Comments on: Twilight protest at night class cuts

By: jnaylor

jnaylor — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 03:00:03 +0000

I was part of Charles Chauvel’s campaign team in ‘05 and 08 I’ve seen her on Back Benches, but not in person though.

However, I’ve seen both Charles Chauvel and Peter Dunne in the Ohariu electorate a few times (especially Charles).

By: Rob Goodwin

Rob Goodwin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:25:17 +0000

Hilary

I wouldn’t be so sure about Katrina Shank’s visibility in Ohariu. Her office looks like it is well positioned on a busy street. Unfortunately between the protestors and Key’s visit her new office will now enjoy an even greater profile now, particularly in Johnsonville.

By: Hilary

Hilary — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:47:41 +0000

Abbie’sG – yes there are rules. Doesn’t mean they are complied with. Most of those two storey buildings like those in Johnsonville are not accessible on their first floor. Have you tried getting around in a wheelchair? There are so many places you can’t go.
I wonder how many electorate offices are not accessible.

By: Dimmocrazy

Dimmocrazy — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:33:53 +0000

@Hilary, no volunteer work is not foreign to me, do it all the time. But you know what? Often there’s the volunteers doing the grunt work and if you follow the line to the ‘coordinators’, ‘trainers’ ‘planners’ ‘overseers’ or such similar descriptions, then suddenly, by a weird twist, they’re not volunteers any more, you suddenly find people that actually make a living out of ’sustaining’ all these in themself very, very good causes. And you know what? you’ll often find that these folk that make a living out of their ‘organizing’ are of a certain political inclination, with the right connections to where the training and coordination money is to be had, and you know, by the stroke of further coincidence, the trail always ends with the taxpayer.

By: Abbie's Ghost

Abbie's Ghost — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:30:05 +0000

@Hilary – I’m sure it has wheelcahir access, there would be rules about that sort of thing

By: Hilary

Hilary — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:12:04 +0000

She was on Back Benches the other day. But Charles Chauvel and Peter Dunne are much more visible in the electorate and nationally. She has an electorate office opposite the Johnsonville library (scene of this protest) so you could even visit her there sometime. But not if you are a wheelchair user as it is up steep stairs.

By: Tigger

Tigger — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:50:03 +0000

biker – weighing in on cuts to night classes again I see… 98% is NOT tosh spending – I know you’re just exaggerating but it seems cruel – Tolley has slashed this funding already, no need to kick it while its down. Anyway, your ‘tosh’ spending is someone else’s opportunity to upskill, socialise and learn English, as others have pointed out here.

P.S. It’s good to know that Katrina Shanks does in fact exist. Ohariu is my electorate and apart from one flyer last year pre-election I have never seen nor heard of anything she’s done. I mean, she DOES exist, right? Someone has actually seen her…

By: bikerkiwi

bikerkiwi — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:41:14 +0000

Now – I support Youthline and I agree it needs to be funded.

BUT ACE training is not the end all and be all of the way to train volunteers. If the are all volunteers – why need the funding to do the training in the first place. They cannot run in house courses?

The funding has been cut and at the end of the day it is cut from primarily hobby courses – something that keeps being forgotten by all the people moaning about it. Why should we spend x million when 98% of it is utter tosh training on belly dancing etc.

I think that the vast majority of NZ will be shocked about how much was spent to fund yoga and gourmet cooking classes under labour and will be happy that it is being cut.

I really think that labour has backed the wrong cause on this one.

By: Hilary

Hilary — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:14:02 +0000

Dimmocrazy – ACE trains volunteers for community groups like Youthline. That means volunteers. People who give their time for free, to help and support others. They don’t always come from the left of politics. It’s very cost-effective. ACE funding pays for a trainer and that ensures there is a trained team of people who donate their time. Perhaps this is a foreign concept for you.

By: Abbie's Ghost

Abbie's Ghost — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:08:42 +0000

And Dimm has now been able to alienate all remaining rational objectors.

Katrina Shanks is the List MP in Ohariu (or Karori, I’m uncertain to which), and I see that Tawa, Onslow and Newlands all have high schools in that electorate (I’m not a local)

If they all get the chop, how is that serving the interests of people in that electorate?

Isn’t National about “family values”?