land of the long white cloud

[Amos]

now that i'm finally back home i feel justified in creating this thread. this is my thread about my place, aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud, new zealand.

first a quick thing, aotearoa is the maori name for nz, tis pronounced (depending on where you're from in nz) ow-teh-ah-row-ah. i think it means land of the long white cloud. yeah, course it does. this name was given, supposedly, when the first maori arrived in new zealand by canoe, and from a distance all the land they could see seemed to be covered by one immense white cloud. this doesn't surprise me cos it's like that most of the time really

so anyway, i'll post a variety of things in this thread, i think. news, my commentaries on the news, history, myth, random ramblings, social commentaries, photos, all that sort of thing. why? simply because i love this place, and i love to share it (but not with too many people so if you come here don't bring half your country. and leave when you're done unless i say you can stay *shakes fist* )

so first, something dull and simple, a news story:

It's okay to burn the NZ flag
24 July 2004

A judge has upheld the right of a protester to burn a New Zealand flag as freedom of expression.


In a landmark case decided in the High Court at Wellington yesterday, Justice France has overturned Paul Hopkinson's conviction for dishonouring the flag during a protest at Parliament on March 10 last year.

The judge said that in the context of freedom of expression the term dishonour had to be given the meaning of "vilify". A symbolic burning of the flag was not enough, but Justice France would not speculate on what extra action might come within that meaning.

Hopkinson, a Porirua school teacher, was entitled to express himself and burning the flag in the circumstances he did, did not justify limiting his rights, she said.

The flag was important but even in the United States where it was a dominant symbol, a majority of Supreme Court judges had ruled the criminal law should not be used to protect it.

"The matter also needs to be considered against my perception that New Zealand has reached a level of maturity in which staunch criticism is regarded as acceptable," she said.

"There may well be strong reactions to such criticism but there is an acceptance of the ability to make it."

Justice France allowed Hopkinson's appeal against his conviction in Wellington District Court for destroying the flag with the intent of dishonouring it.

He had been fined $600 with $130 court costs.

Hopkinson was one of the organisers of a protest against the Iraqi war when Australian Prime Minister John Howard visited New Zealand.

During the protest, the New Zealand and Australian flags were doused in kerosene, held aloft and set alight.

It was the first time the charge, under The Flags, Emblems and Names Protection Act 1981, had been used.

Freedom of expression was a right under the Bill of Rights Act. The right did not over-ride other laws, but it should be limited only by legal limits "demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society", the judge said.

http://thesaurus.reference.com/

i couldn't agree more with this ruling, and in my opinion so would the average new zealander. the flag, as a symbol, provokes very few feelings of pride and patriotism in new zealanders. if on the other hand someone were to burn a flag bearing the logo/symbol of our national rugby team, the all blacks, we'd probably bring back the death penalty just for the case. the flag means nothing to most people, as it represents british monarchist sentiments, as the australian flag does, and apart from as dying breed of elderly people who are ever so attatched to the royal family and "the mother land" no one really cares for this. perhaps if we had a new flag and became a republic things would be different. (not for me though. a flag is just a symbol. there are many countries in the world with symbols, ours is not special. i am a human before i am a new zealander, and the only thing i oppose the burning of is people (and live animals etc.))

[Amos]

NZ to be disbanded: PM claims nobody's using it anyway

AUCKLAND, Tuesday: Following the successful disbanding of the armed forces the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, has unveiled a new bold plan to total disband the entire nation. . In a statement to the worlds press Prime Minister Clarke unveiled her “Great step nowhere” plan. Launching the plan Clark suggested that reports that their armed forces had been forced to say “bang, bang” during war exercises had been the final nail in the coffin for the once-almost-proud nation.

“For years now we’ve been doing nothing of value. All our really profitable industries have gone overseas. Music, kiwi fruit, Russell Crowe. After that it’s basically just a bunch of sheep and a once proud rugby team. Even the Cricketers are poor by world standards” Clark said.

Clark went on to outline the timetable for disbanding the nation following the sale of the Navy’s two dinghies and after the Army gives its shotgun back to the British.

In a sometimes emotional presentation Ms Clarke outlined the difficulties facing the former country. "Every nation has it’s problems but, as the leader, you can always look at some other loser nation and say "They’re worse off than us". We finally realised that we could no longer do that."

The final nail in the coffin came last Monday when the New Zealand treasury tabled a report that found that Adam Gilchrist’s new contact with the Australian Cricket Board had him earning more than the entire New Zealand GDP.

“When that hit us we realised that the ship of state was pretty much Gunwale deep in sediment and it was time to turn off the bilge pumps and move to a real country,” a treasury spokesman said.

All industry and businesses are expected to have left the Island by the end of June and all Government responsibilities will cease at the first of July. Any farmers wishing to remain will do so on a purely subsistence basis with the possibility of a feudal system developing by the end of September. The All Blacks will maintain a training facility near Otago until the end of August after which time New Zealand in all it’s forms and pursuits will cease to exist.

When asked how the loss of the entire nation of New Zealand will affect the region a world bank spokesman called for an atlas.

source: http://www.chaser.com.au/show_story....&ED=39&NAME=nz

[Amos]

At last, Aussies admit pavlova defeat
01 September 2004

SYDNEY: They might have won more Olympic medals, but the Aussies have conceded the pavlova is a Kiwi concoction.


Well, an Australian food historian has – and an Australian Broadcasting Corporation television programme has agreed with him that those "blasted Kiwis" have won this round of the raging trans-Tasman debate.

They couldn't do much else, because a New Zealander has come up with proof of the pudding's existence in Godzone much earlier than the date the Aussies claim it originated in Perth.

But Professor Helen Leach of Otago University admits her copy of the 1933 Rangiora Mothers' Union cookery book is a "minor victory" which won't end the argument.

However, she is now researching a 1929 recipe which might give the New Zealand claims even more credence over the Aussies' Perth pav.

The Australians have long claimed the light and fluffy meringue dessert as their own – based on a cake Bert Sachse baked at Perth's Esplanade Hotel in Perth in 1935.

New Zealanders have rebuffed that their grandparents were scoffing pavlovas much earlier than that.

The ABC's George Negus Tonight programme canvassed both sides of the debate in a light, fluffy manner last night, with Prof Leach and Australian food historian Michael Symons giving their views.

Mr Symons conceded that New Zealanders had a recipe, often called a meringue cake but sometimes called a pavlova, before anything like that was named in Australia.

"I can see why, in many ways, it is a healthy thing, a liberating thing for New Zealanders to feel proud of the fact that they are really the ones that invented the pavlova," he said.

Prof Leach said her copy of the Rangiora book had "the correct name, with the correct ingredients and correct method" for cooking the pavlova cake, which was named after the famed Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, who toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926.

"So, as you can imagine, I thought there was clearly something wrong with the Australian claim," she told the programme.

Prof Leach, who studies the evolution of human diet and has researched the pavlova's origins for the past decade, said she had also had a copy of a 1929 recipe for the pavlova from a rural New Zealand publication.

That recipe's author had a pseudonym and she wanted to carry out more research on it before revealing further details, she said today.

She said there were a lot of different desserts in the 1920s and 30s called the pavlova.

"The very earliest pavlova is a jelly, that might not have anything to do with Australia or New Zealand."

Its recipe came in a Davis Gelatine Ltd cookbook published in 1926. But Davis Gelatine was a multinational company with branches in South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, so the recipe could have come from anywhere.

The soft centred meringue dessert with cream on the top and a kiwifruit garnish that we know and cherish as the pav evolved from a filled cake.

It was almost like a sponge cake with a filling between two pieces of meringue, Prof Leach said.

"People realised that it was incredibly difficult to do without having fractures in the cake, so they left it as one piece and so instead of having a filling they just had a topping."

Kiwifruit or chinese gooseberries did not arrive until after World War 2, and a variety of in-season fruit, including pineapple, strawberries and passionfruit was used to decorate the pavlova between the 1920s and 40s.

Prof Leach's research showed Australia and New Zealand cooking in the 1920s and 30s was almost indistinguishable. "Recipes were flying across the Tasman in both directions. I have seen community recipe books from Australia from that time and they are almost the same."

The problem was working out which side of the Tasman they originated.

Bert Sachse's pavlova could have occurred independently of the earlier New Zealand pavs, or it might have been a case of memory reconstruction, said Prof Leach.

"We don't know. The trouble is they seem rather similar."

She doesn't think the identity of whoever made the slight change of ingredients from meringue cake to pavlova cake will ever be known – and thinks people on both sides of the Tasman prefer it that way.

"I am convinced that no one wants it solved, so whatever I say the dispute will continue forever."

our finest moment *sheds victory tear*

[Anita Blake]

i think this is the most amazing part of the whole article:

Prof Leach, who studies the evolution of human diet and has researched the pavlova's origins for the past decade,

well, i guess everyone needs a job. but.... a decade? who pays this woman to research this? the NZ government? the aussies? or is there a third, more shady interest in this?

~looks suspiciously at people of all nationalities~

[dark fuschia]

mmmm Pavlova is definately my favourite desert. Nothing even comes close for sweet sweet yummy deliciousness. *tips hat to the kiwis* thank you!!

PS I always thought us aussies invented it too. *scuffles off sheepishly*

[Lyle]

New Zealand huh? Yeah, it's Ok.
It can be cold down south where I am but you get used to it. NZ's not the utopia alot of people seem to think it is. Even folks who live here seem to hold slightly romantic views of the place. blahblah-Clean and Green-blahblah.
Alright, so the land looks nice. Is that really important at the end of the day?
Still alot of racial/cultural issues that need to be sorted ( not by this government though. A group of wet dishrags could probably do a better job )
out. The Moari representatives claim the New Zealand government still owes them for atrocities commited against their people. And the New Zealand government continues to stall and argues that the present incarnation of the government can hardly be held accountable for the actions of a previous incarnation. (sad to say, I'm not as informed as I probably should be. Current affairs has never really been my thing) Personally it all seems a little petty and of course it is. At the end of the day, the Moari want money and the government want to keep it. That's about it as far as I can tell. Such complex issues that we kiwis occupy ourselves with, I know.
And maybe the Moari do deserve something for their people's suffering. Maybe the government really does not see itself as responsible. But if you believe the Moari are interested solely in the wounded pride of their people, or that the government objects on purely ethical grounds, well...
Don't be fooled. NZ is no better than anywhere else. It's still all about the Benjamins.$$$$-Bling-Bling.
In saying all this I do love my country. It's just that in this age of rampant patriotism I like to keep my eye on the big picture. Try not to swallow whatever the media feeds me and my family. There's a lot of great stuff about NZ. It's been said that our Fiordland is one of the more beautiful spots in the world. With towering Kauri trees that stretch up for what seems like miles, waterfalls of pure mountain streams and teeming wildlife, I'd have to concur. And higher up you get the famed whale-watcher towns which I guess are pretty self-explanatory. Even higher and you escape the chill of the south Island and get to the mountain infested North Island with its sunny weather and a great deal more people.(of course the entire country's population is roughly equal to one of the smaller American cities so I guess that comment is a little relative). Yeah New Zealand's a good place to live. A good place to raise your children I'd imagine. Would be a great place to visit.
Just don't come expecting us to be prancing around in toga's with huge smiles and shiny halo's above our heads. We're still human. Sometimes depressingly so. Alright I'm done...

[Anita Blake]

~makes notes~

fiordland = must see
north island = mountainy, people-filled, but not really
kiwis = only humans (but sometimes birds and/or delicious fruit)

how difficult is it to camp overnight in fiordland? (and by difficult, i mean expensive) james has already told me it's wonderful, and i've looked up some stuff on it, seems like the kind of place you could spend a week wandering about in. maybe i'll do that. sounds like the kind of vacation i'm looking for (ie, less hotel-renting costs, more pretty nature stuff).

[Lyle]

Ok so I looked some stuff up.
(not much you understand. I am very lazy after all)
here is what I found
Te anau: Nestled on the tranquil shores of the lake, the township of Te anau offers seven days a week shopping facilities with a wide variety of competitively priced goods. Full range of customer services exist ( rental cars, dental etc ) Experience Fiordland delicacies such as venison, lobster and seafood in one Te anau's many fine restaurants. Right then.
They seem to be very evasive about the exact price of things but I know it's cheaper than other places. I'll keep looking.
Ah. I should mention the glow-worm caves. The only ones like them in the southern hemisphere.(very cool)
Milford sound: most famous and accessible of the fiords. Great scenery and a unique boat tour(there were dolphins. Dolphins that leaped! )
Doubtful sound: (ignore the dubious name)
Practically untouched by man, the physical grandeur of towering peaks, majestic waterfalls and lack of wind create a powerful atmosphere of solitude and serenity..some awesome walks that I've been on. Very scenic. You get the idea.
World famous walks. all fully accessible by independent walker and many offer fully guided tours as well.
Accomodation types:
Backpacker and hostels. emphasis is on financial accomodation which basically means you'll probably have to share facilities(kitchen, bathroom etc)
Maybe even share a room. ...still if your on a budget these are the places for you.
Bed & Breakfast. self explanatory really. I gather it's the step up from backpackers.
Farmstay. you get to stay on farm with some people and go on some farm tours and that. I never knew this. Intersting. Breakfast is included in tariff so thats' nice.
Holiday parks. basically motels but with high opinions of themselves. Tourist flats are fully self contained with T.V and bathrooms and all that stuff.
Most likely be pricey though. You don't get good stuff like this for loose change. (it occurs to me that I'm likely the worst salesman ever. Ignore my honest yet negative comments. We need your tourism!)
Lodge. these are cool but generally for large tour groups and such. Still they are nice though.
I listed the accomodation in order of expense, lowest to highest. Again they are quite vague about exact prices. Very mysterious. Sorry about that but I suspect your lofty canadian currency will laugh at New Zealanders puny prices anyhow. I'm finished. hope this helps...

[Anita Blake]

hehe, canadian currency isn't that much more .. uh... valuable? than NZ. i suspect that inflated summer prices will more than make up for the currency difference.

a friend of mine told me about these glow worm caves. very interesting sounding. he made me want to go to NZ even more than i already wanted to go.

oh, and don't worry about your poor salesmanship. you already have my (meager) tourist dollars. or rather, will have. once i arrive. which i will. unless i die or something before i get there. which, btw, i'm really cheering against.

[Alexia]

I remember the glow worm caves in Waitomo. Very awesome.

[Anita Blake]

didn't feel like making a whole new thread for this.

Dolphins save swimmers from shark
Last Updated Wed, 24 Nov 2004 20:51:08 EST

WHANGAREI, N.Z. - A group of lifeguards swimming off the coast of New Zealand may have been saved from a shark attack recently by several protective dolphins that helped to hold the predator at bay.

Lifeguard Rob Howes said he and three female lifeguards were on a training swim about 100 metres off Ocean Beach near Whangarei on the North Island.

About halfway through the swim, a pod of dolphins "came steaming at us" and started circling, startling the swimmers, he said.

Howes said he was unnerved by speed of the approach, thinking perhaps it was a group of aggressive males or dolphins protecting their baby.

The dolphins bunched the four swimmers together by circling about 4-8 centimetres from them, and slapping the water with their tails for about 40 minutes.

Howes said he drifted away from the main group when an opening occurred. One large dolphin became agitated and submerged toward Howes, who turned to see where it would surface.

That, he says, is when he saw a great white shark about two metres away in the beach's crystal clear waters.

"The form came and travelled in an arc around me. I knew instinctively what it was," he said.

When the shark started moving toward the women, including his 15-year-old daughter, the dolphins "went into hyperdrive," said Howes.

"I would suggest they were creating a confusion screen around the girls. It was just a mass of fins, backs and ... human heads."

The shark left as a rescue boat neared, but the dolphins remained close by as the group swam back to shore. At no point did the shark break the surface of the water, remaining near the bottom, he said.

Howes said he didn't tell the rest of the group about the shark until the next day.

"I came out of that water and I was stunned. I had no idea how to relay what had happened and how to deal with it," said Howes.

While this all happened on Oct. 30, the swimmers didn't tell their story until recently.

He says he spent the next few weeks talking with dolphin experts about the incident, who told him it wasn't unusual for dolphins to protect swimmers.

There've been a number of great white sightings in the area at this time of year, mainly because they come into the harbours to give birth, said Howes.

Written by CBC News Online staff

[Amos]

Tears and joy as bill clears its final hurdle
10 December 2004
By NICK VENTER AND MAGGIE TAIT

Jubilant supporters of the Civil Union Bill hugged, kissed and cheered as emotion overflowed inside and outside Parliament's debating chamber yesterday.

Supporters of the bill stood and applauded in the public gallery when MPs voted the bill into law by 65 votes to 55. On the floor of the House, Labour's two openly gay MPs, Tim Barnett and Chris Carter, kissed and other supporters queued to hug Mr Barnett.

But in the galleries, opponents of the legislation watched stony-faced. They included Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki, who sat through the two-hour debate with a phalanx of dark-suited followers.

Earlier, about 300 insecure, self-righteous homophobes gathered on Parliament's front lawn for a silent protest, many holding placards saying, "Say no". One woman broke into chants of "Jesus Rules". Jesus, who was present, agreed in principle, but declared that the context was inappropriate and denounced the woman as being "out of touch with both heaven and earth." A man knelt and prayed, but god doesn't listen much to idiots so that's okay. Another burst into tears as he begged supporters of the bill to leave. Oddly, none did.

But gay backers of the legislation disrupted the protest with a sound system blaring out songs including: It's Raining Men, Going to the Chapel, I Want That Man, and We are the Champions.

The bill, which takes effect on April 26, allows same-sex and de facto couples to formally register their relationships under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Act. It is intended that they will have the same rights, entitlements and obligations as married couples, but the full consequences of the legislation will not be known till a companion Relationships (Statutory References) Bill is passed.

The debate yesterday was again heated.

NZ First MP Dail Jones described the bill as "a present to the coterie of homosexuals and lesbians who surround the Right Honourable Helen Clark".

National MP Bill English said the Government was trying to set the terms for all relationships. "The people who shacked up two months ago will end up with the same rights and obligations as someone who's been married for 20 years with four kids."

Associate Justice Minister David Benson-Pope, the minister in charge of the bill, said the arguments against it were "purely emotive" and "fuelled by fear and misunderstanding".

But former Labour MP Fran Wilde, an interested observer, said the debate was much more civilised than the "gross, disgusting, personal" debate supporters of the Homosexual Law Reform Act had endured 18 years ago.

Mr Tamaki, who is a prig, said it was a sad day for New Zealand. Homosexuality was "unnatural" and "abnormal", and should not be legitimised.

The final vote was the same as for the bill's second reading, but ACT MP Deborah Coddington and NZ First's Ron Mark switched their votes, cancelling each other out. Ms Coddington voted for the bill after previously voting against it and Mr Mark voted against the legislation.

huzzah, yay nz!

(i may have changed a word or two in the article. do somethin')

[Anita Blake]

~does something~


(that something being coming to nz to give you a sound thumping!)

[Amos]

oy!

maybe i want a thumping? (no!(ok..)

i take that back.

do you want a civil union in order to get nz citizenship? i can get you one. i know a bunch of single women who will object until i kidnap their puppies..

[Lyle]

James James, when will you learn...

You can't tell women you like to be beaten.

You have to lull them into a false sense of security then one day...
Bam! Reveal the nasty truth.
God it's so easy...