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Protest gathering in Ōtautahi/Christchurch to protest the bullshit Treaty Principles Bill and support Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Settlement Day
Oct. 7th, 2020 09:32 pmToday was Settlement day. So, the past two months, one property at a time.
( Gladson )
( Dalwood )
( Rental )
~~~
And that is only a summary of only the property-juggling dramas in our lives the past two months; but I'm not going to write any more in this post. It's getting late and I still have to pop back to Gladson this evening [listens - in the rain..] to put out the big green bin for collection; and tomorrow to put away the standard size green bin which will have replaced it.
( Gladson )
( Dalwood )
( Rental )
~~~
And that is only a summary of only the property-juggling dramas in our lives the past two months; but I'm not going to write any more in this post. It's getting late and I still have to pop back to Gladson this evening [listens - in the rain..] to put out the big green bin for collection; and tomorrow to put away the standard size green bin which will have replaced it.
Time to move on
Jul. 1st, 2020 09:52 amI have been living at my current address since 1993. This house has done very well by me, but I have had to accept that with D's daughter moving down to join us next year it's just not quite the space we need - or can afford even right now*. We've been looking around the real estate websites and talking to a real estate agent and it's doable to move to a
- recently built or renovated (cheaper to heat/run)
- 4 bedroom or 3 bedroom + convertable-to-quiltspace living area
- house on a smaller property farther out of town (lower rates).
... for what we can probably get for this property less the associated costs, and more practical than my plans for eventual renovation here.
The hurdle we've just encountered to is that the bank is (understandably) willing to loan a lot less to a single (part time) income with two dependants than they were willing to loan to the same income + auxiliary from a boarder with no dependants, and we will have to make up the difference when we close off the mortgage here ... which reduces our budget from "any number of perfectly suitable properties" to "we can make it work" :(
(This caused D. to have a little breakdown feeling that the bank's rejection was all her fault ... which is of course nonsense, you might just as well say it's my fault for being too broken to work a full time job, or for getting the unit built instead of cutting C loose and moving properties when D & I committed to the long-term.)
(This is going to be rough on C too (we are keeping him fully in the loop) - he's also been comfortably ensconced here for 20ish years and this is rut-ending-at-the-edge-of-a-cliff territory. We'll be giving him all the support we can to find a new place.)
~~~
One of the reasons for moving now is so we don't end up moving school zones between E's intermediate and secondary years, which has constrained our areas a bit. We know very little about the schools in Christchurch so we've basically had to be guided by deciles and what little advice we've got from friends online. (Feel free to leave your feelings about particular schools in the comments). We've found ourselves looking primarily at two areas - Rolleston initially and, since learning that Mother has signed up for a villa in a new development and will probably be moving about the same time we are, Redwood and surrounding suburbs.
The current timeline is
- declutter and box up for storage everything we can over July. The kids are down for both weeks of the school holidays.
- The last two weeks of July / first weekend of August finish the boxing and move boxes and unneeded furniture to a storage unit, get the grounds tidied and house cleaned professionally
- to market over August, both selling and hunting. It's impractical to expect the properties we've been looking at to still be available (although if they are perhaps the price will be reduced) but I'm confident the same sort of stock will be available.
- ideally offer conditional on selling, sell, buy, and sort out all the money at the end of August
- Possession / move end of September / October.
~~~
* It's a serious blow to the confidence to realise that while you always thought you were good with money it turns out that it was just that money was always there and when it actually gets tight you pretty much suck at being able to budget and spend in a disciplined fashion.
- recently built or renovated (cheaper to heat/run)
- 4 bedroom or 3 bedroom + convertable-to-quiltspace living area
- house on a smaller property farther out of town (lower rates).
... for what we can probably get for this property less the associated costs, and more practical than my plans for eventual renovation here.
The hurdle we've just encountered to is that the bank is (understandably) willing to loan a lot less to a single (part time) income with two dependants than they were willing to loan to the same income + auxiliary from a boarder with no dependants, and we will have to make up the difference when we close off the mortgage here ... which reduces our budget from "any number of perfectly suitable properties" to "we can make it work" :(
(This caused D. to have a little breakdown feeling that the bank's rejection was all her fault ... which is of course nonsense, you might just as well say it's my fault for being too broken to work a full time job, or for getting the unit built instead of cutting C loose and moving properties when D & I committed to the long-term.)
(This is going to be rough on C too (we are keeping him fully in the loop) - he's also been comfortably ensconced here for 20ish years and this is rut-ending-at-the-edge-of-a-cliff territory. We'll be giving him all the support we can to find a new place.)
~~~
One of the reasons for moving now is so we don't end up moving school zones between E's intermediate and secondary years, which has constrained our areas a bit. We know very little about the schools in Christchurch so we've basically had to be guided by deciles and what little advice we've got from friends online. (Feel free to leave your feelings about particular schools in the comments). We've found ourselves looking primarily at two areas - Rolleston initially and, since learning that Mother has signed up for a villa in a new development and will probably be moving about the same time we are, Redwood and surrounding suburbs.
The current timeline is
- declutter and box up for storage everything we can over July. The kids are down for both weeks of the school holidays.
- The last two weeks of July / first weekend of August finish the boxing and move boxes and unneeded furniture to a storage unit, get the grounds tidied and house cleaned professionally
- to market over August, both selling and hunting. It's impractical to expect the properties we've been looking at to still be available (although if they are perhaps the price will be reduced) but I'm confident the same sort of stock will be available.
- ideally offer conditional on selling, sell, buy, and sort out all the money at the end of August
- Possession / move end of September / October.
~~~
* It's a serious blow to the confidence to realise that while you always thought you were good with money it turns out that it was just that money was always there and when it actually gets tight you pretty much suck at being able to budget and spend in a disciplined fashion.
Tags:
ANZAC Day 2019
Apr. 25th, 2019 09:39 amRead my thoughts from previous years
This year ANZAC Day in New Zealand exists in the shadow of the Christchurch Mosque attacks, which have seen ANZAC events around the country cancelled or changed due to what seem to be mostly abstract "security concerns", and for many members of my FB circles in the wake of the latest Sri Lanka bombings.
The words I want to quote today are from a Sri Lankan New Zealander connecting their experiences of both of these events.
Lest we forget, the world still has a long way to go. And in a time where major powers are again (still) locking innocents and civilians in internment camps on ethnic grounds (USA, China) and the "first" world continues to turn a blind eye to ethnic cleansing in third world countries deemed to have no useful resources (throughout the African continent) while continuing to support, enable and actively participate in wars and killing in others (the Middle East) I have to wonder, what sacrifices now would we need to make it stop?
This year ANZAC Day in New Zealand exists in the shadow of the Christchurch Mosque attacks, which have seen ANZAC events around the country cancelled or changed due to what seem to be mostly abstract "security concerns", and for many members of my FB circles in the wake of the latest Sri Lanka bombings.
The words I want to quote today are from a Sri Lankan New Zealander connecting their experiences of both of these events.
In the immediate aftermath of the Christchurch attacks, I found it hard to articulate to my Pākehā friends how the emotions I felt were different to theirs. For many here, it was a loss of innocence in the belief that their country was a safe haven. For me, it was a stark reminder of what the world could be if you took your eyes off the ball even for a second.
-Chamanthie Sinhalage-Fonseka
Lest we forget, the world still has a long way to go. And in a time where major powers are again (still) locking innocents and civilians in internment camps on ethnic grounds (USA, China) and the "first" world continues to turn a blind eye to ethnic cleansing in third world countries deemed to have no useful resources (throughout the African continent) while continuing to support, enable and actively participate in wars and killing in others (the Middle East) I have to wonder, what sacrifices now would we need to make it stop?
#SS4CNZ
There was another mass event in Christchurch today, a far more positive one which is in danger of being buried by the bad news. The Secondary School Strike attracted as many people into the square as I have seen in my time of attending such things and there was an underlying energy which is often missing. As if a storm might be building ....
There was another mass event in Christchurch today, a far more positive one which is in danger of being buried by the bad news. The Secondary School Strike attracted as many people into the square as I have seen in my time of attending such things and there was an underlying energy which is often missing. As if a storm might be building ....
On Friday the 15th of March NZ had it's own mass-shooting(s). I was at an event nearby which was ended early (although we didn't known why at the time) and then returned to my workplace also only a couple of blocks from the worst event.
To start with there was only shock and sadness. Not shocked or surprised that something like this happened, like many others I considered a mass shooting in NZ only a matter of time, or at the direction in the violence was aimed. Just what you would expect from the immediacy of the event.
Once I had time to process things I also began to feel how lucky I am - not to have not been involved but almost the opposite
- the shooter was a blond, white male. I am also a blond white male, but I am at no risk of suffering any sort of "reprisal" because I happen to share one of these physical characteristics with him
- I did not need to spend the next days and nights worrying that there might have been another gunman still loose out there for whom I was a target. I do not need to worry that another radicalised individual might be out there planning a repeat or variation in which I will be a target, or even that just by walking down the street I might become a target of opportunity for someone equally full of hate and just a little less stable.
- my personal risk of being a victim of gun violence or indeed any sort of violence feels no more immediate than it did last week.
There was no anger at that time. There is still no anger towards the event. I believe that exhaustion from other areas of my life simply left me no energy to be angry. But then articles like this one:
and this one:
... stirred the coals of a different anger. About our unquestionably white-centered "security" services, who would rather browbeat environmentalists and create phantoms of Māori or Islamic violence to chase than look into genuine threats to our citizens.
I wrote then (on Facebork)
"Up until now I haven't had it in me to feel angry about this situation. Now I am angry. At the so-called security services of this country and other agencies whose job it was to recognise and act on the concerns of these communities and who absolutely failed in that duty. In doing so they have failed not only the Moslem citizens of New Zealand but *all* of us and they should be held to account commensurately.
They won't be of course. They never are :( "
~~~
There have also been a lot of (white) people crying "this isn't us, this is not our New Zealand." I'm glad to say that there has come a great pushback against that in opinion pieces from white writers I respect as well as from less-white ones sharing their experiences.
Toby Morris summed it up in cartoon format here.
But if you have any doubt about the depth of racism and other isms in New Zealand society you only need to pause and imagine what the ... I'm going to use outcry as a moderate term for it ... would be if one of the "major" political parties were to elect or appoint as leader someone who was something other than a practicing or passes-for-lapsed Christian, or anyone clearly of other than Pākehā or Māori descent. The dogwhistles and allusions of loyalty to "somewhere else" which would permeate an election under those conditions.
Or to quote from the first article linked above:
Yet I can walk without fear.
~~~
On a final note there are of course people saying that the shooter should receive a death penalty, whether delivered formally or informally. I say that is too good for him, a martyrs end. He deserves to grow old in a place from which he can influence or harm no-one, watching New Zealand come together into a more integrated and caring nation despite of or even because of what he has done.
I believe that we do currently have the political leadership to act on the current mood and momentum for change but whether we actually mange to accomplish that better nation is left as an exercise for the reader.
To start with there was only shock and sadness. Not shocked or surprised that something like this happened, like many others I considered a mass shooting in NZ only a matter of time, or at the direction in the violence was aimed. Just what you would expect from the immediacy of the event.
Once I had time to process things I also began to feel how lucky I am - not to have not been involved but almost the opposite
- the shooter was a blond, white male. I am also a blond white male, but I am at no risk of suffering any sort of "reprisal" because I happen to share one of these physical characteristics with him
- I did not need to spend the next days and nights worrying that there might have been another gunman still loose out there for whom I was a target. I do not need to worry that another radicalised individual might be out there planning a repeat or variation in which I will be a target, or even that just by walking down the street I might become a target of opportunity for someone equally full of hate and just a little less stable.
- my personal risk of being a victim of gun violence or indeed any sort of violence feels no more immediate than it did last week.
There was no anger at that time. There is still no anger towards the event. I believe that exhaustion from other areas of my life simply left me no energy to be angry. But then articles like this one:
At least five years of solid government engagement across a National-led and then a Labour-led government. We begged and pleaded, we demanded. We knocked on every door we could, we spoke at every forum we were invited to.
At a major security conference in February 2018, Aliya challenged the sector: if you can spend so much on surveilling our community, why can you not spend on preventative programmes?
and this one:
Planned and executed with complete impunity and without any hesitation, the massacre took place because the perpetrator, like so many others before him, felt a confidence that in our societies is afforded only to white men.
He felt this confidence, and was vindicated for it. As media, politicians, and everyday discourse focused on the threat of radicalisation supposedly harbored by Muslim communities – a suggestion that would now surely be farcical if its consequences weren’t so tragic – as the SIS and the GCSB were busy scouring the facebook accounts of Māori activists and Muslim youth, this man blithely and unashamedly made his violent intentions plain and clear, and visible for all to see.
I’ll never forget the many meetings and roundtables I attended, alongside other Muslim advocates and leaders, where we argued and pleaded, pointlessly it seems, with different government agencies to turn their attention from our communities and mosques to the real threats in this country. I’ll never forget the empty reassurances, let alone the smirking faces as someone dismissively joked, in reference to the far right and white supremacists in New Zealand: ‘it’s hard to take these guys seriously.’
... stirred the coals of a different anger. About our unquestionably white-centered "security" services, who would rather browbeat environmentalists and create phantoms of Māori or Islamic violence to chase than look into genuine threats to our citizens.
I wrote then (on Facebork)
"Up until now I haven't had it in me to feel angry about this situation. Now I am angry. At the so-called security services of this country and other agencies whose job it was to recognise and act on the concerns of these communities and who absolutely failed in that duty. In doing so they have failed not only the Moslem citizens of New Zealand but *all* of us and they should be held to account commensurately.
They won't be of course. They never are :( "
~~~
There have also been a lot of (white) people crying "this isn't us, this is not our New Zealand." I'm glad to say that there has come a great pushback against that in opinion pieces from white writers I respect as well as from less-white ones sharing their experiences.
Toby Morris summed it up in cartoon format here.
But if you have any doubt about the depth of racism and other isms in New Zealand society you only need to pause and imagine what the ... I'm going to use outcry as a moderate term for it ... would be if one of the "major" political parties were to elect or appoint as leader someone who was something other than a practicing or passes-for-lapsed Christian, or anyone clearly of other than Pākehā or Māori descent. The dogwhistles and allusions of loyalty to "somewhere else" which would permeate an election under those conditions.
Or to quote from the first article linked above:
I would ask you to picture this: what if the shooting had been a Muslim perpetrator, and it was 50 non-Muslim New Zealanders who had been shot? Would our community be receiving the same level of support that we have today?
Imagine what the media commentary would have been like. We would not have been able to leave our homes, the level of retaliatory attacks on our community would have been swift and immediate, and the police would have struggled to provide any meaningful protection.
Yet I can walk without fear.
~~~
On a final note there are of course people saying that the shooter should receive a death penalty, whether delivered formally or informally. I say that is too good for him, a martyrs end. He deserves to grow old in a place from which he can influence or harm no-one, watching New Zealand come together into a more integrated and caring nation despite of or even because of what he has done.
I believe that we do currently have the political leadership to act on the current mood and momentum for change but whether we actually mange to accomplish that better nation is left as an exercise for the reader.
Tags:
Another sunny weekend
Nov. 21st, 2017 10:43 pmThis past week/end I have been hosting my dear lady (D.) on a visit from Wellington. I organised this trip around Christchurch A&P Show Weekend (regional public holiday). Here are some of the highlights for posterity....
( snip )
( snip )
Today I added my body to a Women's March here in Christchurch, a sister and supporting event to one focused on Washington, DC. Because,
- as their manifesto says, Women's Rights are Human Rights and I support that. Both in the specific and in the general sense that improving women's rights will by extension improve the lot of (at least) every other marginalised group containing women
- and I feel it is important for progress that men are seen to be supporting that, because sadly many men are still more likely to listen only to other men
- but also on another level because I feel it's also important for the well-being of men that women are seen and treated as equal.
Here I just want to pull together a few threads from around the internet on why I think there is still a long way to go in western, particularly New Zealand society.
1. From an early age boys have been told to "don't be a girl", teased for being "girly" or put down for "hitting like a girl" in response to failure, asking for help, or expressing any "negative" emotion except anger. As well as indoctrinating the idea that women are somehow less than men in both boys and girls from an early age this negative approach to dealing with emotions also contributes to New Zealand having one of the highest rates of youth suicide (especially among young men) in the developed world.
Things are getting better on this front (I believe) but there are generations of us still alive who need to challenge those ideas within ourselves and strive to do and teach better.
2. If a little boy pulls a little girl's hair "it means he likes you". Not only is the reverse not held to be true, this normalises attack (physical or emotional) as a form of showing affection. Follow the chain and you get coercion seen as a valid form of obtaining affection in the form of sex, women criticised for not responding positively to catcalls or unwanted advances, and "he only hits me because he cares".
Again, NZ has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the developed world.
3. There's this thing about queer/gay being used as a slur. Why is it that being romantically/sexually attracted to men is percieved as a bad thing by other men?. I'm theorising here, but coming back to my first point could it be that being attracted to men is something women do, so it is another accusation of girliness? Or could it be, as beautifully laid out here that a lot of men are afraid that a man attracted to them will subject them to the same form of unwanted attention they know they give the "objects" (women) of their affection (or even passing interest)?
I believe that in our hearts we men (most of us anyway) know that this behaviour is wrong because we become uneasy at the idea of it being turned on us. Knowing that it is our responsibility to try and
- firstly face up to the discomfort and accept when we are called out on it, then try and do better.
- secondly publicly represent and model for that better behaviour
- the hardest of all (and I fail at this often myself; pick your battles): call our friends and family out on it and support others - whatever their gender, orientation or colour - when they call others out on it in our presence.
If men can step up and do this instead of passively supporting the status quo, then fairness for women (and intermediate/null genders) will come a lot faster than if they have to keep wading through us every step of the way.
~~~
With all that off my chest, here is the gallery from todays march.
Victoria Square to Cathedral Square
- as their manifesto says, Women's Rights are Human Rights and I support that. Both in the specific and in the general sense that improving women's rights will by extension improve the lot of (at least) every other marginalised group containing women
- and I feel it is important for progress that men are seen to be supporting that, because sadly many men are still more likely to listen only to other men
- but also on another level because I feel it's also important for the well-being of men that women are seen and treated as equal.
Here I just want to pull together a few threads from around the internet on why I think there is still a long way to go in western, particularly New Zealand society.
1. From an early age boys have been told to "don't be a girl", teased for being "girly" or put down for "hitting like a girl" in response to failure, asking for help, or expressing any "negative" emotion except anger. As well as indoctrinating the idea that women are somehow less than men in both boys and girls from an early age this negative approach to dealing with emotions also contributes to New Zealand having one of the highest rates of youth suicide (especially among young men) in the developed world.
Things are getting better on this front (I believe) but there are generations of us still alive who need to challenge those ideas within ourselves and strive to do and teach better.
2. If a little boy pulls a little girl's hair "it means he likes you". Not only is the reverse not held to be true, this normalises attack (physical or emotional) as a form of showing affection. Follow the chain and you get coercion seen as a valid form of obtaining affection in the form of sex, women criticised for not responding positively to catcalls or unwanted advances, and "he only hits me because he cares".
Again, NZ has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the developed world.
3. There's this thing about queer/gay being used as a slur. Why is it that being romantically/sexually attracted to men is percieved as a bad thing by other men?. I'm theorising here, but coming back to my first point could it be that being attracted to men is something women do, so it is another accusation of girliness? Or could it be, as beautifully laid out here that a lot of men are afraid that a man attracted to them will subject them to the same form of unwanted attention they know they give the "objects" (women) of their affection (or even passing interest)?
I believe that in our hearts we men (most of us anyway) know that this behaviour is wrong because we become uneasy at the idea of it being turned on us. Knowing that it is our responsibility to try and
- firstly face up to the discomfort and accept when we are called out on it, then try and do better.
- secondly publicly represent and model for that better behaviour
- the hardest of all (and I fail at this often myself; pick your battles): call our friends and family out on it and support others - whatever their gender, orientation or colour - when they call others out on it in our presence.
If men can step up and do this instead of passively supporting the status quo, then fairness for women (and intermediate/null genders) will come a lot faster than if they have to keep wading through us every step of the way.
~~~
With all that off my chest, here is the gallery from todays march.
Victoria Square to Cathedral Square
Tags:
After all I am one of the lucky ones; not only did I not lose anyone directly in the quakes I even benefited materially from the "repairs" to my home*. My life and work were mostly unaffected and since have continued on a generally upwards trajectory.
*( Like many the assessment was questionable, the workmanship left something to be desired in places and the scope was "tightened" several times between assessment and implementation meaning some things which probably should have been done rather than others were not. But my claim was acted on (un)fairly quickly and my home was still in better condition when they finished than before the quakes.)
If I only paid attention to my own situation or that of people like myself that might leave me content. But my social circles contain many who were not so fortunate. Their homes, lives, families, studies, health ... have been massively disrupted and I do not choose to disregard their experiences and those I read of from further afield. For so many people the past five years have been one battle after another; not all quake related but certainly quake-exacerbated, and so much of it seems to have been unnecessary.
~~~
In some ways the February 14th aftershock this year was beneficial. Some people might have been in danger of believing the platitudes which will have been spouted today about how well we are all doing; how well the rebuild is progressing. Instead as PTSD kicked in and "old" responses rose sharply to the surface there was an up-swell of awareness that no, everything is not all right; yes, we still need help.
In the last five years we have seen proof (if there had been any doubt) that the insurance industry is more interested in holding on to its money than in meeting it's contracted obligations. We've seen the one locally owned insurance company which was by nature overexposed to the risk "bailed out" by the government then promptly chopped up; the "good" bit sold off to one of the same overseas re/insurance companies which fights determinedly to not return the money they have taken from other insurees in premiums over the years (IAG) and the "bad" bit put into limbo (Southern Response, which can only progress so far without the goverment actually stumping up some money to cover the work that needs doing).
We have seen that we have a government who are more interested in bottom lines and doing deals with those same insurance companies than in standing up for the rights of the people they purport to represent. More interested in a magical accounting "surplus" than in the wellbeing not only of Christchurch but of the entire country. Only interested frankly, to all intents and purposes to improve the lot of "people like them" no matter the cost to anyone else. Quick to promise financial relief but very slow to spend any money which would not already have been spent.
We have learnt that our EQC disaster recovery fund had already been plundered by the government (through simply directing it to put the money into government-issued bonds), and there is no indication this government has any plan to rebuild it against future need.
We have seen control of "Christchurch's Recovery" taken away from Christchurch from the word "help". Hijacked by people who are more interested in vanity projects (which they then turn around and demand the people of Christchurch make ourselves responsible for paying for) than in the places people live. More interested in cutting costs and corners than in the human cost or actual repair. More interested in being "in charge" than in delivering what a broken city needs.
Today, the 22nd, is a day for reflecting on what we have lost in and around Christchurch. Not just people and buildings but well-being, dignity and agency. So much of which has not been taken by the quakes themselves but by the deliberate actions and inactions of those who claimed the people of Christchurch would be "looked after".
For those outside Christchurch it might be worth thinking about, "if a major disaster struck where you are, what would you lose?"
Emma summed up neatly why in her earthquake anniversary post so I am going to borrow her words to finish. "Because this isn’t about the past, five years on. Things are still happening."
*( Like many the assessment was questionable, the workmanship left something to be desired in places and the scope was "tightened" several times between assessment and implementation meaning some things which probably should have been done rather than others were not. But my claim was acted on (un)fairly quickly and my home was still in better condition when they finished than before the quakes.)
If I only paid attention to my own situation or that of people like myself that might leave me content. But my social circles contain many who were not so fortunate. Their homes, lives, families, studies, health ... have been massively disrupted and I do not choose to disregard their experiences and those I read of from further afield. For so many people the past five years have been one battle after another; not all quake related but certainly quake-exacerbated, and so much of it seems to have been unnecessary.
~~~
In some ways the February 14th aftershock this year was beneficial. Some people might have been in danger of believing the platitudes which will have been spouted today about how well we are all doing; how well the rebuild is progressing. Instead as PTSD kicked in and "old" responses rose sharply to the surface there was an up-swell of awareness that no, everything is not all right; yes, we still need help.
In the last five years we have seen proof (if there had been any doubt) that the insurance industry is more interested in holding on to its money than in meeting it's contracted obligations. We've seen the one locally owned insurance company which was by nature overexposed to the risk "bailed out" by the government then promptly chopped up; the "good" bit sold off to one of the same overseas re/insurance companies which fights determinedly to not return the money they have taken from other insurees in premiums over the years (IAG) and the "bad" bit put into limbo (Southern Response, which can only progress so far without the goverment actually stumping up some money to cover the work that needs doing).
We have seen that we have a government who are more interested in bottom lines and doing deals with those same insurance companies than in standing up for the rights of the people they purport to represent. More interested in a magical accounting "surplus" than in the wellbeing not only of Christchurch but of the entire country. Only interested frankly, to all intents and purposes to improve the lot of "people like them" no matter the cost to anyone else. Quick to promise financial relief but very slow to spend any money which would not already have been spent.
We have learnt that our EQC disaster recovery fund had already been plundered by the government (through simply directing it to put the money into government-issued bonds), and there is no indication this government has any plan to rebuild it against future need.
We have seen control of "Christchurch's Recovery" taken away from Christchurch from the word "help". Hijacked by people who are more interested in vanity projects (which they then turn around and demand the people of Christchurch make ourselves responsible for paying for) than in the places people live. More interested in cutting costs and corners than in the human cost or actual repair. More interested in being "in charge" than in delivering what a broken city needs.
Today, the 22nd, is a day for reflecting on what we have lost in and around Christchurch. Not just people and buildings but well-being, dignity and agency. So much of which has not been taken by the quakes themselves but by the deliberate actions and inactions of those who claimed the people of Christchurch would be "looked after".
For those outside Christchurch it might be worth thinking about, "if a major disaster struck where you are, what would you lose?"
Emma summed up neatly why in her earthquake anniversary post so I am going to borrow her words to finish. "Because this isn’t about the past, five years on. Things are still happening."
Tags:
On the weekend before the Paris Climate talks in December, climate marches took place in hundreds of major cities.
This was one of them.
This was one of them.
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Environment Canterbury is currently seeking submissions on their Long Term Plan for 2015 - 2025. Locals may have found a print version in their mailbox over the past week or two. You can download the document and make submissions online at the Ecan Website
This is my first time being motivated enough to make such a submission. It may be a little wordy but I felt it important to convey a little of my personal perspective and background rather than a relatively context-less set of bullet points (which I couldn't have arrive at without writing all this out anyway).
( long )
This is my first time being motivated enough to make such a submission. It may be a little wordy but I felt it important to convey a little of my personal perspective and background rather than a relatively context-less set of bullet points (which I couldn't have arrive at without writing all this out anyway).
( long )
What does it take?
Apr. 4th, 2015 05:10 pmStuff today had an article on some of the down-and-out here in Christchurch. Christchurch sex workers: Life on Manchester St"
An early commenter asked "I wonder though, what would it take to help them off the street?"
Now I have no direct experience helping people up from that low, but I have read a lot of their stories over the past few years and there are some strong common threads, and as the comments overall haven't deteriorated too much but felt confident enough to post a reply to that. Pending moderation but I don;t see any reason it shouldn't make it through.
~~~
What does it take?
- *Security* so they don't have to spend all their energy on accounting for the next meal or substitute high.
- *Time* for their minds and bodies to recover from constantly living in "survival mode" and start to live for a future.
- *Patience* as they learn to trust again; break the habits/reflexes and modes of thinking that living day-to-day instills; and gain the confidence in themselves and their support network to move forward.
- *Opportunity* to catch up on the things they missed as children - not only academically but also in exploring and developing interests and talents - and explore the paths open to them.
- *Acceptance and respect* that they have their own individual life stories; that they will probably carry scars and exhibit behaviours for the rest of thier lives from the traumas they have experienced; that the first path or paths they initially choose to explore not be the ones they ultimately settle on or stick to; and that this does not make them /in any way/ lesser people than anyone else.
- *Confidence* (or faith if you prefer) that they are worth the investment in all of the above.
- As any individual or organisation can only do so much (and they do), and so often have to focus on a few worst cases, it will take *raising our voices* as a caring society to *demand* of our representatives to whom we have delegated responsibility of our social welfare that they /direct the resources/ to not only pick up those who have already fallen through the cracks but to /close those cracks/ (many of which are well known).
~~~
I wish I had more resources to bring to bear.
An early commenter asked "I wonder though, what would it take to help them off the street?"
Now I have no direct experience helping people up from that low, but I have read a lot of their stories over the past few years and there are some strong common threads, and as the comments overall haven't deteriorated too much but felt confident enough to post a reply to that. Pending moderation but I don;t see any reason it shouldn't make it through.
~~~
What does it take?
- *Security* so they don't have to spend all their energy on accounting for the next meal or substitute high.
- *Time* for their minds and bodies to recover from constantly living in "survival mode" and start to live for a future.
- *Patience* as they learn to trust again; break the habits/reflexes and modes of thinking that living day-to-day instills; and gain the confidence in themselves and their support network to move forward.
- *Opportunity* to catch up on the things they missed as children - not only academically but also in exploring and developing interests and talents - and explore the paths open to them.
- *Acceptance and respect* that they have their own individual life stories; that they will probably carry scars and exhibit behaviours for the rest of thier lives from the traumas they have experienced; that the first path or paths they initially choose to explore not be the ones they ultimately settle on or stick to; and that this does not make them /in any way/ lesser people than anyone else.
- *Confidence* (or faith if you prefer) that they are worth the investment in all of the above.
- As any individual or organisation can only do so much (and they do), and so often have to focus on a few worst cases, it will take *raising our voices* as a caring society to *demand* of our representatives to whom we have delegated responsibility of our social welfare that they /direct the resources/ to not only pick up those who have already fallen through the cracks but to /close those cracks/ (many of which are well known).
~~~
I wish I had more resources to bring to bear.
Solar update / planning for the future
Feb. 7th, 2015 02:34 pmNormally the news that a company like energy efficiency and insulation business Right House has gone into liquidation would pass through my radar with just a moment to pause in sadness for those whom have just lost their livelihoods. However this time there is an indirect personal connection - it was a telemarketing call from Right House house and the following obligation-free quote which made me decide that then was the time to start the ball rolling on actually getting grid connected solar installed here.
The first step of course was googling up solar installers in NZ and sending off for more quotes. when it came down to it though two I already had bookmarked gave the best results. A shout out here to CPS Solar (Canterbury based) who provided a lot of useful information and food-for-thought in our conversation. Definitely consider them.
My choice though has gone to Solar City despite the fact they they were the tardiest in replying to my enquiry. I'd like to write a bit about why.
First off is their innovative Solar Care offering. For $0 or $1000 down they will install panels on your house and sell you the electricity generated for a fixed monthly cost for the next 20 years. (You then use or sell excess power into the grid.) This effectively locks in the cost to you of that much power for the next 20 years, and the contract is set so that the cost-per-unit is probably lower than you are being charged now.
Personally I think projects like this are what the major generators should be doing, to conserve hydro and fossil-fuel (ugh) generation for night time and winter use. But of course they don't make money by providing people with cheap power :-/
I was almost sold on this, it works out very well for both the homeowner (who gets rapid access to solar without massive expenditure or worries about insurance, monitoring etc of the panels) and for the company who get regular cashflow (instead of constantly having to chase new installations) and to depreciate the value of the solar panels on their books :). Had I investment properties I would be having Solar Care systems installed ASAP. Any of my home-owning/paying-off friends I strongly recommend taking a look.
However the desire and years of expecting to outright own the installation asserted itself and I was unable to bring myself to deviate that far from the plan. What actually sold me on a fixed install from Solar City installation was not the price but the opportunity to become involved with / contribute to a new initiative they are setting up with the University of Otago to (quoting the flyer)
(As a bonus, "Customers will have the opportunity to beta test new technologies in the energy efficiency and solar space." Eh-heh-heh ...)
This will involve a period of monitoring before the installation which is fine because for me "starting the ball rolling" on a project like this means I have a 12-18 month horizon in view for actually affording and completing it. This is something I make clear of my requests for quotes but find a lot of companies have difficulty with - and their pressure (and oft-times effectively bribes) to commit sooner is something which I find distinctly off-putting.
Companies, I am (charitably) sure that you are genuinely interested in making sure your customers get good value for money but if you want my custom please do me the courtesy of understanding that I know and understand my own values, finances and finance options and that I am not undertaking such a large project on the spur of the moment. If I am not the typical customer in this, well that is simply a sad observation on today's society.
Another issue where I have struggled to reach common ground with all the companies I have talked to is my desire to install more generation capacity than is "economically efficient" for me. (The generators don't pay a terrific amount for home-solar production fed into the grid and these tariffs have only been dropping.) The concept that I might have broader, non-economic goals like future-proofing the amount of generation on my roof (nominally economic), or happily working towards overall lower power prices for everyone else by feeding cheap power into the grid and setting an example for wider home generation is completely foreign.
(I've had to temporarily throw in the towel on that one, but the system I am getting is eminently extensible at a later date by the addition of more panels and micro-inverters.)
~~~
Speaking of finance options this entire post / mini-rant was actually triggered by a quote from the Right House article.
Now this is a Stuff article so don't assume that quote from the liquidator (probably not yet familiar with the company finances) is entirely in context. It's obviously being played a bit by the reporter and as such I believe it reflects a wider feeling that the only reason people might be interested in getting into solar (and more broadly other technologies) is the money. That's a meme I'd really like to squish out of society's group consciousness because there are so many wider possibilities once you broaden your view from what is purely best for the individual.
[tangent]For example Christchurch (City Council) is currently looking at painful rates rises and having to privatise some of it's utility assets to afford the costs of the earthquake rebuild foisted on us by the national government. But we could build a new asset as a (somewhat seasonal) electricity generator right alongside the rebuild to offset some of that cost if only by generating some of the power required. I think most households and businesses would be happy to have some council-owned panels on their roof in exchange for the promise of lower rates increases (or the offset in lower electricity costs).[/tangent]
It is true that for the majority of homeowners (unlike well-privileged, mortgage-free, no-dependants self) the availability of subsidies will probably have a significant impact on the affordability calculations. (And part of the genius of Solar Care is how it simplifies that calculation.) It is good business for eg. an installer to point out the available options which may make what they are selling more affordable.
[aside]If you have a mortgage with Kiwibank also check out their Sustainable Energy Loan (link not guaranteed to be current).[/aside]
But I don't believe it is broadly good that our consumerist, buy now (worry about paying later) culture tries to rush people into accelerating financial plans that should be taken time over and focuses on the monetary payback value of long-term purchases to the detriment of other values. And just like if your business relies on the government topping up your employees wages because you don't pay them enough to live; if your business relies on pressuring people into making financial decisions for cashflow perhaps you should take a hard look at how sustainable it / its growth path really is. When I look at who I give significant amounts of my actually-earned money to, you better believe I'm taking that into account. Often it is through [your business'] salespeople that I have the most direct experience of that.
[aside]No I'm not a fan of commission sales, why do you ask?[/aside]
~~~
Disclaimer: this has not been any sort of solicited promotion and I have no connection (yet) to any of the mentioned companies except as outlined above. (Haven't even signed and returned the quote.) :p
The first step of course was googling up solar installers in NZ and sending off for more quotes. when it came down to it though two I already had bookmarked gave the best results. A shout out here to CPS Solar (Canterbury based) who provided a lot of useful information and food-for-thought in our conversation. Definitely consider them.
My choice though has gone to Solar City despite the fact they they were the tardiest in replying to my enquiry. I'd like to write a bit about why.
First off is their innovative Solar Care offering. For $0 or $1000 down they will install panels on your house and sell you the electricity generated for a fixed monthly cost for the next 20 years. (You then use or sell excess power into the grid.) This effectively locks in the cost to you of that much power for the next 20 years, and the contract is set so that the cost-per-unit is probably lower than you are being charged now.
Personally I think projects like this are what the major generators should be doing, to conserve hydro and fossil-fuel (ugh) generation for night time and winter use. But of course they don't make money by providing people with cheap power :-/
I was almost sold on this, it works out very well for both the homeowner (who gets rapid access to solar without massive expenditure or worries about insurance, monitoring etc of the panels) and for the company who get regular cashflow (instead of constantly having to chase new installations) and to depreciate the value of the solar panels on their books :). Had I investment properties I would be having Solar Care systems installed ASAP. Any of my home-owning/paying-off friends I strongly recommend taking a look.
However the desire and years of expecting to outright own the installation asserted itself and I was unable to bring myself to deviate that far from the plan. What actually sold me on a fixed install from Solar City installation was not the price but the opportunity to become involved with / contribute to a new initiative they are setting up with the University of Otago to (quoting the flyer)
Conduct a comprehensive study into household and commercial solar energy use, to better inform and guide the nation towards a 100% renewable energy future.
(As a bonus, "Customers will have the opportunity to beta test new technologies in the energy efficiency and solar space." Eh-heh-heh ...)
This will involve a period of monitoring before the installation which is fine because for me "starting the ball rolling" on a project like this means I have a 12-18 month horizon in view for actually affording and completing it. This is something I make clear of my requests for quotes but find a lot of companies have difficulty with - and their pressure (and oft-times effectively bribes) to commit sooner is something which I find distinctly off-putting.
Companies, I am (charitably) sure that you are genuinely interested in making sure your customers get good value for money but if you want my custom please do me the courtesy of understanding that I know and understand my own values, finances and finance options and that I am not undertaking such a large project on the spur of the moment. If I am not the typical customer in this, well that is simply a sad observation on today's society.
Another issue where I have struggled to reach common ground with all the companies I have talked to is my desire to install more generation capacity than is "economically efficient" for me. (The generators don't pay a terrific amount for home-solar production fed into the grid and these tariffs have only been dropping.) The concept that I might have broader, non-economic goals like future-proofing the amount of generation on my roof (nominally economic), or happily working towards overall lower power prices for everyone else by feeding cheap power into the grid and setting an example for wider home generation is completely foreign.
(I've had to temporarily throw in the towel on that one, but the system I am getting is eminently extensible at a later date by the addition of more panels and micro-inverters.)
~~~
Speaking of finance options this entire post / mini-rant was actually triggered by a quote from the Right House article.
But the business had not had the demand for their services, from home insulation to energy advice, that it had hoped for, Fisk said.
"I think that has been influenced by whether people are getting offer subsidies to insulate their houses," Fisk said.
The company failure may seem "counter-intuitive" when there is a housing boom especially in Christchurch and Auckland, he said.
Asked if the government cuts to home insulation subsidies in 2013 had affected Right House, Fisk said he believed it had "some effect".
Now this is a Stuff article so don't assume that quote from the liquidator (probably not yet familiar with the company finances) is entirely in context. It's obviously being played a bit by the reporter and as such I believe it reflects a wider feeling that the only reason people might be interested in getting into solar (and more broadly other technologies) is the money. That's a meme I'd really like to squish out of society's group consciousness because there are so many wider possibilities once you broaden your view from what is purely best for the individual.
[tangent]For example Christchurch (City Council) is currently looking at painful rates rises and having to privatise some of it's utility assets to afford the costs of the earthquake rebuild foisted on us by the national government. But we could build a new asset as a (somewhat seasonal) electricity generator right alongside the rebuild to offset some of that cost if only by generating some of the power required. I think most households and businesses would be happy to have some council-owned panels on their roof in exchange for the promise of lower rates increases (or the offset in lower electricity costs).[/tangent]
It is true that for the majority of homeowners (unlike well-privileged, mortgage-free, no-dependants self) the availability of subsidies will probably have a significant impact on the affordability calculations. (And part of the genius of Solar Care is how it simplifies that calculation.) It is good business for eg. an installer to point out the available options which may make what they are selling more affordable.
[aside]If you have a mortgage with Kiwibank also check out their Sustainable Energy Loan (link not guaranteed to be current).[/aside]
But I don't believe it is broadly good that our consumerist, buy now (worry about paying later) culture tries to rush people into accelerating financial plans that should be taken time over and focuses on the monetary payback value of long-term purchases to the detriment of other values. And just like if your business relies on the government topping up your employees wages because you don't pay them enough to live; if your business relies on pressuring people into making financial decisions for cashflow perhaps you should take a hard look at how sustainable it / its growth path really is. When I look at who I give significant amounts of my actually-earned money to, you better believe I'm taking that into account. Often it is through [your business'] salespeople that I have the most direct experience of that.
[aside]No I'm not a fan of commission sales, why do you ask?[/aside]
~~~
Disclaimer: this has not been any sort of solicited promotion and I have no connection (yet) to any of the mentioned companies except as outlined above. (Haven't even signed and returned the quote.) :p
Tags:
- article,
- christchurch,
- economics,
- electricity,
- energy,
- essay,
- house,
- link,
- money,
- observation,
- opinion,
- society,
- solar,
- technology
Invisible Children
Jan. 28th, 2014 07:06 pmGirl in the Shadows: Dasani’s Homeless Life
via FB: an in depth look at the life of an 11 year old girl and her family in New York - how they got there, what the future might bring. Very long, 5 parts of mostly heartache and the occasional faint glimmer of hope.
~~~~
One could be grateful that this is on the far side of the world, clearly someone else's problem. Could say that America does not have even the (increasingly holey) social security net that New Zealand boasts. Share it on Facebook as if to say "how bad the world is, how well we have it" and move along.
The NZ media does occasionally deign to pick up on these same issues in New Zealand - it was the topic du jour for a little while in 2010-11 but it seems unlikely little has changed.
- Entire families living in a relative's garage or multiple families crammed together in one home while they wait for state housing to become available. (2010)
- People's needs for accommodation deliberately not even recorded by Housing New Zealand leaving them with no option but to camp in the worst of private accommodation with no tenants rights (Both 2011 - I think WINZ has taking over determining accommodation eligibility but I have little confidence that anything has changed in practice).
- Garage life for two years (2013)
And I don't need a link for anyone reading this to know what the accommodation situation in Christchurch has been like for the past few years. "Temporary" must be starting to look like "childhood" for many.
The numbers may be debatable - perhaps things have improved in NZ since the first of these articles was written. But in the modern, caring, wealthy society which we supposedly aspire to be one person - especially one child - without even the option of a basic, clean, place to live in should be one too many.
And I am certain that the scope of the problem is still actually far wider than I can glimpse from my comfortable middle-class life. I sense a fear in me, that if I actually go looking I will be overwhelmed at the scale and feel unable to make any real difference - thus I "bide my time" and passively watch for opportunities to help within my means and not detrimental to my own (middle class) goals. Would I open my home to strangers? I've seriously considered it post-quake but decided against for mental health's sake (mine and my flatmate's (even if he agreed to the idea)).
Still we are losing bright children (truth be most if not all children are bright); now more than ever we as a society are throwing away their futures through our own inaction when we have the capacity to do better. A week ago I shared on FB an article about Variety looking for sponsors to help families pay back-to-school costs.
At the time I said
~~~
This topic also conveniently leads into my next post - thoughts on the just-announced Labour party policy of an extra $60/week entitlement for families with newborns possibly following up to the age of 3 years.
via FB: an in depth look at the life of an 11 year old girl and her family in New York - how they got there, what the future might bring. Very long, 5 parts of mostly heartache and the occasional faint glimmer of hope.
Her family lives in the Auburn Family Residence, a decrepit city-run shelter for the homeless. It is a place where mold creeps up walls and roaches swarm, where feces and vomit plug communal toilets, where sexual predators have roamed and small children stand guard for their single mothers outside filthy showers.
It is no place for children. Yet Dasani is among 280 children at the shelter. Beyond its walls, she belongs to a vast and invisible tribe of more than 22,000 homeless children in New York, the highest number since the Great Depression, in the most unequal metropolis in America.
Nearly a quarter of Dasani’s childhood has unfolded at Auburn, where she shares a 520-square-foot room with her parents and seven siblings. As they begin to stir on this frigid January day, Dasani sets about her chores.
~~~~
One could be grateful that this is on the far side of the world, clearly someone else's problem. Could say that America does not have even the (increasingly holey) social security net that New Zealand boasts. Share it on Facebook as if to say "how bad the world is, how well we have it" and move along.
The NZ media does occasionally deign to pick up on these same issues in New Zealand - it was the topic du jour for a little while in 2010-11 but it seems unlikely little has changed.
- Entire families living in a relative's garage or multiple families crammed together in one home while they wait for state housing to become available. (2010)
- People's needs for accommodation deliberately not even recorded by Housing New Zealand leaving them with no option but to camp in the worst of private accommodation with no tenants rights (Both 2011 - I think WINZ has taking over determining accommodation eligibility but I have little confidence that anything has changed in practice).
- Garage life for two years (2013)
And I don't need a link for anyone reading this to know what the accommodation situation in Christchurch has been like for the past few years. "Temporary" must be starting to look like "childhood" for many.
The numbers may be debatable - perhaps things have improved in NZ since the first of these articles was written. But in the modern, caring, wealthy society which we supposedly aspire to be one person - especially one child - without even the option of a basic, clean, place to live in should be one too many.
And I am certain that the scope of the problem is still actually far wider than I can glimpse from my comfortable middle-class life. I sense a fear in me, that if I actually go looking I will be overwhelmed at the scale and feel unable to make any real difference - thus I "bide my time" and passively watch for opportunities to help within my means and not detrimental to my own (middle class) goals. Would I open my home to strangers? I've seriously considered it post-quake but decided against for mental health's sake (mine and my flatmate's (even if he agreed to the idea)).
Still we are losing bright children (truth be most if not all children are bright); now more than ever we as a society are throwing away their futures through our own inaction when we have the capacity to do better. A week ago I shared on FB an article about Variety looking for sponsors to help families pay back-to-school costs.
A charity is crying out for donors as poverty-stricken parents seek sponsorship for the back-to-school costs of their children..
More than 170 applications have been made for Kiwi Kid sponsorship so far this year, including 21 from Christchurch, and Variety - The Children's Charity needs more sponsors.
There were already 705 children - 116 from Christchurch - receiving financial support nationwide in its first year, much like that offered to children in Third World countries through World Vision.
At the time I said
This presses *many* of my buttons - children, local poverty, education...and at the time inertia won. Now I'm making a commitment to reassess my budget for the year, do some research and commit something regular on top of the irregular amounts I give the phone collectors and occasional worthy givealittle/pledgeme/etc call that comes across my radar - whether through Variety or some other avenue (I wonder if Adopt a Christchurch Family is still actually going).
I'm fighting a 3-way battle between reflexively signing up; knowing that I'm supposed to be keeping a tighter reign on my spending this year (and so far have been failing miserably); and feeling I could probably find someone in need that I could give the full $35+ per month to directly.
~~~
This topic also conveniently leads into my next post - thoughts on the just-announced Labour party policy of an extra $60/week entitlement for families with newborns possibly following up to the age of 3 years.
Tags:
Southern Motorway
Dec. 3rd, 2012 09:26 pmHaving nowhere better to be tonight I took a detour along the new southern motorway to see where it goes. The experience was actually rather disorientating. There seems to be this big empty space out there I never really knew existed.
I will have to do it again in daylight, and there appears to be a cycleway. That might be interesting as well, although I might have to work up to it. At the moment just getting out to the Springs Road roundabout (where it starts) might leave me with only enough to get home the same way.
Brought to you by not being the post I ought to be making tonight.
I will have to do it again in daylight, and there appears to be a cycleway. That might be interesting as well, although I might have to work up to it. At the moment just getting out to the Springs Road roundabout (where it starts) might leave me with only enough to get home the same way.
Brought to you by not being the post I ought to be making tonight.
"beyond economic repair"
Aug. 11th, 2012 04:59 pmThat's what they said about Cracroft House, which met the bulldozers this week.
I'm afraid the same can very much be said of Antonio Hall. As I've said since the first visit, it would take love (as well as money) to save. And it's clear that the owners don't care and aren't inclined to co-operate with anyone who does :(
The Historic Places Trust are apparently looking for buildings to save in the residential red zone, and there are no doubt buildings worth saving. My own criteria would include "could the building have a future as something other than a time capsule" - that's why I like the Hall, but I don't know how many of the ones in the red zone will meet that.
The cabin in the above article for instance will probably stand another move. Other buildings though I could see becoming little deserted islands.
I'm afraid the same can very much be said of Antonio Hall. As I've said since the first visit, it would take love (as well as money) to save. And it's clear that the owners don't care and aren't inclined to co-operate with anyone who does :(
The Historic Places Trust are apparently looking for buildings to save in the residential red zone, and there are no doubt buildings worth saving. My own criteria would include "could the building have a future as something other than a time capsule" - that's why I like the Hall, but I don't know how many of the ones in the red zone will meet that.
The cabin in the above article for instance will probably stand another move. Other buildings though I could see becoming little deserted islands.
Antonio Hall III - planning a visit
Sep. 25th, 2011 09:28 amI'm tentatively picking Sunday the 16th before lunch but need a solid indication of numbers. Please comment to show interest, include any others you may be bringing and any time issues. Possibly more than one tour/date will be arranged, see below.
~~~
Excerpted from email (if you've just joined us see my original post on Antonio Hall)
~~~
Excerpted from email (if you've just joined us see my original post on Antonio Hall)
I am still seeing with the owners how a bigger group can go through safely. Up to five people no problem, but we need to bring in help if we have more at a time.
Yes, cameras are allowed, with provisos
The best times for seeing well is daylight, any time after 10 am, with interior , light being difficult after 7 pm.
The best time to be scared silly is, of course, after midnight. To do this though we need to tell our neighbours and police that a group is on site.
The Manager's residence is unfortunately red stickered
Antonio Hall II
Sep. 11th, 2011 10:03 pmA while back I posted about Antonio Hall, on Riccarton Road. This evening I received a comment in response with more details of the Hall's current status, and the offer of a tour.
... are you pondering what I'm pondering?
... are you pondering what I'm pondering?
I'm pretty much just going to work though the sections until I get tired of reading, jotting down my thoughts.
The Big Picture
Nothing much extra comes to mind over the introduction/big picture that I don't expect to be commenting on later, until we get to Implementation where it starts talking about who/how the projects in the plan will be paid for. The most concrete part of this section is in identifying the "catalyst projects" the council plans to be take the lad in paying for - ie "public investment". While it is expected that "private investment" will be 10x that the details about where this is actually going to come from ... feel hollow. Blather about "incentives" and "leadership".
This document probably isn't the place to list the private projects which are no doubt already being planned, but I would feel better if that information was available somewhere.
Guiding Principles
Five principles were defined to draft the plan
- Foster business investment
- Respect for the Past
- A long term view of the future
- Easy to get around
- Vibrant central city living
I don't know if the order they are presented in the draft is reflective of their relevant importance (doubtless the official position is that they are all equally important) but to my mind "A long term view of the future" expresses something that people really need to get their heads around. The timeline in the plan itself covers about 20 years - the foreseeable future really. I do expect that within my lifetime we will get to the point where construction and development stops containing an element of "rebuild".
But what is being put in place here will shape Christchurch for another 100 years or more (barring sinking into the ocean), just as Christchurch to date has been shaped by street plans laid out in 1850, or by the brick buildings erected around the turn of the 20th century (there is a nice potted history on pages 17-20).
The way ahead
This section lays out the process of finalising the plan and work which is ongoing - eg further analysis. It also contains this section which describes the largest short-term hurdle to getting started...
Money is available from non-bank sources for the public works, although I wonder if projects are legally required to have insurance before they can start. That might require careful use of those law-rewriting powers the minister has.
But unless there is a developer out there with deep pockets and a willingness to take the risk, that vital private investment could be slow in coming. Or a bank willing to cut some slack - it can be assumed that the international re-insurers won't cut any, but our internationally owned banks are mostly based in Australia and might be a little friendlier.
The Big Picture
Nothing much extra comes to mind over the introduction/big picture that I don't expect to be commenting on later, until we get to Implementation where it starts talking about who/how the projects in the plan will be paid for. The most concrete part of this section is in identifying the "catalyst projects" the council plans to be take the lad in paying for - ie "public investment". While it is expected that "private investment" will be 10x that the details about where this is actually going to come from ... feel hollow. Blather about "incentives" and "leadership".
This document probably isn't the place to list the private projects which are no doubt already being planned, but I would feel better if that information was available somewhere.
Guiding Principles
Five principles were defined to draft the plan
- Foster business investment
- Respect for the Past
- A long term view of the future
- Easy to get around
- Vibrant central city living
I don't know if the order they are presented in the draft is reflective of their relevant importance (doubtless the official position is that they are all equally important) but to my mind "A long term view of the future" expresses something that people really need to get their heads around. The timeline in the plan itself covers about 20 years - the foreseeable future really. I do expect that within my lifetime we will get to the point where construction and development stops containing an element of "rebuild".
But what is being put in place here will shape Christchurch for another 100 years or more (barring sinking into the ocean), just as Christchurch to date has been shaped by street plans laid out in 1850, or by the brick buildings erected around the turn of the 20th century (there is a nice potted history on pages 17-20).
The way ahead
This section lays out the process of finalising the plan and work which is ongoing - eg further analysis. It also contains this section which describes the largest short-term hurdle to getting started...
Insurance
Insurance companies and their reinsurers are facing what they describe as “unprecedented events” and Canterbury’s earthquake risk level remains a real concern to the insurance industry. The primary issue revolves around the level of ongoing seismic activity to the extent there is no appetite for insurers to take on new risk (i.e. risk they do not currently have). This has a significant impact on rebuilding with little (if any) ability to secure insurance for these projects. The banking industry is wanting certainty that standard insurance cover, including earthquake cover, is in place at the outset of a project. This issue is well known at all levels including central government and is a significant risk factor that could impact on delivery of the Plan.
Money is available from non-bank sources for the public works, although I wonder if projects are legally required to have insurance before they can start. That might require careful use of those law-rewriting powers the minister has.
But unless there is a developer out there with deep pockets and a willingness to take the risk, that vital private investment could be slow in coming. Or a bank willing to cut some slack - it can be assumed that the international re-insurers won't cut any, but our internationally owned banks are mostly based in Australia and might be a little friendlier.
