Posts by Kyle Matthews
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Genuine question, I'm trying to work out why Grammar is supposedly more desirable and "betterer" than a similar sized low-decile school. Conceptually the lower decile school will be better funded - the counters to that seem to be private donations and nature of the kids attending.
Lower decile schools are better funded by the government, that doesn't mean that they're better funded.
The amount of money between funding at decile 1 and decile 10 can be made up 10 times over by a school in a high income area and with alumni that give back and a school image that attracts funding. A decile 10 school might take in a couple of thousand dollars more per student per year once everything gets thrown into the money pot. A decile 1 school can't ask anywhere near as much in school fees and activity costs, sports costs etc.
Also (and I'm generalising on all these points, so there will be exceptions):
- Lots of good teachers will happily take a job at a higher decile school because the resources are easier to come by. Lower decile schools will often have to employ new graduates to staff classrooms.
- Better facilities, sporting activities, drama, music etc.
- Smaller class sizes, more support staff.
- Tending to be a better area, less crime, unemployment etc, better environment for learning and living in.A look at the web page of Auckland Grammar indicates that they have a Development (read: alumni and fundraising) Office that employs 5 staff. As a comparison, the University of Otago in the past decade opened a similar office, it employs 10 staff.
Among other things, Auckland Grammar has "an investment fund aimed at generating an annual income to be used to attract, reward and retain quality teaching staff", a bequest system, a foundation to hold the donations in perpuity, and they've recently built an Old Boys Pavilion and a new sports facility. None of this is normally available to a decile 1 school.
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(I do exist IRL, though, because someone originally from Italy is my Facebook friend. And Kyle went to school with me! Didn't you, Kyle?)
I can indeed confirm that Danielle was real up until about November 1991. She might have turned into an AI programme or a zombie since then however.
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er, fulled/filled English/Schminglish.
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It's the implication that it's common to use drugs during gay sex that bugs me.
Given the role of alcohol in many societies to enable 'hooking up' of all flavours especially.
I remember seeing that in Auckland and being blown away by a LOT of it - especially how TINY the Dali was ("One Second Before Awakening from a Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate") - it' was literally only about A4 size
I had my first reaction (being a big Dali fan) when I saw my first original at MOMA.
They'd be the most amazing paintings if they were 10 feet in each direction and fulled up your whole view, suck you into Dali's world. Instead I felt like I was instead looking at one of the reproductions that are on my wall and had somehow been ripped off.
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Clearly Danielle, we have a lot to learn about such things.
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One could also argue that the Treaty doesn't apply to local government
One could. One would look silly though.
And how history may judge her, two words
Winston Peters
Which I admit was an uncharacteristic slip but really came across as someone who would do almost anything to cling to power
I think that story still needs to be told. I'm dubious that it was holding onto power, but I'd be curious to hear her 'tell all' - which she's said she won't write - on that topic in particular.
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I saw this news story today, in relation to Ben's comments about there always being enough food.
Insane. Capitalism does produce some stupid things sometimes.
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I hereby accuse Kyle Matthews of stealing my thoughts.....
Snooze you lose baby.
Um I'm pretty sure that I've never seen a councilor in any of the planning departments that I've been into (which isn't that many to be fair) and I didn't think councilors bothered themselves with resource consents either.
I dunno about Auckland, but an Otago Regional Council resource consent hearing that I helped round up about 200 people to oppose (the University of Otago bridge to no where) was heard by three ORC councillors, including the chair.
If Maori want representation, they can stand alongside all the other candidates.
I suspect some would argue that if Maori want representation, they should get it in some form, as the Treaty of Waitangi guarantees them that.
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Megatropolis surely, if we're going to get ideas about our (their?) real status.
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A quarter of the population, something like a third of tax revenue, and it's not worth even one person in Central Government having a brief to keep an eye on things? That's a bit off, really.
Along with not having one for the South Island. It's a truly bizarre ministerial warrant, which looks like Auckland needs some sort of governmental overlord/sight.