New Zealand Spaceport Larger Payloads

The spaceport at Kaitorete Spit, next to Lake Ellesmere in the South Island of New Zealand, is about go up to larger payloads from vertical launches. 

NZ is a world leader in space flight technology. The spaceport at Kaitorete Spit will undergo expansion of its existing facilities.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/science-and-technology/1786736/big-rockets-could-launch-a-dozen-times-a-year-in-initial-canterbury-plan

A southern hemisphere launch gives private or government or scientific missions greater options into the various orbits, of which low-earth orbit (LEO) is particularly sought-after for the likes of Starlink and other communications satellites, and US military constellations planned to support the Golden Dome.

Many more thousands of satellites are expected to go into LEO in coming years - Musk already has about 10,000.

The below video shows a flight by Dawn Aerospace at the Spit, but the new plans from another company will be vertical launches.

The World as a Globe, Not Flat Map

Have you ever looked at the planet from the perspective of the globe, rather than a flat map? As you may be aware, depending on the way a flat map is presented, we get a skewed presentation. It can be useful to see things as you'd see them from space.

Here's a link to exactly that, a 3D interactive globe: https://earth3dmap.com/3d-globe/

I often say that Western Australia and New Zealand should merge as they're the only sane people in the Southern Hemisphere. Looking at this map, a journey by sea from Bluff, NZ is almost a straight run to Perth, Western Australia. 

Wharariki Beach - Upper South Island NZ

It's nice to see New Zealand's remote and very beautiful locations being promoted. Apparently, Wharariki Beach is a Windows 10 screensaver and a very popular image. The beach is at the top of the South Island, on the West Coast, and accessible only from Golden Bay, which is part of the Tasman District. 

The video below saw the visitor drive there from the South Island east coast. Maybe they were unaware that you can fly into Golden Bay via Golden Bay Air. From their aerodrome in Takaka, it is possible to rent a car to drive to Wharariki Beach via Puponga, which is right next to Farewell Spit (Puponga used to have a coal mine, for those interested in that sort of thing). Flights to Takaka are operated from Nelson and Wellington. 

New Zealand has many scenes like these, views that are so beautiful they take your breath away. Your eyes well up, and you stand there glad to be alive. 

South Island Needs Independence

New Zealand's mainstream media have woken up to something that has been widely known and talked about for at least twenty years now; the South Island leads NZ and it is becoming obvious.

The North Island is drifting, while the South Island is booming, lots of reasons for this, but the most important one is that South Islanders are sane. It's time for the South Island to go it alone.

https://www.thepost.co.nz/business/360770435/south-island-leads-economic-recovery-kiwibank-report-find

Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr recently spoke to a crowd of 250 people in Christchurch, and asked them if they were employing more people or buying machinery and other discretionary purchases. As many as 40% raised their hands. The same question was posed to an audience of 200 people in Wellington sometime afterwards, and just two people raised their hands.

Slow Decline of New Zealand

New Zealand is going backwards slowly, inexorably. The latest example of this comes with the news that the country's only rail enabled Cook Strait ferry is to be shut down, with no replacement in sight. Of course, that's not what the incompetent politicians in Wellington are saying, they're spinning it as saving the taxpayer money (of course they would). 

By doing away with the last rail enabled ferry, the rail link from one end of the country to the other will be broken for the first time since the Cook Strait ferries were introduced in 1962. Before then, rail freight could not be transported on the same wagon right through the country. Instead, coastal shipping was used; for instance from Nelson to Wellington, the journey was by overnight vessel via French Pass, or from Lyttelton (Christchurch) to Wellington. Or we can go farther back, getting from Wellington to Auckland meant taking a ship to New Plymouth and then rail from there to Auckland. 

When the Cook Strait ferries came along, for the first time a rail journey could start in Invercargill at one end of the country in the deep south, and end at Whangarei in the far north, the whole journey could take place with the same wagon taking the entire trip. 

But now, this is all too difficult. The government owned rail company want to replace the ferries they currently run. Those new ferries are intended to be rail enabled, except they're at least four years away and no contract has been signed for their construction. Do you smell bullshit at this stage? I certainly do.

These new ferries won't match the existing infrastructure, so new facilities must be built. The usual way to do this would be to build the new facilities alongside the old, and continue using the old until the new ships arrive. Given this is the most sensible approach, my thinking is the country is being lied to, no rail enabled ferries will arrive.

Future governments will, likely, simply cancel the whole idea of a rail connected country, effectively taking NZ back in time to an age when everything was much more difficult to do. I see this approach happen all the time, and this is largely driven by the North Island who see no point in connecting the whole country as they live in their North Island bubble.

This is another reason to say goodbye to the North Island, the South Island needs to go it alone and achieve independence. If it does not become independent then the South Island will be destroyed by the idiots in the North, mark my words. 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/559509/aratere-interislander-s-only-rail-enabled-ferry-to-retire

New Zealand in 1959

A piece of modern social history from New Zealand's National Film Unit, shows what life was like in NZ during the 1950's and 60's. It's fairly accurate, and a lot of what is covered still holds true today. 

However, what stands out for me is just how far NZ has fallen. It is now seemingly incapable of doing anything at all. In this film you can see ships loading at ports, and at the time NZ had the largest fleet of merchant ships in the Southern Hemisphere. You can see it had a military, but what is not mentioned is that NZ maintained a permanent presence in Singapore, defending the region from communist insurgency. Singapore and Malaysia are partly the creation of NZ, not only did they defend them, but NZ brought their brightest to NZ and educated them in its universities. They learnt well and went home to put those lessons into effect.

However, NZ lost its way. What went wrong? It became complacent and allowed weak people to take charge. From 1984 onward, NZ has been in gradual decline. There are signs of improvement, more so in the South Island, but overall things have gone backward. If you doubt this, consider some of the statements made in the commentary; unions were compulsory and workers experienced high rates of pay and low cost of living. Now, households on two incomes can barely manage. Homelessness was virtually unknown because anyone who lacked accommodation was given it, and often a complete house at that. They'd pay rent, but that was in proportion to how much they earned. 

What happened to the National Film Unit? It was sold to Television New Zealand for a derisory sum. That tells the story of NZ right there.

Yes, I'm a stuck record on the subject, but the only way I see any semblance of NZ surviving is if the South Island goes it alone. The North Island in its madness will sink the whole ship otherwise. 

South Island Self-determination

The South Island is sick of being flogged by the North Island, essentially paying for its excesses and complete incompetence.

Here are a few lowlights in the North Island:

• There is still no Auckland harbour crossing established since the Nippon clip-ons were added to the Auckland Harbour bridge in 1969. If we compare with other harbours such as San Francisco, there is almost always more than one crossing whether underground or bridge.
• Wellington, a city which is fully funded by the taxpayer, has streets which permanently leak. Wellington isn't the windy city, it is the leaky city. They cannot even fix leaks.
• The Cook Strait ferry service from the North Island to the South Island is now in danger of failing, there have been numerous near miss events which could see serious loss of life. These incidents involve ships losing power and drifting in heavy seas, or ships actually hitting things and going aground.
• The government had a DEI Navy hire lose an expensive hydrographic survey vessel after hitting a reef. This was the worst loss of a NZ Navy vessel since the Second World War.
• There is now no rail link to Gisborne
• There is still no swift transport link from Auckland to the airport.
• Crime is out of control in the North Island and gangs effectively control some towns.
• Air NZ is a basket case and requires constant rescue.
• Ports of Auckland still operate from the middle of Auckland, instead of moving to Whangarei, and no effective rail link exists to Whangarei anyway.
• NZ's only oil refinery closed down.

Meanwhile, the South Island is a model of efficiency by contrast. I estimate that if the South Island was separate, it wouldn't even need fulltime senators to run the place. They would only need to meet for a month a year to pass legislation into law. That meeting could be moved around the Island.

Whether this entity becomes a fully independent country separate from New Zealand, is subject to agreement. I have already said I support a fully separate country in confederation with New Zealand. However, if a state alone, and subject to federal law as in Australia; then it must mean the South Island shares power. This prevents certain interests being sidelined, as with Western Australia. Power sharing could take the form of at least a minimum of one South Islander being either prime minister, deputy prime minister or minister of finance. This person could be the Premier of the state, together with any other senator. Of course, given the South Island is more competent, every top office could be held, it's just a minimum of one must be Southern. These representatives would be elected from the South Island, and the North would have no say in their election to office. The offices could be rotated; thus, the South Island appoints the prime minister from its state three years out of nine. This would prevent incompetence from becoming ingrained as it is now. 

Governance could see the state take over all territorial authorities. Local councils would become advisory bodies only, and mayors would be ceremonial. Residential property could be free of rates, with only commercial and industrial property paying rates. 

As a separate state it could remove personal and corporate income taxes. Instead, sales taxes could be used, along with royalties collected from minerals extraction, road user charges, and excise taxes on gambling, alcohol and such. There could also be bed taxes and traveller arrival charges, as well as limited property taxes (see the rates burden above). Thus, the taxation office would be small.

The main sources of export income for the South Island would include the sale of electricity to the North Island, as well as the export of agricultural and mineral products such as from the aluminium smelter at Bluff. There is far more than that to the South Island of course, but these would be the big earners.

But things wouldn't stand still; corporate investment could be encouraged by not directly taxing income, thus effecting more minerals processing, and agricultural processing becomes viable. Just think, no corporate income tax on lumber mills, milk powder production etc. The South Island could fully develop its hydroelectricity potential, and export more of it to the North Island. 

I had another idea too: how about one free acre to every Australian who moves to the South Island permanently and who starts a business. If they leave the South Island within five years, they forfeit the land.

Had an added idea, similar to the above. If you're a property developer and build a subdivision, the state will supply the land, the developer builds the houses, then when sold the value of the developed land comes back to the state. This alone would probably be one of the biggest earners. The South Island would be in charge of immigration, only skilled people need apply, and they'd be offered a new house to live in, finance guaranteed. Watch the population double in no time.

As a completely separate entity, the South Island would no longer prop up the North Island. 

South Island Independence Movement

With New Zealand's South Island independence movement gaining increasing support, it occurred to me to point out the path to victory.

A party must be established with the intent to win the all-important 5% threshold from the country's party vote. Once the 5% is achieved, the new party may be in a position to insist on devolution as part of any coalition agreement. Both of the large parties, National and Labour will need coalition partners in 2026. 

How to get the 5%? 

I suggest teaming up with the Maori party. Oh, really? I'll explain:

Maori mostly live in the North Island. If the South Island leaves, Maori in the North Island immediately hold a large share of the remaining votes in the old New Zealand. It could be as much as 20% of the voters. So, there is a huge incentive for Maori to vote for the South Island party when it comes to the party vote, but still return their MP's in the electorates.

Think about it, this makes sense.

Minister for the South Island

New Zealand's National Party have pushed the panic button now they're polling below Labour for the first time since the General Election in 2023. Prime Minister, that baldy nincompoop, Christopher Luxon has shuffled his cabinet. He's basically rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, so I won't go into the complexities of it all. Rest assured, whatever he does the government will remain a bunch of cockwombles without a good idea anywhere amongst the lot of them.

But he has created a new position, Minister for the South Island. The country already has the Minister for Auckland, which is another completely pointless office. So, why a government minister just for the South Island?

It must be South Island independence is gathering pace. Apparently, a Facebook page on the subject has more followers than the ACT party, which is part of the government. I have noted that whenever I mention the subject, I receive more than average engagement on the matter. No doubt Luxon is trying to head off such groups evolving into fully-fledged political parties trying to grab the all-important 5% threshold party vote.

What could South Island independence look like? It could be a completely separate country, or exist within New Zealand as part of a federal or confederate structure.

Personally, I support a confederacy. In simple terms, a confederate state would be completely independent apart from defense, foreign affairs and trade agreements.

But, what would the South Island have exclusively of its own? Here's a list:

• police and criminal law
• money
• finance
• minerals
• tax
• sport
• immigration
• education
• healthcare
• social welfare
• infrastructure
• environment

This confederacy would have a customs union with the North Island, and citizens from the North Island would have free movement and the right to settle in the South (and vice versa).

What would this confederate state be called? I am opposed to New Munster; what about Great Southernland? Great because it would take in the South Island and all its offshore islands; plus Stewart, Chatham, Auckland and Campbell Islands and the Ross Sea. 

How would this Great Southernland function? It would have low taxation, fewer public servants, better schools, efficient hospitals, a motivated workforce, and an active and growing mining sector and a manufacturing base. The only money it would send to Wellington would be for defense, maintaining embassies and a place at the UN, and in keeping trade agreements functioning.

What do you think?

South Island Secession

One way to deal with the new Covid mandates from the dictatorial New Zealand government is to divide up the country.

Currently 75% of NZ's total population of New Zealand is partly or fully jabbed. That leaves 25% who aren't.

Suggestion: why don't we just divide the country at Cook Strait, jabbed have the North, un-jabbed the South. This partition could be done federally or it could create two separate countries.

You may dismiss this, but why should 20% of adults put up with being discriminated against? I think there is an assumption that all the un-jabbed are fools, or low class, uneducated. But they're not, they represent business owners, doctors, lawyers, farmers, all kinds. The South Island would get along nicely without mandating the jab. That last point would be the line in the sand, jabbed wouldn't be prevented from living in the South Island, they'd just never be able to insist the jab be mandated.

Thoughts? 

South Island Independence

With New Zealand's Labour party about to bankrupt the country, about time for the South Island to think about independence. 

New political party: SCRAM Stands for South Island, Chathams, Rakiura Autonomy Movement. 

Policies:

 

No lockdowns Zero income tax for individuals and companies 

Cheap cigarettes 

Excise tax on EV's 

Literacy and numeracy compulsory 

Winning rugby world cup compulsory 

Free speech protected 

Industry encouraged with free trade zones providing cheap land/zero rates. 

How would this work? Any number of ways, but it could exist within New Zealand as a whole. The SCRAM entity could have its own laws apart from Defence, Foreign Affairs and existing Trade agreements. But not like a federal structure, more like a confederacy, that way overarching federal legislation wouldn't apply. As an example, SCRAM could introduce the death penalty for the worst crimes (such as murder with aggravating factors like torture and rape/sexual assault) and not be controlled by Wellington. 

In the future, SCRAM could merge with Western Australia which has voted for independence in the past but never had the numbers in Canberra to push it through. This new entity would create a new empire of the Southern and Indian oceans. Yay. Crucially, it would be resource rich, boundless wealth is tied up in the South and in WA. Effete classes in the urban conurbations are skewing the landscape to enrich themselves at the expense of those who sit on top of that wealth. 

Precedents?

There are a few out there, we could come up with a peculiarly Kiwi solution so Southerners still call themselves New Zealanders. Here are a few models to study and borrow ideas from: 

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland 

Monaco 

San Marino 

Andorra 

Lichtenstein 

Luxembourg 

Malta 

Vatican City 

Isle of Man 

Jersey 

Guernsey 

Or look at secessionist movements: 

Catalonia 

Venice (separate from Italy proper and once its own empire) 

California (broke away from Mexico) 

Texas (Broke away from Mexico, then joined the US after a referendum) 

How would secession be achieved? To begin with, members of the party must be elected to parliament. If using the Northern Ireland example with Sinn Fein, they'd not take their seats. However, I suggest this party does take its seats and agitates for a referendum on secession, only to be held in the South Island amongst those on the electoral roll there. If the party gets itself into a kingmaker position, it could make this referendum a condition of forming a government. Auckland politicians are a greedy lot and would do this despite knowing NZ would be broken up. What do you think?

West Coast - Word of Advice

The West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand is under constant attack from lawmakers and environmentalists. They want to lock the coast up as some sort of living museum.

Okay, that said, my advice is for the West Coast to grow up and stop voting for EITHER Labour or National. That's right, neither offers any hope for their future. Labour was born on the coast but they've long since moved to Auckland and the all-important South Auckland party vote. National for its part curries favour with the rest of Auckland and farmers in general.

The problem for the West Coast arises out of MMP and the need for blocs of party votes. Only about 35,000 people of any age live on the coast, not enough party votes to matter. What they need to do is vote for an independent in the electorate, or a representative of a minor party. Thus, they could find themselves in the role of kingmaker. With the main parties, there is no way their voice will ever be heard. At election time they're pandered to, but when in office both Labour and National do nothing for the coast.

New Zealand Regional Party

There have been a few attempts to get a purely New Zealand regional political party off the ground going back to the 1970's. Of course there was the provincial government era which was disbanded (Christchurch is still looking for a use for its Provincial Council Buildings.) but since then NZ has been a relatively harmonious one size fits all type of place.

The main reason regional states were scrapped was due to population. In its early days, NZ wasn't as successful as had been hoped. In the end the capital was centred on Wellington (moved from Auckland) and NZ became one whole. The NZ Legislative Assembly (equivalent to the House of Lords) was then removed in the 1940's, leaving an empty house inside NZ's Parliament. All good fun, a unicameral legislature, laws are enacted fast.

But I think the time has come for regional interests to push for a better deal. That's because Auckland is getting everything and the regions are being repeatedly screwed over. And the modern electoral system NZ uses allows for this kind of voice.

Consider the recent protest on the West Coast, https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/105666228/protest-against-mining-ban-on-doc-land-as-last-rail-road-bridge-in-new-zealand-closes The government must have thought the opening of a bridge was reason for celebration, instead they got a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. That's because the Greens are the tail wagging the (Labour/NZ First) dog and want to turn the West Coast into a depopulated wasteland where nothing happens apart from German backpackers coming through to crap on their front lawns. I kid you not.

Call this party something useful like the Country Party, or Heartland Party. Its function would be as power broker, getting the best deal for the regions in return for backing the government of the day. An argument justifying this type of negotiation would be to look at export revenue from the regions compared to the whole of the country including urban areas. What proportion of NZ's total export revenue comes from the regions? In return the regions should get a slice of the pie. Instead what happens is the regions make the money and then have their tax dollars spent on building roads in Auckland. This has to stop.

Correcting the imbalance would see the regions grow as services would be made available. Employment follows. NZ has no singular voice promoting regional interests. It needs to find one.

Greens Naysaying Again

Why do young people vote Green? They've got to be the most negative political party I've seen. Their latest opposition is against the water export scheme from South Westland in the South Island of New Zealand. First they opposed non-renewable, now they oppose renewable as well, when will this end, when homo sapiens are back living in caves?

I wrote about the scheme here: http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2017/01/innovative-water-export-scheme.html

I notice the campaign to stop this project are completely misrepresenting where the water is to be taken from and what impact it will have on the environment. The water is not being taken from a national park, and it will have absolutely no effect on the environment.

The impact on global climate change will be positive and schemes like this should get widespread support from environmentalists. One of the problems of climate change is the lack of  cloud formation and thus precipitation from the areas where it is most needed. As an example, the Sahara desert is spreading south because of this, but the problem is global. Greening areas impacted by a lack of water holds back the tide. Water from South Westland is literally a drop in the bucket for that region but a vital resource for those that need the water.

Greens, a message, stop being silly and get behind something that helps the environment and which is renewable.

Kaikoura Earthquake and the South Island

I've been thinking about the recent Kaikoura earthquake and I may have badly underestimated its economic effect. I think the effects are far greater than is being discussed in the media. You don't hear much being said do you, and I'm not struck by the sense of urgency either, but I think the Kaikoura earthquake could be really bad and here's why:

The South Island is the engine that drives the New Zealand economy. I realise Auckland thinks it does, but the South Island is the productive sector and important earner of export dollars. The big earthquake has blocked State Highway 1 (SH1), preventing the efficient movement of freight by road from Christchurch and the rest of the lower South Island through to Picton (and the ferry to Wellington in the North Island). The Lewis Pass route is a serious detour and isn't a long term solution.

Then the rail line is also blocked. The freight from the South Island to Auckland can no longer be moved by rail.

With the road blocked not just points south of the blockage are affected, but also the top of the South Island. The ferry services across Cook Strait must now be in jeopardy as freight is now being moved by coastal shipping from Auckland to Lyttelton (Christchurch). Nelson, the whole Tasman region and Marlborough could become badly isolated if one or both ferry services shuts down.

Then without the rail line through Kaikoura, the whole rail system in the South Island is put in doubt. How many trains run on this system if not running from Christchurch to Picton? Not many is the answer. If the rail system goes bust and shuts down, those industries that do rely on rail (coal exports and milk powder plants) may become uneconomic after having to shift to road. In the case of coal exports, port facilities nearer the mines would take a while to upgrade.

The effects are much wider than just the immediate concern about Kaikoura, its farmers, tourist industry and residents. The whole South Island is going to feel the pinch.

We need to know what is being done and we need to know that the work is being given top priority. Leadership challenges within the government, what buildings they enjoy, cabinet line-ups and all that are a much lower priority. If SH1 and the rail line can't be fixed toot sweet then New Zealand is going to take a serious haircut.