Public Address | Cafe | Yellow Peril: Pinoy ahoy

Sam F

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 19:10:49 +1300

Goshdarnit! Meant to quote mark in that last one. This thing really needs an edit button.

Sam F

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 19:08:04 +1300

It's an old rule but worth repeating: don't feed the trolls.

Juha Saarinen

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 15:04:34 +1300

Apropos Rita the Graphics Designer's immigration woes: were they perhaps to some extent self-inflicted?

DeepRed6502

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 19:12:55 +1300

Bevan:

Agree on the work permits though, we need more immigrants (preferably right around the country, not just Auckland!)

Down here in Wellington we'd be clamouring for them, were it not for its inability to handle truly international flights. I personally think Transmission Gully can wait, and spend the money…

Rich of Observationz

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 12:08:41 +1300

"find me an internationally used statistical definition of 'Asian' that does."

You are right, of course! Every census seems different. I found these docs:
UK: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/ethnic_group_statistics/downloads/ethnic_group_statistics.pdf
USA: http://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cp-s/cp-s-1-2.pdf

I think the US is actually the most sensible in that they have three categories:
North Africa and Southwest Asia
South Asia…

Tze Ming Mok

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 09:57:47 +1300

wow! a Chinese playing a Filipina. Whoopdy bloody doo.

No my dear, it's a Chinese who could have quite easily played a Filipina, but the producers didn't know enough about the Philippines to realise that she could have.

actress Faye Smythe, who plays Tania (a pakeha character), was originally asked…

Russell Brown

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 09:26:35 +1300

And where are all the safricans on Shorty? A hospital without South Africans and Indians would be a very empty place.

Good point. For greater realism the safrican character could work in HR. But seriously, that does seem like a little hole in the rich Shortland Street tapestry.

merc

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 09:21:00 +1300

If you think that Shortland St is nothing but a soap with no social marketing agenda whatsoever, then I'm guessing you think Hollywood is all about the story.

Rich of Observationz

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 09:16:58 +1300

The process I went through when I migrated here was:
– apply for residence, wait ages, six-month work-residence gets abolished
– come to NZ on a visitor visa
– find a job, get a 2yr work permit (easy)
– some months later, my residence finally turned up

It's a dumb…

Mark

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 08:31:26 +1300

Re Shortland Street, wow! a Chinese playing a Filipina. Whoopdy bloody doo. Kiwis play Aussies, Aussies play Yanks, Zimbabweans play South Africans, Maori play Cubans ... etc. It's only acting and most people don't really give a shit.

Jeremy Andrew

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 08:31:00 +1300

And where are all the safricans on Shorty? A hospital without South Africans and Indians would be a very empty place.

Crunchy Weta

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 06:53:37 +1300

Shortland St – hmmm how about an Indian doctor, or an Indian anything.

Robyn Gallagher

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 02:00:35 +1300

Regarding Shortland Street casting, I was interested to read on the official Shorty website that actress Faye Smythe, who plays Tania (a pakeha character), was originally asked to audition for the role of Shannon (a Maori character). Smythe herself was born in South Africa.

Zippy Gonzales

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 21:29:19 +1300

My cable modem was installed by a Filipino called Sean de Jesus, in between jobs in Miramar and Upper Hutt (I like that; Sean, son of Jesus). It's all turned to shit in the Philippines since Cory Aquino and Fidel Ramos faded. Give the guys two years here, minimum, if…

Bevan McCabe

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 21:26:21 +1300

Er, Shortland St doesn't have to perfectly reflect NZ society. It's a soap, not a documentary.

Agree on the work permits though, we need more immigrants (preferably right around the country, not just Auckland!)

Juha Saarinen

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 17:40:42 +1300

Six month work permits is much too short. New Zealand is so far away from everywhere... should be two-year ones at least.

Public Address

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 17:40:42 +1300

Discussion from blog post.