Former NZ PM Helen Clark appointed to UN post...

Former NZ PM Helen Clark appointed to UN post...


Helen Clark wanted to be the first prime minister to win four three year terms in the NZ parliament and government. She fell at the last hurdle after three terms.

She is arguably one of the best and most successful Kiwi PM's of all time. The NZ voters wanted change and her party was swept from power last November,2008.

Is it the end of Helen Clark? No way Jose!

She has just been appointed to the third highest diplomatic post in the world - administrator of the UN's Development Programme. The programme employs 8,000 people in 166 countries, has a budget of $5 billion , and is the UN's global development network, providing training, advice and support for developing countries.

The little farmgirl from the North Island has come a long, long way in the last few decades. She is also the first woman to hold this important post.

Fraternal judgement in the court...

Fraternal judgement in the court...

Matthew Cartright and William Rochester were judges of the New Zealand District Court. They were also very good friends, and had been since law school thirty years ago. Both practised law in the New Zealand capital, Wellington City, for a couple of decades and both were promoted to the bench within a few years of each other.

Both judges enjoyed a tipple or two together on Fridays down at the 'club' which was frequented by other judges as well, and a number of senior solicitors and barristers around town.

Mathew Cartright owned and self drove a Mercedes Benz, while William Rochester preferred the latest American Ford. Both judges had a very bad habit of driving home after their tipple or two together at the 'club', and had done so without mishap for a number of years.

Like many things in their lives, they had both married their wives within a year or two as well, but they would find that they could not get away without mishap for ever. Both judges were pulled up by police patrols on different Friday evenings and arrested for driving under the influence - 'drunk driving'.

A few weeks later the two judges discovered they were both on the list before the District Court, and arranged to hear each other's case. A clever enough decision, under the circumstances - or was it?

When Mr William Rochester appeared before Judge Cartright for driving under the influence, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Judge Cartright fined Mr William Rochester $1,000 and suspended his licence for three months. A severe enough sentence for a first offender. He gave him the usual speech from the bench and sent him on his way.

When Mr Mathew Cartright appeared before Judge Rochester the next day in the same Wellington District Court, again nothing appeared out of the ordinary, until the sentence was revealed. Judge Rochester said to the accused in front of him, "It appears to me that too many people lack any personal responsibilty when drinking, and fail to make any alternative arrangements and just get into their vehicles and drive away under the influence with total disregard for any other driver on the road." he said authoritively. " A person of your standing should set an example to society, and I intend to sentence you accordingly. You will be fined $5,000 and have your licence suspended for one year. Step down!" he demanded further.

Judge Cartright, just plain ordinary Mattew Cartright that day, was totally stunned, and rang for a taxi in the court foyer.

The following Friday he met his "friend" William Rochester in the bar of the club and demanded that he explain the severe sentence he had handed out to him.

William Rochester stared straight at his friend, Matthew Cartright, and said calmly, "Matt I had to make an example of you the other day...I mean after all, there was another judge before the court just the day before, and in my opinion he received a rather light sentence under the circumstances. Having a drink, Matt?" he enquired searchingly.

(Huttriver fiction - based on historical fact)

The source

Getting rid of memory block...

Some Huttriver Fiction - All rights reserved



"Getting rid of memory block"...


Now if you asked me how to get started, I wonder what I would say. Indeed, but I have memory block. How do I get rid of it? How do I get started?


Should I do a bit of research? Look up some reference books - or perhaps go to Google and ask how to get started. Lets get all the technical things right first though. Turn the computer on, switch on the internet, off to Word and get the Wordprocessor going. New file and a new page. I'm ready to write, to write, to write...


But I've still got memory block. What on earth am I going to write about? How do I get started? I'll get up and make a cup of coffee. I'll feel better then. Ok. Mmmmm! That actually tasted pretty good. Right, back to the computer we go. Lets get comfortable and think...


Thirty minutes later and still not a word on paper. This is going nowhere fast. I need a break from this environment. Perhaps I should go for a walk and think on my feet. I'll turn the internet off, but leave the computer on. I'll go down to the shopping centre and see if something interests me - gets me going!


Well its another thirty minutes later and I've still got writers block. I can see a friend of mine over the street. " Gidday Joe,'' I yelled across the street. He didn't appear to hear me; must be deaf in his advancing age. I decided to go over, it was pretty busy, cars and vans whizzing back and forth.


I was half way over the street and a taxi came heading for me. " You crazy idiot, " I yelled at him." Did you get your licence in a lottery," I yelled again, sprinting for the sidewalk. Joe had actually walked on up the street, and was obviously beyond earshot. But I was angry, in fact I was infuriated, I was raging inside like a volcano, and I could only think about that damned taxi driver. And I no longer suffered writer's block - I could write a novel about taxi drivers. Yeah, and I'll start when I get home!

Former All Black Luke McAlister to return to NZ rugby in May 2009...

Former All Black Luke McAlister to leave English club, Sale and return to NZ in May 2009 - could replace Dan Carter this season:

All Blacks' backs coach Wayne Smith wants Luke McAlister rushed straight back into the squad when he returns to New Zealand in May.

The 25-year-old has signed on with the NZRU through until 2012 and will leave English club Sale at the end of this season. McAlister has cited a desire to be closer to his family for his decision to return.

Smith says it is great news. He says McAlister should be given dispensation to play international rugby without having to play in the Air New Zealand Cup first.

"My personal view is that if he signed a long term contract to be here playing then it would be enough for me, but I don't make those decisions."

Smith says McAlister will be taking a big hit financially, which shows his commitment to playing in New Zealand.

Former All Black first five Grant Fox is thrilled with McAlister's decision.

"He's still a young man. I guess he's done his OE and he's got good reasons to come home and making that commitment to New Zealand rugby till 2012. It's just good - at a time when the game I love's got a few issues - this is good news."

Fox is also a member of the Blues board and hopes McAlister signs for the franchise. He will make a decision on which province he will play for when he returns to New Zealand.

Sale of the Century


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© 2009 NZCity, NewsTalkZB
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Farmers Crescent is in the suburb of Taita North, not Pomare...

Farmers Crescent where there was some media reported gang activities in the last couple of weeks, is actually in the suburb of Taita North, not the suburb of Pomare which doesn't exist.

Pomare is actually a community that grew around the Pomare railway station and the local primary school a few decades ago. The original Taita North school was renamed Pomare to give the local inhabitants some community identity. It still applies to that original area, not the whole of Taita North that many residents, and the media believe.

Why the Hutt City Council split the old Taita suburb into two is beyond me. Taita actually includes that industrial area around the Eastern Hutt Road, erroneously called Wingate as well. "Taita" is actually the original and historic name for most of the Taita, Naenae and northern Avalon areas. The old speedway track, for instance, was at what is now called Avalon Park.

There should be only one suburb called "Taita Districts" to avoid confusion by locals and others as well. Some people in Foster and McDonald Streets have attempted to have those streets included into Avalon North as well; but this is just petty snobbery which I wrote about here, some years ago. Reminds me of those confused people who call Lower Hutt as that non-existent entity Hutt City!

Hutt River flood protection project continues...

The earth-movers are back in action along the Hutt River as work continues in a $16 million stopbank project to flood protect the Hutt Valley.


About 50,000 cubic metres of dirt will be shifted in the latest stage of work in Greater Wellington regional council's flood protection scheme, near Hutt Valley High School.

Initial work on the Ava rail bridge to Ewen Bridge section of the stopbank began in October last year and is scheduled to finish in May.

Alistair Allan, a Greater Wellington flood protection assistant engineer, said the work would raise the height of the stopbank by about a metre, enough to protect houses on the other side of the bank from a one-in-440-year flood.

One hundred metres of concrete flood-walls are also being built in places where the flood plain is not wide enough for a stopbank.

Strand Park, which lies on the flood plain behind Hutt Valley High, had been closed for the upgrade and was likely to reopen in September, Mr Allan said.

The Hutt River stopbanks, which are 100 years old in places, were last upgraded in the 1950s.

Before the stopbanks were instituted flooding was just a fact of life along the Hutt River. The whole river valley was regularly flooded in the early days of European settlement.

Bootcamps the rage in New Zealand now...

Bootcamps the rage in New Zealand right now...

It appears the new rightwing National Party Government in New Zealand is pinning its whole social platform on a "bootcamp" approach to dealing with juvenile and youth crime. Not only that the NZ Army has been told it will be running these camps. Army spokesmen have previously indicated they oppose "bootcamps" run by the military.

They would prefer people who want to be involved in such training, not malcontent youths and young criminals. Such bootcamps overseas have had limited success over the years. What you get mainly out the other end are fit and healthy young criminals. At least 80% of these are recidivists within 12 months of leaving the bootcamps. Drug users and pushers would be back on the streets in no time at all.

You can't condemn such born again social reformists that exist in this new administration. Society has no option but to support the new government's policy. The told you so's can come later.

The government claims there will be an ongoing program after the bootcamps are completed. They aim to put the worst forty young criminals in the camps initially, followed by others of varying degrees of anti-social behaviour. A big job I would suggest!

Bootcamps are actually the ambulances at the bottom of the cliff. The real and most important work should occur years before. When young people become regular truants from school at the age of eleven or twelve you know where the problems are: They are the ones that social reformers should be concentrating on. They are the ones displaying a lack of discipline in their lives, are becoming rebellious at home and school. They are the ones in danger of going completely off the rails and becoming candidates for bootcamps a few years down the track.They are the ones the government should concentrate on first; that should be their first priority!