NZ to host world netball series

New Zealand has won the right to host  the World Fastnet Netball Series for a three year term.

It won’t be quite as big as the Rugby World Cup, but it should be fun and good for the sport.

 

‘Tis the season . . .

. . . for new potatoes and you won’t find any finer than these.

Rare Earth new potatoes are grown a few kilometres south of Oamaru in tarry Totara  soils.

The link above will take you to a photo.

There are no new potatoes more delicious than those from around Oamaru and these are the best.

Best served simply – rub the dirt off the skins under running water, boil until tender in water with a sprig of mint.

Drain and serve.

I don’t even add butter, but those who do say they’re even better that way.

Election results

Polls close at 7pm.

The Electoral Commission will post results here.

They are aiming to have all advance results, including the referendum released by 8.30; general election results from 50% of polling booths by 10pm and resutls from all polling places by 11:30.

Official results for the election and referendum will be published by 2pm on Saturday December 10.

Brain teaser

If
man
————
board

 

means man overboard then what do the following mean:

2.
stand
————
i
3.
/r/e/a/d/i/n/g/

4.

r
road
a
d

5.
cycle
cycle
cycle

6.
0
————
M.D.
Ph.D.

7.
knee
light

8.

ground
—————
feet feet feet feet feet feet

9.
He’s X himself

10.

ecnalg

11.
death ….. life

12.

THINK

13.

abababababababababababababababababababab…

Answers follow the break:

Pukeko Bird of Year

The Pukeko has won Forest and Bird’s title of Bird of the Year.

It won 1480 votes in what ended up as a two-bird race with the kakapo, which gained 1068 votes.

Forest & Bird’s Advocacy Manager Kevin Hackwell says the pukeko is one of the best ambassadors for our wetlands.

“These swamp hens love feeding on the grubs and plants that can be found in our wetlands,” says Kevin Hackwell. . .

The pukeko is thought to have landed on our shores around a thousand years ago from Australia.

Broadcaster Damian Christie – a long-time pukeko supporter and former pukeko campaign manager – says it is a pioneering success story.

“It’s an immigrant that set off at great personal risk and without the aid of modern navigational devices to build a home here in Aotearoa. And it didn’t just survive, it thrived. I like to think there’s a little bit of pukeko in all of us.”

The emperor penguin – not traditionally seen as a New Zealand native but boosted by Happy Feet’s surprise visit earlier this year – polled 12th. . .

This is the seventh year Forest & Bird has run the popularity contest. Past winners include the tui, fantail, grey warbler, the kakapo, the kiwi and last year’s victor was the kakariki.

This year’s results were:

1. Pukeko (1480)

2. Kakapo  (1068)

3. Hihi (756)

4. Kaka (562)

5. Tui (319)

6. Saddleback (304)

7. Ruru (Morepork) 291

8. Kea (209 )

9. Kokako (188)

10. Fantail (177)

Elton John rocks

Take 35,000 people, pour into the Forsyth Barr Stadium, add Elton John and ROCK!

Opening  artist Katie Thomson, a country singer from Hokitikia, warmed up the audience.

The introduction of Auckland rock guitarist Kara Gordon wasn’t very clear and it was only in reading this morning’s paper than I discovered she was doing a  Jimi Hendrix-inspired New Zealand National Anthem. No-one near us recognised it and several used the excuse of a loo-break to escape the noise.

Then Elton appeared on the screen to introduce his two cellists. They held us spell-bound with a couple of tunes before Elton bounded on stage and gave us more than two hours of old favourites mixed with a few newer songs.

He was fantastic, it was fun.

As the ODT said: Oh what a knight!

P.S.

What is it modern audiences don’t understand about concerts – you’re supposed to listen, you’re allowed to sing along at times, you can dance if you’re not getting in other people’s way, you can also comment between songs. But you’re not supposed to talk all the way through songs and as for the constant movement to and from seats, how hard is it to stay put for a couple of hours?

I’m voting because:

Three years ago I listed the reasons I’m voting. They still hold true:

I’m voting today:

Because I can.

Because people fought and died to give  the right to do it.

Because there are other places where people still don’t have that right.

Because my vote will be counted.

Because I believe one vote can make a difference.

Election Day

It’s Election Day and the Electoral Commission has issued a reminder that blogs are included in the instruction to not post anything that might persuade people to vote in a particular way.

Because of that any comments made from midnight until 7pm will be put into moderation until I okay them.

November 26 in history

43 BC – The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (“Octavian”, later “Caesar Augustus”), Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Mark Antony was formed.

783 – The Asturian queen Adosinda was put up in a monastery to prevent her kin from retaking the throne from Mauregatus.

1476 – Vlad III Dracula defeated Basarab Laiota with the help of Stephen the Great and Stephen V Bathory and becomes the ruler of Wallachia for the third time.

1731 William Cowper, English poet, was born (d. 1800).

1778 –  Captain James Cook became the first European to visit Maui.

1789 – A national Thanksgiving Day was observed in the United States.

1805 – Official opening of Thomas Telford’s Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

1842 – The University of Notre Dame was founded.

1863 – American Civil War: Mine Run – Union forces under General George Meade positioned against troops led by Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

1865 – Battle of Papudo: The Spanish navy engaged a combined Peruvian-Chilean fleet north of Valparaiso, Chile.

1876  Willis Carrier, American engineer and inventor (air conditioning), was born  (d. 1950).

1895 Bill Wilson, American co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, was born (d. 1971).

1918 – The Podgorica Assembly voted for “union of the people”, declaring assimilation into the Kingdom of Serbia.

1922 – Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon became the first people to enter the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in over 3000 years.

1922 Charles M. Schulz, American cartoonist, was born (d. 2000).

1922 – Toll of the Sea debuted as the first general release film to use two-tone Technicolor (The Gulf Between was the first film to do so but it was not widely distributed).

1923  Pat Phoenix, English actress, was born.

1924 – George Segal, American Pop Sculptor, was born (d. 2000).

1939 – Shelling of Mainila: The Soviet Army orchestrated the incident which was used to justify the start of the Winter War with Finland four days later.

1939 –  Tina Turner, American singer and actress, was born.

1942 – World War II: Yugoslav Partisans convened the first meeting of the Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia.

1944 – World War II: A German V-2 rocket hit a Woolworth’s shop on New Cross High Street killing 168 shoppers.

1944 – World War II: Germany began V-1 and V-2 attacks on Antwerp.

1949 – The Indian Constituent Assembly adopted India’s constitution presented by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

1950 – Korean War: Troops from China launch a massive counterattacked against South Korean and United Nations forces (Battle of the Ch’ongch’on River and Battle of Chosin Reservoir), ending any hopes of a quick end to the conflict.

1960 – The National Party, led by Keith Holyoake, defeated Walter Nash’s one-term Labour government. Holyoake went on to become the longest-serving post-war Prime Minister.

1965 – In the Hammaguir launch facility in the Sahara Desert, France launched a Diamant-A rocket with its first satellite, Asterix-1 on board, becoming the third country to enter outer space.

1968 – Vietnam War: United States Air Force helicopter pilot James P. Fleming rescued an Army Special Forces unit pinned down by Viet Cong fire and was later awarded the Medal of Honor.

1970 – In Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, 1.5 inches (38.1 mm) of rain fell in a minute, the heaviest rainfall ever recorded.

1977 – ‘Vrillon’, claiming to be the representative of the ‘Ashtar Galactic Command’, tookover Britain’s Southern Television for six minutes.

1983 – Brink’s-MAT robbery: In London, 6,800 gold bars worth nearly £26 million were stolen from the Brink’s-MAT vault at Heathrow Airport.

1990 – The Delta II rocket made its maiden flight.

1998 – Tony Blair became the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to address the Republic of Ireland’s parliament.

2003 – Concorde made its final flight, over Bristol.

2004 – Ruzhou School massacre: a man stabbed and killed eight people and seriously wounded another four in a school dormitory in Ruzhou, China.

2004 – Male Po’ouli (Black-faced honeycreeper) died of Avian malaria in the Maui Bird Conservation Center in Olinda, Hawaii before it could breed, making the species in all probability extinct.

2008 – The first of 10 co-ordinated attacks on Mumbai by Pakistan-based terrorists were fired.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia

Word of the day

Vote- a formal expression of preference for a candidate for office or for a proposed resolution of an issue; a means by which such a preference is made known, such as a raised hand or a marked ballot; a choice or decision expressed by the voice, by hand or by writing;  the number of votes cast in an election or to resolve an issue; a group of voters alike in some way; the act or process of voting; the result of an election or referendum; the right to participate as a voter, suffrage.

The things you do for the cause

Getting election hoardings up at the start of a campaign is a major effort.

Looking after them and cleaning up after the vandals is also a big job.

Getting them down again isn’t always easy either:

All weather campaigner

There’s a lot more to campaigning than the carefully stage-managed photo opportunities we see on television.

I can’t speak for other parties, but know that all National MPs, candidates and their teams of volunteers have been doing the hard work they hope will translate into voter support.

That means a punishing schedule of public meetings, functions, events, interviews, door knocking, delivering pamphlets, human hoardings, and generally seeing and being seen.

Regardless of what the polls are saying – and not even the most optimistic of us are counting on being able to govern alone- National MPs and candidates and their teams of supporters have been told to give campaigning their all and carry on through rain hail or snow.

Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean has been taking that last instruction literally:

She’s also had to cope with traffic hold-ups:

(That red vehicle coming the other way isn’t the opposition campaigning it’s the Rural Mail wo/man.)

Ending as he began?

Winston Peters began his parliamentary career after a legal appeal.

Is it possible that if New Zealand First manages to get over the 5% threshold tomorrow he might end his career the same way?

Kiwiblog has found evidence which suggest this could be so:

An investigation by Kiwiblog has found that the candidacy of Winston Peters for New Zealand First is illegal under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908.

Follow the link to read more.

 

 

Seven reasons to oppose MMP

Jim Hopkins has a very good reason to vote for change tomorrow:

Unless we vote for change, the politicians will decide how they are elected. They may tinker with MMP or change it radically. The choice will be theirs, not ours. A vote for change will ensure a second referendum, with MMP tested against one of the alternatives. It means we will control the evolution of our peaceful democracy. Let the politicians address the economy. But the elections belong to us!

Auckland businessman, Ashley Church, provides six more good reasons to ditch MMP:

1.      Confusion. After over 15 years, there are still a very large number of voters who don’t understand how MMP works and don’t know whether the List, or the Electorate vote, is more important. The procedure for electing an MP and decide who will form a Government should be simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. MMP isn’t.

2.       Strategic Voting. Voting for one party in order to get another elected, such as voting ACT in Epsom to get National into Government, is one of the perverse results of the MMP system. Having to vote for one party in order to get another elected is counter to the basic  principles of democracy Voting should be simple and straightforward and based on the principle of supporting the party you want in Government.

3.      Disproportional Representation. The 3 yearly ritual of allowing small parties (sometimes VERY small parties) to decide who they will go into coalition with (and therefore, who will be Government) puts far too much power in the hands of the few, over the many. Parties which enjoy widespread voter support should have power in proportion to that support – they should not be able to be held to ransom by small parties of extremists with unpopular agendas as allowed by the current system

4.      Backdoor MPS. Another insidious feature of MMP is the way it allows people who have been defeated in a fair electorate contest to get into Parliament by the backdoor, through the MMP Party List. If a candidate has been rejected by the voters – that rejection should stand.

5.       Unstable Government. One of the repeated consequences of coalition Government, in this country, is the reality of unstable Government. One particular party has made an art form of suddenly finding a conscience 6 to 12 months out from an election and engineering its departure from the coalition – thus throwing the country into turmoil and forcing the creation of bizarre short-term coalitions. Any system which allows a small party to bring down the Government, as MMP does, should be utterly rejected.

6.       Short term thinking. Because the major parties have to keep one eye on the needs of their smaller coalition partners, long-term thinking is virtually impossible under MMP. The concept of a nation-building plan which spans several electoral cycles is virtually impossible under MMP because the makeup of each Parliament differs so much depending on the configuration of parties which form the Government.  Governments should be able to plan for changes that take more than 3 or 6 years to implement – but under MMP they can’t.

I would add: MMP gives too much power to parties at the cost of representation for people; promotes groups at the expense of individuals and makes electorates too big.

P.S. the quote from Jim is the closing paragraph in a column on voting which deserves to be read in full.

P.P.S. I have no idea who Ashley Church is, I came across his media release on Scoop.

Poliltical compass points me nowhere

Liberation suggests people who are undecided about who to vote for tomorrow try the political compass.

I did and got this result:

Economic left/right 3:88; social libertarian/authoritarian -2.87 is slightly  more centrist and libertarian than last time I did the test when I was right  4.38, Libertarian: -1.74.

But it’s absolutely useless as a guide for voting because there are no  New Zealand parties in that square:

I’m taking that as an indication of faults in the test and analysis of the parties rather than my decision and sticking with two ticks for National.

Friday’s answers

Thursday’s questions were:

1. It’s choisir in French, in scegliere  Italian,  elegir in Spanish and whiriwhiri in Maori, what is it in English?

2. Who said: “An election is coming. Universal peace is declared, and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry.”?

3. How many members should (as distinct from does) a party need to be registered?

4. Will you vote on Saturday (or before by special vote)?

5. Have you decided how you’ll vote?

Points for answers:

Gravedodger gets three and an improvement but not enough for #3.

James S. gets three, a nearly-there for #5 and a getting better but still not enough for #3.

Andrei gets three,  and 2/3 for #5, a far too low for #3 and a bonus for the full answer to #2.

James G. gets three, a bonus for extra languages and consolation point for # 4 since he would if he could.

Adam gets two, a far-too-low for #3 and a very deep sigh for #s 4 and 5.

Paul gets one and a how can #5 be yes if #4 is a pass?

I’ve confused myself with the scoring but will award an electronic box of North Otago new potatoes to Andrei and James G.

Answers follow the break:

MMP as bad as prophesied?

An ODT editorial published before the last referendum on our electoral system had this to say about MMP:

 . . . the dangers of the mixed member proportional (MMP) system are considerable.

In summary they are a more expensive Parliament with more paid members (120), less real representation for the South Island and the possibility of the creation of more Maori seats instead of an integrated system and doubts about the ’party lists’ system where the voters have no direct say in the candidates finally declared elected.

There is also the resulting instability of governments with the high probability of coalitions and political ‘deals” in efforts to avoid frequent elections. Under MMP there will be no real meaning in any party manifestos or political promises because of the need to compromise within coalitions after the election. And this sort of proportional representation will probably lead to the break-up of the main political parties, National and Labour.

The Otago Daily Times is more concerned about the November 6 referendum than the General Election also on that date. The election will merely determine the government for the next term of office, but the referendum is crucial to the future of New Zealand. A wrong decision to opt for MMP could be most costly for the taxpayer and disastrous for the country in the long term. . .

The danger is that the referendum may be regarded by some voters as some sort of a novelty and a chance to exercise a ‘protest vote’. It could be that if the general election campaign descends to too many personalities some people will blindly vote for a change in the electoral system in order to say ‘a plague on all your houses’. . .

MMP in our opinion is not only seriously flawed but also a dangerous option politically and economically. . .

Not all the ODT’s fears have been realised but we have got a more expensive parliament with more MPs;  less real representation and not just for the South Island; and party lists over which voters have no direct say.

The potential for unstable government is greater as is the probability of coalitions and deals. Manifestos and promises have been sacrificed and compromised in private post-election negotiations.

The referendum was regarded by voters as a chance to exercise a protest vote and ironically in voting against MPs we got saddled with a system which gave us more.

MMP is flawed. So are all the other systems for which we have the chance to opt tomorrow but the good points about SM outweigh the bad ones for me.

Two blue ticks

I am giving National two ticks tomorrow, as I did three years ago and in every election since we’ve had MMP.

I voted blue in the elections before that too. At first I voted in ignorance, then through emotion and by the sixth election I was voting from conviction.

In 2008 I said I was giving my electorate vote  to Jacqui Dean because she’d earned it and she’s continued to do that.

Her commitment and work ethic are unquestioned. The difficulties of servicing the 34,888 square kilometres the Waitaki Electorate covers would defeat a lesser woman (or man). But Jacqui continues to relish the challenges of working for people across this huge area and keeps both her composure and sense of humour while doing it.

My party vote will go to National because it’s the party vote that counts.

I not only want a National-led government I am genuinely concerned by the consequences for New Zealand and New Zealanders if we don’t get it.

National is the party whose philosophy and principles most closely match my own.

Its vision is for a safe, prosperous and successful country that creates opportunities for all New Zealanders to reach their personal goals and dreams.

Its values include national and personal security, equal citizenship and equal opportunity, individual freedom and choice, competitive enterprise and rewards for achievement and sustainable development.

That’s translated into policy which recognises that:

* Those who can look after themselves should be left alone to do so and we have a responsibility to help those who can’t.

* Education is the key to success.

* A growing economy is necessary for our individual and collective welfare. Wealth is important not as an end but the means for a happier, healthier, better educated, more secure society.

*Property rights are one of the foundations of democracy.

* Sustainable development balances economic, social and environmental needs.

I don’t agree with every single policy implemented in the last three years but am certain that the National has done a much better job in incredibly difficult times than any other party could or would have.

My party vote also goes to National because I like and trust its leadership.

I respect John Key’s achievements, I’m awed by his energy, I appreciate his humility, I enjoy his sense of humour, I’m moved by his obvious love for and commitment to his family and I’m humbled by the sacrifices – financial and personal – he’s making because he believes he can make a positive difference to New Zealand.

Bill English has done sterling work as Deputy PM and Finance Minister. I admire his loyalty, enthusiasm, intelligence, compassion, wit, achievements and commitment to his beliefs. He was faced with the prospect of a decade of deficits when he took over the nation’s finances and he’s managed to get the country on track back to surplus by 2014/15 in spite of the global financial crisis and the impact of Canterbury’s earthquakes.

Their cabinet colleagues have made significant gains in many areas and they are backed up by a united caucus with diverse backgrounds and skills.

This government has had to face an unprecedented series of natural and financial disasters at home and abroad in the last three years. They have done their best to steer us back towards prosperity while protecting the vulnerable and they have done it while working with other parties to the right and left.

That experience will be invaluable in leading the country back to surplus in the face of global instability and volatility.

Just as householders have accepted the need to rein in spending, we need a government that leads by example, reducing debt, cutting its own costs and implementing polices to encourage savings, investment and export led growth.

This is not the time for big spending, more debt, disunity and instability.

It’s the time for strong and stable leadership and National’s the only party that can offer that.

Regardless of what the voters decide, and whatever the makeup of the new governmentthere will be no miracles. But I trust these two people and the team they lead to do their best for New Zealand and New Zealanders.

That’s why tomorrow I’ll be giving two ticks to National.

System or times?

Proponents of MMP argue that it is better for getting representation of women and ethnic minorities.

This post at the Hand Mirror leaves no doubt that parliament has become more diversified since MMP was introduced, but how much has that had to do with the system and how much has it had to do with the times?

Society has changed a lot in the last 15 years. More women and a wider range of people from different nationalities and cultures have entered parliament on lists, but I wouldn’t want to suggest many, maybe even most, could and would not have been able to win electorate seats.

An example of both how they can and what’s wrong with MMP is Georgina Beyer, the world’s first transvestite mayor. She entered parliament by winning a seat but then when the electorate kicked her out she stayed on as an MP through the list.

To believe that people on lists wouldn’t be able to win seats would be a very poor reflection on both them and the parties they represent. It would mean their presence in parliament wasn’t due to what they had to offer but to tokenism.

That leads on to the question of whether diversity in parliament has made a material and positive difference to the communities these people are supposed to represent and wider New Zealand or whether their presence has just been a token one.

I think the jury is out on that. Some have made very real contributions, others have been nothing more than a bum on a parliamentary seat when votes are counted.

It’s all very well to say parliament is more representative of some sectors of the population but it has come at the cost of others. Does, for example, any party but National have any farmers (proper ones, not lifestylers)? Phil Goff was asked in a radio interview how many of his caucus had run their own business and he struggled to name any.

Even if increased diversity could only be achieved through lists, and I don’t think that is the case, it has come at the very high cost of fewer and therefore much larger electorates.

Greater diversity in parliament is small comfort for the people who find it much more difficult to meet their MP in their electorates.

If we changed to a system with more electorates there would be far more opportunities for people to be selected for winnable seats. Smaller seats would also increase the pool of people able to stand, make it much easier for MPs to service the electorate and for constituents to have access to them.

No electoral system is perfect, all have advantages and disadvantages.

Among MMP’s weak points is the amount of power it gives to parties when National is the only one left with a wide and numerous membership base.

That increased power for parties has resulted in poorer representation for people.

Who sits in parliament doesn’t make much difference to most people.  MPs who are able to service their electorates easily and provide ready access for constituents is far more important.

That is why I’ll be voting for change tomorrow and choosing Supplementary Member.

Vote for left vote for uncertain leadership

Few people expect Phil Goff to continue as leader for long if he isn’t able to become Prime Minister tomorrow.

But what will happen if he is?

He hasn’t been able to keep his caucus disciplined, loyal and united in opposition. How would he do it in government when he not only has to keep his own team under control but deal with the unstable stack of coalition partners as well?

The only reason no-one had the guts to challenge Goff is that the Labour leadership was regarded as a poisoned chalice and no-one was willing to be tainted by it.

But ousting the Prime Minister at the start of his tenure would be a much more attractive proposition than taking over from the leader of an opposition most thought was doomed to lose the election.

The policies a coalition of the left would foist upon us would be damaging enough. Adding unstable leadership to a shaky stack of mismatched parties would do even more harm.

A vote for the left isn’t just a vote for instability, it’s a vote for uncertain leadership.