Christchurch Cathedral Cost Blowout

Oh dear, I could see this happening and what do you know, it happens! The cost of earthquake repairs to Christchurch's cathedral has skyrocketed to a staggering $250 million.

Back when this building was damaged by the 2011 earthquake, Anglicans said pull it down, build a new cathedral. Had we been listened to, we'd have a brand new cathedral by now. But no, various interest groups got involved and it was decided to restore the old building. Problem with that is that the old building was poorly constructed in the first place, not worth restoring. It looked good, but the cost of repairs is now much greater than a sound new replacement.

Just stop this now, pull it down, build again. I for one will not be putting in one cent, not a penny to this foolish endeavor.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/513576/christ-church-cathedral-rebuild-could-be-mothballed-as-cost-blows-out-to-248-million

Victoria Cancels Commonwealth Games 2026

What is Dictator Dan up to now? The Premier of Victoria, Dan Andrews has announced the State of Australia cannot afford to host the Commonwealth Games in 2026. Melbourne last held the event in 2006, so what gives?

The first thing that comes to mind is that forecasts suggest few tourists will visit. That's because Victoria now has the reputation as the lockdown state. The second thing that comes to mind is that he's been told more lockdowns are coming in 2026. Yea...be very afraid.

Meanwhile, Christchurch mayor, Phil Mauger says Christchurch can do it, and looking at it, it appears he's right, here's how things line up: 

• New Stadium in central city being built (Athletics) 
• Aquatic centre near Hagley Park nearing completion (Swimming and Diving) 
• Convention Centre completed and running (Boxing, Gymnastics, Judo, Squash, Table tennis - if this is too many to cram in, there are other facilities too, such as the Air Force museum, University recreation centre and Lincoln events centre. Each of these on their own can host one of these events) 
• Town Hall refurbished (Weightlifting) 

Add the following: 

• Horncastle arena (Netball) 
• AMI Stadium (Sevens) 
• Cowles Stadium, which also has a purpose built badminton building (Badminton, 3x3 basketball) 
• Pioneer (Wrestling) 
• Upgrade existing Hockey 
• Lawn Bowls upgrade
• All other events are outdoors; such as Mountain Biking on the Port Hills and Cricket at Hagley Oval, a recognised Test venue. Beach Volleyball in The Square. 

Perhaps add shooting. 

The only thing that would need to be put in is a top level Cycling track.

When the games were held in Christchurch in the 1970's, the University of Canterbury Halls of Residence at Ilam were used as the athletes village. They could look at this again. 

Lyttelton and Akaroa harbours can hold limitless numbers of cruise ships. The airport has been expanded and is under-utilised. Talk is of Invercargill being added, fine, but they're not strictly necessary. The facilities are all available within Canterbury. But the taxpayers across NZ would have to stump up.

What do you think?

Australia Bushfire Sun

The sun setting tonight in Christchurch, NZ is tinged with the colour orange, the result of the smoke from the Australia bushfires. I've never seen this before and thought to take a pic:

Sun Setting in Christchurch NZ, coloured orange by smoke from Australia bushfires

Christchurch Mayoralty

I'm voting John Minto for mayor of Christchurch and ask everyone to do the same. Minto is well known in New Zealand, he led the action protesting the Springbok tour of NZ in 1982. Importantly, while he's a professional agitator, he's not a professional politician. I'm sick of professional politicians. The latter just say what they think you want to hear.

Minto is campaigning for free buses. That's a good idea as it will lower the cost of road maintenance, and get people moving at the same time. He's also opposed to selling off city assets. He wants to clean up the rivers, a bit harder to do that one but good luck to him. All in all he stands for something.

What's the downside? Christchurch will have to put up with his achingly annoying PC crap. A small price to pay I'd say when you consider the alternatives; Lianne Dalziel who Christchurch can't seem to get rid of, her answer to everything is to increase rates. Then that dipstick Darryl Park talked about himself in the third person in the candidate brochure. I'm not voting for anyone who thinks he's god.

So in your postal ballot, tick Minto, place your ballot inside the reply paid envelope and post pronto. Done.

Christchurch Shooter Theory

Persistent rumours in Christchurch, New Zealand say that there was more than one shooter involved in the terror attack of March 15, 2019 where 50 people were killed and many more wounded. This theory comes about because it seemed that the two mosques were attacked at the same time. Yesterday the Police put out the route the shooter took and so what I then did is drive that route and time it.

What I found is the route disclosed by the Police takes 19 minutes and 10 seconds to complete (19'10"). Therefore, there was only one shooter and the Linwood mosque was attacked 11 minutes after the Deans Ave atrocity.

This was the route I took; Deans, Harper, Bealey, Fitzgerald, Linwood, Aldwins, Ensors and Brougham. Along Brougham to the eventual location of capture on Brougham street just short of Strickland street.

Being a visitor to Christchurch he could have got to the Linwood Ave mosque from Deans Ave quicker by taking an alternative route, but that would only be 30 seconds or so faster. There are several sections of the drive where it is possible to exceed the speed limit easily and they are; Harper, Linwood, Aldwins and Ensors. Taking this into account and that the shooter would likely speed where possible (note there was no damage to his car), my time and the time he took are likely the same when allowing for time of day factors.

So rest easy, the Police have it right, there was one shooter and he covered the distance all by himself. Why then did Christchurch have helicopters in the sky every night for days afterward? I have no idea exactly, but at the time I thought the Police must be tracking the white supremacists dispersing their guns and drugs. 

Changes to New Zealand Gun Laws

Following the terrible events of March 15, 2019; the New Zealand Prime Minister has announced changes to the NZ gun laws.

For those who don't already know, NZ sits at 20th in the World for guns per 100 people. The USA is at number 1, Australia 51st. But NZ does not have a lot of guns because of some second amendment right, they have them to control introduced pests that ravage NZ's native flora and fauna. Top of the list are possums and rabbits.

NZ needs its guns. But what they could look at doing is have gun dealers reporting any buyer seemingly amassing an arsenal. The Christchurch Mosque terrorist bought several guns quite legally but over a relatively short period of time, along with lots of ammunition. This should have triggered an alarm bell, but didn't.

Christchurch and South Island Terrorism

The terrorist who committed the atrocity on March 15, 2019 was an Australian. Looking into his background there is nothing to suggest he came to New Zealand to commit an act of terror. NZ must face the ugly truth; it is likely he was radicalised in Aotearoa.

Is this a gun control issue? It appears he may have broken the law in getting his gun license and one of the rifles he used looks to have been modified into an advanced E category semi-automatic, not the lowest classification A category the terrorist had a license for. Bad people can get guns any time, further gun controls just make it harder to shoot the pests which damage the environment. So more gun controls won't work.

What will work? NZ needs to address the climate of xenophobia and racism that permeates its society. In particular, the South Island where white supremacist groups have operated my whole adult life. They have extreme views and are readily violent. It is highly likely that the terrorist did not act alone. There was a great degree of planning in the attack and while he was the sole shooter, others out there aided and abetted him, find them and bring them to justice.

Then we need to be intolerant towards intolerance. Every day in NZ, the media give platforms to so-called 'hosts' on the TV and radio who foment unrest with their dog-whistling comments. These people are very sly, they're as slippery as eels, never going too far and changing direction or flipping quickly to the cause or talking point of the day, they're always chasing headlines and ratings. They don't care who gets hurt, today they've got blood on their hands. Call the media companies and let them know they have to rid NZ of their voices. Kiwis - you know who they are. 

Christchurch Mosque Shootings

By now the world will be aware that Christchurch has had a terrible terrorist attack. White supremacists have attacked and killed 49 people across two sites, the mosque on Deans Ave by Hagley Park and the mosque on Linwood Ave.

Many more are in Christchurch Hospital and are in a critical condition. Twelve operating theatres are in use trying to save people.

Arrests have been made but given the level of planning involved in the attacks, I suspect there are others behind this. We need to know who these co-conspirators and instigators are.

Schools were in lock-down all afternoon and they may have been targeting schools as well. I notice that in the TV footage of the arrests, one suspect was arrested outside Papanui High School, while another was driven off the road and arrested near Addington Primary School. This appears to be a remarkable coincidence, both suspects near or right outside schools and the police were telling all schools to go into lock-down.

Also, on Thursday James Shaw the Green Party co-leader was punched in Wellington and hospitalised. The assailant was reported to say something about the UN before punching Shaw. One of the suspects in Christchurch, Brenton Tarrant had UN Convention on Migration scrawled across the magazine of his rifle in photos posted online. This also seems to be a remarkable coincidence.

It could be New Zealand has a far-right terrorist cell operating in the country right now. The police have cordoned off Somerville Street in Dunedin (4.5 hours south of Christchurch by car) and nearby residents were being evacuated. Does this property have explosives? Or is this where the terrorists were making the bombs found in Christchurch on Friday? Police have confirmed this property is connected to the Friday events.

A bomb threat was reported at the Britomart in Auckland on Friday, the police neutralised the two suitcases.

Is anyone seeing a pattern here? If anyone sees anything suspicious or knows anything, please report it to the police pronto.

Snob's Guide to New Zealand

I've written a useful guide to New Zealand, out now in Paperback and on Kindle. This book will need to be read by anyone interested in a move to New Zealand. It reveals how Kiwis think and from a snob's perspective what are the best schools, cities, cool places?

It goes deeper than you find with most guides. What other guides do is gloss over things or they describe only how to do something. They don't contain criticism, or they're too stale. What Snob's Guide to New Zealand does is assume you know how to do things, such as filling in forms. But what you really need to know is; what will you experience and who will you come up against?

But this book isn't just a guide, it will also be valuable for Kiwis too. From this book they can measure where they're at, where they're going, and how to get there. It raises important issues only occasionally addressed in New Zealand.

What are the best schools and universities? Which cities are best? This is a no holds barred type of approach the reader will find invaluable.

Here is the link to the Paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1727804147

Snob's Guide on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J9XRCWK

Snob's Guide to New Zealand is indispensable to anyone looking at a move Downunder, or for the locals who want to know how to get ahead in their own country.

Universities

“There is a strict pecking order…Dispense with all international rankings as they’re meaningless.”

Energy

“…the Tesla owner and the ordinary guy in his Nissan Leaf are at war with poor people.”

New Zealand Wars

“The history of these conflicts is one where Maori won all the battles but lost the wars.”

Christchurch, NZ: 100 Years Since End of First World War

Found the crosses laid out in Christchurch's Cranmer Square today. There is one cross for every soldier from Canterbury in New Zealand, who fell during The Great War, 1914-18.

If of the Jewish faith there is a Star of David instead of a cross.

Christchurch

What the hell is going on with Christchurch, New Zealand? They've now come up with the idea to drop something resembling a dead fish in the middle of Cathedral Square.

https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/q/b/j/f/5/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620x349.1qbihe.png/1528872088633.jpg

Are these people on planet earth? Why does the council keep getting re-elected?

How Terrorism Wins

Terrorists want you to change your behaviour and how you think. They win when their acts of terror, or their threats of terror make you do what they want you to do or think the way they want you to think.

And so terrorists won when the organisers of the Christchurch Santa Parade caved in to threats of terror. Shame on you Santa Parade organisers and where are the police in all this? Why are the police waiting for a complaint to be lodged, when terrorism is involved they don't need to receive a complaint.

Here's the background: http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/87072747/santa-parade-defiant-over-red-face-claims

Christchurch woman Michelle Flores saw the float in last year's parade and emailed the organisers this week to ask them to remove it from this year's event.

"Many people in NZ don't seem to understand how inappropriate it is for white people to dress up in essentially what is 'redface'," she wrote in the email.

"If white Americans or Canadians dressed up as Maori people with brown paint on their faces and in traditional Maori dress and had a float in a Santa parade doing the Haka somewhere in North America, that would be incredibly inappropriate right?"

But Santa Parade manager Pam Morris said she was "offended" by the request.

"If she had a good look at that float, some of it belongs to a tribe that I went to the reservation of in Buffalo. They know about this float and they gave me some headgear to use on this float.

"We have the blessing of that tribe."

Chairwoman of the Santa Parade's trust, Anne Jamieson, said the float would be included because it was a tradition that children enjoyed.

<snip>

Professor of Maori and indigenous studies at Massey University, Rawiri Taonui, said the costumes were only offensive if they mocked First Nations people.

"It is OK if they are dressing up in costume as a way of learning about that culture in a respectful way.

"If that is the intent we should support it. It depends on the intent."

And then when the float was paraded during the Santa Parade the Indian costumes were pulled from the float after threats of violence from a terrorist group:-

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/87194113/emails-threaten-to-set-controversial-parade-float-on-fire

First Nation and Native American costumes were pulled from a Christchurch Santa Parade float after one of the organisers received emails threatening to set it on fire.

Okay, so to recap; this float was approved of by the tribe who provided the Native American dress, but that wasn't good enough for the terrorists who issued threats and the organisers caved.

Well, there we have it, it's easy to intimidate New Zealanders eh. Wow. Just Wow.

Beckenham School

I have had three children attend Beckenham School in Christchurch, each of them attending from Year 1 all the way through to Year 8.

Warning: Beckenham School is not a good school any longer.

In the past, across the full range of factors that make a school a place that nurtures learning, Beckenham School at least scored a pass mark by my measure. There were issues at times, such as their teaching of number leaving a lot to be desired, but overall, they got the job done. For instance, my eldest achieved her first A+ at Beckenham School (not the only one she'd ever receive ). Small things like that do make a difference.

Want to know what Beckenham School is like now? They've gone all silly. The best example of this is their using food as a form of control. The children are kept hungry, and are sent out to play at the midday break, including practising sports while they're hungry. They're only allowed to eat just as they re-enter the classroom. If you've ever coached sports you'd know how stupid this idea is. The most commonly heard coaching advice anywhere in the world is, don't come to practise without food in your belly (coal in the boiler). Beckenham School, which does not have a proud sporting record (it's true, one or two, but you know - they're exceptions), is setting new ever lower standards.

My youngest now at Beckenham, I doubt the teachers know who she is. The reports we get are clearly of another child completely. They have her achieving at the minimum level for her year group (trust me, she's bright, she's well above any minimal national standard), and enjoys reading. Actually she doesn't like that at all but Beckenham have no idea do they. She struggles to finish a book (though she reads well - go figure ). She actually likes Mathematics, something she's quite competent at, but Beckenham aren't aware of her ability in that respect. One report had her enjoying playing Netball. That's funny, cos she's never played it, she plays Soccer.

Beckenham is disorganised, and teachers encourage pupils to use the teachers Christian name. It's laughable, you need to establish a teacher/pupil framework, knowing the teachers Christian name is one thing, encouraging pupils to use it is just plain nonsense.

Clearly it has to start at the top, the school is not well led. You start as you mean to carry on, so the trend is ever downward. I feel sorry for any young parent with their first child starting their first year. They've got little idea that their child is going to become cannon fodder.

What do I do? I make up the difference by teaching my child myself, all those things they'll need, particularly language, number and science. But I have to say this is becoming a chore as Beckenham is getting so bad, it is now nearly a full time job. In the past, I'd only need to give my children top ups when the school had failed in an area. Now they're simply not doing their jobs at all as I see it.

Please be careful when considering ERO reports and the like. They're window dressing and rarely address the kinds of issues I'm talking about. All the Education Review Office will pick up is when a school is imploding. What I'm talking about with Beckenham is something akin to sub par, which is a lot harder to address.

Will things improve? Unlikely, if you are looking around, there are other schools in Christchurch and many direct competitors that appear to be doing much better.

Sell City Care

So the Christchurch City Council are going to sell their parks and road construction business, City Care. What is it worth? My calculation is it's worth about $65 million. Anything over that and they're laughing.