Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Richie McCaw polled as greatest All Black and most liked sporting celebrity...

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - AUGUST 29: All Blacks ...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - AUGUST 29: All Blacks Andy Ellis (L), Daniel Carter, Israel Dagg, Richie McCaw, Mils Muliaina, Isaia Toeava and Sam Whitelock pose for a team photo during the New Zealand All Blacks 2011 Rugby World Cup official squad presentation at Ponsby Rugby Club on August 29, 2011 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
Rugby celebrity...

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Richie McCaw, All Blacks captain

B)All Blacks captain Richie McCaw heads poll as greatest All Black and most liked sporting celebrity.
Who is the greatest All Black of all time? A survey has found 56 per cent of rugby-mad Kiwis believe Richie McCaw deserves to take the title.
The survey also found McCaw had overtaken Silver Ferns shooter Irene van Dyk as the most liked sporting celebrity, but only just - by a one per cent margin.
Of those surveyed, 89 per cent viewed McCaw favourably, up 11 per cent since the question was last asked in 2008.
While van Dyk and Valerie Adams were equal in second place, with 88 per cent of participants viewing them favourably.
McCaw's team-mate Dan Carter also ranked highly, with 86 per cent of participants holding him in high esteem.
The poll found former All Black coach Sir Graham Henry's popularity had increased, with 75 per cent viewing him favourably, up 10 percent.
While former Crusaders coach Robbie Deans' problems as Wallabies coach seemed to have hurt his image, as 51 per cent viewed him favourably, down 17 per cent.
The only truly polarising sports celebrity on the list was Sonny Bill Williams, with 52 per cent viewing him favourably and 37 per cent unfavourably.
However, Williams scored better amongst league fans, with 69 per cent viewing him favourably compared to 62 per cent from rugby fans, suggesting that any resentment from his controversial departure from the Bulldogs may be fading.
The survey found rugby's place as New Zealand's most popular sport also remained secure, with 66 per cent of participants saying they were interested in it.
Netball came in second place on 45 per cent, followed by cricket on 40 per cent.
The poll also found interest in rowing and athletics was as high as rugby league, motorsport and soccer, likely due to the coverage from the Olympics.
Interest in football was down 20 per cent since its peak in 2010.
A 1000 New Zealanders, 18-years-old and over took part in the online survey, conducted by UMR Research.
Richie McCaw is still playing the game of rugby, and is expected to continue until the next Rugby World Cup in 2015. He will have his six month sabbatical from rugby after this years end of year northern tour. He is expected to return to the game at the end of the Super 15 Rugby competition in the middle of next year and then resume international rugby.
Acknowledgements: © Fairfax NZ News
http://huttriverofnz.blog.co.uk

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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

NZ population to reach 4,444,444...

 
 
 
New Zealand's population will hit a numeric milestone tomorrow when it reaches 4,444,444.
Statistics NZ said according to estimates, somebody will help New Zealand reach the rare number on November 1.
"While the new resident could be a New Zealander flying home after living overseas, or a new migrant,
they're most likely to be a new baby, as that's where most of our population growth is coming from,"
population statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said.
"And who knows? That new boy or girl might even be born at 4.44 in the morning."
The milestone matches one the Australian state of Queensland reached three years ago, and puts New Zealand's population close to that of Ireland or Croatia, Blackburn said.
"These types of landmarks are quite rare. Our population hit 3,333,333 in the mid-1980s and based on
our projections, we probably won't get to 5,555,555 for another 30 years.
"It will also pass quite quickly. The population is currently growing by roughly 100 people every day, so it
will only be at 4,444,444 for about quarter of an hour."
Blackburn said the population estimate is based on births, deaths, and migration since the census in
2006.
Statistics NZ counts every person in New Zealand in the Census of Population and Dwellings, which will take place in March 2013 after being delayed by the Christchurch earthquake.
"It will be extremely interesting next year with the census to get new information on the location and composition of our population across the nation," Blackburn said.
 

 Acknowledgements:    © Fairfax NZ News
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Monday, October 29, 2012

Amalgamate councils to form a Wellington Metropolitan Council...

Aerial view of Paekakariki, Kapiti Coast, ca 1...
Aerial view of Paekakariki, Kapiti Coast, ca 1920s-1940s (Photo credit: National Library NZ on The Commons)
View from Raroa Reserve lookout, Pukerua Bay, ...
View from Raroa Reserve lookout, Pukerua Bay, towards Kapiti Coast in the north. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Looking into the Hutt Valley in New Zealand.
Looking into the Hutt Valley in New Zealand. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Satellite photo of the Wellington conurbation:...
Satellite photo of the Wellington conurbation: (1) Wellington; (2) Lower Hutt; (3) Upper Hutt; (4) Porirua. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 
Amalgamate the two Hutt Valley cities;
 
Amalgamate Porirua and Kapiti Coast;
 
 Amalgamate the Wairarapa.
 
 Add these entities with Wellington City and Greater Wellington Regional Council to form a Wellington Metropolitan Council. The amalgamated entities would have their own mayor and smaller councils for domestic affairs. They would have two members each on the Metropolitan Council, headed by a Chairperson.

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ONE HUTT VALLEY - NO AMALGAMATION WITH WELLINGTON...

Satellite photo of the Wellington conurbation:...
Satellite photo of the Wellington conurbation: (1) Wellington; (2) Lower Hutt; (3) Upper Hutt; (4) Porirua. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Wellington at night
Wellington at night (Photo credit: pabIo)

  Wgtn councils to consider new structure



Porirua's mayor is encouraging all Wellington councils to carefully consider a new local government structure for the region.An independent panel headed by Sir Geoffrey Palmer has released a report proposing one Lord Mayor lead six local area councils, as well as one Greater Wellington Council.The report was commissioned by the Greater Wellington Regional Council and the Porirua City Council, but will be made available to other councils across Wellington.Porirua mayor Nick Leggett says he hopes all councils will look at the recommendation."We've now got a large body of information and evidence for them to look at. I think there was some trepidation about confronting change."


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    Sunday, October 28, 2012

    Canterbury set a new provincial rugby record - five consecutive wins in ITM Cup competition...

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    Friday, October 26, 2012

    Police got Dotcom's banking details without a search warrant...


    Personal details of internet boss and staff handed over without a search warrant
    Kim Dotcom. Photo / Mark Mitchell
    Expand
    Kim Dotcom. Photo / Mark Mitchell
     
    Police got personal banking details of Kim Dotcom and his staff without getting a search warrant in a move that has implications for bank customers.

    Banks, including the ANZ, BNZ and Westpac, turned the information over after deciding there was no Privacy Act reason not to.

    The police request referred the banks to a Privacy Act principle which allowed them to release information to "avoid prejudice to the maintenance of the law by any public sector agency including the prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution, and punishment of offences".

    The mechanism led to banks releasing - without a legal warrant - the name of the account holder, the account number and home address.

    The information was sought in October last year by Ofcanz - the same policing unit heavily criticised this week for its tactics during an investigation of the Red Devils gang. Police headquarters will not comment directly on either case.

    The banking industry last night said customer privacy was taken "very seriously" but offered no information about the level of proof needed to turn information over to government agencies.
    The Dotcom extradition court file at the North Shore District Court shows Ofcanz Detective Sergeant Nigel McMorran got information on Dotcom and Megaupload staff through the police Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).

    The request to banks for information on October 10 last year came after the FBI accessed email accounts through US-based search warrant
     
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10843215
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    NZ coroner speaks out against 'rules' for reporting suicides...

    English: A street in the town of Kawerau, New ...
    English: A street in the town of Kawerau, New Zealand during the 2009 Christmas Parade. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


    • 2
      A coroner has spoken out against 'rules' on the reporting of suicide...
      A coroner has launched a blistering attack on the rules governing the reporting of suicide and has implored the Government to change legislation in his findings into the deaths of five young Maori men and women from the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
      The findings related to the deaths of Jordan Leigh Gray, 17, Kelly Haze Karekare, 17, Te Horoto Araroa, 16, Alex Junior Taku Mahuta, 17, and Tegan McGregor, 20, all from Kawerau.
      All died in the same manner between October 2010 and February 2011.
      Bay of Plenty Regional Coroner Wallace Bain and youth suicide expert Candy Cookson-Cox found the deaths were not a cluster, but there was a cultural aspect to them.
      Dr Cookson-Cox praised the people of Kawerau and the people involved for the "concerted effort" they had made to address the suicide issue.
      Dr Bain said that in 2006, after suicide tragedies in the Waikato town of Putaruru, legislation was tightened around what could be reported on suicides.
      "The Coroner highlights real concerns with the recent editorial in the New Zealand Medical Journal which greatly criticises the calls for more openness.
      "Sir Peter Gluckman's views are referred to as leading to caution in the area of publication and the high risk of copy-cat suicides."
      Dr Bain was concerned at claims by experts that there may be increased risks of suicide in New Zealand and said it was "alarming" that experts were suggesting that more openness could facilitate more suicides.
      "The coroner stresses that these matters be resolved urgently within New Zealand so that coroners, the media, and communities of New Zealand have a clearer direction based on international best practice in suicide prevention as to publication and openness and the effects of suicidal behaviour."
      He recommended the Government urgently put in place an evaluation aimed at assessing the extent of recent changes to media guidelines and its effect on suicidal behaviours.
      Dr Bain also recommended the Government give urgent attention to the aspects in the Coroners Act that related to the definition of the "manner in which death occurred".
      He said there should be more clarity around the direction to coroners that they could not allow publication unless they determined it was unlikely to be detrimental to public safety.
      Last month Chief Coroner Neil Maclean called for suicide be "brought out of the shadows".
      Judge Maclean said suicide had to be brought out of the shadows and he was worried by the increases in certain demographics.
      "I am concerned that we seem to be making no impact - there has been no visible downward trend at all. Our job is to tell the public the facts - I am no more qualified to suggest an answer or a solution than anyone," he said.
      Read more:
      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10843193

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