Posts by Ross Mason
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OnPoint: Election 2011: GO!, in reply to Matthew Poole,
Bingo Mathew. It staggers me that NZ Inc of 4 million can be thought of as a pure market. Regards power I thought it might be useful to consider what would happen if NZ decided to develop a national power (energy) policy. One that actually thought about how what resources we have might be used the most efficiently. As an example take household electricity metering. Imagine if we decided to develop our own standard for metering electricity. One set of protocols for communication to the seller. Allow manufacturers of meters to develop. Each could offer extras to customers. Allow time shifting of consumption to smooth peaks. Regulating - and here it is not a dirty word - would allow NZ industry to keep such a business running smoothly.
Has this worked before? Sure as hell. Europe way back decided that the "Mobile of Choice" would GSM. And lo, Finland, Nokia and co jumped on the bandwagon and won the battle. Others joined the war later.
What did we do? Russell points it out in his Telecom link. A complete and total mishmash of systems that screwed - and continues to screw - NZ. Just look at what a standard protocol for the Internet has allowed. Hopefully we may have taken heed with the national broadband strategy but who knows who and how it will be instigated. One common deleivery scheme??? I hope so.
Muldoon nearly pulled it off with CNG. One of the world's biggest gas fields a few Kms off the coast. The ability to run the country on it - especially transport - was an opportunity jumped on by many - in the beginning. Again screwed by the oil companies, take or pay contracts, the gas to petrol plant and other gas Think Big projects. We could still have a sub industry of transport / gas operators here if it developed.
It may sound far fetched but the above is evidence that it can be done. All of the above are ways to prevent our hard earned money disappearing overseas.
Are there any more opportunities to regulate some sectors to allow home grown businesses to develop? The power one is the obvious. Coordinated public transport ticketing maybe another. Why not develop an industry of locally built commuter trains, buses and feeder systems to the main trunk? Solar and wind energy is another. Subsidised to the hilt they would easily outweigh the cost of more Clyde dams. Build in cost breaks for those closer to the generators. Move the population around the country abit more. Make it attractive to move businesses that rely on heavy power usage to move closer.
Some suggest that once a country loses control of it's energy, transport and communication it is headed for a downhill slide. We have done it in spades and we are.
As someone above pointed out we already have paid for the dams, why should we be asked to pay for it again. I used to "own" the local power company but then someone decided to "give" me some shares which I kept until they were eventually swallowed up and compulsorily acquired. This was one of the biggest scams ever perpetuated in our history. And we are still paying for it.
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I especially loved the address: PO Box 1, Lake Okarito- yeeessss!
Heh. I can nearly match that. When we lived in Little River in the late 50s, the old man was the Peninsula Farmers Coop Stock Agent. He had the privilege of a single phone line. Ooohhh. In the days of 10 phone party lines it was significant believe me!
When folk called home it was "No 1 Little River please" after you turned the handle and a REAL operator came on the line.
When he wasn't doing business and wanted to have a bit of time to himself, it was amazing how long he could convince the operator to tell a caller that "That line's engaged sir".
And how long is a mobile number these days???? 9 numbers?? 1 to a billion. Hmmmm....we have come along way baby.
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Kahawai !!!!!!!!!!
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The trams will run clockwise on a 1.5km circuit of Wynyard Quarter - between Jellicoe, Halsey, Gaunt and Daldy Sts
This is the southern hemisphere. Anticlockwise!!!!! Don't they know it will disappear up the southern vortex?
Re Xmas. Wifey things family. 5 in the family. 14 kids amongst the 5. Plus M&D. Makes 26 which we have gathered every two years for the last 22 years (so far). The count is now stretching out as 4 are married. No G kids yet. This year was 29. We hire (usually) christian camps [cheap and spacious and no christians about :-) ]
Four days with arrival the day before Xmas is the usual plan. Rosters are the rage and it gives lots of time to relax. This year was at Waihi Beach. Cracker. Excellent beach walking, shell picking and boogie boarding. The vote was taken and we hope to do it again at the same place in 2012.Then the rest of the time at Castlepoint and friends bach, just wifey and the owners. For the first time did no work around the section and apologised for deliberately doing so. Fished for two days. One kawhai. Moved rubbish towards tip on one day. Walked the beach. Visited the lighthouse and climbed the castle. It is still an amazing calender scene. Piccie here
Causeway is now gone. DOC complaint about H&S. Hmm....
Now back home looking forward to a week of shooting at Trentham.
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......bankrolled the legal team for an employment court action against Three Foot Six which is owned by... Peter Jackson. Right.
Ummmm.....No......I think.
Check the "new" name(??) "Six foot three"
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Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit, in reply to Neil Morrison,
As I walk out the door on holiday. Did anyone notice....
...the CTU, which funded the Bryson action.
And from Peter Jackson email in Stuff yesterday.
"Unfortunately Warners have become very concerned at the grey areas in our employment laws. The situation hasn't been helped by the fact that they spent a lot of money fighting the Bryson case - unsuccessfully - in the New Zealand courts."
If Giovanni was right, it was CTU V Warner.
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Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit, in reply to nzlemming,
You are quite right. It was terrible. Why I said it is beyond me. I need a holiday and I will now take it.
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You mean something like a guild for contractors and some protection in law. Like the Pike River contractors have? To get their individual cake (like tax and mortgage breaks) something has to be paid to achieve it. Like all contractors get full ACC. Yeah right. There are swings and roundabouts to this employment, free market and socialism game. If you want the breaks and still receive all of societies benefits (ACC springs to mind) then someone needs to contribute. (And don't get me onto the self employed and ACC. I know) But if people in such a situation do nothing with their "tax windfalls" to counter any risk, then how can anyone expect the rest of society to give a shit when the whinge sets in. I like a bit of collectivism as it keeps the employer a wee bit more human.
I can't quite see the difference between self employed contractors getting tax breaks and the employed not. It is not as if these are "real costs to a business" you are extracting back from the IRD.
I am prepared to pay my taxes to help keep NZ as fully funded as possible and give as many people as possible backstops to health and welfare. But that is probably just me. And I have been on both sides of the fence. Receiving as well as giving.
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Sir Pete's greatest need was to ensure his workers were kept as contractors. He achieved that. He can fire and hire as he pleases. Any other combination of employee relationship was catastrophic to him.
The cynical timing of who did what and when from the Key/Brownlie/Jackson cabal looks suddenly like geared to ensure that aim. The actors boycott delivered the opportunity. The Nats nailed the coffin shut on collectivism in NZ film industry.with the legislation.
Has/does Jackson - or any of his companies - made/make any donations to any political parties? Lets see now, which one? Hmmm.......
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I presume the cat accquired its name while running across a certain byway in Chch.
Attempting a Cashel Streek.