Rugby World Cup - two years to go!

Last week I attended a Parliamentary function to record the fact that it is now just two years until kick-off in the first fixture of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. That function brought it home to me how soon the tournament will be upon us.
There will be 48 matches at 13 venues across the length and breadth of the New Zealand – "the stadium of four million people".
And we will host more than 60,000 visitors expected to flood into our country for the tournament that billions of people across the globe will watch on television or online.
It will raise our international profile, boost our economy and give us lasting gains in trade and tourism. And, of course, we will have a great celebration along the way.
Come 2011, we will not only be showcasing our national game but we also have an unprecedented chance to show off our beautiful country and what we do well - from our food and wine, our fashion design and film-making, our science, to our tourism. We need to turn 2011 into a year of showing our very best to the world.
We want to encourage all New Zealanders to think of ourselves as a nation of four million hosts. We want to ensure that every visitor has a warm and uniquely New Zealand experience wherever they go – from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island.
For some Kiwis, that will mean being part of a team of volunteers who will make the RWC an outstanding event. There will be many roles to fill, from making sure things run smoothly at grounds on game days to supporting festival and business showcase events. You can register your interest in becoming a volunteer now if you like – visit http://www.nz2011.govt.nz/

Let’s give it 100% over the next two years and make 2011 New Zealand’s year.

SECTION 59: Terms of Reference for review announced

National doesn’t want to see good parents criminalised for a light smack. The recent
referendum reinforces that most New Zealanders don’t want that either.
That’s why we’re looking at the policies and procedures used by New Zealand Police and
Child, Youth and Family when it comes to smacking.
The review will include the referral process between Police and CYF to help identify any
changes that will ensure good parents are treated as Parliament intended.
The Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development, Peter Hughes, Police
Commissioner Howard Broad and well known clinical psychologist Nigel Latta are conducting
the review.
For more information:
http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/s59+terms+reference+review+announced
http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/referendum+safeguards+give+parents+comfort

Undie 500: Enough is Enough

Last Saturday night I spent several hours watching in anger and frustration as events unfolded in Castle St. Before I talk about those events I want to say that I'm no wowser. I realise that students, alcohol and antics have gone together for all time. But the Undie 500 has developed a tradition where the only way the evening will end is by the Police being forced by drunken students to don riot gear and disperse the crowd under a hail of glass. No amount of threats of expulsion or no diversion, no appeals to common sense will stop a small number of idiots from going crazy and starting a fracas.

And its not a defence for those others present to say "I didn't throw anything". No-one throws glass at police when no-one is watching. The voyeuristic bystanders provide the audience for those nutters, and are also culpable.

The police did a great job in incredibly difficult circumstances. The need to push students back into their flats came from the drunken impunity with which they stood in their front yards drinking, baiting and then throwing bottles.

Appeals to Canterbury University ENSOC students not to come south are likely to fall on deaf ears. Dunedin might not be able to prevent them coming but we need a circuit-breaker - a strategy to prevent the mass-gathering in Castle or Leith Sts that result in the mayhem. I propose a by-law or local Act to prevent gatherings at certain places and/or times in numbers exceeding say 15-20 people. Over this you are moved on or arrested. It sounds a bit draconian, and might only be needed for a couple of years to break the tradition of riots ending the evening.

Sure we can simultaneously focus on the root causes of this behaviour, i.e. liquor laws, youth drinking culture, alternative events etc., but this will take a long time. A short term strategy to manage the symptoms is necessary.

Let's not leave it too long lest we be saying the same things next year, just as we have for the last five years.