theissue

Kiwi politicians should have the foresight

2011-06-11T08:46:00.000+12:00

It is very worrying seeing thousands of Kiwis being made redundant. Manufacturing plants and service sectors closing down, sizing down or relocating to China. There are plans to sell New Zealand assets to China which is said to bring in billions of dollars. How long is this billions of dollars going to last after the assets have been sold? What is going to be left of New Zealand?

It is baffling that despite all these so called "smart and experienced minds" in our government, no one can engineer a growth programme in New Zealand without having to sell any asset to China or any other foreign nation.

With the high rate of unemployment and sickness benefit in the country, there is no positive indicator that things are going to get better. There are no positive plans or programmes to give Kiwis the confidence that more jobs would be created and kept in New Zealand. The only prospect of having more jobs is the oil exploration programme despite lots of protest by environmentalists.

The government has to find a way to create more jobs and keep the jobs in New Zealand for the Kiwis. We cannot keep comparing ourselves with Australia and try to emulate what they are doing. Whether it works for Australia in the long run or not, Australia is very different to New Zealand in geographical sense. Besides, what works for Australia now may not work in the next five years. We have to start thinking independently. Just because, the rest of the world is opening their doors to China, it does not mean that New Zealand should as well. The world is not able to impose any sanctions against China for its currency manipulation which has caused major disruption in the world economy. China is investing in almost every country for natural resources. We are all depending on China because it has become a feeding hand. This is a bad habit that we need to get rid off. The more we are reliant on China the more detrimental it is for our economy. Lets look at the US for a moment......China has invested trillions of dollars in the US Treasury Bonds. China has got the US by its throat (as a figure of speech). As a result, the US cannot take any actions against China no matter what it does. Most of the countries where China has invested in would be crippled economically because they have been reliant on the feeding hand. New Zealand has to wake up and engineer a growth programme internally without having to sell any assets.

Kiwis are very clever and are respected for their ingenuity. It is time that we capitalise on that. We have to structure similar programmes which Fonterra has with the Federated Farmers. We have to create manufacturing programmes in New Zealand in a similar way to created more jobs and KEEP them in New Zealand.

Who can lead New Zealand ?

2011-04-19T12:03:00.000+12:00

John Key has not proved to be successful in improving the economic and social climate in NZ. In fact, he has made it worst with his introduction of GST INCREASE which is the major cause of HIGH INFLATION rate which brings about a chain of other negative impact on the country. HE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN the effects of GST increase. It is surprising that some for someone who is viewed as a successful and rich businessman, he has omitted to look at the negative impacts of his actions on the country. Perhaps, he should not see things from the angle of a businessman but rather as a PRIME MINISTER. The duty of a Prime Minister is very onerous and heavy. He has to look at things at different angles and assess the risk to the country as a whole and not to certain sectors of people.

But the problem is, there are not any politicians who seem to have the vigor, the foresight, experience and capability to manage the country. Or, it might be that he/she has not made himself/herself visible to the public eye?

The Chinese market

2011-04-18T09:12:00.002+12:00

The World Trade Organization (WTO) successfully negotiated the ascension of China to the WTO in 1991. The WTO is an international trade and rule organization that regulates trade between nations. The function of the WTO is to lower trade barriers, usually in the form tariffs or import duties, to lower the cost of importing goods in the interest of trade facilitation.

China signed a separate trade agreement with the United States in 1999. This agreement lowered the average tariff on U.S. agricultural goods going to China to around 14.5 percent while setting the average tariff for Chinese agricultural goods moving to the U.S. at 17 percent.

New Zealand jumped onto the bandwagon of signing Free Trade Agreements with foreign governments in the mid 2000s during the prime ministerialship of Helen Clarke. Was this a mistake..probably not. But what was the terms of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA)...elimination of duties on most items traded between the two countries, free movement of people between the two countries to encourage trade and etc (without going into the details). Unfortunately, I must say that like most leaders, Helen Clarke was too quick to sign the FTA. Like most New Zealand politicians (former and current included), Helen Clarke and Phill Goff was too quick to finalise this agreement without actually looking at the repecussions of it. New Zealand became the first western country to clinch a free trade agreement with China. Pursuant to the FTA, New Zealand will remove all tariffs on Chinese imports by 2016.

The United Sates of America and many other bigcountries are now paying for the trade agreements they have entered into with China. These countries are flooded with dirt cheap Chinese made products and it is crippling the economy of these countries. It is the same now in New Zealand too. What made things worse is that these products from China do not meet the standards and to a certain extent hazourdous to health. In 2007, a number of hazardous products shipped to the United States from China were recalled and banned. Investigations found chemicals in pet food and toothpaste, lead paint in children's toys and banned antibiotics in farmed seafood.

What I do not understand is that leaders of these countries(including NZ) never took time to progress the trade issues with China on a periodic basis. The WTO was responsible to opening the Chinese market but it has not taken the right steps to ensure that China was safe to trade with in all angles. Before signing the agreement, the international community should have ensured that China complied with all international trade ethics and requirements. As soon as the US jumped into the bandwagaon, all other countries wanted to tap into the Chinese market and hence all sorts of bilateral trade agreements were established, including the FTA.

New Zealand has to be very cautious dealing with China. New Zealand politicians seem to favour engaging in various trade agreements with China. John Key is one them. However before embarking on such actions, instead of thinking what you could get of China, have they thought what China can get from NZ ? Have they thought what the long term repercussions will be for New Zealand?

It is all good to sign all sorts of trade agreements with China and open the market to both countries. It looks very nice on the outset, politically and economically. However, we have to understand the culture of those countries we are dealing with, because, at the end of the day we are actually dealing with the people. Chinese have shown to trade anything in the sun to make money at any expense. This is not the kind of business partners we want to deal with. As I see it, by engaging in business with China, we are actually being an accomplice to the many corrupt practices of China. China and Rusia are one of the major suppliers of weapons to the underdeveloped countries which are engaged in civil wars, in exchange for those countries' mineral reserves.

The chance of one's product being copied and sold in the world market is extremely high if one was to relocate his/her/their factory to China. This is daylight robbery!!! China is also manipulating their currency to maintain its dirt cheap price, to continue to monopolise the world market. Very unethical indeed, no fair play at all.

The NZ-China FTA reaffirms New Zealand and China's commitment on intellectual rights under the TRIPS (Trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights) agreement and other multilateral agreements.
The parties have agreed to cooperate on eliminating trade in products infringing intellectual property rights, subject to the laws of each party. A consultation mechanism is in place which allows New Zealand to request consultations to seek a timely and mutually satisfactory solution on any intellectual property issue within the scope of the FTA. But having this in place is not going to be of any good to NZ or any other government which has this protection in place if they do not invoke this clause.

In my opinion, politicians generally are so eager to put their name on the history book as the person who has increased the gross domestic product of the country and (to a certain extent, but not all) to increase their bank accounts for their retirement. Once a person is in politics all sorts of personal business deals are open for their picking. These business deals can sometimes cloud their beliefs and judgement. So, politicians whether right-wing or left-wing should be cautious in promoting any sort of trade or business deals with a country. I believe that we need a strong independent trade commission to evaluate trade deals with foreign governments.

Social Welfare System in New Zealand

2011-04-17T21:13:00.001+12:00

New Zealand is a great place to live in. Beautiful sceneries, nice weather and people, and social welfare system that takes care of its people who are in need of support. I strongly believe that every country needs to have a good social welfare system. Most western countries do. Unfortunately, this is lacking very much in the Asian countries. We in New Zealand should be grateful for what we have in this country. The social welfare system in New Zealand may not be the best in the world, nevertheless it is still good. Many families and individual have benefited from this. Sadly, there are quarters who are abusing the welfare system. Many who are in the welfare system should not be in the system. These people believe that if the government is giving out financial assistance then they will stand in the queue to get it regardless of whether they need it or not. These people are shameless, they are opportunist in the lowest level. It is disgusting how some people can own $250,000 worth of cars and other assets, yet live in a state house and collect monthly benefits. This is daylight robbery !!

It is time that Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) conducts proper checks before approving a person's entitlement for welfare. I think we need a stringent Means Test in place. Every individual who applies for welfare will have to pass the Means Test. The means Test should take into account :-
- the individual's income,
- the joint family's income,
- if the applicant has adult children, their children's income needs to be taken into account regardless of whether they are living seperately. This is because, I believe that children should be responsible for their parents first, not the state. The state's money is the public's money.
- WINZ should also conduct assets search to ensure that the applicant has no hidden assets. WINZ should not take their word for it.
- WINZ should also ensure that they obtain consent from the applicants for the banks to share their financial details with WINZ. WINZ should write to every bank to ensure that the applicant has no undisclosed bank accounts.

Between a"gaggle of gays" and John Key

2011-04-12T09:31:00.002+12:00

New Zealand politics is certainly getting very amusing. We have had various controversies within the Labour Party as well as the National Party. Is Phil Goff capable of running a country? John Key, in my view, has failed and is now trying hard to increase the GDP by any means. But, is that what prime ministerialship is all about...increasing GDP of the country during one's term of premiership? But at what expense? What if the actual repercussions of the decision of a premier's economic/trade policy is only evident later after his or her end of premiership..who then pays for the mistake? This is exactly what happened in Ireland...the people of Ireland are now paying for the mistakes of its premiers earlier mistakes.

Phil Goff, in my view, has not shown any substance in respect of his credibility to steer his party caucus towards long lasting leadership.Should Helen Clark return to the Labour Party ?

Oil exploration in New in Zealand

2011-04-12T08:28:00.000+12:00

Brazil's state oil company Petrobras has been awarded a five-year permit for much of the Raukumara Basin. The exploration permit covers 12,333 sq km where seismic data and modelling work showed the basin had geology capable of trapping hydrocarbons in commercial quantities.Water depths range from coastal to 3000m at its northern reaches. British Petroleum's ruined well in the Gulf of Mexico is in 1500m deep waters. Greenpeace verhemently protests the oil exploration in New Zealand waters. The fears are that New Zealand may not be capable of handling any disasters that may possible happen like in the Gulf of Mexico. It was also stated that there was no guarantees provided by Petrobras that it would be totally responsible should a mishap were to happen. Is New Zealand able to handle such a catostrophic disaster?

Secondly, does New Zealand really needs to expand its oil production revenue? New Zealand has always been seen by the world as a beautiful serene country. Someone once told me that "God must certainly have created New Zealand and Switzerland last". It is so picturesque. Don't we really have any other options to increase Gross Domestic Product? Are we just competing with Australia to increase our mineral output ? Australia's geography is totally different to New Zealand...why do we need to compete with Australia anyway?

We have started selling New Zealand assets to foreigners..if John Key is still around in 15 years time, would he sell New Zealand's oil reserves to foreigners?

I think the leaders of New Zealand are just out of ideas on how to increase its Gross Domestic Product ?

My beautiful birth country

2011-04-07T10:37:00.001+12:00

I have just returned from a short visit to Malaysia, my birth place. Though it was nice to visit my family and friends, I have always longed to returned to New Zealand each time I was visiting Malaysia. One of the reasons is that I can't tolerate the heat and humidity.

However, it is racism and hypocrisy there that most appals me and drives me to leave the country as soon as I could. To eloborate on this, I will briefly tell you my experience on the airport train while I was on my way to Kuala Lumpur International Airport to catch my flight back to New Zealand.

The train had two rows of seats. On my right row, was seated a Malay gentleman in his 50s, who looked rather educated. A few minutes later, a young European gentleman came and sat opposite the Malay gentleman. The Malay gentleman immediately started to chat with the European gentleman. As they were seated close to me, on my right, I could not help listening to their conversation. They would have known that I could listen to their conversation.

The Malay gentleman asked the European gentleman where he was from to which the man replied that he was from Belgium. The Malay gentleman told him that he completed his tertiary education in England and asked the Belgian gentleman how his visit to Malaysia was. The man replied that he enjoyed it and that he was taken by the peacefulness he noticed in this multiracial country. Just for your information, Malaysia's major races are the Malays (the majority), the Chinese and the Indians. The Malay gentleman then replied that the three races indeed live peacefully with each other but if there was ever any problems with the Indians and Chinese, the Malays would not hesitate killing them.

The Malay gentleman then talked about the Germans and the World War 2. He said that Hitler was wrong to kill the Jews because their religion is similar to Christianity and Islam. He said that he was sure that Hitler was not against Jews for their religion but rather their race. He then said that if there was a war, he (the Malay gentleman) would first kill the Hindus and the Chinese. He supported his stance to kill the Hindus because apparently, "the Hindus have many Gods" (which is not correct as Hindus believe that there is only one God). I was shocked to listen to what he was saying to this young Belgian gentleman. The Belgian gentleman did not respond to this. He politely listened to this Malay gentleman and went on his separate ways when the train arrived at the airport.

In a nutshell, this is Malaysia, it seems like its people are friendly and live peacefully with eachother, but deep within themselve, there is plenty of hatred. I must say that the government's is responsible for this as the government practises "divide and rule" policy. I rather be treated as a 2nd class citizen (if at all) in a foreign country then being treated that way in my own country of birth.

It is sad that there are people who are so racist in this 21st century.

John Key's Zero Budget

2011-03-22T08:08:00.005+13:00

We all understand that the country is in a bad state especially after the two earthquakes that hit Canterbury. We certainly do need to cut expenses to help rebuild Canterbury.

But, we should not forget that prior to all this, John Key's GST increase was the main cause for the current recession/inflation we are experiencing now. We have had a GST increase prior to this and John Key surely must have known the repercussions that it would bring. How could he have not known that a 2.5% increase in the GST would provoke the service providers to further hike up their prices in a very disproportionate rate. Why reduce tax and create a much negative result by increasing the GST ? Did John Key make a mistake in his attempt to garner votes?

And then, there were calls to start mining in certain places in New Zealand. Since New Zealand is located on/close the earthquake fault lines, do we have geologists and scientist assurance that mining (on or close to the fault line) will not to trigger earthquakes?

We understand that the government is sincerely trying hard to bring the country back on its feet. But, there are many ways going about doing this. Create more opportunities. Lets build New Zealand as an IT hub, bring in international IT experts to set up bases here with tax relief benefits, build a silicone valley... Build more universities so that New Zealand can be promoted as an international education hub. Excavating our mineral resources is not the only way out.

John Key's GST increase and lowering of the tax rate just proved that a successful business man may not necessarily be a good prime minister.

Why are the corporate players easily getting off with white-collar crimes? They swindle millions of public money and escape with just a home detention punishment ? The government then picks up the tabs as a result of this when the victims end up with lost of business, falling sick.....White collar-crime is a criminal offense and should be treated as one. Those found guilty of committing white-collar crimes should be made to return the money swindled, and imprisoned for years. When is the government going to address this issue?

Almost every migrant that comes to New Zealand under the Business Migration category ends up opening a cafe/restaurant/ dairy or saloon. We have too many restaurants/cafes, dairies and saloons in New Zealand. So many that most of them are not doing well and are in the verge of closing down. This is bad for the country. The Immigration department should look into their Business Immigration policies. Why not encourage new business migrants to open a different sort of business, something new that could elevate the economy and create more opportunities, instead of creating a competitive business environment that results in other similar businesses to close down.

Instead of selling New Zealand assets to foreigners, why not bring in blue chip investors to invest in new businesses in New Zealand.

We are grateful that New Zealand has a very good welfare system in place. Welfare is necessary as some people genuinely need it. But then, there are those who abuse the welfare system. The government should find ways to bring those on long term welfare to be able to get back on their feet. Training and education is vital here. Secondly, massive amount of government money is spent on housing and many are in good areas. Again, there is plenty of money that can be saved here.

I am sure there are lots we just got to have people with the right minds sitting on the round table.

Fate, Destiny and Life

2011-03-21T22:21:00.003+13:00

Is a person's life dependent on destiny/fate ? Is the course of our life predetermined from the day we were born? Some people believe so and some don't.

If you believe in astrology, horoscope or numerology, then you would probably believe in destiny. Could determining the character of a yet to be born baby via DNA technology be regarded as predetermining the baby's character. To a certain extent, are we not looking at the destiny of the baby ?

How about astrologers (the genuine ones) who read your palm and horoscopes based on your date of birth and time?

Lets just say for hypothetical purpose that our life is controlled by destiny. Then, my question is what is life or the purpose of life and Who or What determines the course of our life ?

Even if you do not believe in destiny, do you really think that science or evolution is the answer for the creation of this whole universe ? Is evolution responsible in creating the human species whose body structure is so perfect? Almost every single human being is born with a pair of eyes, each eyes identical, everyone has eyes that look almost the same in terms of structure and construction, every human being has a pair of limbs. The same goes for every animal of various species. We are "created" in such a way that almost every living creature procreates in the same way ! To me this is very intriguing !!

The reason why I am raising this issue is because, I believe that each and everyone of us need to understand who we are and our purpose in life (if there is one) so that we could start to appreciate one another. If we do not value "life" how could we stop the war mongering and appalling cruelties being inflicted on other fellow human beings?

Do Natural Disasters Awaken Our Human Soul ?

2011-03-18T08:46:00.000+13:00

The Christchurch and Japan disasters have shown us how people come together to offer help to those in need. Creed, colour and religion did not come in the way. We see how people get emotional seeing sufferings around them. Somehow sufferings seem to awaken the spirituality within us. For those who believe that humans do have soul, can we sum up that natural disasters and sufferings awakens our human soul?

Can we say that when the soul in us are awakened, we become spiritual, compassion and accepting of others, we become one ?

Since religion and greed are the main cause of conflicts around the world, wouldn't it be good if we could learn to invoke the soul within us without the help of religion ?

The National Christchurch Memorial Service

2011-03-18T08:19:00.000+13:00

The National Christchurch Memorial Service will be held today at North Hagley Park. The National Christchurch Memorial Service offers people the opportunity to reflect on recent events and remember the loss of New Zealanders and citizens of other countries. HRH Prince William, Prime Minister John Key, the Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand, the Mayor of Christchurch Bob Parker and other dignitaries will also be at the service to pay special tribute to the people of Christchurch and all families who have lost loved ones.

Grieving is a journey, not an event. This memorial service helps those who have lost family members and/or friends to walk through this grieving process with the support of other New Zealanders. Our hearts goes out to all those walking this journey.

A New Day, A New Begining

2011-03-17T08:25:00.000+13:00

Good day everyone. This morning, as usual I woke up and after a cup of coffee, I logged on to my computer and checked my mails, read the latest news online and went on with my daily live. But the difference is that, these days, when I go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning, I always thank Whoever or Whatever It Is that holds the ultimate power in giving us a fresh new day, allows us to feel the fresh air, hear the traffic noise, birds chipping, people of different races walking around, our neighbour's house still in tact just as ours...

It is time we start appreciating what we have and the people around us. If we can wake up every morning and and feel happy or thankful for being able to do the usual things we do and look at people's faces and smile at them, collectively this would bring us closer as human beings and hopefully and probably it would, resonate to the parts of the world which are in conflict and instill the thoughts of love and peace in them.

It is time to end all discords and live in harmony as brothers and sisters regardless of race, religion, color or creed. We Kiwis will be an example to the rest of the world.

Reforms to Consumer Laws - Good News to Online Purchasers

2011-03-16T20:39:00.001+13:00

The Government has agreed to the drafting of a Consumer Law Reform Bill. The Bill is expected to be introduced to Parliament later this year.

The Consumer Law Reform covers the Fair Trading Act, the Consumer Guarantees Act, the Weights and Measures Act, the Layby Sales Act, the Unsolicited Goods and Services Act, the Door to Door Sales Act and the Auctioneers Act.

Once the changes comes into effect, the Consumer Guarantees Act will apply to online traders. The Consumer Guarantees Act sets out guarantees that goods and services must meet when sold by someone in trade. Hence professional traders will have to provide the benefits of Consumer Guarantees Act to online purchasers which up to now they have been denied of.

Malaysia vs New Zealand

2011-03-16T08:23:00.003+13:00

It was published on Yahoo News that Malaysia canned 30,000 illegal migrants since 2005. For those of you who don't know Malaysia, it is located in South East Asia. It is located right below Thailand connected by a thin strip of peninsular, and just above Singapore separated by Straits of Melaka. Malaysia is multi-cultural just like New Zealand and many other countries in the world. People are friendly towards tourists but don't let that deceive you by thinking that we are generally very friendly towards everyone. Yes, I am from Malaysia too. Malaysia advertises its tourism programmes with the song called "To Know Malaysia is To Love Malaysia" which is also their caption for tourism advertising. But my advise to you is try your best not to know too much. Because the more you know, the more you would be disappointed.

Amnesty International says that caning has hit epidemic proportions in Malaysia, where the beatings are administered with a long stick that leaves permanent physical and mental scars.This form of barbaric punishment is against various international laws. I suspect this 30,000 illegal migrants includes refugees and asylum-seekers too. Malaysia treats refugees and asylum seekers the same way they treat the illegal migrants - with canes and prison sentences.

There is no freedom of speech in Malaysia and any peaceful gathering would result in massive arrest and gatherers would be charged with unlawful gathering and subjected to detention without trial, a punishment accorded by Internal Securities Act (ISA). The ISA gives the government the power to detain a person without trial for any number of years!!.

There are lots of corruption in the country especially in the government sectors. Everyone in government wants a cut to approve a permit/license or a project. The country is highly regulated with all the bylaws and regulations and etc but it seems like they are there just to make it easy for those in power to earn money. A local councilor could easily have 50 million dollars or more in his bank account, all as a result of his very very hard earned corrupt practices.

There is racial prejudices among the three major races, all by the governments doings, to be honest. The government creates racial disharmony to divide and control. But the public ill feelings over this inequality is subdued by fear of being subjected to the ISA.

I don't know why I am writing this. I was just browsing the net this morning and read the article on caning of illegal migrants in Malaysia and thought I would comment on that. It also gave me an opportunity to express my appreciation for New Zealand. Sometimes we move so fast that we forget to stop and think what we have. New Zealand and its people are the best and we should take immense pride in ourselves in being a role model for other countries. We may have little problems there in here but then, nothing is perfect. Nevertheless, we will work towards betterment of the country as New Zealanders for all New Zealanders.

Is the New Zealand Government Spineless ?

2011-03-15T20:55:00.005+13:00

It is very obvious that in every dangerous situation overseas, where lives of people are involved, New Zealand always makes the move to rescue its people only after other countries have also taken a similar step. We have seen that in the recent middle eastern conflict and now the Japan disaster.

Why can't New Zealand think independently what is good for its people and take the necessary steps independent of other countries. I am not saying that I rather be somewhere else. The government where I originated from is worse in many ways. But that doesn't mean that we could ignore the facts and let the current state of affairs or diplomatic protocols continue as it is, knowing that it is not right or needs improvement. I am proud and happy to be a New Zealander. I wish the New Zealand government could be bolder and confident in handling critical situations.

Kiwis in Japan Danger Zones Need Help

2011-03-15T19:27:00.001+13:00

As the situation in Japan worsens, the risk of nuclear radiation in some parts of Japan seems imminent. Many Kiwis in Japan especially those working in Tokyo, are not well informed of the actual risk. Some of them are also forced to attend work as usual just to not create a panic situation. Hence, Kiwis in Japan are in extreme danger and New Zealand should take immediate action to assist them. Time is of essence and all possible mode of transportation to bring Kiwis back home safely, should be provided immediately.

Earthquakes, Doomsday and Wars

2011-03-14T20:20:00.003+13:00

John Campbell in John Campbell Live interviewed geologists/scientists to ask whether the earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand were related. Apparently not as they are caused by two different seismic activities. It is clear that scientists and geologists are not able to pin point time and place of future earthquakes. This brings to question the accuracy of our scientists and geologists' data or understanding of our mother earth. Are we nearing Doomsday as prophecized by Nostradamus, is Ken Ring's prophecy of a another earthquake in New Zealand plausible ? People are so worried of devastation that mother earth could bring about but (some) are oblivious to wars.

Whatever the answers are, the devastation in Japan is so horrific and should be a lesson to all war mongers to stop killing each other for their personal greed. Perhaps, time has come for all nations to sign a pact to not wage war either directly or indirectly against each other. Time and money spent on wars, nursing the injured and rebuilding war thorn countries could be used to fund scientific studies to better prepare us from natural disasters.

It is sad that the United Nations Security Council five permanent members, France, China, the USA, the United Kingdom and Rusia have not taken any constructive approach to to initiate this. It is very infuriating that the biggest culprits in the world are actually the three permanent United Nations Security Council Members, namely the USA, China and Rusia. Though the USA has been and continues to be a major player towards making the world safe, it has its fair share of contribution in some of the wars in the world. China and Rusia both have frequently used their veto power not to support any UN resolutions towards achieving peace in a conflict situation. China and Rusia are also the main culprits who supply weapons to groups/sects who commit atrocities and/or genocides.

John Campbell vs Ken Ring

2011-03-13T21:59:00.004+13:00

Was John Campbell rude to Ken Ring ? Is Ken Ring just out of this world ? Scientists and geologists have said that Ken Ring's theory about the possibility of another quake in New Zealand around the 20th March this year is completely false.

In just the last three weeks, earthquake struck Canterbury, China and now Japan, and there was a volcanic eruption in Indonesia What is actually happening ?

Is this a case of public policy vs individual rights ? It is public policy against creating a national panic situation. Is this the main reason why Ken Ring was ridiculed ? Or is he really a nonsensical guy ? Should we allow NZ public to decide on this as it is our individual right to be heard and also to know all facts pertaining to New Zealand's state of affairs ?

Lets hope that New Zealand learns from the recent disaster in Japan

2011-03-13T21:22:00.001+13:00

The recent disaster in Japan is horrifying. Imagine being struck by an earthquake, tsunami and threat of radioactive leak at the same time !! Our thoughts and sympathy goes for our Japanese brothers and sisters and everyone else there.

Lets just hope that New Zealand will maintain its nuclear-free status for many years to come until we have the expertise to handle any mishap that may arise from it. Lets also hope that Kiwis will stand together as one in this respect.

What We Need in New Zealand Now

2011-03-10T22:28:00.001+13:00

The atmosphere is so somber in all of New Zealand. In the beginning of last year, Kiwis were generally concerned about the global recession. The September quake in Christchurch just drained everyone's spirit. To add salt to injury, New Zealand was hit by another major earthquake and this time taking many lives.

It is worrying not knowing what to expect next. Has New Zealand's string of bad luck ended ? Whatever the answer may be, we as a nation and as Kiwis need to lift ourselves from this unfortunate state of affairs. We need to think of ways to boost public morale and create opportunities for all, and bring the country back on its feet again. Japan did just that and survived the devastation caused by the second World War.

Do we need to sell our assets to foreigners to survive this? Are there not any other solutions? Can't the government bail these failing companies and find other ways to recoup the losses? How about making New Zealand a great international education hub, build more universities and bring in international students from all parts of the world. Can we not have an international IT hub in New Zealand ?

Friendship

2011-03-10T21:44:00.004+13:00

I just received a call from a good friend of mine from overseas. I must say that it felt really good after that, knowing that this person called just to ask how I was doing.

I really don't know what my point is in raising this issue, I guess it is the thought of friendship and what it means. Whether there is a certain limit attached to it. Friendship may be sacred to some and for some it could be just something that comes and goes. I think it depends on how one views life in general and what his/her mere existence means to that person?

The Issue with New Zealand Lawyers and Real Estate Agents - Sale and Purchase of Property

2011-03-09T22:37:00.005+13:00

I just returned home after a dinner meeting with a friend. As usual most of our conversations were regarding the recent Canterbury earthquake and the New Zealand economy. We also talked about the New Zealand property market and that is when she told me what a hard time she had with the purchase of her new property.

She seemed to have endured problems after problems from the initial stages starting with her real estate agent and then her lawyer. Her real estate agent was very keen to conclude the deal by making promises he could not keep. You see, all the real estate agent wants from you is to declare that the agreement has gone unconditional. Because, that is when he becomes entitled to his commission which subsequently is released to him 10 working days thereafter.

As for her lawyer, he was more keen on satisfying the needs of the real estate agent because the real estate agent referred the matter to him. The real estate agent was one of his sources of his clients. The lawyer also slacked in many areas. He was late in attending to the LIM (Land Information Memorandum) conditions, Builders Report and some other matters. When push comes to shove, everyone started to point fingers at each other.

Finally, the transaction did settle but my friend had to fork out some money to rectify some of the damages which could have been avoided had her lawyer attended to his work diligently.

It is strange in New Zealand because, in almost every transaction it is the real estate agent who prepares the Sale and Purchase agreement for the vendor and purchaser to sign. Only a prudent vendor or purchaser refers the agreement to a lawyer for advise, prior to signing it. This in my opinion is a serious issue which the New Zealand Law Society has to raise.

My advise as a lay person is chose a lawyer who has been recommended to you by someone who is a happy client of the lawyer. Also bear in my that you cannot judge a lawyer's capability and commitment on your first meeting with him/her. Remember that if you are not satisfied with your lawyer and not sure what to do, you can always call the New Zealand Law Society and ask for their advise.

Depression

2011-03-09T01:07:00.006+13:00

It is 1.20 am now. Still finding it difficult to sleep. This cycle has been continuing for months now. Lots of things in my mind, as always. Strange, because I never planned it this way. Through self analysis, I discovered that I have always been anxious throughout my life.

When I first realised this, in my early childhood days, I could not make anything out of it. I continued with my life and with anxiety also came depression. I thought I was different, strange, felt like I did not belong in this world. I kept this notion of mine to myself as I did not want people to perceive me as a weirdo. This eventually began to take a toll on me. Without going into the details, I finally ended up suffering from insomnia. There were days when I could not sleep for five continuous days. I sought treatment and am now gradually recovering from it.

The reason why I am mentioning this is because, yesterday I read somewhere on the internet blogging column, where a person said that he/she found it difficult to be understood by people. This person was disappointed with life and was contemplating of ending it once and for all. This person obviously was not aware that he/she was experiencing depression and did not know how to deal with it.

As far as I understand, depression unlike any other illness, does not leave any medical mark in the body and hence sometimes goes unnoticed. Therefore, the public needs to be educated about depression and its early signs, and how to handle it. Fortunately, New Zealand and most of the western world has now taken this approach.

People tend to take the view that the process of recovery is the same for everyone who is suffering from depression. I believe that this may not necessarily be correct. However, in my opinion, one constant element in the process of recovery is for the person to realise that those who are important in the person's life truly understands him/her and will standby the person throughout the process and does not regard the person as a burden. Unfortunately, this very much depends on those surrounding the person suffering from depression. Hence, what I am trying to say is that if you know of anyone suffering from depression, try your best to understand what the person is going through inside, before you take any standard approach.

And, for those who are suffering from depression, do know that you are not abnormal at all and not alone. Just take your time to understand yourself and open up yourself, eventually everything will turn out just fine.

The appointment of new Governor General of New Zealand.

2011-03-08T15:29:00.002+13:00

The role of the Governor General is one that is not to be taken lightly. The Governor General is the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state.

The current Governor-General, Sir Anand Satyanand ( sworned in on 23 August 2006), replacing Dame Silvia Cartwright is due to be succeeded by Lieutenant General Jeremiah Mateparae on 23 August 2011, having been appointed by the Queen of New Zealand on 7 March 2011, on the advice of the Prime Minister.

You see, Lieutenant General Mateparae is a descendant of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Kahungunu tribes. While, Sir Anand Satyanand is New Zealand born but is of Indian descent. This would not have occurred in Malaysia. In Malaysia, the very top government posts are held by the Malays who make up the majority of the population. Now, I am not going to dwell into Malaysian politics, but I want to impress upon the readers the social and political climate in New Zealand which I believe is, if not the, one of the most admirable in the world.

Perhaps, this is the main reason why New Zealand is attracting many migrants from all over the world, to live with a very peaceful, tolerant, understanding, helpful, friendly, non-judgmental, non bias and non-racist society.

Benji Marshall charged with assault.

2011-03-07T19:42:00.004+13:00

Last Friday, Wests Tigers rugby league star Benji Marshall entered the rugby pitch with vigor and passion, played to win for his rugby league club, Wests Tigers. Little did he knew that that evening a new event was awaiting him. Eventually, the event took place and he is now charged with assault for throwing punch/s at the victim/s.

Can we plan for what is ahead? Definitely not. Can we plan not to get involved in any fight which may possibly come our way, yes we can. But can provocation be an excuse and should it ? What if the provocation was in the form of racial abuse ? My opinion is, if you can evade any sort of problems, do so even if you were racially abused . The exception, self defense or for the protection of another's life/bodily injury.

There has been too many problems in this world caused by racial issues. We need to see ourselves beyond our identity, we need to see ourselves just as a human being, not as a person of a certain race, tribe, religion, cast or whatever. It is not easy, I believe this has to be cultivated since childhood. Early childhood education is vital. It is the responsibility of parents and schools to educate children to see themselves beyond the veil of race and religion. If we could see our neighbour just as a person like us, we could overcome any racial slurs cast at us.

It is time that parents and schools educate children to ignore the racial difference that may seem apparent to the eye.