On the back of .....

Christchurch City Council boss CEO Tony Marryatt accepts a $68,000.00  pay rise. Christchurch citizens have vented fury and labelled this pay rise as “indecent”.

Marryatt’s 14.4 per cent pay rise has reignited debate over the issue. The increase took his pay from $470,400 to $538,529 a year, effective from July 1, 2011.

A pay – rise of gross indecent proportions when City Council tenants of Christchurch :a few days after the 22nd. February 2011 earthquake, received a 2.2 increase on the rent. For market value. What market value. The truth is as follows ….

This rent rise is on the back of a previous rent rise to carry the burden of Dave Henderson who Christchurch City Council bailed out of seventeen million dollars. For buildings (Dave Henderson too old and no intention to buy back or in a position that he could )but the Christchurch City Council handing him seventeen million dollars saying he would.

However, after battling liquefaction, finding a portaloo, being without power, water, sewage,telecommunications one was somehow suppose to find a newspaper, to look for an article or notice from the Christchurch City Council that the rent had gone up.

Year later 2012 ………..

Rate -payers,council tenants:  especially those still unable to return home or to their council flat : are justifiably distressed at Tony Marryatts’ indecent pay-rise. He talks publicly about how good he is and his team .. what team… don’t see them or hear of them… doing what? Tony Marryatt tells the public he works hard, so does the council worker in a ditch of sludge, mum and dad caring for the distressed elderly in the neighborhood,  the  children digging out dehydrated liquefaction, Salvation Army giving vouchers for food.

At the coal face Christchurch people are suffering. Also working hard on all fronts.

Plenty of expensive beautifully printed pamphlets, or instructions “go on line” or go to Welfare, who give a pamphlet, and answer no to funds, or instructions to “go on line” People have lost employment, homes, live in dire circumstances in temporary accommodation , double expenses.

Tony Marryatt, what does he do? never heard of him, until this pay rise became public, that could support at least three families, or food to the food bank, many are hungry in Christchurch .. food would be good.

So who needs people like Tony Marryatt, and those who worked for EQC and defrauded the system whilst employed with EQC. Or those with excessive wages per day of a $1000 plus.

The city of Christchurch is a dysfunctional mess. EQC ( earthquake commission ) dysfunctional and confrontational to the victims, use of language one needs a lawyers to interpret, insurance companies for business for example with excess rises of 2,400% , Government engineers strolling around the city and suburbs saying the red zone is now green, …… many homes deemed to be a re-build… what lift the house for remedial re-piling on shonky land, repair, then when shattered again the insurance is not paying out again? Or the excess so great who could afford the insurance.

Tony Marryatt claims returning from holiday in Australia that his $68,000.00 pay rise was a reflection of his performance and the market rate for the job. What performance? Market rate, well go back to Australia or anywhere else and he would probably find he would not get a job.

( Another quake……. 5 …or was that a 6 just then………. where are the portaloos, the street is a river of liquefaction, the car has sunk in a hole of sludge, the power is off again.)

Never heard of the bloke.

People living in tents protesting corporate greed…. in New Zealand.. perhaps they have a point.

Keith Te Momo in his Connectics work truck.

Being connected one thinks of being “on line ” .. internet, either by the PC or cell-phone an instant global reach of communication.

The reliance of this type of connection/communication has reached into all corners of the world.

The business world, the world of professionals, the world of domestic and financial information or help the environmental impact is such to “save paper ” “save the trees ” is to go on line as directed by many banks and organizations.

Communication as in the art of conversation , in the technological advanced world has taken on a new meaning.

In the environment of ” being connected ” one seems to have to become ones own lawyer, administrator, banker and the list goes on. It is like desiring to purchase a car so one is required to go to University, gain a degree in mechanics then buy the car. One then wonders why we have ” professionals” who never speak, or sustain an informative conversation. The “go on line” attitude, that is ever increasing, may well save paper but not human beings in the aftermath of a crisis or disaster.

In Christchurch after the 22nd February 2011 Earthquake and the following earthquakes, communication was confusing, messy and most was “go on line ” very difficult with no power. Or ones PC is under a ton of masonry. Cell Phone towers out of order. Disrupted cables.

But wait…. there is more !! Hard mail, the postman. New Zealand Post at its best keeping communication open and delivering through snow storms, earthquakes, and after shocks.

However the real hero, a gentleman named Keith Te Momo, the man at the coal face of Connetics New Zealand, who stood in a hole knee deep in freezing water repairing shattered cables.

Keith Te Momo in freezing conditions and a work mate took time out in their lunch break to reset, re-secure, with duck tape a letter box, now the mail man can deliver …. that’s real connection. The human hands on kind, all by a simple request for help a fine example of communication.

One did not have to “go on line ” make an   application,    fill out forms, wait for months in hope of any interview.

Demolished after the earthquake,  the workman left standing a book case. now remaining as a community free library, books are borrowed and returned freely, even to new ones being installed. That demonstrates a stunning portrayal of staying connected by physical human effort. A small park bench sits near-by where people gather, sit in the Canterbury sun and have a conversation.

Communication is essential in a time of a disaster such as experienced in Christchurch from the 22nd February 2011 earthquake. Communication by the art of conversation, is even more important in the aftermath of such a disaster, because one does not become a lawyer overnight, or a medic, or a banker, or insurance broker, is that not why one has “professionals” ?

Books anyone ?

Open 24 hours,7 days a week, open air, park bench and picnic table available. Quiet Street, slow traffic.

Once upon a time, in an earthquake devastated city called Christchurch South Island New Zealand Bureaucratic Paper Tigers :

Tell the truck driver to move on, but his reply is he has not been paid and unable to purchase the diesel for his empty tank so he can move on. He is offered counselling, or told he could get a Red Cross grant, apply on line, but he has no computer, he could get a government fuel grant, which he has to pay back, that is if he is eligible. The Red Cross Grants are no longer available.

The community spirit is such who hear of the truck drivers plight, he receives a food parcel, kindly help from the Salvation Army, and other community spirited people.

The process of the paper war directed by the Bureaucratic Paper Tigers costs is far greater than if the truck driver had been paid for his work/ or dues in the first place, he would have bought his diesel and moved on. .

Same with the builder, eagerly sought , who can no longer build or continue repair work as the client is still waiting for the Earthquake Commission pay out, so the client can pay the builder, the builder has run out of money unable to purchase any more material.

The builder is also offered counselling and other means to cope with the after-shock stress.

Families in temporary accommodation financial relief ceases to exist. Yet still have pay the rent or mortgage on a place they cannot reside in either because of structural damage, or total content loss/or both. So costs are double, food grant for the year used up from welfare not eligible for any more so the merge provisions in the bottom of their supermarket trolley make the Wall Street protests in United States of America  perfect,logical, objective sense.

The Bureaucratic Paper Tigers well paid, well funded, swamp a crippled city, with meaningless gestures, rhetoric, arrogance , strangling the people who are the phoenixes’ willing, intelligent people desiring the legitimate means enabling the rise from the rubble and ashes to re-build.

The Earthquake Commission seem to be busy doing a re-enactment of shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Or it reminds one of the story of Queen Marie Antoinette who said to a starving population “Let them eat cake” if there was no bread. Neither could be made there was no flour or means to achieve cake or bread.

New Zealand Returned Soldier

http://www.greatwar.co.uk/poems/john-mccrae-in-flanders-fields.htm

Lest we forget

ANZAC POPPY

The red poppy one of the first blooms from the mud of Flanders Field linked battlefield death since the Great War of  1914-1918.  The famous poem written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae  ” In Flanders Field”  describing this beautiful poppy.

For three decades the Return Service Association have had the poppies made in Christchurch by Kilmarnock Enterprises who employ intellectually disabled people to assemble them. The special nature the red poppies representing the RSA  gives the employees a sense of real purpose for the country, their social integration and funds for the enterprise and are proud to serve NZ in their own special way. Then see with pride the red poppy worn by so many New Zealanders in memory of those that fell on the battlefield.

However: The RSA  Chief Executive has made the decision to out source the red poppy to China for parts and be assembled in Australia.  Because it is cheaper and he can make more profit.!

First to deny these special people whose battlefield is a life time, their NZ Red Poppy to be made in China, then fly the parts to Australia, assembled there:  then fly them to New Zealand the image of a green country ( NZ) being aware of the carbon footprint the Chief Executive needs to be taught the lesson of responsible capitalism.

One applauds the efforts to raise more funds for the returned soldiers as expenses and costs of living rise, yet most New Zealanders would be quite happy to pay more for a poppy keeping production in Christchurch at Kilmarnock Enterprises.

Once again those in power privileged to open doors and do the most good fail and cripple the already challenged and less fortunate because of irresponsible decisions, or have the sense to have a wider view or understanding: of the cause and effect of irresponsible, lack of deep thought of decisions made.

They see the books but not the man at the coal face.

The dinner plate served for the reasoning of the decision is a plausible excuse. Bear in mind excuse means EX meaning “free from”  Cusa meaning ” cause” = excuse. The act of the RSA Chief Executive appears that the decision he made, he is free from the cause and he is not responsible for his actions.

MP David Garrett

Act Member of Parliament David Garrett past despicable bizarre behavior of stealing a deceased baby identity,to obtain a passport by means of fraud: (although not used which is hardly the point) David Garrett admitted the theft explaining that he suffered from “delusions of grandeur”: and “It was a bit of a lark” copying the scenes from the book “The Day of the Jackal”

The pathways leading to Parliament seem to be paved with MPs’ ready to defraud the country using government credit cards for personal gain hence an act of fraud, or arrive at parliament with brief case full of past convictions they trust will be buried or ignored.

The MP’s’ rail against the common people of New Zealand of such similar behavior or convictions, credit card fraud, and the worst of the worst moral crime stealing a deceased baby identity: the latter causing the family revival of a painful past: grief of the death of their child.

Well oiled excuses from Parliament are as dirty as the broken sewage pipes of the tragic Christchurch earthquake.

Empty words, empty chairs, a rort,from the MP’s,: the common man or woman in jail penalized for crimes:or crimes even of a lesser nature would feel justified living the consequences of their criminal actions, that the Parliamentarians should do the same.

The first step being the MPs’ lose their jobs. Just as any other common New Zealander would have to and face the consequences.

ABC: action,behavior ,consequences:

So, is it not time real justice stands and act railing against these MPs’ ?

It is not enough paying back the money defrauded or saying it was just a “lark” No New Zealander is laughing.

Empty Chair empty words?

NEW ZEALAND COAT OF ARMS

Regulation in the NZ Financial Market?

Ponzi schemes alive and well. Is  the NZ Government sudden urgent sense for regulation like the old saying  ‘shutting the door after the horse has bolted’?

The following article by Brian Gaynor New Zealand Herald in the business section dated Tuesday March 9th  2010

titled  ‘Hanover house of cards doomed to fall’

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10630196

Every New Zealander should read this.

Has the government gone mad allowing ex board of directors from Hanover that lost millions of dollars of ordinary New Zealanders start up again. To continue the same pattern not unlike a Ponzi scheme. They are Eric Watson and Mark Hotchin doing the same thing with FAI Money (formerly FAI Finance)

Regulation should be such that these failed Board of Directors of Hanover should be barred from access to operation taking Kiwi Saver funds etc..or any managed funds of any sort.

This includes Don Brash and Auckland Mayor John Banks involved / are on the Board of Directors of Huljich Wealth Management a Kiwi Saver Fund for the following events :

During the Securities Commission probe, discovery finds Mr Huljich Managing Director of Huljich Wealth Management, rewrote its investor statements for retirement fund returns after previous returns did not show Mr Huljich had made two payments in periods ending March 2008 and March 2009 as compensation for investment decisions he made. A Ponzi act.

Mr Don Brash and seemingly Mr John Banks say in that time, a whole years worth of time, they were not informed and did not know. Lame excuse as one would think as a Board of Director of ANY company one would make it their business  TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE BUSINESS …….. and not take a year to find out.

The untidy behaviour like a ragged military flag the torn fabric represent the many New Zealand people who struggled, worked hard whose savings/ retirement funds are at risk and or have been lost: one example by Hanover.

So why bother is the question to save as the two examples given in this article.

Savings? How -Where? With What?

A customer enters a car sales yard with a basic knowledge of a car, knows how to drive it , has a degree of trust and faith in the sales person and the reputation of the company. There is no expectation for a customer to have a degree in mechanics, studied the industry for years and be qualified to follow through with the purchase.

In the financial market with the angst of KIWI SAVER the constant catch words are “customer responsibility” customers should understand the products which are presented: many are in a complex dossier of words that would take either a lawyer or preferably a qualified person with a commerce degree to even understand the basics.

The question is: The New Zealand Government had boldly stepped out to announce that people should choose, take self responsibility for their savings and future retirement and not save by compulsory means for Government Superannuation, answer KIWI SAVER: however with recent rorts, financial institutions misleading the public with untrue accounts of performance already emerging, to the willing “want to save for my retirement “ the customer/investor ( who do not have a commerce degree) who is going to repay the investor their money saved lost on the stock exchange, portfolios gone sour, fraud, mismanaged managed funds, bonds losing value? The Government?

What about the older population that have saved for years, where did the consolidated fund go? Or those that lost everything at the hands of failures by the professionals and financial institutions, mis – managed funds. Is it just ‘tough luck’ ? Or is it the customer did not read enough, understand enough, maybe it was their fault they did not have a commerce degree!!!

To regulate, put in a ‘watch dog’ is just like opening a new pack of expensive cards of over-paid bureaucrats. For such a small populated country a simple percentage of money earned should go into a government superannuation fund that is held, not spent/squandered by the government, that earns interest. Just like a bank.

Ain’t a mechanic and don’t have a commerce degree, perhaps granny was right, put it under the mattress, might not earn interest but at least you have not lost everything.

( Whistlers Mother painting by James McNeill Whistler 1871 )

Granny

Keep it in the Bank?

New Zealand had the National Superannuation, dumped into the Consolidated Fund that seem to vanish like a ghost out the back door. Then Kiwi Saver, the question is where does that money go.?

It is swallowed up by a extraordinary tapestry of portfolios that once one retires would they still be active, healthy or slide into the financial abysses as many financial institutions have of recent.

Portfolios sold between one company and another, tracking “your saving” is worst than a drunken mystery tour in a bus.

Financial houses of the managed funds many unqualified or even understand the market and are/were commission driven and driven by greed and over inflated egos’.

A lot of New Zealanders would like to save, even a clean up of the financial market place, who would trust them, let alone the fact many New Zealanders wages are so poor there is not the money to save.

Playing with numbers creating ‘average’ representation of income for those ( many thousands of families) are below the average earnings it is no wonder the country is becoming poorer by the day.

If the top earners are looked after and the working people are shut out in the cold what is the expectation of the psychology of the social fabric.?

The ordinary people understand the corporate director, or franchise owner, or the man who owns the business takes the risk and should be rewarded as such, however not to the point of million dollar bonuses, government rorts that in the civil sense go unpunished, greed that impoverishes the back bones of the country which is the working man.

Is New Zealand turning into a sweat shop country? The underbelly of society in New Zealand is poverty, hungry children and crime, violence and crimes of family abuse, child abuse, surely some spawned from frustration, stress, a country inept to care for the special needs people, the elderly, the disabled and importantly the contributor to the wealth of the country the working man.

New Zealand has every opportunity to show case a country rich in natural resources, demonstrate that a financial national programme for superannuation that cannot be squandered by successive governments, is it not better to have a modest percentage of interest on that money than as recent events have shown like a pack of cards fold by the rotten hand dealt by financial institutions.

Kiwi saver? Is a rort, put it into the bank or as granny did under the mattress. Why give your hard earned cash to some-one you do not know to “save” for you, use your money to expand or prop up a company, rather than the company expand by its’ own merits on the foundations good business.

In today’s climate the real question is :

“Could you afford to leave a thousand dollars on the street and walk away and trust it is there the next day?”

Radio at home

The rural district some quite isolated have one broadcaster that is reliable, informative, for local content, international content and above all quality.

A cross section extraordinary programmes that reach into the heart of the city to the understanding the agriculture sector for example the riveting story of the apple named “Mrs. Grants Last Stand.”

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/highlights/spectrum3

Mrs Grant had tied herself to her favourite apple tree to stop her husband bulldozing it down.

A wonderful story of the true Kiwi spirit to save heritage colonial past.

True Story from Christchurch Electronic Factory Tait Electronics.

National Radio New Zealand

she sat at her workstation

knowing she was the lucky one

of the factory crew

sitting at the window

winding the electronic cables

she had a view.

Headset on her head

listening to radio new zealand

‘got her ears on’ so they said

they often looked at her nodding head

hands busy winding

sitting alone

at the window.

Sun streaming over the sill

parents would bring her the kid’s homework

no matter the subject

the answer carefully pencilled in.

she would converse on any matter

whenever one had time

politics, sport, books,

racing be it bikes or horses

on medicine to food

and tantalising courses.

She could talk about money

any country, cross great racial divides

philosophical opinions

americas cup

tourist weather

and jibes.

The workbench was empty one day                                                          

sun streamed across the still

headset hanging on her chair

her winding machine still

word raced around “she not well indeed quite ill”

visited her in hospital

before she passed on

she was asked about her vast knowledge

told how she was valued

from adult to children

just before she went

with her last breath nearly spent

“Listen to my headset

national radio . That bought me love

excitement, joy with stories

that could bring tears

as I sat alone at the window all those years.

The sun warming me streaming over the sill

I learnt a diverse spectrum of the world beyond from a

wonderful selection of radio hosts

and saturday by kim hill

every day I traveled

as every day I was schooled  (for i never was lucky to go to a real school)

so on my seat or on my stool

knowledge gained and I be well traveled and i never left my seat “

then her heart gave a final beat

quietly at peace

she went to sleep.

dreams of travel …………………. No advertisements just a sensory input allowing the dreams. A wake up call in the morning with the sound of a New Zealand native bird not the shrill of jingles advertising canned food. Can the idea in changing  the format and keep the funding …….. it is our radio, the peoples radio.