Christchurch City turns 156 today...

 

Christchurch turns 156 today. Happy Birthday.

 

   

Christchurch became NZ's first city in 1856

 

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NEW CITY: This shows Christchurch in the mid-1860s. The view is from the Provincial Council Buildings, looking across the Avon River to the corner of Gloucester St and Oxford Tce. Drays are parked in the foreground. The trees beyond the first buildings are in Cathedral Square.

Press Archives

GRAND PLANS: A picture showing the final stages in building the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings in November 1865. This third stage contains the stone Legislative Chamber or Great Hall.

 

Your Christchurch

It's Christchurch's 156th anniversary today:

On this day 156 years ago, Christchurch became a city by royal charter from Queen Victoria, making it the first official city of New Zealand.
The royal charter was given by the Queen so Christchurch could be the seat for a bishop. At Christmas 1856, Henry John Chitty Harper was enthroned as the first bishop of Christchurch.
Other key Christchurch dates:
- On February 16, 1770, Captain James Cook in his ship the Endeavour first sighted the Canterbury peninsula. He thought it was an island and named it Banks Island after the ship's botanist, Joseph Banks.
- Christchurch was founded in 1850 with the arrival of about 800 settlers from Britain.
- Local government began when the first Christchurch Municipal Council meeting was held on March 3, 1862.
- The city's first library opened on August 4, 1859. It was a single room at the Mechanics Institute.
- The Press was founded as a weekly paper by James FitzGerald and a syndicate of investors in 1861. It became a daily in 1863.
- Bees were introduced to the region from Nelson in January 1852.
- The first bridge over the Avon River was built in March 1852.
- The first cricket match, married men versus single men, was held in April 1852 at Hagley Park.
- A typhoid epidemic in 1875, which lasted until the following year, caused 152 deaths in the city.
- The first airport opened in Christchurch in 1917.
- 1947 Ballantynes fire; 41 people die.
- Christchurch hosts the 1974 Commonwealth Games.
- September 4, 2010: Christchurch battered by a magnitude-7.1 earthquake. No fatalities.
- February 22, 2011: Christchurch devastated by a magnitude-6.3 quake, killing 185, injuring 6000 and destroying most of the central city's buildings.
Source: Christchurch City Libraries

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- © Fairfax NZ News

A new look CBD planned - what about the families living in Christchurch East?

A great looking plan was revealed last night for the rebuilding of the earthquake devastated  Christchurch CBD.

It will be a modern  "greenacres" with much of the infastructure within walking distance, including a revamped or replacement townhall, convention centre and even a new covered stadium.

It will be a morale-boosting project for the people of Christchurch. Central government will be purchasing  land needed for the new area and the finance needed for infastructure. There are bound to be cost blowouts because the projects will be extended over a number of years. This will be underwritten by central government because Christchurch City will have limited finances.

This is all fine and morale - boosting as I said, but the rebuild and repair of thousands of homes in the eastern suburbs in particular, and in other suburbs as well, is a priority as well.  Those insurance companies covering these claims need the proverbial kick up the backside because many families are spending their second winter in damaged homes, in sheds, tents and  even in cars. The delay is not satisfactary by any stretch of the imagination.

http://wallinside.com/inside.php?ewall=Blogging-along-with-pete


http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/govt-blueprint-billed-ratepayers-dalziel/5/130774




The reality and the hope for the future:

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Prime Minister John Key presented a three-minute video showing a bird’s eye view of the new city...

By Hamish Clark

Cantabrians will tonight finally get to find out what their new city will look like.

Prime Minister John Key was at the City Council headquarters this evening for the launch of the new CBD, where he presented a three-minute video showing a bird’s eye view of the new city.

It is a compact, green city centre.

“I think it’s a very good plan,” Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee told media today.

In the wake of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, over 70 percent of buildings in the central city have been, or will be, demolished.

Christchurch residents were called on to put forward ideas of what their new city should look like. They responded with over 106,000 ideas for the blueprint and the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan.

The new compact CBD will be made up of 12 anchor projects, framed by a corridor of green, wide open space.

• CGI video of new Christchurch CBD (VIDEO)
• Christchurch’s new recreation centre plans unveiled

“I think it is a brilliant plan,” says Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker . “It lays the framework for our future and we finally have a definitive plan.”

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/The-new-look-Christchurch-CBD-unveiled/tabid/423/articleID/263208/Default.aspx#ixzz22ArkQnyY

http://www.3news.co.nz/The-new-look-Christchurch-CBD-unveiled/tabid/423/articleID/263208/Default.aspx

Were the AB's robbed in the 2007 Rugby World Cup...

Peter Petterson

Everybody criticised the English referee after the All Blacks lost to France in 2007 in the RWC quarter-final. Graham Henry believed we were robbed then - match fixing? I hope not! Thats what the AB's coach at the time believed . And it has gone into his autobiography. The AB's hierarchy probably told him to shut up if he wanted to be reappointed as coach. Now Sir Ted can say what he thought back then!

Personally, the All Blacks played badly in that game, but the referee was totally incompetent. I don't know how much better he is these days. Sir Graham Henry had every right to criticise the referee's performance. Despite the performance of the All Blacks, how come the penalty count was so lop-sided in favour of the French side? It is now part of history. The All Blacks definately scored a try against Wales in 1905. The referee was too slow to get up and see the try scored. Mind you he was wearing street clothes and shoes.

http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=150990

The Queer Avengers support the Gay Marriage Bill...

The Queer Avengers support the bill for marriage and adoption equality. One of two bills in the ballot, Louisa Wall's bill was drawn on the 27th of July. The Queer Avengers say that there should be no legal distinction between same sex and different sex couples, but also call for better recognition of family structures which do not fall within the definition of marriage.
The Queer Avengers criticise MPs who do not prioritise equality. "Bill English says that equality is not a priority. Instead, National would like to focus on the important things, like making deals with casinos and scapegoating beneficiaries for the financial crisis," argues Queer Avenger Ian Anderson. "This government is more interested in cutting back rights than extending them."
Ian adds that equality is a matter of principle, not personal conscience. "If parties support the principle of equality, they should treat it as such. This is a basic civil rights issue. Conscience votes are a cop-out."
The Queer Avengers stress that marriage equality is not the end of line for LGBT rights and that struggles beyond marriage lie ahead. Queer Avenger Sara Fraser notes that LGBT still face a number of obstacles - including queer youth bullying, suicide and homelessness; inadequate access to quality healthcare for trans* people; and common intimidation and violence in the streets.
She adds that there are many family structures which marriage and adoption law does not cover, for example polyamory and whangai adoption. "This is not the final struggle," Sara concludes. "We're looking ahead to the struggles beyond marriage."

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/14384585/queer-avengers-support-marriage-bill/

Somebody has hacked into my Hotmail email account...

Somebody has hacked into my Hotmail email account...

Somebody has hacked into my Hotmail email account and could be using it to send spam to my contacts, and to others. It was done briefly a few weeks ago, but was soon rectified.

This is my main online email account, but I don't use it for personal communications - I use my Xtra.co.nz account for that.

It is causing me inconvenience more than anything - I can't use the account and I presume incoming emails could also be interfered with.

I wondered at the motive initially, but have realised since that it could be being used to send spam. Now this could be the crux of my problems with blog.co.uk - my password. I will contact Admin and change my email, Probably change it to Gmail.

I can continue using this site as long as its through Google Chrome.

http://communitybloggersevolve.blog.co.uk

How bizarre - Pike River mine victim compensated for earlier job loss...

One of the men killed in the Pike River Coal mine should never have been dismissed the way he was from his previous job at a coal mine in Southland, says the Employment Relations Authority (ERA).

In a decision only released on Wednesday because of delays caused by the mine disaster and then the Christchurch earthquake, the ERA has ruled Keith Valli, Chris Pinn and Ray Waghorn were unjustly dismissed by Solid Energy from its opencast mine at Ohai, northwest of Invercargill.

The men were made redundant when the mine lost two large contracts in 2007.

In Wednesday's decision the ERA says the way Solid Energy went about assessing and ranking who should go was wrong.

Nevertheless, at the time Mr Valli quickly got a job at the Pike River Coal mine near Greymouth, and would commute there each week from his home in Southland.

The 62-year-old was one of the 29 men killed in a series of explosions in November, 2010.

ERA member Mike Loftus ruled that although all three men were badly treated by Solid Energy, Mr Valli was not entitled to lost wages because he got the job straight away.

However, Mr Valli had spoken of the hurt and stress he and his wife suffered after being badly treated by a company for which he had worked for 28 years.

Mr Loftus ruled that Solid Energy pay the three men $10,000 each for compensation for humiliation, loss of dignity and injury to feelings.

Mr Pinn and Mr Waghorn were also awarded one month's lost wages and superannuation contributions.

Mr Valli's $10,000 will go to his next of kin.

© NZN 2012

http://news.msn.co.nz/nationalnews/8504822/pike-victim-wins-10000-for-job-loss

Dirty dairying is unacceptable - says Ngai Tahu...

Ngai Tahu  -  Dirty Dairying is Unacceptable

Dirty dairying such as illegal discharge of dairy effluent into Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) is unacceptable, says a South Island iwi, Ngai Tahu.

Corporate farmer White Gold has been fined for discharging about 45,000 litres of diluted effluent from a Springston property onto land and waterways that drain into the lake in October 2010.

Ngai Tahu's general manager of tribal interests, David Perenara-O'Connell, says the actions by the dairy company were inappropriate and unacceptable.

He says the iwi's people use Te Waihora to gather food.

In August last year, Ngai Tahu started working with the Canterbury Regional Council and Government on a long term rejuvenation plan for the lake.

Mr Perenara-O'Connell says this work includes farm and stock management, research and reducing nitrogen and phosphate levels

Acknowledgements:  © 2012, Radio New Zealand

Share this story and the old man's poem...

The Nutters Club NZ   Last post for the night peeps, enjoy this wonderful gift. Everybody has a story worth knowing... nighty, night, dream big & sleep tight When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in an Australian country town, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value. Later, when the nurses were going through his meagre possessions, They found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital. One nurse took her copy to Melbourne. The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas editions of magazines around the country and appearing in mags for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem. And this old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this 'anonymous' poem winging across the Internet. Cranky Old Man What do you see nurses? . . .. . .What do you see? What are you thinking .. . when you're looking at me? A cranky old man, . . . . . .not very wise, Uncertain of habit .. . . . . . . .. with faraway eyes? Who dribbles his food .. . ... . . and makes no reply. When you say in a loud voice . .'I do wish you'd try!' Who seems not to notice . . .the things that you do. And forever is losing . . . . . .. . . A sock or shoe? Who, resisting or not . . . ... lets you do as you will, With bathing and feeding . . . .The long day to fill? Is that what you're thinking?. .Is that what you see? Then open your eyes, nurse .you're not looking at me. I'll tell you who I am . . . . .. As I sit here so still, As I do at your bidding, .. . . . as I eat at your will. I'm a small child of Ten . .with a father and mother, Brothers and sisters .. . . .. . who love one another A young boy of Sixteen . . . .. with wings on his feet Dreaming that soon now . . .. . . a lover he'll meet. A groom soon at Twenty . . . ..my heart gives a leap. Remembering, the vows .. .. .that I promised to keep. At Twenty-Five, now . . . . .I have young of my own. Who need me to guide . . . And a secure happy home. A man of Thirty . .. . . . . My young now grown fast, Bound to each other . . .. With ties that should last. At Forty, my young sons .. .have grown and are gone, But my woman is beside me . . to see I don't mourn. At Fifty, once more, .. ...Babies play 'round my knee, Again, we know children . . . . My loved one and me. Dark days are upon me . . . . My wife is now dead. I look at the future ... . . . . I shudder with dread. For my young are all rearing .. . . young of their own. And I think of the years . . . And the love that I've known. I'm now an old man . . . . . . .. and nature is cruel. It's jest to make old age . . . . . . . look like a fool. The body, it crumbles .. .. . grace and vigour, depart. There is now a stone . . . where I once had a heart. But inside this old carcass . A young man still dwells, And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells I remember the joys . . . . .. . I remember the pain. And I'm loving and living . . . . . . . life over again. I think of the years, all too few . . .. gone too fast. And accept the stark fact . . . that nothing can last. So open your eyes, people .. . . . .. . . open and see. Not a cranky old man . Look closer . . . . see .. .. . .. .... . ME!! Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within. We will all, one day, be there, too! PLEASE SHARE THIS POEM (originally by Phyllis McCormack; adapted by Dave Griffith) The best and most beautiful things of this world can't be seen or touched. They must be felt by the heart! :) kindest Boris

Christchurch cardboard cathedral concept gains consent

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/7332659/Cardboard-cathedral-gets-consent

Fantastic kiwi Magic wins Australasian netball title for 2012...

The fantastic Waikato-BOP Magic netball franchise has won the Trans-Tasman netball competition title for 2012. It was the first win for a kiwi team in the five years the competition has been going. They beat the Vixens from Melbourne with a late surge in the fourth quarter. South African born veteran goal- shoot Irene van Dyk lost her mother during the week and will return to South Africa for the funeral, while the rest of the team returns to New Zealand. It was a great day for kiwi netball.

http://sport.msn.co.nz//sportnews/netball/8503232/magic-fight-back-to-win-netball-title

http://anzacbloggersunite.blog.co.uk

Warriors NRL club millionaire owners open the war chest - to invest millions in the future of the club...

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Vodafone Warriors owners Eric Watson and Owen Glenn ONZM, today announced they expect to invest “whatever it takes” over the next five years in initiatives designed to take the club and rugby league to “levels never seen before.”
Watson and Glenn were locked in strategy talks in Auckland last weekend with board members, management and coaching staff mapping out the club’s future.
When the owners announced their 50-50 joint venture on the eve of the 2012 NRL season in March they pledged to not only invest a multi-million dollar sum into rugby league but also voiced their goal to make the Vodafone Warriors the most successful club in the NRL.
Today Watson reiterated that but added they didn’t want to stop there.
“We want this club to become the best single sporting franchise in Australasia, taking it to levels never seen before in this part of the world,” he said.
Following the weekend’s board meeting, chairman Bill Wavish said they have reached agreement on a number of key decisions.
“These initiatives we are announcing today will pave the way for an era of unprecedented growth in the club’s on-field success, profile and community presence,” he said.
These include:
• The formation of a Warriors Charitable Trust
• A commitment to form a Warriors Elite Academy
• The upgrading of training, sports science, medical, talent identification, IT and other team support facilities
• Improved membership offers to fans outside Auckland and in Australia
• A Vodafone Warriors Championship for Auckland secondary schools First XIIIs and significant involvement in grass roots rugby league
• Increased Vodafone Warriors merchandise range and the establishment of the club’s first Warriors Shop.
Watson says the potential to grow the club at all levels through the initiatives was unlimited.
“This is a conscious effort to significantly

Good luck the Warriors!

http://www.warriors.co.nz/news-display/Watson-and-Glenn-open-war-chest-for-future/59643

Shame, shame, John Key - NZ democracy on the march...

The Shame of the Nation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

http://peteskiwiforum.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/shame-shame-this-is-what-nz-democratic.html

Just a little reminder of the problems post-earthquakes Christchurch...

Video tour of Christchurch's Red Zone...

Video tour of Christchurch's Red Zone, Aug 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKUFjhpgILU

Kiwi conservation groups seek to modify economic zone legislation to protect marine environment...

Kiwi green groups mounting a last ditch effort to modify new legislation to protect the marine environment from mining exploration

Green groups are reportedly mounting a last ditch effort to modify new legislation governing New Zealand's vast exclusive economic zone to protect the marine environment from carte blanche offshore oil, gas and mining exploration. The present John Key-led National Government is totally obsessed with deep-sea mining possibilities and appears to have lost focus on the bigger picture - any environmental disasters could totally destroy New Zealand's marine environment. Neither New Zealand or the international community has the ability to mount a defence against such scenarios.

The Environmental Defence Society (EDS) along with Forest and Bird, WWF-New Zealand and the Ecological Society have issued an open letter outlining their collective concerns.

http://www.3news.co.nz/Green-groups-attempt-to-change-ocean-bill/tabid/1160/articleID/261898/Default.aspx

Kiwipete

Porirua Council to ban gang insignias on gravestones...

0 A warning Porirua Council could be taken to court if it bans gang insignia on gravestones. These would be from any gang insignia that RSA members find repugnant. The council is planning to change by-laws and a cemeteries plan, which wouldn't ban the symbols outright but would require no individual monument to cause offence. Lawyer Steven Rollo, who's representing the Mongrel Mob, says any bylaw or policy would have limited power to control a gang's ability to put their patch on a headstone. "Well there's been an expression and when we look at the cultural importance and significance of headstones it's a fairly important expression, it's a way that people commemorate." Mr Rollo says banning a headstone on the basis that some people might find it offensive would fall foul of the Bill of Rights. Acknowledgements: © 2012 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

Lyttleton to get land for a new heart for the suburban port...

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NEW HEART: Land for a new civic square in Lyttelton has been secured by the Christchurch City Council.

 

Land for a new civic square in Lyttelton has been secured by the Christchurch City Council.
It has bought a site at 44 London St that it plans to transform into an outdoor gathering space for Lyttelton residents.
"Lyttelton does not have a public gathering place for community activities. It is wonderful that we have seized this opportunity so quickly after the adoption of the Lyttelton master plan,'' Cr Claudia Reid said.
''I have no doubt that Lyttelton's new civic square will become the town's pulsating heart.''
Under the council's recently adopted master plan for Lyttelton, the London St site will become the new home for the Lyttelton War Memorial Cenotaph.
It will also have a children's playground and open spaces where people can socialise.
The council used money from a $2 million fund it had set aside for strategic land purchases to buy the site, which adjoins other council land.