Posts by martinb
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To accommodate bikes on footpaths would require a culture shift and a lot of investment in footpaths. After 3-4 near misses where I’m living overseas, as they silently glide up past you, I’ve got used to checking over my shoulder before moving sideways on a footpaths. In busier or more dangerous places there are markings and sometimes barriers. Admittedly there is a much denser population here and a lot of infrastructure and normalcy around bike use.
And e-bikes and scooters are in a bit of purgatory then. Because they are not bikes, but motorised.
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There’s certainly been an increased awareness since I’ve arrived here. Travel restrictions that were placed a few days later would mean the airport must be very quiet now.
All of those countries you mentioned seem to have had stronger restrictions than here. My family also were keen for me remain in NZ!
I hope your son has a good, safe trip.
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The anxiety is a big thing. I experienced an international airport with no social distancing and at the time was terrified. I wore a mask all flight. There was someone in each seat. I passed a queue for a quarantine line that was squashed in and over-flowed up the stairs around the corner. There was no hand sanitiser and the machine we all used didn’t seem to be sterilised between uses. Our baggage claim shared a carousel with a flight from the USA. No one else seemed that anxious. Outside a large group of people waited to greet family.
This was late March.
For my first few weeks I almost didn't leave the house. Now I'm feeling so much more relaxed, but that's an odd feeling as the risk here is not significantly different. -
Hard News: These things we must now change, in reply to tussock,
Wow at the spread of the live feed. It feels like we are hurt in the middle of others extremist nuttery- but so much? Omg
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The reaction has been strong and tearful.
This is an attack on Christchurch and New Zealand. It causes resentment or worse between NZ and Australia, which has also experienced terror. It may do similarly with our 5 eyes partners. It certainly makes some of them look bad. It may also damage our tourism or reputation.
It is an attack on peace and sanctuary. It brings war and mindless hate here and makes refugees fearful.
The military style planning is chilling. This is different.
Given the shooters background and travelogue it is suspicious. It leaves open the possibility there may be truths we will never know. Who aided and abetted?
I hope we are sensible in maintaining a free and open society, while protecting ourselves as best as we can.
Yet as well…
Like when Taika said we were a racist country, we must examine ourselves.
I don’t open think the ‘this is not who we are’ should hide that. Guyon and others sharing their life stories isn’t wrong, though it may hurt and be difficult to reconcile.
Christ, church and the lion heart are heroes of the Anglo inheritence. Who saves Robin Hood at the 11th hour? These were shining badges of our righteous compassion. Not to all.I saw a friend share a tweet asking if there had never been white supremacist violence how come the country is called New Zealand? Inflammatory, but thought provoking.
We are being challenged from without and within and I hope we emerge closer to our friends and with fewer or no enemies.
I apologise , having read through, if that is a bit detached for those posting who find this in their neighborhoods, or commute. Aroha and love, hugs.
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And exactly, if this bs were about free speech use the parks, the squares and the street corners.
Free speech doesn't mean the right to soil a venue's brand- surely the right to treat comes in here? There is no requirement to offer a venue to anyone? Though, yes, well aware of this being a slippery slope and this being turned back on legitimate politics, rather than rah-rah self publicists.
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Hard News: On joining the international…, in reply to simon g,
Any chance of this being worked up into a shareable post? This is one of the best commentaries on the whole mess- not giving focus to loud mouths, but to the society that really finds them unnecessary.
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Is the one year time frame a kick of a can down the road?
Some projects are ready and just needing a funding tick. Is it possibily that this, for whatever reason and we can hazard a few, is an ambitious pubic broadcasting initiative that is not ready to apply for funding at this time.
Does the one year thing mean- get your house in order and apply for further funding when you have things organised?
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Hard News: Budget 2018: The final tick, in reply to Geoff Lealand,
Sorry under a rock and seem to have missed that Dick Griffin had left RNZ.
Is this true? Have you got a link? I couldn’t find anything recent in a 2 second google.
EDIT: sorry found it now. Didn't come up when I googled Richard Griffin or Dick Griffin.
Two questions-How much has he been responsible for recent changes at RNZ, including things such the new late night programme, Wallace Chapman and Jesse Mulligan, the website and so on? These seemed to be very much in line with someone who could deliver RNZ+.
How much is he responsible for, for example, David Farrar commentating as 'Pollster David Farrar' and the continuity if you like, in political commentary? This is a much less welcome thing.
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went to a T20 cricket game in the UK. Felt like such a grown up.
NZ rules would have been 2 4% beers after a 30 minute queue or something like that (1/6 of a T20 game).
In the natwest they had a problem with pint snakes- disposable cups being put together to make a long line. The solution?
Two pronged. Firstly, for pints charge for commemorative cups with a refund of one pound, so no one will throw them away and secondly, to give the punters beer in 2 pints disposable cups, instead of one. That's right- a litre of beer in each hand without calling you an idiot or a potential criminal. Didn't see one fight or altercation. Great atmosphere