Talking crap about being a New Zealander

Finally the stats dept has recognised that some of us really only want to be known as New Zealanders.  Public Address | Yellow Peril makes some bold & patronising statements that imply those of us wanting to describe ourselves as New Zealanders rather than European interlopers as being basically exclusionary racists.

Ethnic identity is self-defined...

..ticking no boxes and writing in 'Kiwi' would be, for a non-Pakeha person, a denial of their actual ethnic heritage.  I  think that for a Pakeha, the same choice is a denial of the Anglo-Celtic-Euro-settler part of what comprises their kiwi-Pakeha 'ethnicity'. It also seems a belief that 'Kiwi' is a universal ethnicity, and that anyone can be a 'Kiwi'

Anyone can be a Kiwi.  It depends on attitude.  Which rugby team do you support.  The All Blacks or a team from another country.  My children are very definitely New Zealand-Hungarian.  That defines their heritage. 

For me to call myself Welsh-Scot-English-German-Australian-French would as Tze Ming points out, stupid.  So I am a New Zealander, back six generations.  And only on reading Tze Ming did it occur to me that people might think there was something wrong or exclusive defining oneself as a New Zealander.  It is my heritage, it defines my values and it is my childrens heritage.  The whole amalgam of peoples is what makes us New Zealanders.  Not wanting to be part of something else.  It means that the common values and the here and now are more important than what races your ancestors came from.  So to argue with me being a New Zealander is just, well, bizarre!

Comments

[Oswald Bastable]

Born in NZ, to parents born in NZ. That has to make me a New Zelander.

Anyone agruing aginst that is blowing smoke out their arse.

Fairly simple really...

[sagenz]

exactly. I would not even make it that limited. A good friend of mine was born outside NZ but moved there as a baby. All his values are those of New Zealanders. That is his "ethnic" definition

[robert Schofield]

TITLE:
Solving Aucklands Transport Woes.

For the past four years I have read innumerable articles from a myriad of experts and commentators on the best ways to resolve the bottleneck which is Auckland's traffic problems.

Finally with the publishing of the "toll road" proposals I have had enough, and although it is only my opinion, I believe through experience mine is the only realistic solution to the problem.

The solution is simple:
The $1.4bn being spent on the alleged Eastern corridor should be held aside, and a plan immediately implemented to commence placing a light rail, powered from underneath down the centre of the Auckland Southern motorway.

The existing median barrier should be used as a central building platform to be replaced from the outside in, but will provide a clear line of direction. and the resultant height of the track will with passengers onboard provide them with a view over traffic using the highway, and create in drivers a wish to be above the traffic, on a setup which when implemented runs on time, costs very little, and is enjoyable.

How?
The central area on each lane on the motorway, should be built in such a way that half width train carriages are used going in opposite directions, and as we have a standing design with Britomart they should be linked into those platforms to provide a degree of integration.

Agruments against:
1. Commencing building on this work will not impede traffic flow which is already bottle-necked.
2. The median barrier height should not be a problem providing the carriages sought are at maximum height under the height of over passes, and the best carriages to use are designed by German companies using a series of magnets to hold the train in place, at high speed.

3. Capital cost:
Right now I can hear the doomsayers commenting, Where does the money come from?

It has been calculated, spuriously in my opinion, that congestion costs Auckland $1bn per annum, if the total cost of placing a light rail system initially through the Southern to City section costs in the vicinity of NZ$4 - 5bn, I have some friends in Europe who will gladly provide the capital, and in return for a very low cost fare charge, but stretched over a long time of ownership, with maybe an operator like TOLL, or someone similarly skilled. I would suggest a timeframe of ownership of 25 - 30 years, to provide a capital return.

The lack of infrastructure we have in Auckland with a scheduled increase in population to 2 million by 2050, will mean we will have steadily increasing problems of enormity unless the thing is grabbed now, and dealt with, by someone in power.

Bottomline, if Auckland is losing $1bn per year at present and after 2 years this is up and running, through the participation of McConnell Dowell International, or maybe Riley Bechtel's Company from the USA, or even Lend Lease or Mirvac from Australia
Auckland will be saving the larger part of this lost capital, and with improved traffic flows, and reduced costs, plus the increasing population, quite logically, Aucklander's should be a lot better off.

I lived in Southern France in the 1990's and Melbourne in 1999-2000 so I have ample experience of paying for access. There it works, over here and at the rates being proposed, Auckland will drive income earners out with expensive charges which are unaffordable, over a timeframe where there is little or no capital being spent on integration of public services which currently do not really exist.

Lastly, and the biggest single problem with major construction in New Zealand, when are the Downers, Fletchers, and the like going to wake up to the Singapore style of building where there are 24 hours in every day, they deduct 3 hours for peak travel 1.5hours morning and evening, and split the remaining 21 hours into 3 shifts of 7 hours with higher pay and performance bonuses for meeting schedules on target or ahead.

This is the reason in Singapore, and in other countries in the Asian region, why quality hotels and skyscrapers can be built in 90 days when in NZ it takes 9 months.

Thanks, and I will return with a ground breaking announcement with regard to the tank farm site in Auckland, which the Mayor should not be able to turn down, and the people of Auckland will welcome as a breath of fresh air, and just what Auckland needs.

Speak with you in one week.

Yours kindly,

Robert Schofield.

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