Anzac Day 2009 in New Zealand tomorrow...

Anzac Day 2009: We Will Remember Them:

Anzac Day commemorates all New Zealanders killed in war and honours returned servicemen and women.

Anzac Day is observed with remembrance services till 1 pm, followed by a relaxed holiday afternoon. The Dawn Service is today the most popular of the Anzac Day observances. Wreath-laying ceremonies in remembrance for fallen soldiers will take place at war memorials and RSA buildings around the country.

The date itself marks the anniversary of the landing of New Zealand and Australian soldiers – the ANZACs – on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915. The aim was to capture the Dardanelles, the gateway to the Bosphorus and the Black Sea.

Thousands lost their lives in the campaign, among the dead were 2721 New Zealanders, almost one in four of those who served on Gallipoli.

At the end of the campaign, Gallipoli was still held by its Turkish defenders.

There are now no veterans left from Gallipoli or the First World War. Bright Williams, who passed away in 2003, was the last, and the number of Second World War veterans becomes fewer each year. Many young New Zealanders now attend the services. Some wear the medals their grandparents and great-grandparents won during war.

Remember those who gave everything for their country on Anzac Day, April 25th 2009.

Acknowledgements:
Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association

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Just what is the National/Act Government's legislative plans for Auckland Super city...

What is the Government's legislative plans for Auckland Super City? What are they going to tell the people who live there?

Shane Jones MP: Labour is calling on the National/Act Government to spell out what the Super City legislation it plans to ram through under urgency will entail, says its Local Government spokesman Shane Jones.

"Mr Hide said last week that he planned to try to pass legislation under urgency on the issue when Parliament resumes. He has suggested that the legislation is only technical and would revolve around enabling the establishment of a transition agency."

"However there have been other suggestions that the legislation may be more substantial and could include a determination on the Government's plans to create at large councillors and to ban the Maori seats," Mr Jones says.

"The Government needs to come clean on whether there is any truth to these suggestions and tell the public exactly what the legislation will and won't entail. Right now it's becoming hard to know what to believe.

"Prime Minister John Key is out there telling Aucklanders the Government is prepared to listen to their views on the issue, while at the same time Mr Hide is keeping everyone in the dark when it comes to the legislation.

"The Government's approach to this issue has already angered Aucklanders. If it now plans to rush through legislation which prevents changes to its proposals being made, while at the same time promising further consultation, it will seriously inflame the situation," Mr Jones says.

Mangere MP Su'a William Sio last night went to a public meeting organised by the Manukau City Council on the proposed Super City and attended by several hundred people.

"Residents were very clearly opposed to a number of the Government's plans and were united in their opposition to the introduction of at large councillors. They also want the proposed community boards to be given a lot more teeth," he said.

"They are determined to engage in the select committee process and to begin writing submissions. But if the legislation being rushed through under urgency is more substantial than Mr Hide has suggested, there may be little point. If the Government has in any way misled the public on this issue, they will be furious."

Education Policy Blog: God and Agency in the Mind

Education Policy Blog: God and Agency in the Mind

Heavy surveillance of Fijian people by illegal Fijian military regime...

Surveillance of Fijian people by illegal Fijian military regime...

Could New Zealand's elite special forces units, the SAS, be called in to restore democracy in Fiji. God help the Fijian military if this happens. The NZ SAS is one of the premier special forces units in the world.

Prominent Auckland lawyer Peter Williams QC says there is no doubt heavy surveillance is going on in Fiji. He says phones are being tapped and emails intercepted, meaning there is no confidential communication at all.

Mr Williams says the Fijian military is actively spying on people and has been for some time. He says it is affecting the work of lawyers in the island nation.

"It means a lot of the lawyers are afraid to use phones for anything confidential . . . they're just afraid to put anything that might be interpreted adversely."

Mr Williams says all freedoms people are used to, have been abolished, and comprehensive files are held on people who are deemed to be anti-government.

The New Zealand Government is continuing to suggest a military option is on the table, if the situation worsens in Fiji. Prime Minister John Key has raised the suggestion, but also says it is unlikely any troops will be sent. Defence Minister Wayne Mapp expects the Government's contact with Fiji to remain diplomatic.

However Associate Defence Minister Heather Roy says military diplomacy is one of a range of options that could be used.

"It's using the military to best effect to try and help settle some of the problems that we have. We've got a long history, and a proud history actually, with Fiji."

Many New Zealanders appear to be turning away from Fiji as a holiday destination. Figures out today show 2,000 fewer New Zealanders took a short stay in Fiji in in March, when compared to March last year. While fewer New Zealanders are taking overseas holidays overall, Fiji has suffered the biggest drop of any country.

Will military action from without occur in Fiji? Will New Zealand SAS troops be seen in Fiji? God help the Fijian military if that happens!



Acknowledgements:
© 2009 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

NZ police nab potheads in cannabis sweep...

NZ police nab potheads in cannabis sweep...

A cannabis sweep in the eastern North Island has seen 260 people arrested and 40,000 cannabis plants destroyed

Two hundred and sixty people have been arrested and 40,000 cannabis plants destroyed in a sweep across the eastern North Island.

The police annual cannabis recovery operation covered an area from the bottom of the Coromandel to Central Hawke's Bay, including Gisborne and the Bay of Plenty.

Customs, Ministry of Fisheries and Inland Revenue staff were also involved in the operation.

Thirty people are facing drug dealing charges, another 88 face a variety of other drugs charges.

A large quantity of cash and five vehicles have been seized. Twenty seven firearms and a P lab were found during searches of various houses.



Acknowledgements:
© 2009 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

Big Brother is alive and well, and trawling social network sites...

Big Brother is alive and well, and trawling social network sites...

I was just reading a weekend paper here in Wellington, New Zealand, where an article reveals how "Big Brother" is alive and kicking and trawling social network sites to gain possible information on their members.

The article discussed how NZ government departments are trawling these sites for information that can be used against people on social welfare benefits for fraud purposes. One woman had been caught, redhanded you might say, because she admitted a relationship on the social networking site, and the department took a fraud case against her.

Even employers are in on the act looking for information to use against employees: In one case an employee was caught bragging on the site that he was taking a "sickie" from work because he still had a massive hangover.

If this is happening in a little country like NZ, just imagine on what scale it is being used in larger countries like Australia, Britain or in North America and Europe?

In my opinion they are just a pathetic and despicable bunch of Sebastians!

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