On the pier to nowhere, Napier’s $2.6m white elephant is a metaphor for what ails New Zealand – plenty of vision, but lacks ability to deliver
A week out from Christmas we thought we’d do a round up of the news headlines to see whether there’s a scrap of seasonal goodwill to be found in New Zealand.
What we found was that it is pretty bleak in this dismal land…
The front page of the Herald website leads with “Car obliterated in crash, two critical“, the ‘sad piece of concrete’ pier that leads to nowhere in Napier (a ‘dead end’ analogy perhaps?), police hunting armed robbers who robbed a busy bar in Albany last night, a paedophile Kiwi teacher in Thailand facing deportation, 2016 is set the be the hottest year on record (bad news for parched South Island farmers), the ‘very evil man’ Richard Tait who could be deported back to NZ, the wife who bathed a decomposing body for 4 weeks, and a police choir who teamed up with Tina Cross to deliver a ‘powerful’ message in song against domestic violence.
Stuff also leads with the Hamilton car crash, the kids at sea who only go to school when their boat lands, Fanning riding out drug death pain, the ‘affluenza’ teen who was too rich to go to jail flees with his mum, yesterday’s ‘news’ that NZ fell to 9th place in the 2015 HDI report (with a liberal sprinkling of Kool-Aid to sweeten the pill) and the highway murder story (also yesterday’s news).
ODT has a spark of good news for the Red Cross as it plans to recruit people to help resettle refugees in Dunedin, Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph (shock horror!) may be forced to move to Japan and some of Dunedin’s 18,000 rental properties will be in a study to see if a housing warrant of fitness will affect people’s health and wellbeing (tip – not burning couches and having street riots may help some).
Southland Times leads with the story of a Kiwi serious criminal deported from Australia desperate for handouts in Invercargill, farmers snubbing a drought support meeting in Wanaka, a Minister up close and personal with a takahe, while in Invercargill there’s the sound of carols and clashing lightsabers, and court report about the man who floored it from Invercargill to Winton in 12 minutes.
The Press runs with the Jon Gadsby memorial service, laments ‘diabolical’ traffic congestion to the Riccarton mall, Christchurch pensioners lose their free transport in a Scrooge-like decision, the sad news that the death of a young man in crash raises the country’s death toll to 309, the darling son who violently bashed his pensioner mum, and after a year of detours Pages Rd will re-open.
Radio NZ is one of the few sites to tackle the illegal police search of journalist Nicky Hager’s home – a ‘classic fishing expedition’, another coach destined for foreign shores, the Maori gambling problem could grow, a call for a minimum price for a standard drink, help for depression sufferers during the holidays, and another Kiwi detainee in Australia facing deportation is trying to get a visit from a psychiatrist.
In the blogsphere…
the Standard goes where the NZ MSM fear to tread and asks “What was National’s role in the police raid on Nicky Hager?”, helps to expose New Zealand’s emission scams, and asks what’s next now that child poverty has been monitored?
The Daily Blog also leads with the illegal police raid of a Nicky Hager’s home – saying this a war on journalism: “Hager wasn’t a suspect, he was a journalist with legal protections that the Police simply overrode without a second thought because his work had humiliated and embarrassed the Government…” it puts the spotlight on wealth inequality in NZ and says Neoliberalism, not drug adddiction is the social ill causing child poverty in New Zealand.
No Right Turn also gives the illegal police raid of the journalist’s home top billing – saying that the judge found the search was illegal and police with-held information from the judge who issued the warrant, it too looks at New Zealand’s emission’s fraud asking how bad is it? and says John Key is losing his “war on P” – the much vaunted Methampetamine Action Plan has achieved “absolutely nothing“.
E2NZ.org 
Admin, This might be of interest.
http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/opinion/368909/bewildered-saddened-shamed
Safe? In Papakura? Well having just left Papakura after 4 years of living and working there (back in the UK now) I can categorically state it is the least safe part of Auckland (including Otara – I worked there too). Gangs hang around Countdown carpark at night and even the Police are too spineless to deal with them. The butcher there told me that the Averill Street Countdown has the worst “shrinkage” of ANY NZ Countdown, which is why you don’t see high cost items like fillet steak on the shelf – you have to ask for it specifically (if you can afford it!). Three years ago 2 thugs on bicycles tried to mug me in Countdown carpark at 7pm at night. After that I never ventured out into Papakura at night. The girl described her attackers as 7 Pacific people – I doubt that. Far more likely to be Maori in the Kura!
I’m living there now and have for years, and it’s fine during the day, but yeah going out after dark is a bad idea. The recent incident of the Chinese woman being bashed at the train station prompted me to email the Papakura MP office about thugs and violence in Papakura but all I got was a cop out response blaming everything but this town for the problems.
I’ve noticed an increase in thugs (men and women) asking for gas money, and now there a few guys walking around with their black power jackets on. This should be outlawed.
Party murderer jailed for life
NZ NewswireDecember 18, 2015, 10:49 am
An Auckland man has been jailed for more than 10 years for the murder of a partygoer at a 21st birthday in South Auckland.
Robert Rapana, 37, stabbed Chevy Davis at a party in Fisher Crescent, Otara, on December 21 last year.
Mr Davis, 24, was found dead on the driveway at the front of the property and police said the death was triggered by a dispute over music.
Rapana pleaded guilty last month on the first day of what was supposed to be a three-week trial.
He also admitted a second charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in relation to Rio Davis, the dead man’s cousin.
Justice Sarah Katz handed Rapana a life sentence and imposed a minimum period of imprisonment of 10 years and six months.
Mr Davis’ family packed out the public gallery, with many wearing t-shirts with his photo and the word RIP written above.
Rapana’s co-accused Mary Togiaono pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact was sentenced to four-and-a-half months’ home detention in November.
ONLY 10 years for murder and his female accomplice four and a half months HOME DETENTION?
An innocent life is cheap in NZ where crims have HUMAN RIGHTS but not VICTIMS.
Sentencing by the court MUST apply the “least restrictive” sentence that the convicted falls under. Number of offences effect the conditions of sentencing, as well as the general circumstances of the crime. So even if a judge wanted to throw the book at some criminal, they can’t really do it. Crazy, but true.
I have heard people say New Zealand is a progressive nation, well thats not true when it comes to Christmas, everything is closed except probably the airports around New Zealand, I finally broke loose and told my parents why did we even move to New Zealand for when its way backwards than Hong Kong and also in Hong Kong if I need to go out, I can just catch the bus or underground train or a short walk then I arrive at a shopping mall
Bless them, it’s always a house fire or road traffic fatality making the front page of the regional papers. Nearly every day. Big issues like child poverty get a quick article and are swiftly forgotten. Ho hum, new zombieland.
Please also read – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11562731
The father said, “the family had lived in New Zealand for 12 years and had always thought of Auckland as safe.” Obviously he has never read the newspapers or watched the news on TV.
I’m going to get stick for this, but one of the reasons why they may have had the impression that “New Zealand is safe” … is simply because of the demographic they’re in:
2 old people, one young WOMAN.
From my experience in the halls of residence, the violence happened overwhelmingly to young MEN.
So, as long as it doesn’t happen to you, you can say you’re safe.
Plus – 11pm, she gets on the train.
Question – is the employer paying overtime?
Further question – this is the same place (Auckland) where foreigners have been getting the bash on the regular … and you didn’t notice?
Even further question – is “playing up to the myth” that NZ is safe, an effective way to deal with violence or to be overlooked by criminals?
Another question – doesn’t each stop of the train have at least 1 security person? or is someone trying to save money?
I hope the police don’t let the criminals go, I hope they catch the right people … and I hope I don’t keep hearing the myth “Auckland is safe”
This really enrages me. I live not far from where it happened.
You’re right. I don’t understand how anyone can consider Auckland safe. You would have to be living in a cave somewhere. The message needs to get out that it’s not safe because if these people have been living like it is, that’s indicative of others with the same idea that are at serious risk. Quite a few Asian people I know pay no attention to the news. None. I know one girl who didn’t know NZ had serious violent crime and she’s been here 9 years. Think about that for a minute.
No one should be on trains or even outside at that time of night, ever. But people keep doing it. Read pretty much EVERY beating. It’s always around these times and early hours of the morning.
Security are useless. Recently my dad came out of Papakura Countdown and a young thug walked out with a basket full of stuff. The checkout lady pursued him and he didn’t even run. He just strolled out. The security guard just observed this and didn’t lift a finger.
I know a girl who was at a train station when a fight between two guys broke out at around 10 pm. The guard just stood there watching. Seriously they are all totally useless. I’ve never seen one at the Papakura station at night. If there is he was probably asleep somewhere.