co.nz
Penny Bright
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Since education and charter schools are in the news lately, I thought some of you may be interested in this. It’s a free ebook (119 pages) by Seth Godin called “Stop Stealing Dreams (What is school for?) written about education. It can be downloaded in different formats to suit you. Enjoy!
http://www.squidoo.com/stop-stealing-dreams
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
Penny.
Get a life.
Public land and should not be allowed to be overun and trashed by braindead stoned hippies and Marxist idiots.
Public spaces are for ALL, not just a few morons who have serious problems with personal hygiene.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 1:42 pm
rouppe: that is actually not a bad idea…sadly the only amendment to the 3S law which is likely is the repeal of it by a Lab-Maori-Green-Mana government….given the calibre of his voter base Peters would probably support its repeal as well, and sell it to the members of Grey Power as a good idea…The only hope is that we somehow get another centre right government which leaves it alone until – by reason of the mongrels it has locked up on third strike – it becomes impossible to repeal.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
David Garrett said: “The one bright spot – which is perhaps not very good wording in such appalling circumstances – is that he has now been convicted of a “strike” offence. He is thus on the road to being locked up for a very long time when, as is almost inevitable, he commits more violent offences when he gets out. He almost certainly has a string of them to his name already. If the 3S law had been in five or ten years ago this might be his third strike rather than his first.”
You are mistaken. The article notes:
Injuring by unlawful act (Crimes Act 1961, s 190) is not a strike offence. Nor, for that matter, is injuring with reckless disregard, which is the step above. No strike offence carries a maximum penalty of less than 7 years’ imprisonment. This charge is 3 years’ max, and injuring with reckless disregard is 5 years.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 1:44 pm
How come ‘three strikes and out’ doesn’t apply to ‘WHITE COLLAR’ criminals?
How come the ‘pin stripe mafia’ are excluded?
Why is that David Garrett?
Hey!
While you’re there, David Garrett – do YOU believe in ACT’s ‘ONE LAW FOR ALL’?
Do YOU believe that John Banks and Don Brash should be charged for signing Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses that contained untrue statements?
YES or NO?
(FYI – the former former Leader of the ACT Party – Rodney Hide agrees that they should be charged, and said so on Radio Live).
What do YOU say David Garrett?
Or are YOUR ACT Party ‘principles’ conveniently ‘flexible’?
That’s presuming that you are still a member of the ACT Party?
ARE YOU?
Penny Bright
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 2:14 pm
David – why are you so certain he will commit more violent offences?
some gay guy who likes to hit on straight males and is worse when hes drunk propositions the wrong dude. he gets a whack.
unfortunately that punch lead to brain damage. just another reason i try not to go around hitting people!
im sure most guys here have punched someone at some stage. doesnt make us all violent criminals.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Graeme: Thanks for that…I have just smacked myself on the hand for being too lazy to check the list…time fades one’s memory, and I have had a few other things on lately…
Dime: two good points well made…but there are a couple of other reasons I strongly suspect this guy has a record of violent offences and will commit more of them…but I’m afraid I must keep them to myself….got enough battles on my hands at the moment…
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
David: to be fair, it was on your list, but the less said about that list the better
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 2:29 pm
DG – fair enough. I wouldnt be surprised if the guy is a total POS!
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 2:40 pm
Alphakiwi @1:38 – Thanks for that link. I’ve had a skim, and will go back to read in detail. Seth Godin is an outstanding thinker.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 2:42 pm
Penny
NO ONE BELIEVES IN “ONE LAW FOR ALL”
Least of all THE CURRENT LEADER OF ACT
Trying to trap ACT members into admitting hypocrisy is a fucking waste of time when hypocrisy, in a world of change, is about the only thing not changing.
You had an opportunity to pounce in there on the tail of ‘Sir’ Douglas Graham being convicted but you have missed that for some inexplicable reason.
“Hey, kiwibloggers, have you seen this?” then regurgitating yet another version of your boring hobbyhorse is no longer cutting it – if it ever did
Do YOU believe that John Banks and Don Brash should be charged for signing Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses that contained untrue statements?
Do you think that any of the opposition parties, especially Winston [BNZ wine-box] Peters, have not considered all aspects of carrying through with your accusations to their own advantage?
They can’t
and you won’t
Penny, you now need some new material.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 2:43 pm
I’m sorry, Penny, but I fail to see where anything I have said is wrong.
Nowhere did I accuse you of being ‘sneaky’.
I have merely pointed out the facts.
You have advocated STEALING power from the Auckland City Council.
You have advocated STEALING water which she has not paid for, and has demonstrated to others how to do it.
And yes – I agree with you on one point – these facts are a matter of public record.
So Penny, how am I wrong in what I have said?
Do you really support ‘ONE LAW FOR ALL’, Penny?
ONE LAW FOR ALL – EVEN YOU, PENNY BRIGHT!
Oh yes … have a LOVELY day!
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 2:44 pm
@ krazykiwi
No worries.
Yeah, he’s extremely intelligent and interesting.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 2:46 pm
Why on earth does anyone engage with the mad water woman??
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 2:53 pm
Because it’s fun!
Yeah, yeah, I know – DNFTT.
There is also a slightly more serious reason. I find it hypocritical of her to the extreme to point out others’ real or imagined failings, and pursue them with such fervour (maybe she secretly has a crush on John Banks … hmmm …), yet loudly hold herself up as a “public watchdog” and make herself out to be somehow morally superior to them.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
David Garrett ‘got enough battles on my hands at the moment…’,
You mean breaking the law yourself? Must be kinda hard being so tough on crime. I wouldn’t be surprise if you are one of those people that breaks the law all the time and only gets caught now and again. STOP BREAKING THE LAW SCUMBAG!
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 3:07 pm
http://nz.finance.yahoo.com/news/government-terrible-position-over-crafar-045719339.html;_ylt=AnkHV9vLXA12A2_PTfj26c1SK5NG;_ylu=X3oDMTRrb2I3ZmgyBG1pdANTZWN0a
U Turn ahead?
The sale is in trouble on all sides at the moment, not least because one of the prospective parties has claimed the land had been seized and they now have the money to buy it back, they’re pressing a head with that to Court I believe.
I admit missing the boat on this big time, although I had no idea of the pleading in the JR apart from the small detail in the papers, I thought Fay and his group didn’t have a dog’s show. I always admire a good strategist despite my personal opinion of them.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Penny –
Check out Vince Siemer’s website (in my considered opinion) NZ’s leading ‘whistle-blower’ against NZ judicial conflicts of interest, and corruption: http://www.kiwifirst.co.nz
Since Penny’s link, like many of her utterances, fails to go anywhere, those wishing to inflict more punishment upon themselves than they probably deserve, could look at –
Vote:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_Siemer
Idolising Siemer as “NZ’s leading ‘whistle-blower’ ” could explain some of Penny’s problem
February 28th, 2012 at 3:14 pm
jonnobanks – that line of over the top attack gets very boring.
David Garrett tends to add a lot more interest to discussions here than you do, and his various experiences are a part of that. Why don’t you try addressing points of discussion rather than pointlessly abusing?
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 3:19 pm
I must be a masochist, Yvette … I had a very quick look at the Wikipedia entry.
Funnily, the only bit that really grabbed my attention was this: “Siemer appeared at a New Zealand Court of Appeal hearing dressed up as Alice in Wonderland.”
Ri-i-i-ght …
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 3:19 pm
If the maximum is three years why didn’t he get that? What does one have to do in order to get three years? He put a man in a coma and caused long term brain damage.
There is a problem with our justice system and that is that we don’t take violence seriously enough. Someone trafficks a drug and they get something on the order of 10 years. 10 years for doing nothing more than transporting a drug.
Even if you’re one of these simpletons that thinks locking up drug traffickers actually achieves something, who should we be more afraid of? Who do we not want to meet at 5am in the morning on K Rd? A non-violent drug trafficker or a man who violently attacked another man and put him in a coma? To think that this animal will be out in a year walking a street that I frequent makes me sick.
For all the talk of “tough on crime” in conjunction with three strikes it really hasn’t addressed the fundamental problem and that is the way we look at violent offenses. Injuring should have a maximum of 15-20 in my view and this animal should have been locked up for at least 10. Similarly murder without extenuating circumstances or exuse should start at the presumption of life without parole. There should be no 2nd and third chances for violent thugs.
And sorry Dime, but statements like “im sure most guys here have punched someone at some stage. doesnt make us all violent criminals.” is exactly the problem we have. Punching people is not normal, and this sort of statement legitimizes violence as an expression of anger. People need to control themselves and if they cannot then they need to be locked up. We too often try to ascribe normalcy to violent behaviour and emphasize the resulting injuries as unintended consequences. But violence is not normal, it is abhorrent precisely because this is what can happen and if animals like Sitaleki is too fucking stupid to know that punching people can result in serious injury then too bad, off to jail for a very long time he should go. The public shouldn’t be put in harms way because of the stupidity of people who think that attacking other people is an understandable because they were propositioned for sex.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 3:28 pm
Pete George – Because he still hasn’t owned the fact that he is still a law breaker, and when he dismissed this the other day, it is very hypocritical of him to act like he is so against breaking the law. Once he acknowledges the fact that he is also a law breaking scum bag (still to this day), I will stop calling him a law breaker, I hate hypocritical politicians, worse than left wing ones. OK.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
jonnobanks,
From stuff,
Disgraced former ACT MP David Garrett says he is “deeply ashamed” of driving drunk.
Garrett yesterday pleaded guilty to one charge of driving with excess blood alcohol, and was disqualified from driving for six months from February 20, and fined $550 plus court costs.
Clearly he has owned the fact.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 3:37 pm
Weihana: Amusing to be on the same side as you for a change..You seem not to have noticed my post which points out this guy will only in fact serve six months, not a year, because of the Sentencing Act 2002.
Johno: (you really should do as I have done, and give up the sauce Simon) I will respond to you just his once. To plead guilty is to acknowledge that one has broken the law. I plead guilty to the charge arising from the passport affair of 28 years ago because I was guilty. I plead guilty to the drink driving charge as couple of weeks ago because I was guilty of it.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
‘deeply ashamed’ hey, what of driving drunk or getting caught?
The drunk driving scum who killed a high school mate of mine was also ‘deeply ashamed’. Maybe they should not keep breaking the law if they are so ‘ashamed’. My money is on David being in the news sometime in the future for breaking the law again for something.
No forgiveness here mate. Owning it means, stopping breaking the law, not just pleading guilty.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/6493284/Jail-for-77k-of-P-stuck-on-motorcycle
A man found with $77,000 worth of methamphetamine strapped to his motorcycle has been sentenced to almost three and a half years in jail.
Non-violent offense, three and a half years in jail.
Put man in coma causing long term brain damage, one year in jail.
Backward priorities in this country.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 3:40 pm
DG,
six months… just brilliant.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 3:49 pm
alex Masterly 8:37. Like the one on my uncles old farm.
cheers
David Prosser
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 3:55 pm
jonno – hes not a politician anymore.
we all know Davids history. Hes paid a high price. for the love of god move on.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 4:01 pm
I know he is no longer a politician. He was one of the reasons why the ACT Party is now fucked. That is the greatest tragedy of all… and another reason why I think of him a scumbag.
OK, I will stop giving David shit for being a hypocrite, but if and when he is back in the news for breaking the law….
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
jonnobanks,
Jeez, you are really revealing yourself to be a piece of work mate.
You must be close to perfect, in your own mind.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 4:05 pm
johnobanks 3:03 pm. Name one thing you’ve done to fix a political, or social problem in New-Zealand over the last ten years.
David Garret has actually done the hard yards, and acheived something.
cheers
David Prosser
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 4:06 pm
Peter George 3:14 pm. I agree with you. PS I wouldn’t mind being in Dunedin right now. That’ll have to wait though.
cheers
David Prosser
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 4:09 pm
Regarding the guy who got six months for causing brain damage, a number of you appear to have jumped the gun. The herald gives a more accurate report, including spelling the perp’s name right.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10788572&ref=rss
>>”Sitaleki Langi Koloamatangi, 21, earlier pleaded guilty to punching Trevor Kaukau, causing him to fall backwards and bang his head on a Karangahape Rd pavement.”
>>”Defence counsel Jo Scott asked the judge to take into account Koloamatangi’s youth, his early guilty plea, his low risk of re-offending, his lack of relevant previous convictions, and his completion of an alcohol and drug treatment programme.”
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 4:20 pm
jonobanks, I’d say, based on the puerile crap you post on Kiwiblog, your highschool mate is the lucky one, not having to witness what a areshole you have become in his(?) name.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 4:25 pm
tinny – lmao.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 4:31 pm
Scott Chris,
Regarding the guy who got six months for causing brain damage, a number of you appear to have jumped the gun. The herald gives a more accurate report, including spelling the perp’s name right.
>>”Sitaleki Langi Koloamatangi, 21, earlier pleaded guilty to punching Trevor Kaukau, causing him to fall backwards and bang his head on a Karangahape Rd pavement.”
Trevor Kaukau does not appear a small man so it would seem to me that considerable force would have been necessary to knock him off his feet. It’s a pretty weak excuse in my books to say “the pavement did it”. He only fell on the pavement because he was incapacitated by Sitaleki.
People have to learn that hitting is not okay. Lets just imagine that things turned out different. Lets imagine that Sitaleki punched him in the head and he didn’t hit the pavement he just woke the next morning with a black eye. That to me should still deserve jail time. Not a fine, not community service.. jail time. People need to learn that other people’s bodies are not punching bags with which to vent frustration.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 4:42 pm
Scott and Weihana,
This will not make me many friends either but the fundamental truth exposed by this matter is
that piss and coconuts do not mix well.
i see that he hasn’t had many ‘Relevant” offences Scott.
One thing that you can take to the bank is that piss was a factor in his previous offences.
‘Tis a terrible thing, the drink.’
Also,
Vote:be interesting to see if jonnobanks comes back for more medicine.
February 28th, 2012 at 4:43 pm
Ms Scott said Koloamatangi had responded badly to being sexually propositioned, “like many young males would”.
This annoys me. It is just what I was saying before, we try to normalize violence and particularly when someone has been sexually propositioned. The implication is that the context of the violence changes something and makes Koloamatangi more understandable. It doesn’t change it for me and there’s no reason to consider that other young males might also be violent pricks. Perhaps it’s time we stop just accepting that young males will be violent and hold them to higher standards of expectation.
The other problem of course is prejudice and intolerance towards homosexuals. Suffice to say if it was a woman asking Koloamatangi for sex he wouldn’t have objected. Even if she was a fat pig at most he would have said “no thanks”. But unfortunately our culture seeks to justify the anger of people like Koloamatangi and it is on that basis that people like him think it’s okay to get violent because another man propositioned you.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
Weihana
You may never have taken a swing at anyone, but I certainly took a swing or two in my youth and been swung at a few times too. (can’t think why
) Mostly handbags at ten paces, but could easily have ended in tragedy had one of us landed a lucky punch and knocked the other senseless causing him to fall back as a dead weight.
Fact is, Kaukau was plain unlucky. For every 100 punches thrown, very few land square enough to cause instant concussion.
I don’t think Justice has anything to do with luck.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
John boy Key seems to be a PM in need of a backbone at least a backbone New Zealand could admire. The USA wants Kim.com back inside, does NZ say piss of we are NZ and we have our justice system, but our gutless money market dealer who worked for the firm that caused the financial crash says nothing. The happy smarly pm holidays in his homeland Hawaii not NZ is KEY a overseas paid TOADY, a lapdog of the USA and CHINA, where his wealth(keys)comes from.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 5:02 pm
“This annoys me.”
Judging by the guy’s name he is Tongan, and apparently Tongans have a particularly violent mana restoration code. Not saying it’s an excuse, it’s just the way things are.
Mainstream homophobic attitudes don’t help either.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 5:06 pm
Scott Chris,
No I haven’t and I don’t consider it any more acceptable than indecent assault. Why is it that the vast majority of men are quite capable of controlling themselves around women, and certainly we all look severely upon any man that would indecently assault a lady, but being loose with our fists is almost seen as a right of passage?
And I agree with you, justice isn’t about luck. But this isn’t a case of being unlucky. If he intended to cause brain damage I would judge him even more severely, but I judge him on the fact that he violently attacked another human being, a person who had done no more than proposition him for sex.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 5:07 pm
MT-Tinman
Vote:It is very , very difficult , almost impossible for an Asian to get work in CHCH..They may have a lot of experience , NZ quals and speak half a dozen languages but they cannot get work. It is a mighty whitey town and as I said , only poms are welcome in the workforce.
February 28th, 2012 at 5:08 pm
Scott Chris,
Not saying it’s an excuse, it’s just the way things are.
Indeed, but we can at least make an attempt to fight it by instituting appropriate criminal penalties for this type of unacceptable behaviour.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 5:20 pm
MT_Tinman … you’re a prick. Why don’t you take a minute and think about what you just said.
So he is lucky that a drunk driver killed him? And you say this because I called David a hypocrite? Nice one!
I make no apologies that I don’t like drink drivers, even if they feel remorseful afterwards. Plenty of killer scum in jail that feel remorseful after they go through the court systems, how about thinking before they commit the crime. And for this, I get called an ‘areshole’ (sic)
But yes, I do think David did a amazing job getting the 3 strikes law in place.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Joana, again you’re telling lies.
More often than not employers will employ an “Asian” ahead of a tired, waste of time, lazy, good for SFA dole-bludger.
Incidentally, if you once again call the Irish “Poms” I’ll tell on you.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 5:29 pm
Jonobanks, no, I’m calling him(?) lucky because you are using his(?) death as an excuse for being an out and out F$#@wit.
Vote:He’s lucky not to witness your disgrace.
February 28th, 2012 at 5:34 pm
there goes jonnobanks back for more, calling others pricks etc.
Guess what jonno, you get called an arsehole because you are an arsehole.
You have demonstrated that fact to all concerned.
An arsehole. (need i colour it in for you ?)
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Bereal and MT_Tinman, et al, well it certainly takes one to know one, and I am glad you have proved this today.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 5:48 pm
joana 5.07
of course you are correct.
ChCh is also the Skinhead capital of New Zealand.
And the heroin/homebake capital.
Certain things are self evident. why people refuse to acknowledge them is a mystery.
Poms and Dutch are way over represented in Air New Zealand. (cheap travel home maybe)
South Africans the same in the insurance industry.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 6:03 pm
what a weak POS jonnobanks turns out to be.
Now @ 5.20 he is sucking up to D Garrett. (did an amazing job…)
Not only are you an arsehole jonno, you are a pathetic weak crawling arsehole.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 6:11 pm
What a POS you are bereal, you scared little fuckwit. Just because I said he did an amazing job with the 3 strikes doesn’t not change anything and just not mean I am sucking up. Good one.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 6:21 pm
youre a fag jonobanks. Go wallow at the strandard with the rest of the pond scum.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Fag? Nice one labours a joke, o boo hoo, sounds like you need to go back to 4th form with that call.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 7:12 pm
So I’ve been away a while… and on coming back have a questions for any of the regulars
1. Are ad hominems generally more acceptable these days? mean no disrespect to our kindly host… just sayin’
2. where has ‘the world is screwed due to CAGW, oh and all muslims are saints’ Luc Hansen gone?
3. Do Christians still get beaten up here? Hope so. I enjoy a good beating
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 7:24 pm
KiwiGreg (2,281) Says:
February 28th, 2012 at 10:53 am
Viking2 you need to understand the vast majority of jobs in a developed economy are service jobs and not manufacturing. The is no inherent virtue in working on a production line versus serving coffee at starbucks.
On what basis do you say that. People often enjoy working in that situation. Spent plenty of time doing that myself.
Vote:Actually they should have the choice to do so.
Why should they all pour lousy coffee for adicts with piss poor taste just because you and others think our work should be given to someone else because you and others don’t have the capability to do that type of work. Loved working on production lines, especially the type I worked on.
Fuck off and become a coffee monkey if you want. But leave the rest of us to do what we want.
February 28th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
david (2,045) Says:
February 28th, 2012 at 10:57 am
Viking2 your starting point (that the Gummint needs to be the party “creating jobs”) is the great fallacy that leads on to some of your other gripes.
Governments rarely create jobs, they frequently disguise unemployment and unproductive exercises. In the process they make people like Bob Jones extremely happy and give local body politicians a false sense of living in a vibrant, exciting and growing economic environment whereas quite the opposite is true. The money-go round spiral is downwards and ever-decreasing and it is done at a cost to the taxpayer at large. Meanwhile the productive sector (remember them?) get starved of capital needed to support expansion and real job growth.
The best a Government can hope to do in the long term is to create an environment that is conducive to the growth of productive businesses for it is they (and the wages thay pay) that will pay the taxes to provide the safety net that most of us support for those who REALLY need it to survive with dignity.
First question. Where did I say the Govt should create jobs?
No, its the Govt.’s job to create the conditions that will allow businesses to start, grow , employ.
They don’t and remain entrenched against business. They continue to lump business with costs that are not faced in other countries, the continue to deny business the right to negotiate their own wages and conditions with younger workers, they allow local Got. to fleece the crap out of business. They continue to rob business of its capital.
In short they are business unfriendly.
Landlording is a business and a large one at that. In their infinite wisdome they decided to steal the depreciation from a landlord. Watch what happens in the next year or two. We will never have an abundance of accomodation anymore. Yes there were some exccesses but they were better dealt with than doing what they did.
Govt. (local and Natonal), is businesses biggest competitor.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 7:38 pm
grumpyoldhori (2,124) Says:
February 28th, 2012 at 10:34 am
Fucking great, the accommodation supplement will be dumped, that will have a number of bludging landlords weeping.
Not at all. Just shows how unintelligent you really are.
But there will be lots of families sleeping under hedges.
and Guess what. The moment that starts to make press or TV Key and co will be running around like hens with no heads attempting to stop the conflagation that will arise.
Fucking Good. the sooner the better.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 7:39 pm
After finding the thought somewhat unpleasant, I then realised why shouldn’t Stephen Hawkin enjoy sex too!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2106025/Stephen-Hawking-visits-California-swingers-sex-club.html?ITO=1490
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 7:40 pm
krazykiwi
1) Ad homs come……Ad homs go. Over all little has changed except we’ve lost some of the screwiest commentators & gained others.
2) Luc has installed a dungeon in his garage over the summer holidays & spends most of his time kissing the whip of SWMBO. Probably that was all that was missing from his life.
3) Open season on religious nutters has been delayed for a couple of weeks. I’ll let you know when to start praying.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 7:49 pm
Department of Homeland Security
Vote:Secretary Janet Napolitano today unveiled the Department of Homeland Security’s fiscal year 2013 budget request of ### $39.5 billion ### in net discretionary funding.
Those towel heads have made their biggest gain in turning the USA into a police state.
February 28th, 2012 at 7:52 pm
Anyone who used to watch the Smurfs will find this 17 second bit funny:
Vote:
February 28th, 2012 at 7:52 pm
bereal (1,417) Says:
February 28th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
jonnobanks,
Jeez, you are really revealing yourself to be a piece of work mate.
You must be close to perfect, in your own mind.
Oh dear, Oh dear.
bereal. turn round and look in the mirror.
does that mean you will no longer be nasty to PEB and myself. Not again, not anymore?
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:00 pm
An uplifting Story -
There was a man who lost one of his arms in an accident. He became very
Vote:depressed because he loved to play Golf .
One day in his despair, he decided to commit suicide.
He got on an elevator and went the top of a building to jump off.
He was standing on the ledge looking down and saw this man skipping along,
whooping and kicking up his heels.
He looked closer and saw that this man didn’t have any arms at all.
He hurried down and caught up with the man with no arms.
He told him how glad he was to see him because he lost one of his arms
and felt useless and was going to kill himself.
He thanked him again for saving his life and said he knew he could make
it with one arm if that guy could go on with no arms.
The man with no arms began dancing and whooping and kicking up his heels
again.
He asked, ‘Why are you so happy anyway?’
He said, “I’m NOT happy, my balls itch.”
February 28th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
Family Guy does Burt and Ernie (20 seconds):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBKYX8ayZSI&feature=related
Family Guy does a racist Kermit the Frog (6 seconds):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=wR-MrJwqcFc
Hilarious.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Blind Trip
A coach driver is transporting a group of blind kids back from a school trip. It’s a hot summer’s day and he decides to stop for a break at a country pub. As the blind kids get out the coach he notices them carrying a football. “How are you gonna play football? You’re blind”, he enquires. “Oh we’ve got a special football with a bell in it”, says one of the kids, “Go and have a drink, we’ll be fine!”
Slighty amused, the driver goes into the pub, gets a drink,and sits down to read the paper. Some time passes and a police officer enters.
“Who’s in charge of those blind kids outside?” asks the officer.
“I am officer, is there a problem?”
“A problem!? They’ve just kicked a morris dancer to death”
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:16 pm
A man was driving through Wyoming one spring evening. The road was deserted and he had not seen a soul for what seemed like hours. Suddenly his engine started to cough and sputter and then died, leaving him sitting by the road in total silence. He popped the hood and looked to see if there was anything that he could do to get it going again.
Unfortunately, he had a limited knowledge of cars, so all he could do was look at the engine, in total disgust. As he looked at the engine by the gradually fading light of his flashlight, he cursed that he had not put in new batteries.
Suddenly, through the shadows, came a deep voice “It’s your fuel pump”. The man jumped when he heard the voice, causing him to hit his head on the underside of the hood. “Who said that?” he demanded. As he looked out into the moon lit night, he saw two horses standing in the field alongside the road. The man was amazed when the nearest of the two horses repeated “It’s your fuel pump; tap it with your flashlight, and try it again”.
Still dazed from bumping his head, the man tapped the fuel pump with his flashlight, and then got into the car, turned the key and sure enough, the engine roared to life. He muttered a short thanks to the horse and then sped away in his car.
When he reached the next town, he ran into the local bar. “Large whiskey, please!” he said. A rancher sitting at the bar looked at the man’s ashen face and asked “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” “It’s unbelievable” the man said, as he started telling the rancher what had just happened to him down the road. The rancher took a sip of his beer, as he looked thoughtfully at the man. “A horse, you say? Was it by any chance a white horse?” The man replied “Yes it was! Do you think I’m crazy?” “No, you aint crazy. In fact, you’re lucky,” said the rancher. “Because I happen to know the black horse down there don’t know diddly about cars!”
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:25 pm
The teacher in Johnny’s school asked the class what their parents did
for a living. One little girl said her father was a doctor, another
said her mother was an engineer. When it was Little Johnny’s turn, he
stood up and said, “My mum’s a hooker.”
Naturally, after that remark, he got sent off to the principal’s office.
Then, 15 minutes later, he returned. So the teacher asked
“Did you tell the principal what you said in class?”
Johnny said, “Yes”
“Well, what did the principal say?”
“He said that every job is important in our economy,
Vote:gave me an apple and asked for my phone number.”
February 28th, 2012 at 8:42 pm
Who else has noticed that the warmists have lost the dangerous man-made global warming scientific debate to the sceptics? Now we just need the news media, the politicians and the civil servants to catch up – probably in that order. Of course very few of the left/greens/watermelons will ever admit that they were wrong. Has the Herald ever admitted that it was wrong? Check out the world’s best science blog at http://www.wattsupwiththat.com
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 8:59 pm
Reminder
Just a reminder that tomorrow is “Hug a Retard” day. So don’t freak out like you did last year. . . . . nobody is trying to hurt you!
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 9:03 pm
Thanks Griff….I’d forgotten.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 9:52 pm
New Wikileaks project: Stratfor. 5 million emails.
http://pastebin.com/D7sR4zhT
What will Leighton Smith say?
Crikey.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:10 pm
Who else has noticed that the warmists have lost the dangerous man-made global warming scientific debate to the sceptics?
Billjack it’s an interesting question. Is it for example the case that just cos the science is clearly bollocks and the alarmists clearly mental, this doesn’t mean the media message is going to change anytime soon?
Is it the case there’s too much invested in the project? That the truth doesn’t matter, it never did. Ever?
Is it the case the original Tavistock designers back in the 70′s did everything right just like they did with feminism, except they didn’t take the interweb into account? No-one, not even DARPA who invented it, knew what it would become over these last few decades. They hate it. But they can’t control this version of it, hence the probability they’ll cause something like a nuclear power station meltdown, blame it on the interweb, take it down and replace it with Internet2, which they can control?
OTOH, has the whole AGW all along been just a straw man? A disposable distraction, designed to obscure the political moves which have been made over the last several decades and then just fade away in the 2010-2020 decade, along with peak oil and the other meme bollocks setup for the sheep?
OTOH, is it just a bunch of stuff that just randomly happened, and somehow, all the western MSM got into the same groove all at the same time and in lockstep since the mid-1990′s just coincidentally all determined it must be twue in evewy way – it’s the pwanet, people and somehow all the universities and research institutes all over the world just somehow all in similar lockstep randomly determined they’d only be funding that research which fit the meme?
Who knows. Golly. One things for sure, the UN is certainly innocent, aren’t they. After all, they’re the ultimate democwacy for the whole world, aren’t they. How could they possibli be involved in the scam, in any way at all?
??
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 10:55 pm
Billjack @8:42. Where have all those alarmist CAGW true-believers gone? Could it be that their ‘science’ has been shown to be a public complacency fueled ponzi scheme… and the the new believers have stopped showing up? Well done Anthony Watts, Jo Nova, Steve Macintyre and many, many others who have kept the spotlight on the greatest scam to afflict humanity.
For those still unsure, the Skeptic Case is an excellent summary of the positions, both scientific and political.
Vote:February 28th, 2012 at 11:50 pm
No KK the got fed up with pointless link wars.
You of course know about. ‘dissuading teachers from teaching science’ Heartland and Smog blog
We had tonnes of fun over that.
I see someones pushing wuwt again
Vote:Never trust a scientist or a university always go to the blog site run out of a domestic house for your scientific knowledge
Any site with govt or edu are just in on the deception. TUI of the year
ALT SCIENCE at its best they tell me they even had a mention in the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) project
Pointing out that their continuous bleating that the records are are a lie is demonstrably false.
February 29th, 2012 at 7:26 am
Do the beasts deserve it? http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/28/guantanamo-detainees-get-new-750g-soccer-field/
Vote: