Posts by Rosemary McDonald
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Envirologue: Swamp Monsters – the…, in reply to Rosemary McDonald,
OIA14-144-10-November-2014.pdf
but methinks will go down like a cup of cold sick in some quarters.
....like it did when this guy got his comeuppance....(page 12)
-
Envirologue: Swamp Monsters – the…, in reply to Hilary Stace,
That is an impressive taonga
Hah! That is _kindling_ compared to the 'table tops' I've seen rolling south from the Far North.
A few years ago they'd be rolling along, bold as brass, in broad daylight. With the controversy raging over the past year, daylight runs have diminished. Insomniacs, (parked up in their Bus on side of road), can hear the trucks groaning along _way_ before the headlights appear. Funny looking pine logs.
We love the FN, and understand that a buck can be hard to make(legally). Unfortunately, the evidence is plainly obvious when the diggers have been busy, with streams running orange. Some of these streams feed the wetlands adjoining one of the finest (from a flora, fauna and fishing perspective) harbours in the country.
Increased oversight and enforcement will hopefully help protect these environmental taonga....but methinks will go down like a cup of cold sick in some quarters.
-
Polity: House-buying patterns in Auckland, in reply to Katharine Moody,
Yep...and just heard from an agent that Aucklanders are pushing up prices in Tauranga and Hamilton to the point where prices are listed at $100,000 more for the same property last year.
Madness.
And specially scary that agents (who are benefiting from these ridiculous prices) are too scared to comment publicly.
-
Invite to hui for Newsletter (1).pdf
There is a hui…..(FREE…WITH LUNCH!!!)
“Defining our futures
Making Individualised Funding Work for everyone
A free hui in Auckland on 16th July 9:30am-3:30pm
Deaf Association Conference room
164 Balmoral Road”according to the blurb…."It is a crucial time for us to review how IF is working in Aotearoa/New Zealand, look at if it’s working as we had envisaged, acknowledge what is working well and also face up to the challenges, risks and uncertainties that IF is posing.”
I’m not sure why it is that this invite is only available through the NZ Disability Support Network’s website when it is presented by Auckland Disability Law and the Public Service Association, and seemingly not mentioned on either of their websites…but…might be worth checking out.
“We hope you will join us in exploring this issue and thinking about how we would like to see all our futures defined.”
Hmmm….
-
It does not surprise me that this data (such as it is) has been leaked. What does surprise me is that it has taken this long for the panic button to be pressed.
I have had conversations with three real estate agents over the past six months...from North Auckland, Alberta, and Los Angeles.
All have made the exact same observation. Their respective markets have been profoundly affected by Chinese nationals with seemingly bottomless pockets buying property at prices significantly higher than valuation.
Auctions figure prominently, with phone buyers from the Chinese mainland routinely beating the highest bid by offering ten percent higher than the last bid....it seems that that jump in price is enough to deter further bids from local prospective buyers...who are on a less elastic budget.
Despite the fact the these realtors have benefited from this upsurge in sales and house prices....all expressed dismay that house prices have become so artificially high that home ownership has gone beyond the reach of even those young people on moderately high incomes.
The real estate agent from North Auckland described the situation as "sheer and utter madness", and "suicide for the local economy". The spectre of Kiwis being tenants in our own country is very real. (A friend had a landlord, a Chinese banker, who owned 50 rental houses in Hamilton..)
Despite having, as I wrote earlier, benefited financially from these sales to non resident buyers with unlimited funds, the Kiwi agent simply could not understand how on earth this current government was re-elected when it had not only failed to acknowledge there is a severe problem but also failed to do take any measures to at least slow down the market.
He saw this as gross negligence and a failure to protect the interests of NZ citizens.
Such a pity that Labour handled this significant issue so clumsily...the path to hell and all that.
-
Speaker: Australia's NDIS: Great ideas,…, in reply to Sacha,
If Kirsty's numbers are correct...and I doubt her not....this is a national bleeding disgrace.
Hilary's post says "political whim and faith"...for heaven's sake...what are these people on???
It's about time we did an exercise to clearly show just how much was budgeted in some happy clappy press release and how much exactly was spent.
Special ed, Funded Family Care.....
-
And this from the inimitable Kirsty Johnston...http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11478936
Need for special education going up....and the spend on special education going paradoxically down.
Dear, oh, dear.
-
Speaker: Australia's NDIS: Great ideas,…, in reply to Hilary Stace,
and some of my conclusions – from my Sydney informants – are unfair.
Tell Australia to harden the fudge up, Hilary.
I recall the the jubilation from various DPOs here in Godzone when NDIS was floated, and I also recall being castigated for advising that the 'envy' was put on hold until we all saw how it was implemented.
What you describe here is exactly what I have heard from various Aussies travelling here. ( A lot of 'em hire camper vans . ) For those not covered by the Motor Vehicle Insurance scheme, NDIS offered real hope for many struggling to get even the most basic of supports in their own homes. (The residential care providers were going gangbusters, however, warehousing of disabled being so much more cost effective.)
The reality has been bitterly disappointing. Where NDIS has been rolled out, the bureaucracy has been punishing and the support allocation has been largely laughable.The so called competition that would lead to better care provision has not eventuated...and one woman told me that some providers choose to decline to enter into support contracts if they perceive the client to be too challenging.All sounds depressingly familiar.
As you say, Hilary, here in NZ it would not be too great a challenge to extend ACC to cover all disabilities regardless of cause.
One administration, one set of assessment guidelines and equal, legislated entitlements.
One could. perhaps, retain the lump sum payments for those injured through accidents caused by others....
However....it's a pipe dream. In my experience, your average ACC client under the NSIS would feel most aggrieved if their privileged positions were undermined. In the Spinal Cord Impairment community, the average ACC tetra cares not a damn that others not on ACC are on such a shitty wicket. They really do have a huge ignorance of the situation for their non ACC peers.
Great post, Hilary.
-
Access: Zero, in reply to Hilary Stace,
The wonderful transalpine trip. The day I did it - years ago - it looked just like that.
Yes! We did it twenty years ago....somewhat blighted by Miss Two Yearold who chose then to have her one and only allergic reaction to the giveaway peanuts. She went bright red and swelled up like a puffer fish. Joy.
Looks like Claudia and Co had much more fun.
LOVE the tune. (we played it loud).
-
Speaker: SIBs: The reality of…, in reply to Sacha,
as some of you predicted from the outset
Please....allow me just one weeny wee I TOLD YOU SO!
This outfit is based in Hammytown....has a huge building, all the glitz. Their advertising makes my skin crawl, quite frankly....puts me in mind of some US religious organisation.
All the incentive I need to stay in the realm of the relatively sane...
SEE...outcome already!