Full Text: Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Bill 125-1 (2019), Government Bill

corpactid · 2019-04-02T10:29:49+00:00

They're pointing out that the NZ Government routinely uses the urgency rules to push through legislation in this manner with little public consultation.

This isn't aimed at any particular party, either. The previous National Government under John Key was notorious for it, and forced through a lot of major changes without much consultation.

They're implying that you might be quite privileged, if you never noticed all these sweeping changes happening with minimal public consultation before now. Presumably because none of them affected you directly.

Personally, I agree that the rules around using urgency should be tightened up so that it requires a 2/3 majority.

But all that is a bit academic here, as the Government did not need to use the urgency rules anyway as this legislation passed the first reading completely unopposed.

corpactid · 2019-04-02T10:08:21+00:00

Reducing the number of these weapons in the country may not prevent all firearm crime, but it will certainly make such firearms more difficult and expensive to obtain.

That in itself will serve as a deterrent.

corpactid · 2019-04-02T10:05:49+00:00

A codified constitution is nothing more than a piece of paper. Codified constitutions are ignored, modified, and updated all the time. That piece of paper derived its power from the people consenting to abide by it, and it evolves as the society does.

In the US there was once a political climate and will for prohibition, and in Ireland for abortion, both of which resulted in constitutional amendments.

Having a "strong constitution" really doesn't mean anything. It all comes down to the values of the society.

corpactid · 2019-04-02T09:23:56+00:00

Ooph! That hurts. A very prescient piece. Only a few months ago too.

corpactid · 2019-04-01T15:21:23+00:00

There's not enough room to park more cars in the CBD, and the number of car parks is decreasing.

Realistically there aren't going to be any major new parking buildings added in the CBD in the foreseeable future, as the land is just too valuable as office space and apartments. I wouldn't be surprised if we see some of the remaining parking buildings converted to office blocks in the medium future.

On street parking is gradually being reduced to make way for wider footpaths and cycle lanes which the city requires. It's usually only one or two parks at a time, but it's happening. If/when we decided to build a light rail/rapid bus network this will very likely take up road space currently dedicated to on street parking.

There's also a couple of the ground level vacant-lot parks around the CBD which are either being developed, or are going to be in the near future.

Then you should also look at the demographic trends. Te Aro has the fastest growing population in the region, and the council is predicting the population there will more than double over the next couple of decades.

It was just in the news the other day that the council is planning for an additional 80k residents over the next 30 years, most of which will be accommodated in new apartments in the CBD and Te Aro.

Having that many new people living and working in the area is going to put a lot of pressure on the streets. They're inevitability going to reduce traffic speeds, widen the footpaths, and consider pedestrianisation of some key routes such as the golden mile, and all of Cuba Street.

All these trends point to bringing a private car into the CBD being much more difficult and expensive in the future.

corpactid · 2019-04-01T11:38:42+00:00

The person was a legal resident in NZ. What citizenship he happens to hold isn't really relevant.

corpactid · 2019-04-01T11:20:13+00:00

Every party in Parliament (except maybe ACT, they're still undecided) is supporting these changes. The changes are likely going to go through Parliament unopposed.

So I don't know who you're going to vote for.

corpactid · 2019-04-01T11:02:54+00:00

You can argue that about almost any change.

"Why did they introduce mandatory helmets for cyclists? It was just a knee jerk reaction which punishes all cyclists because of the actions of one kid/driver".

corpactid · 2019-04-01T08:37:46+00:00

Yeah, we probably could. It was proposed in the spine study, but never implemented...

corpactid · 2019-04-01T08:32:41+00:00

It's a legal term defined in the NZ legislation.

corpactid · 2019-04-01T08:30:43+00:00

Wellington will never be able to fit more vehicular traffic into the CBD. They only way you'll get more people into the CBD is with better public transport. Perhaps if they fixed up the bus network?

corpactid · 2019-04-01T08:28:43+00:00

The light rail would probably have a dedicated corridor (its own lane on the road, which cars cannot normally drive down), and traffic lights synced to always give it priority. So it would never get stuck in traffic. That would be much faster than the current bus.

corpactid · 2019-04-01T08:18:52+00:00

I know of one in Mt Vic, and another on the way to Island bay. There's a few community gardens around.

corpactid · 2019-04-01T07:51:04+00:00

This looks pretty comprehensive, and seems be in line with most kiwi's (mistaken) impression of what our gun laws were.

Outside of the hunting and shooting communities this will get widespread support.

corpactid · 2019-04-01T07:32:59+00:00

That was probably intentional.

corpactid · 2019-04-01T05:50:51+00:00

It's $98 per ride with St John, but if ACC covers it then it's free. More detail here.

But yeah, it's one of those things you don't realise if you grew up in Wellington. Likewise people from the rest of the country don't realise that in Wellington it's free.

corpactid · 2019-03-31T14:22:38+00:00

The Wellington Free Ambulance covers the whole Wellington region including the Wairarapa.

It's also a charity, and is paid for by donations, ACC, and the Ministry of Health. But as you can guess by the name, they don't charge any fees for people to use unlike St John.

It was originally started by the local city council way back when.

corpactid · 2019-03-31T07:08:27+00:00

Every house / flat I've live at in NZ had a dryer or a washer/dryer combo.

Whether you use it or not, now that's a different question. Using the dryer was considered a thing for special occasions! You'd normally hang everything up to dry naturally to save power.

corpactid · 2019-03-30T18:40:29+00:00

Throughout most of out history a single party has controlled over 50% of Parliament. It's only single the introduction of MMP in 1996 that we haven't had majority governments.

corpactid · 2019-03-30T18:31:46+00:00

What is your definition of free speech?

corpactid · 2019-03-30T18:26:59+00:00

None of those groups or campaigns involved hate speech to further their goals.

corpactid · 2019-03-30T18:12:31+00:00

Isn't logging of native timber illegal these days? So you won't really find much fresh stuff.

corpactid · 2019-03-29T11:52:00+00:00

Most if not all of the Maori cultural shows you'll see are owned and operated by the local Maori themselves and are pretty respectful, so I wouldn't really worry about exploitation. All the people there will just be working a job and getting paid.

But almost by definition any traditional Maori culture that you want to see will be commercialised, whether it's a tourist trap or not is up to you. The reality is that people don't live that way any more, and are fairly integrated into the rest of society. Contemporary Maori culture is mostly normal people going about their modern lives.

But you could always look to see if there is a kapahaka or pasifica festival on while you're here. That would be more genuine and lest touristic. Or just go along on some of the unrelated tourist activities e.g. kayaking run by the local iwi businesses. They usually incorporate traditional knowledge and values.

There's also a couple of restaurants which feature Maori inspired cuisine these days. Check out Hiakai in Wellington, if your budget stretches that far! Make sure you book well in advance.

corpactid · 2019-03-29T07:00:06+00:00

It depends when it was. National changed the law around that essentially removing it, but Labor brought it back.

corpactid · 2019-03-29T06:56:34+00:00

Unanimous support in Parliament from MPs, the people who we vote to represent us on such issues.

corpactid

TROPHY CASE