Well said Paula

No, I haven't gone soft, but the top of Sainsbury's meme tonight had an article with Madam Welfare who had been cornered by some parents whose kids were buggering off from home onto a benefit.

She actually gave a good account of the problem, what action has been taken and apologised. Yes, apologised on prime time telly. Sincerely, I thought. Not like the under duress apologies delivered by a certain ex-Labour minister.

So, all kudos to Paula Bennett tonight. It is a sage lesson in fronting the issue, without fear or favour, which all politicians could do well to learn. Instead of sitting in the headlights grimacing at every question and lying as is the norm. I could happily vote for a politician like her.

As I said dear readers, I have not gone soft. Normal transmissions of shouting into the void will resume forthwith.

Dreams of 'milk and honey'

Maori needed to realise they were not tangata whenua in Australia and therefore not entitled to most of the services there

I wonder how long before the entitled manage an accommodation to have welfare paid directly in $AUD?

Our people must do the proper checks with the Australian authorities before making the decision to move over

And nothing like being up front about being there for "our people".

I'd say within the year, the separatists enabler, John Boy Key will have caved in another sordid backroom deal without a mandate as he looks to broker continued power at any price with Hone Hatfields's bosses.

Cutting the cake...

$690 million dollars of Karma Cake.

Tosser going for traction

As normal, be seen to be doing something. Anything.

As the bottom falls out of his world, a tosser tries to retain a firm grip.

See all the slippery detail here.

And???

celebrating red-neckism, gun rights, locking away crims and putting the boot into Maori whenever they get too uppity

Indeed, something we could do with a lot more of...

Community notice for the confussed...

Backward or forward?

Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving commences on the last Sunday in September, when 2.00am becomes 3.00am, and ends on the first Sunday in April the following year, when 3.00am becomes 2.00am.

• Daylight Saving begins again on Sunday 26 September 2010 (when clocks go forward one hour)
• It ends on Sunday 3 April 2011 (when clocks go back one hour)

Tonight is the night.

The fix is in

Initial inquiries into the Stadium Southland collapse show it was built when roof weight-bearing requirements were lower than they are now, Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says.

Gee, that was quick. It is only Tuesday and the fix is already in. John Boy's fix-it man on the spot has had a squiz and got the low down from those in the know.

The snowfall was a "spectacularly unusual" weather event

Not so say the local weather people. A normal event to be expected.

some calculations had been done using information from Niwa about how much snow was likely to have been on the roof and found the weight would have been between 0.380kPa and 0.470kPa

At the time the stadium was built in 2000, the building code for buildings of the stadium's nature sitting at sea-level was 0.323 kilopascals and that it was in fact designed to withstand 0.400kPa

Mr Williamson said in 2006 a severe snow storm which damaged roofs in Canterbury had led to weight bearing requirements in the Building Code to be lifted to 0.630kPa for structures of Stadium Southland's stature.

So knowing that, why wasn't immediate strengthening work done on Southland's stadium? As they are required to do so in the guidelines as below.

Existing installations
Design engineers who are aware of eccentric cleat connections which may be deficient because they have been designed using flawed methods or assumptions and are a critical part of the structural system carrying gravity loading with no redundancy, should as soon as possible advise the building owner accordingly and recommend the connections be assessed for structural integrity.

Some involved these processes have failed in their duty of care, IMNSHO. I wonder if that line of questioning will be taken, Mr Fix-it?

I'm from the Council and only here to help...

Speaking of Mayor Bob, the eco-dinosaur, here is his local government election message. Some candidates would do well to take note, as he takes a parting swipe at the offerings.

It's election season again. The faces of candidates are grinning out of signs on roadsides and street corners around the city. I'm an old hand with a hammer. In the many hours I've spent battering in those hoardings in the last 18 years, I've always made an effort to take note of the signs put up by my fellow hopefuls. They've given me a good idea of whether there's going to be a good crop of people leading the city.

This year's Council candidates look good. There seems to be a mix of contenders with experience, energy and creativity. Many of them are new to local government. Others are respected, hard working veterans with a vision for the future of Auckland. They have a good chance of navigating the political minefield that is likely to be the first term of the Auckland Council.

It's a different story when it comes to those standing for local board. Our great new community representatives are looking like the same tired, recycled faces that have for so long acted as a roadblock to any hint of change. They're easy to spot. Most were unable to muster a smile, even a decade ago when their election photo was shot. Their slogans are short and angry. And they are mainly known for stopping things happening rather than making them happen. These candidates are potential kryptonite to democracy and vision in the new Council.

What these local boards need is vitality and enthusiasm. That's why I've come up with my own list of signs you shouldn't be standing for a local board. There's going to be exceptions, but here are some rules of thumb:

1. You're over 70. If there's one thing we need more than people that are excited about the future of Auckland, it's people who are going to live to see it.
2. You find yourself pining for the good old days. Auckland's future is going to be radically different from the past whether we like it or not. Being involved in the new council means committing to making it work, not bringing it down.
3. You just want to oppose things. One of the great problems of politics is that you can fill a rugby field with people wanting to oppose an idea, but only a phone booth with those wanting to cheer something on. Let's vote for people who are about we can do for this city, rather than what we can't.
4. You're a technophobe. If you can't use email, text or even master a hands free car phone, don't think about standing for what will be a very modern and community focussed role.
5. You can't work with what you've got. Hide, Key, Twyford and Banks/Brown are names you'd better get used to, because they sure aren't going away soon.
6. You're an aging Che Guevara. You're not going to be leading a revolt against the Auckland Council. No-ones going to follow you on your march to Wellington to complain about decisions.

So there's your checklist. If any or all of the above applies to you, it's probably a better idea to be booking a spot for recreational fishing in Kaitaia than standing for office. That will only cause stress and increase your heart attack risk. Don't blame me if your life turns to custard. After all, I'm from the Council and only here to help.

That's the bad news. The truth is if I had come up with a list of reasons why you should stand for local government, they would fill the rest of this report. That's why I remain optimistic for the future. I still believe we will get people with good ideas and the ability to make them a reality. But the naysaying, small mindedness and patch protection needs to go. This new Auckland Council will be bigger than that. It's going to be about the next 100 years of this city, not the last 20. Our local representatives should be as well.

I for one will glad to see the backside of said Mayor having had to endure his small minded, patch protecting offerings ever since he was elected. As well as the never ending increases in rates and reductions in services.

Plastic hingeing and other things

But in a letter to Mr Shadbolt, structural engineering expert John Scarry, of Auckland, said a modern design should not need structural strengthening at all.

In 2002, Mr Scarry wrote an "open letter" in which he exposed "the parlous state of the structural engineering profession and the construction industry in New Zealand".

He told Mr Shadbolt several major stadia had been on the verge of collapse during or immediately after construction, under no snow loading at all.

"These include the Waitakere Trusts Stadium, which was overstressed 900 per cent at its main support points, and the Vector Arena which had, I believe, three major defects, two of which almost caused total collapse."

Mr Scarry claims one of the major defects related to eccentric steel cleat connections which, until recently and almost universally, had been under-designed in New Zealand, causing several to fail as a result.

To a layman like me, with an engineering bent, seems like an awful lot of the "Don'ts" associated with eccentric steel cleat connections may have been ticked when under normal load. A light snow loading was the straw that broke the camel's back. And the council knew about it at least eight years ago.

Now we are watching the council and associated engineers becoming unhinged, like the building did a few days ago.

ps Hasn't Mayor Bob hidden the Waitakere Stadium's failure/overstressing well? I would wager the ratepayers never knew that. Or that it would show on a LIM report!

Failing to deliver - if only

villagers have taken democracy to a new level when they set upon their local MP with stones and sticks for failing to deliver the area basic services

lying and failing his electorate during the three years he had been in Parliament

The people have shown their frustration on the member for continuously lying to them and not even visiting them or providing a single project or development for the area

If only those in our local and central government had such outcomes for their normal world-class standard of failing to deliver.

The truth is surfacing

This is a modern building that's collapsed in under a very small amount of snow, relative to what the building code would indicate is acceptable and it should be able to withstand. So something has seriously gone wrong there and we need to be able to understand that.

Exactly.

during construction, there were problems with the roof when several of the huge steel trusses across the community courts - the area where it collapsed at the weekend - had sagged following installation.

At the time, trust chairman Ray Harper said the movement was slight - less than 10cm in the worst case - and was not unusual in such a large project. He said there were no safety concerns because the problem was not serious and it had been detected early.

"It will be perfect when the job is finished; it has to be to have certification, anyway."

Meanwhile, the running for cover, excuse the pun, continues as the desired level of 'perfection' has been found to be wanting.

The bottom line

No intention to mislead, says Parker

Parker has claimed the council rejected housing schemes on land vulnerable to quakes but developers overturned the decisions in the Environment Court

Cr Chrissie Williams said Parker's claims were "blatant lies", but Parker said he did not intend to mislead anyone

Williams said: "I have asked council to give me a list of these cases and they have said there are none.

"It bewilders me. There are other examples where Bob comes out with these very simple statements and he repeats them so much they become urban myth. They become fact, and that worries me.

"It is almost like

he is saying it to take the responsibility away from council."

The real story behind the quake starts to unfold as the man of the moment loses his lustre and is put on the spot.

Parker told Radio New Zealand at least twice that the Environment Court had overruled council decisions opposing development on certain soils.

"Council has resisted development in some of these areas. It has gone to the Environment Court and the ruling has gone against the advice of council," he said on September 13.

"I am saying we have over the years seen development take place on some soils that council would have preferred not to have seen development take place on," he said on September 10.

Planning documents show the residential rezoning that allowed Pacific Park was not opposed by the council.

In fact, the former Planning Tribunal reduced the area for housing development outlined by the council when environmental groups appealed against the decision.

As with any cornered politician, resorting to form, lying is the bottom line. "Only guilty of repeating ..." sounds just like "only guilty of helping..."

The cover-up starts [update]

Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt will call an emergency meeting of council staff this morning to discuss the Stadium Southland roof collapse.

"My view is that we will have to meet first thing (Monday) because, although it's not a council-owned building – it's owned by a charitable trust – council would still be involved in terms of issuing building permits and things like that."

Mr Shadbolt has questioned whether the stadium had been built strong enough to withstand weather extremes.

"It will take a few days, I would imagine, before the dust settles and we find out what happened and why."

The cover-up begins. By mid-week the fix will be in. You know the one where the council 'engineers' had nothing to do with giving the OK to a 10 year old stadium. BTW, Tim, although things are heating up real fast, you won't see any dust, another normal weather event is on its way in...

Does whitewash work in such a normal weather event?

[update]
Radio Pravada reports further:

Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt says the truss design was controversial from the start and caused friction between the engineers and insurance underwriters.

He says he can recall people saying on numerous occasions that the stadium's roof could collapse in a major snowstorm.

Mr Shadbolt says the council relied on engineers' reports which were peer reviewed when it signed off on the city's stadium, but concedes the council's building codes may have to be looked at.

But Acton Smith, who chairs the charitable trust that owns the stadium, says there were never any shortcuts in its design, nor have insurers ever had any problems with it.

How many councils are checking their codes this morning?

Stadium soundly built, says former trust chairman

One of the key figures in the building of the stadium in Invercargill says there was no fault in its construction.

Ray Harper, former chairman of the Invercargill licensing trust, which spearheaded the building of the stadium, says the incident is an act of God.

"This is freak a circumstance," he says. "Never in my life, in 80 years, have I seen Invercargill with so much snow."

Mr Harper, who's also had 33 years experience as a master builder, says the project used the best engineers and architects, and everybody in Southland was proud of the building.

He says it's a shock, but the venue is insured and will be rebuilt as good as new.

Obviously built soundly enough to stand up to a 'normal' New Zealand weather event.

Invercargill gets a snowfall of this weekend's magnitude every 10 to 15 years, but he would not class it as a freak event.

the city is prone to watery snow because it's close to the coast, unlike inland areas which get lighter snow

Wonder who is ducking for cover?

A building no doubt expertly over-analysed to the nth degree at build and certificated to withstand 100 year plus events by council engineers, with the appropriate extortion paid. But as usual, found to be wanting in the face of normal New Zealand weather.

The owners of Stadium Southland insist they had every confidence in the safety of the building before it collapsed under the weight of snow yesterday.

Investigations are now underway after part of the roof caved in while children played tennis inside.

Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt claims the buildings owner and local authorities were well aware of the danger.

Nice. I would wager that meetings might not be public. Others also have doubts.

All of a sudden I get a few anonymous emails that cryptically involve:

• $1 million
• Insurance companies
• a large well-known building
• and some names I’m not so stupid as to print without checking.

This story might just have more legs than a centipede…

I wonder if that Kiwi architect involved in the 'soundly built' Polish stadium that collapsed a couple of years ago is out of jail yet?

Too easy

As one of the landed gentry that gets up the nose of Idiot/Savant, I received my second set of local election voting papers this arvo.

The one is for the Super City. The Westie option. The number one vote in the country. Nothing else matters.

The Lord Mayor, only one required: There's the corporate minded John Banks and the social engineer Lying Len. Also Whale Oil's nemesis along with a whole heap of nobodies. Easy choice there.

Councillors, two required: 2x CitRats being offered. A couple of Labour offerings under Best for West looking to continue at the trough and some others pushing their weirdly filled wheelbarrows. You know, things like greenwash and public transport. No contest there either.

Local board, eight required: 3x CitRats. Heaps of would-be troughers looking to get into the local government gravy train via the red team's Future West ticket. The balance are independents and females. And this thing from the crypt, that doesn't like rod chip seal, but was the she-beast's party president in a previous incarnation. I've seen better quality mug shots on passports. Not overly difficult to select 8x here.

9 October cannot come fast enough.

Auckland, It's our time! Time to lance the festering red boil from our councils.

"There's still a dead man walking"

Here.

HT Homepaddock

Well Rodney? It is 5 to... {updated}

Come on Rodders, what we really need know is "Will Garrett be gone by lunchtime???"

[Update]

And the answer... at 10 past lunchtime...

Technology, it's so cosy...

Countries around the world should aspire to be as prepared as New Zealand for massive natural disasters like the Christchurch earthquake, former Prime Minister Helen Clark says

Ex-Her indoors drops in for a video chat. Modern technology is sooo cosy. You can despatch her to unknown foreign parts the other side of the world to some crummy job, but the she-beast might as well be sitting next to you on the sofa. A frightening thought! Sorry about that image so early in the day, Dear Readers.

There were no deaths mostly because there were years of a strong building code...

A case of points scoring do as I say and not as I do. That wouldn't be the same 'strong building codes' that resulted in the leaky homes debacle on her watch then?

A quiet weekend coming up...

The pic is the forecast 23 hours ahead from now. You will have by now noticed the effects of the short sharp fronts crossing your area at upward of 40 knots early Friday. The wind chill factor will be severe. In fact the high altitude northwest arch has already formed above me at 40S.

Let me put those all those numbers on the pic (hectopascals) into some context. Take 1000 hPa as the base. Nice fluffy clouds coasting along on a typical sunny day with a 15knot SW breeze. 1030 is the ultimate summer day, cloudless, still air and the birds singing. 30hPa the other way from your base at around 970 is usually a gale-force, spume-riven full on storm. Anything greater then than that is cyclone/hurricane material. (I have been at sea doing SAR at 965, not nice) This upcoming storm is in that territory, being bigger than Oz and having been down around 950hPa. And you will feel it as it crosses below New Zealand. It is over 3000 km in diameter.

I'd say batten the hatches and have nice weekend. Indoors.

Who ya gonna vote for?

Act's hard line law and order spokesman MP David Garrett has told Parliament he created a false identity by applying for a passport in the name of a dead child 26 years ago.

Well, I never! Another body blow for ACT.

When it comes to nails and coffins, Act is in plentiful supply of both. Nor is it short of MPs whose behaviour has unwittingly begun digging its grave.

A well hidden revelation of being handy with fists yesterday, a false identity today. Where will it all end?

Mr Garrett was arrested years later as part of an investigation into bogus passports, conducted by the police in the wake of the discovery Israeli Mossad agents had used the same method to obtain New Zealand passports.

Indeed. And none other of our MP's are Mossad?

To be sure, let's get the spooks to vet them! Oh, that's right, they no longer have open files on MP's. Wonder what that Locke fella might be hiding?

I wonder who those ACT supporters will be voting for at the next election? National? More likely Winston First.

Eco-loons get Brown

If elected, he said, he wanted to use Waitakere's "Eco-city" policy as a model for the entire Super City.

That statement confirms my worst fears. That the head eco-loon, soon to be ex-Mayor, Bob is the driving force behind Lying Len and his red team.

With the creation of the Super City, this is the ideal opportunity to look at the region-wide impacts of climate change and make sure the city is future-proofed against them

Region-wide impacts? What climate change? The only region-wide impact I want to see is the immediate and total removal of all that preach green gospel from my ratepayer wallet.

NZ teachers 'paid less, work more'

The annual Education at a Glance report, which compares the education systems of the 29 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, found that after 15 years' experience, a New Zealand teacher made $10,000 a year less than OECD counterparts on average.

It is all about results. And productivity. It is all about working effectively. Our teachers are overpaid for what they achieve. Their achievements confirm their worth. Hard to argue the results.

more adults are in post-secondary education than the OECD average

It also has an unusually high proportion of part-time students, particularly at older ages and vocational levels

NZ has a high rate of tertiary-qualified adults but one in five adults aged 25-34 does not have a Year 12-equivalent school qualification

So once our kids get out of school, they suddenly find that the socialist utopia as indoctrinated is not so. The education recently received does not train for necessary life skills.

More under-5-year-olds are in early childhood education

It is not as though we do not catch kids early enough. After all as a taxpayer I fund their Daddy Day Care and fund the breeders through Working For Welfare. The facilities are in place, every child has to attend school. Yes, it is end result of the product being taught / teachers that is glaringly obvious to all.

NZ has one of the lowest enrolment rates of 15- to 19-year-olds in secondary education

Despite having a high entry into tertiary education, NZ has one of the lowest percentages of entrants who complete their programme

The higher education facilities confirm our kids are not up to scratch either.

Yes, it is hard to argue with facts. NZ teachers are NOT producing the required results. Yet, their answer is 'want more attendance pay'. Bugger off!

National Standards will confirm the finer steps for change along the way. If teachers are doing the hours without results, wrongly thinking they need more attendance pay, a serious game-changing shift to concentrating on core skills like the 3 R's would bring results. And the required increase in productivity.

Barred for life

A BRITISH teenager who sent an email to the White House calling President Obama a "pr*ck" has been banned from America for life

I would venture that probably well more than half the world's population have often thought the same.

ChCh truly is the "Village of the Damned" as the nutter brigade arrives

I do not know where the saying 'the VoD' came from, but the name suits my birthplace well. Thank God my parents saw the light and vacated the joint.

Firstly it is damned because the fence sitting, troughing, I'll have a Bob-each-way (possible pun there), would-be triple dipper, Jamderton wants to be Lord Mare.

Secondly because the town has been infiltrated by politicians, trick-cyclists and other witchdoctors purveying their sordid dark arts to the traumatised. Arrived en-masse last week. Where from, I do not know, but their loss must be a great source of hope.

Thirdly, even HRH sent her envoy into deepest Mainland terrority to report on proceedings. Who knows, John Boy Key might even get her indoors an invite to our Antipodean colony to inspect damage. Saves on all that travel.

Fourthly, today. Another batch of under-worked overpaid government stiffs on a back room payroll from somewhere up North. One does wonder how such an ambassador, being an industry leading light has all this spare time.

Leading Wellington architect Ian Athfield is set to be named as the city's "architectural ambassador'' to head up a team to help rebuild Christchurch

And lastly, now this infestation of experts.

the nutter brigade

There is gummint money to be had in this earthquake rebuilding game. Every peddler of dark arts and witchcraft must now be resident in the village. Yes, the nutter brigade is in town and looking to cash in. Only trouble it is my cash.

I do wonder how the populace would have fared 100 or more years ago in the face of such adversity. No doubt got on with the job, rebuilt the roof over their heads and carried on. Without any such carry-on or plague of experts and politicians.

What a nation of soft-cocks we have become.

Tourism: 'A great sense of momentum'

Sir Anand and Lady Satyanand were this morning touring Civil Defence operations in Christchurch and later will visit the earthquake's epicentre near Darfield.

He said there was a great sense of momentum in the region.

Yes, indeed. Disaster tourism is gathering pace.

Panhandler wants 'Kiwi ingenuity'

the broadband initiative coupled with "native Kiwi creativity" could create innovation

Alcatel-Lucent? Remind me who supplied Telecom's much touted XT system.

I'm no Luddite, but proven technology might be a better option. A panhandler trying to run before we can even walk. The 'boys and girls at Chorus' can't even get fibre up my street. And probably never will.

Prioritising Mr Plod on diminishing returns

More than 1000 police officers and 200 staff from partner agencies such as health, ACC, councils and Maori Wardens took part nationwide

1200 plus on overtime rates chasing diminishing returns.

Mr Plod reckons

it was pleasing only 186 of 31,777 drivers stopped and tested for alcohol were over the limit

I reckon otherwise at a less than 0.6% return. Definitely a diminished return for the squillions spent by Mr Plod on overtime doing a NZTSA job. But it was a an exercise in PR, you know.

The trans-Tasman campaign ...

Trans-Tasman??? Was that across the Tasman District only? Must be a few piss-heads down that way. Surely not the other Tasman? Were a few going to run checkpoints and abscond across the ditch?

Meanwhile, whilst the 1200 plus are on downtime recovering from their gruelling overnight revenue gathering exercise, crime continues unabated. For example,

Thefts from cars had the lowest resolution rate in New Zealand last year.

Only 3.3 per cent of the 18,541 thefts from cars in Auckland were resolved in 2009. A resolved offence is when an offender is identified and dealt with - even if charges are not laid.

Now could one be forgiven for suggesting that this piss-poor resolution rate might be one diminished return that could be worth improving? I suspect that 17,900 odd car owners in the unresolved category might actually think Mr Plod had his priorities on track with more attention being given to real crimes. Time for a Tui!

Challenging budgets

Over at the Red Lerts blog one MP is looking for a new home for his electoral office in the VoD. Meanwhile he has setup a mobile shop.

finding a permanent home may challenge budgets

I'd say finding such money should be no problem going on the Liarbour rorts, corruption and electoral fraud we have seen over the past decade.

My reputation precedes me

Had a visit this morning from the regular God bothering travelling sales show trying to sell me religion and a WatchTower magazine.

No foot in the door, but the opening line, from her on my stoop, was 'I know you do not want our magazine...'. A good start, I thought. Must have done her sales homework looking up the database before leaving home this morning. We then proceeded to converse on other matters.

My reputation precedes me. After nigh on a decade of quarterly? visitations, finally the message has got through, but I still wonder why they actually bother at all. Maybe I could be saved? Never!

Tourists Ahoy!

So the Government has deemed it necessary to send in trauma counsellors to the Village of the Damned. A total waste of resource, imho.

The already excessive influx of political and media vultures looking for “look at me doing God’s work bit” soundbites playing the disaster tourist bit preying on the stressed only serves to prolong any trauma.

Mayor Bob definitely is the man of the moment, with his teams doing their utmost and more without the points scoring or sleep. Well done also to the students for pitching in, helping the community. As for the other vultures...

And as for the drama queens in the glare of TV cameras and the unionised looking for handouts, do what the rest of the seriously frazzled residents are doing. Doing what should and would happen in any community. Man up, grab a broom, bucket, shovel, gumboots and get on with the job that needs doing. Idle hands …

Sure there are some, like the infirm and elderly that will need support, but not counselling. Remember this is the generation that knows how to deal with adversity - most lived through a real Depression and World War.

As for the rest – Harden up, get on with it and stop whining. Those of us unaffected outside of your region, as always, will help as best we can.

More rock and roll

The paying customers never stood a chance, a normal day in the life of a sailor.

Vodafone FAIL

I have had an ongoing fight with VF to correctly show daily usage details on my Vodem (used for wireless Internet connection). Over the past two years or so the details have and have not worked. More not worked. Is use VF as the only reliable option for portable wireless in this region. Telecom T-Sticks are slow and unreliable, ie worse than VF Vodems.

Week before last, as my monthly datacap was close, I started to check it, found it was 'Service Unavailable' as is more the norm. So fired off another shittagram via email, only to be advised after a weekend and a few working days that issue would transferred to a tech investigator. I use email to contact them so as not to waste my time in the 'queue of the damned' on the phones.

Good I thought, might get a response at last to an email, had another look yesterday to see if any action had happened. Yes, but not good. I can now see another customers account details, a large renowned boat builder from JafaLand, but not my own.

Fired off another shittagram to VF via email, still no response 24 hours later.

Your ball VF. Total FAIL at present.

I want more cake when this one's finished.

The Maori Party will not rule out using post-election negotiations to try to get a better deal on the foreshore and seabed despite agreeing to support the National Party's new law

Thought it will never happen? I told you so comes to mind. Another soon to be inked 'full and final' will be as ever, subject to 'can I get more'?

the bill was the best the party could negotiate in the circumstances and it was possible there would be

"another time for our people to come back and have another go in the future"

That is the opening salvo of the next round of litigation. The next election will be 'democratic'. Pander to the separatists or you will not get in. And NACTional, your card is well and truly marked for enabling these arrogant thieves this electoral round.

The most divisive piece of legislation this country has ever seen. Not the Foreshore and Seabed laws as they currently stand or any future version. No dear readers, it is that piece of legislation that enabled all of this gravy train so many years ago, the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975.

Meanwhile CR asks just who is representing non-natives?

Who ate all the cake?

100% at last!

Must have paid attention this week...

Professional, can do attitude of the cavalry

Now that the cavalry has arrived in town, it is easy to see differences.

Vigilant at relaxed attention, ship-shape uniform, sleeves rolled up, ready and willing, the can-do attitude shows. Well done!

Meanwhile, Mr Plod...

Where do I tick?

Once again, Emmerson gets my vote.

Never felt a thing

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake has struck the central Hawke's Bay near Waipukurau.

GNS Science reports a 3.6 quake hit first, just after 10am at a depth of 40km, near Waipawa.

The bigger quake hit 50km south-east of Waipukurau, 90km south of Hastings, at 10.48am.

Jeez, that was close. Have been to Havelock North this morning, left to drive back at 1015. Up there to perve at the mutton-dressed-as-lamb that frequents the area. No really, doing the duty driver bit taking the dragon-in-law for a medical appointment. I would have been driving through Waipawa/Waipukurau about that time.

Too close for comfort, never felt a thing while driving this morning.

"Reflecting reality"

This bill reflects that reality

Bullshit! Anything to remain in power with the enabling separatists.

Our rights as New Zealanders in the marine and coastal area are not in conflict with each other

Call it what you will, it is still the Foreshore and Seabed. Control of the seabed remains the prize, which is being freely gifted, without mandate, to the separatists who will utilise every possible means of veto to extract a dollar from real Kiwis. Summed up here.

The line that John Key’s weak, vote-buying government should be drawing in the sand should be clearly labelled” Crown land — for all New Zealanders.

Indeed, reality will be reflected in my vote in 2011 for something other than NACTional, Mr John "Colonial Trader" Key.

ps
What has happened to www.coastalcoalition.co.nz?

Awaiting the cavalry. And a handout.

Staff at a local fast food outlet unanimously voted to return home once they were reminded of their rights at work on Saturday

Never any thought of 'Well I'm at work already, might as well give a hand here in the community'.

Key should provide instant cash relief to Christchurch's struggling working population.

The thought processes of the unionised, but entitled in top gear looking for the next handout.

Oh, the indignity!

Mr Anderton said his own Christchurch electorate office had been damaged in the earthquake, forcing him to work from home

Yesterday's man's Jumbo, triple dipper extraordinaire, trying hard to be noticed, is inconvenienced by a natural disaster.

Bit draughty, eh what?

Wind suddenly kicked off at 2230. Thankfully easing now, but a very sleepless night with sustained noisy strong wind and vicious gusts.

For those that need conversions:
65 kts = 75 mph = 120 km/h

Upper end of Beaufort Scale (mph):

39 - 46	Fresh gale breaks twigs off trees; generally impedes progress
47 - 54	Strong gale slight structural damage occurs; chimney pots and slates removed
55 - 63	Whole gale trees uprooted; considerable structural damage occurs
64 - 72	Storm very rarely experienced; accompanied by widespread damage
73+	Hurricane devastation occurs

Expect more after shocks

Yes, there will be more aftershocks from Canterbury, both from the locality and from the financial wizardry revealed of late.

to raise money for the general operations of the super city council, with a duration of seven years, and offering a minimum interest rate of 6.45%

Speaking of financial dark arts, I see Lying Len Brown's beloved Manukau City Council is so broke and awash in debt, as it spends willy-nilly on big tickets, it can no longer openly ramp up the rates, but is now forcing ratepayers to pay via risk laden bonds. Toxic bonds ratepayers will stump up for in more ways than one.

The debt fuelled spendathon of the last decade has come home to roost. I wonder how many other councils about to merge into the Super City have similar debt devices well hidden from the gaze of the public?

The thieving socialists that infest councils, implementing their social engineering programmes, know they have a government guarantee. Just like the one revealed to the cost of the nation in the shocking fiscal wizardry of SCF's party with its recently acquired toxic debt structure. You see, they too had a gummint guarantee. The emphasis being on Mint.

They offer a bit more money than you can get from government stock, and technically they have a higher risk, but if the government is going to bail out private companies, then it is not going to let a council go bust.

One thing is for certain, I do expect more after shocks in local government. I wonder how many will be revealed after the Super City merger?

Note to self: Ring broker...

We've got form

New Zealand's Top Earthquakes:

A list of significant New Zealand earthquakes (most recent first):

• M 7.8, Dusky Sound, July 15 2009 This earthquake in Fiordland was New Zealand's largest for nearly 80 years.
• M 6.8, Gisborne, December 20 2007 This offshore event caused buildings to collapse in the Gisborne CBD.
• M 6.5, Edgecumbe, March 2 1987 The shallow origin of this earthquake made it very destructive.
• M 7.1, Inangahua, May 24 1968 The 1968 Inangahua earthquake caused widespread damage and was felt over much of the country.
• M 7.0, Wairarapa II, August 2 1942 The shock that struck the Wairarapa Region on August 2 was nearly as severe as the disastrous June 24 earthquake five weeks earlier.
• M 7.2, Wairarapa I, June 24 1942 This earthquake severely rocked the lower North Island on June 24 1942, causing extensive damage to local buildings.
• M 7.6, Horoeka (Pahiatua), March 5 1934 The 1934 Horoeka earthquake shook the lower North Island on March 5 1934 and was felt as far away as Auckland and Dunedin.
• M 7.8, Hawke's Bay, February 3 1931 The 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake caused the largest loss of life and most extensive damage of any quake in New Zealand’s recorded history.
• M 7.8, Buller (Murchison), June 17 1929 The massive rumbling of the 1929 Buller earthquake was heard as far away as New Plymouth.
• M 7.1, North Canterbury, September 1 1888 In 1888 the Amuri District was shaken by a large earthquake that reached intensities of MM 9.
• M 8.2, Wairarapa, January 23 1855 The 1855 earthquake is the most severe earthquake to have occurred in New Zealand since systematic European colonisation began in 1840.
• M 7.8, Marlborough, October 16 1848 The earthquake that shook Marlborough on October 16 1848 was the largest in a series of earthquakes to hit the region that year.

Photo Gallery: View a gallery of images from these historic earthquakes.

More New Zealand Earthquakes:

Other large earthquakes in New Zealand's history:

• M 6.7, George Sound, October 16 2007 Fiordland was shaken once again by a large earthquake centred off the coast of the South Island.
• M 5.4, Lake Rotoma, July 18 2004 This earthquake shook up the Bay of Plenty area in July 2004.
• M 7.2, Fiordland, August 22 2003 This severe earthquake generated over 200 landslides and several small-scale tsunami on the South Island's west coast.
• M 6.8, Secretary Island, August 10 1993 The 1993 Secretary Island earthquake was reportedly felt as far away as Sydney, Australia.
• M 6.4, Weber II, May 13 1990 This earthquake was the second large shock to strike the Weber region in 1990, occurring 12 weeks after its predecessor.
• M 5.9, Lake Tennyson, February 10 1990 This earthquake occurred in North Canterbury near Lake Tennyson.
• M 6.7, Te Anau, June 4 1988 The earthquake that shook Te Anau in June 1988 triggered numerous landslides, and even cut the power to some southern towns.
• M 5.1, Waiotapu, December 15 1983 This earthquake reached its greatest intensities around Waiotapu and the Waikite Valley.
• M 5.6, Napier/Taradale, October 6 1980 This earthquake was felt most strongly in the Napier and Taradale regions.
• M 5.1, Waikato, December 5 1976 This earthquake struck the rural area around Korakonui, near the Waikato River.
• M 5.8, Seddon, April 23 1966 This shock was centered near Cape Campbell, but was felt as far away as Hokitika and Taranaki.
• M 7.1, Arthur's Pass, March 9 1929 This earthquake toppled chimneys and furniture in the Arthur's Pass area.
• M 7-7.5, Cape Farewell, October 19 1868 This earthquake caused damage to houses and roads around the Farewell Spit area.

Today's 7.1 is up there with New Zealand's previous form.

Told ya so

Prime Minister John Key has completed a flyover of Christchurch

Disaster tourism is the act of traveling to a disaster area as a matter of curiosity. The behavior can be a nuisance if it hinders rescue, relief, and recovery operations.

I see the disaster tourists Key, Brownlee and the Carters have arrived in the Village of the Damned.

Told ya so. Breathless reporting will ensue.

Possibly good result from down South

A possibly good result for the government today.

I'd wager that after this morning's events that the gap with Oz has definitely closed.

Civil Defence uncoordinated

was critical of the information available.

"The radio was playing normal music. Nobody knew what to do. The co-ordination was terrible down here."

"We were wondering if there was a tsunami risk which meant we needed to go up to higher ground but we heard nothing.

Once again, CD is found to be wanting when a real event occurs.

[Update] Prepared your emergency kit?

A massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake has hit Christchurch and the wider South Island, causing widespread damage

It's an earthquake. Get over yourselves. Guess what will be the news of the day? Pix of every collapsed chimney in town complete with live-cross interviews with the bleary-eyed who were sitting on the dunny at the time from breathless reporters.

Some wit has already suggested that it is the wrath of the Almighty over his SCF investments...

Never felt a thing here.

Now where is that Civil Defence list?

[Update]

Twitter feed eqnz - Tourism NZ is saying cellphones will be dead in an hour - on battery backup on cellphone towers. Unlikely, power is on in some areas. More like they are censoring info. Another reports TVNZ is censoring images.

Spoiler Alert: Stuff Quiz fail

When I went to school a metre was approx 39.4 inches.

I see today 36 inches 'covers a larger distance'.

Fail, Stuff.

Pots and kettles of a certain colour

Minister accuses Kiwis of racism

Opposition to foreign investment is more about racism than overseas ownership

That would be a different group of genetic traits that allows seats based on race in our Parliament, Mr Williamson? And another group of traits that provide the enabling legislation of New Zealand that gives certain groups extended rights and benefits with preferential treatment? And another group that enables back door trading with separatists in the belief that somehow they are entitled due to their genes?

The UN has a definition of the very term you seek to accuse me of Mr Williamson.

the term "racial discrimination" shall mean any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life

Maurice, that is a very dark kettle you have there.

An idea for a new business

"make it look similar, but with bigger ... assets"

Well I never. Cheap at twice the price.

Those readers wishing to inject copious amount of cash into this not-so-silly-idea can contact the writer for a bank account number...

The Party line...

The gospel according to NACTional.

Trying to justify why I shouldn't be directing my vitriol over the imprudent investment southward.

On the blogosphere from the resident shill.

So much promise...

National had so much promise but they have been utterly dis­ap­point­ing, their only cur­rent sav­ing grace being that they aren’t Labour

Quote of the day from Whale's shop.

Calling all xenophobes

Govt intends to sell off South Canterbury Finance

More good news on my new investment. Just like when taxpayer threw all that dosh at a failed airline. Nothing different, still propping the bloody thing up.

To be sold off. Oh dear, to furrinners.

Wonder how long before we hear a voice from the crypt?

Investing pearls with swine

imprudence:

cast pearls before swine - To offer something precious to those who are unable to appreciate its worth; to give a valuable gift to someone who responds by abusing or defiling it

Now that I am a part of the coalition of the unwilling, an unwilling investor in SCF that is, I'd like to thank Mr 'Money Man' Key for the forced saving.

No need to make KiwiSlaver compulsory, SCFSlaver (tm) is doing it for me.

An imprudent investment as far as I am concerned. Still it is only $400 odd some might say.

And I can only await the teachers, radiographers and other unionised awaiting their handouts reminding you of yesterday's impudent imprudence. Something like "Could afford a handout for capitalist pigs, but not for those that carry this country." ...

Only then will the import of your imprudence be sheeted home, Mr Key. Remind me how months till the next election?

And the last word on investing with swine...

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest haply they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you.
(Matthew 7:6)