Storm Thunderbolts claim an impressive away win...

The Melbourne Storm Under 20 Thunderbolts have claimed an impressive away win after beating the Brisbane Broncos Juniors 28-24 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Their record is now three from four for the 2013 season. The determination   to win away from home is any football team's aim to test themselves against the opposition in their particular grade.


http://www.melbournestorm.com.au/news-display/Thunderbolts-claim-impressive-away-win/71192

NZ cricket's bad-boy Jesse Ryder is critically injured in Christchurch Hospital after serious attack..

Jesse Ryder

New Zealand cricket's bad-boy, Jesse Ryder lies critically injured in intensive care in Christchurch Hospital. Ryder had been drinking with his Wellington Firebirds team-mates after being beaten by the Canterbury Wizards in the national one day  competition yesterday. He had been attacked by four assailants who kicked and beat him outside a Christchurch bar late last night.

Jesse Ryder has had off-field drinking and behavioural problems for a number of years now. He has been out of the NZ cricket teams for a year now trying to clean up his act. But it is believed that his drinking had not led to his attack. He may well have been recognised by his assailants. His injuries include a fractured skull and collapsed lung.


http://friendsofdownunder.blog.co.uk/2013/03/28/nz-cricket-s-bad-boy-jesse-ryder-lies-critically-injured-in-christchurch-hospital-15683625/

Vision for growth in Lower Hutt city...

Giveaways

[ login or create an account ]

The Urban Growth Strategy is Hutt City Council’s blueprint for the future growth of Hutt City, says Lower Hutt Mayor Ray Wallace.

The Urban Growth Strategy will go out for public consultation from 16 April to 17 May, as part of council’s Annual Plan process.

"The strategy is about growing the city over the next 20 years to make it a desirable city, with housing options that provide a range of choices for our residents and ratepayers," he says.

The first of two options has a target growth of 5000 more homes and an extra 4000 people by 2031.

This would be achieved through a combination of greenfield development catering for mixed housing - a total of 2,500 new homes, mainly in Wainuiomata and Kelson, and intensification - 2,500 new homes, in the form of infill housing comprising low- and high-rise apartments.

Option two is more ambitious, with a target of 7500 new homes and 10,000 more people by 2031. This would include similar provisions as option one but with twice as much intensification and a stronger focus on infill and multi-unit development.

Mayor Wallace says Hutt City needs to grow if it wants a sustainable future.

"Standing still means our city will lose our young people who are essential to sustainable growth.

"The question being posed in the Urban Growth Strategy is how much growth do we want and what will it look like?

"Our vision is to secure a brighter, more prosperous future for our city.
"

Christchurch as seen from space...

                                           A real birds eye view of Christchurch

Tuhoe want to be more independent - they will never be self-governing within NZ - republicanism will deny them that...

2

Updated at 3:03 pm today

The Prime Minister says New Zealanders have nothing to fear from Tuhoe becoming more independent of the Government over the next few decades.

The Maori tribe has agreed to settle its historical grievances with the Crown in return for $170 million of compensation, an apology and more control over a national park in the North Island.

Tuhoe representatives attend the ceremony at Parliament.

PHOTO: RADIO NEW ZEALAND

---

There was high emotion as Tuhoe representatives arrived at Parliament on Friday to take part in the signing of the Deed of Settlement.

Agreement on a package was reached in September 2012, which includes the Crown's acknowledgement of Treaty of Waitangi breaches.

The Crown said the payout is to recognise the severe and brutal treatment against Tuhoe during the 1800s. It will cede ownership of Te Urewera National Park to a separate legal entity to be governed by a board of Crown and Tuhoe members.

Tamati Kruger has stepped down from his role as negotiator.

PHOTO: RADIO NEW ZEALAND

---

The deal also includes acknowledgement of mana motuhake. That means that within the next 40 years, Tuhoe will gradually take control of its own affairs - for example, in the provision of education, health and welfare services.

Prime Minister John Key said on Friday there is nothing in the deal that should concern other New Zealanders.

"I think we've now reached a very sensible place and one that will ensure that all New Zealanders can access what will continue to be, for all intents and purposes, a national park.

"But also, ensure that for the people of Tuhoe they can actually achieve a fair settlement and a recognition of what was an iwi that suffered terribly."

Tuhoe's chief negotiator Tamati Kruger told those gathered at Parliament that the iwi and Crown have overcome the dis-ease of colonisation, the impulsiveness of politics and the defiance of change.

Mr Kruger said he was resigning from his role, as his work is done.

The Deed of Settlement needs to be ratified by the tribe's members before legislation is drawn up.

Copyright © 2013, Radio New Zealand


http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/nz-politics-daily-tuhoe-mini-state-ck-128202

Black is back, we have got our Marmite back...

Black is back, we have got our Marmite back? Late last night supermarkets across New Zealand were filled with thousands of jars of the black stuff for the first time in 12 months. Earthquakes devastated the factory in Christchurch two years ago. Now its hot buttered toast and thickly spread Marmite. Life is good again!

Car runs on nothing but air...

• Imprint

•  Inventor Peter Dearman creates homemade car..
  

  If you're looking for the car of the future, look no further than Peter Dearman's rusty, 25-year-old Vauxhall Nova - it runs only on air...

  http://news.yahoo.com/car-runs-nothing-air-232058437--abc-news-tech.html

Zac and Ben - two young footballers from both rugby codes with personal problems to solve...

Ben Barba

                                                           Zac Guileford
                                                           

http://friendsofdownunder.blog.co.uk/2013/03/14/zac-and-ben-two-young-footballers-from-both-rugby-codes-with-personal-problems-to-be-solved-15629619/

New Zealand's 19th century wars...

• New Zealand's 19th-century wars...

  
  Death of Von Tempsky(19th century special forces commander)

  War changed the face of New Zealand in the 19th century. Tens of thousands of Maori died in the intertribal Musket Wars of the 1810s, 1820s and 1830s. Muskets revolutionised intertribal warfare, decimating the population of some tribes and drastically shifting the boundaries of areas that some tribes controlled. Thousands more fled their traditional lands, freeing large areas for Pakeha (European) settlement and complicating questions of ownership.

  From the 1840s to the 1870s British and colonial forces fought to open up the rest of the North Island for settlement. At the heart of this lay a volatile combination: contested issues of sovereignty following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, decreasing willingness to sell land to the government, and increasing pressure for land for settlement as the European population grew rapidly. Many Maori died defending their land; others allied themselves with the colonists for various reasons, often to settle old scores.

  In all, there were an estimated 3000 casualties during the New Zealand Wars – the majority of them Maori. But for some Maori the wars were only the beginning, with land confiscation being the fate of many of the survivors. After the wars the struggle for land entered a new and, in some respects, more damaging phase, giving rise to a whole new chapter in New Zealand's history

  http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/new-zealands-19th-century-wars/introduction

Beyond the HuttRiver - New Zealand today..: Former All Black coach speaks out on climate chang...

Beyond the HuttRiver - New Zealand today..: Former All Black coach speaks out on climate chang...: r Wayne Smith sees himself among a group of 'concerned people who want to take action'. Photo / Getty Ima...

Former All Black coach speaks out on climate change...

r

Wayne Smith sees himself among a group of 'concerned people who want to take action'. Photo / Getty Images

Wayne Smith says he is making a "moral stand" on climate change in joining 100 celebrated Kiwis in a major call to address New Zealand's most critical risks.

The former All Black coach is among a high-powered cross section of public figures and thinkers who have lent their names to an appeal demanding politicians face up to what the group sees as the five biggest issues facing the nation.

They span a range of areas, from risks to our economic and ecological security, to the genuine wellbeing of the people and country.

Wise Response was launched yesterday in Dunedin, where the campaign was borne from a public meeting at Otago University two years ago.

Key organiser and Otago Emeritus Professor Sir Alan Mark said Parliament would be asked to make a risk assessment of "the situation we now find ourselves in in New Zealand, which seems to be worsening on many fronts".

Sir Alan, a respected ecologist, singled out the degrading quality of our land, air and water.

'Climatologists have also predicted a sea level rise of up to 1m by the year 2100, which would have major consequences for many areas around New Zealand, not to mention the world generally.

"So we are asking the Government basically to address these issues and give us a response that would counter them, rather than just adapt to them."

The group was concerned the current generation was "acting as if there's no tomorrow".

Sir Alan acknowledged that the issues were broad, but they affected all Kiwis and were too serious to ignore.

Wayne Smith saw himself among a group of "concerned people who want to take action".

"This is about me adding my name to a list of New Zealanders who want our Government to have a well thought out contingency plan," he said.

Mr Smith felt the global environment problem was in the hands of the US, China and India, but New Zealand could commit to its own initiatives - namely lobbying the big players.

Te Radar said his fellow signatories on the list - among them writer and anthropologist Dame Anne Salmond, Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, writer Dame Fiona Kidman and broadcaster Chris Laidlaw - showed many Kiwis were paying attention to the risks raised.

"Hopefully it does something and makes more people heartened that there are people out there trying to get things done."

Mr Laidlaw said risks facing the country had built up "enormously" over recent years and many Kiwis were worried.

Artist Grahame Sydney felt political parties "in general" were not adequately addressing the concerns of Kiwis.

And Dunedin writer Dr Philip Temple took aim at the current Government for "operating on very short-term thinking".

"We should try to get out of the politics and get Parliament to start looking into the future to map out a course rather than - as we tend to just do - react."

Names on the list

• Dame Anne Salmond - writer, anthropologist and New Zealander of the Year
• Wayne Smith - former All Black first five-eighths and assistant World Cup coach
• Dame Fiona Kidman - poet and writer
• Fiona Farrell - writer
• Celia Wade-Brown - Mayor of Wellington
• Sir Alan Mark - Professor Emeritus
• Grahame Sydney - artist
• Glenn Turner - retired cricketer
• Dr Philip Temple - writer
• Anton Oliver - former All Black
• Te Radar - comedian, activist and TV personality
• Chris Laidlaw - former All Black, Rhodes Scholar, Wellington councillor and broadcaster
• Keri Hulme - writer
• Tamsin Cooper - fashion designer and TV personality

The listed are among 100 prominent New Zealanders endorsing the appeal.

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10870243

http://worldofcae.blogspot.com     The Green Planet blog

Huttriver of NZ

The NZ pohutukawa tree - the iconic Kiwi Christmas tree

• 

  The pohutukawa tree (Metrosideros excelsa) with its crimson flower has become an established part of the New Zealand Christmas tradition. This iconic Kiwi Christmas tree, which often features on greeting cards and in poems and songs, has become an important symbol for New Zealanders at home and abroad.

  In 1833 the missionary Henry Williams described holding service under a ‘wide spreading pohutukawa’. The first recorded reference to the pohutukawa as a Christmas tree came in 1867 when the Austrian geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter noted that settlers referred to it as such. The pohutukawa, he observed, ‘about Christmas … are full of charming … blossoms’; ‘the settler decorates his church and dwellings with its lovely branches’. Other 19th-century references described the pohutukawa tree as the ‘Settlers Christmas tree’ and ‘Antipodean holly’.

  In 1941 army chaplain Ted Forsman composed a pohutukawa carol in which he made reference to ‘your red tufts, our snow’. Forsman was serving in the Libyan Desert at the time, hardly the surroundings normally associated with the image of a fiery red pohutukawa tree. Many of his fellow New Zealanders, though, would have instantly identified with the image.

  Today many school children sing about how ‘the native Christmas tree of Aotearoa’ fills their hearts ‘with aroha’.

  Pohutukawa and its cousin rata also hold a prominent place in Maori tradition. Legends tell of Tawhaki, a young Maori warrior, who attempted to find heaven to seek help in avenging the death of his father. He fell to earth and the crimson flowers are said to represent his blood.

  A gnarled, twisted pohutukawa on the windswept cliff top at Cape Reinga, the northern tip of New Zealand, has become of great significance to many New Zealanders. For Maori this small, venerated pohutukawa is known as ‘the place of leaping’. It is from here that the spirits of the dead begin their journey to their traditional homeland of Hawaiiki. From this point the spirits leap off the headland and climb down the roots of the 800-year-old tree, descending into the underworld on their return journey.

  Credits:

  Image: Melanie Lovell-Smith, Te Ara

  http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/pohutukawa-

Australia formed the Australian federation in 1901, but NZ declined to join...

The two Australian shipping ensigns, modified and approved by the British Admiralty, were gazetted in 1903. Source: Ralph Kelly, Flags Australia.:

Celebrations surrounding the inauguration of the new Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January in Sydney and at the opening of its first Federal Parliament on 9 May in Melbourne overshadowed Anniversary Day in 1901. Federation had been a remarkable political achievement. Colonies had jostled to protect their interests: New South Wales rivalling Victoria; and the smaller states fearing the larger states' combined political power. Led by the ANA in Victoria and the Australasian Federation League in New South Wales, the colonies chose to be self-governing within the British Empire, not independent outside it. They were Australian, but they were also British. As Parkes had reminded colonial representatives in Melbourne in 1890, 'The crimson thread of kinship runs through us all'.18 They belonged together because they shared not only a continent but also a British background. As a small white population of almost four million in a large continent far from Britain, Australians depended on the Royal Navy.

New Zealand and Fiji had both been invited to join the Australian Federation but had declined. The originally proposed name had been the Australasian Federation. But those damn kiwis were party poopers.

The story I read was that most Australian colonies and territories were assembled, apart from Western Australia and New Zealand. Cables from both were received, the Western Australian representatives were due to arrive in a few hours, but the New Zealand premier, Richard John Seddon, historically known in NZ as King Dick, informed the Australians that the NZ Government had declined to join the new Australian Federation, later to be known as the Australian Commonwealth. I wasn't aware that Fiji had been invited as well. New Zealand became a Dominion in 1901. Another story claimed an empty chair is kept for New Zealand at Commonwealth meetings in case NZ decides to change its mind and become part of the federation. Fact or just a good story? I wonder.

http://goaustralia.about.com/od/eventsandfestivals/a/federation.htm

http://www.australiaday.org.au/australia-day/history/1901-federation.aspx

http://friendsofdownunder.blog.co.uk

Support action on Deep Sea Oil and tell Andarko they are not welcome in NZ waters

---

Click here to take action on Deep Sea Oil

We have a very straightforward, but important, message for you today.

Please take action on Deep Sea Oil and tell Anadarko that they aren’t welcome in New Zealand.

Texan oil company Anadarko intends to conduct high risk deep sea oil drilling in New Zealand waters and they plan to begin prospecting later this year.

Anadarko aren’t know for their great safety record; they owned a 25% stake in the DeepWater Horizon.

We really can’t afford to allow these Oil Cowboys to come and experiment with dangerous deep sea drilling in New Zealand.

Please take action today to stop Anadarko from endangering the lives and livelihoods of New Zealanders.Please go here to take action on Deep Sea Oil.  act.gp/164onj5

Bunny McDiarmid
Executive director
Greenpeace New Zealand

Kiwi soldier took his own life because of bullying over his sexuality...

Reports are surfacing a New Zealand soldier took his own life after confessing his feelings for a junior officer.

The Sunday Star-Times reports the family of 26-year-old Corporal Douglas Hughes - who was on his second tour of duty to the war-torn country - believe his death was "preventable."

They say he was bullied because of his sexuality before his death last April.

In findings released on Thursday, Coroner Gordon Matenga ruled Corporal Hughes' death was self-inflicted.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline's 24-hour telephone counselling service on 0800 543 354.

RadioLIVE / NZN

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Kiwi-soldiers-death-came-after-bullying/tabid/423/articleID/288770/Default.aspx#ixzz2MUsbjH5N

Mob recruiting in Melbournes outer suburbs...

Photo / File

New Zealand's Mongrel Mob is actively recruiting Maori and Pacific Islander members in Melbourne's outer suburbs, say police.

Officers are aware of the gang's activities and are monitoring them, the Herald Sun reported.

Police received reports last year of Mongrel Mob members wearing patches in Australia and the gang may now be looking to expand its drug network, Canberra-based New Zealand Police liaison officer Detective Inspector Steve Wood is reported saying.

"We have been working with the Australian police forces regarding their movements for the last six months," he told the Herald Sun.

The gang was formed in Hawkes Bay in the 1960s, and members' patch depicts a snarling bulldog with a studded collar and wearing a Nazi helmet.

The Mongrel Mob is the latest in a series of attempts by gangs to stake a claim in Victoria.

Notorious North American bikie gangs, the Mongols and Rock Machine, established chapters in Melbourne in the past two years, but were forced out by Australian motorcycle gang the Comancheros, the newspaper reported.

-Acknowledgements:   APNZ