Another clever Kiwi

Maori Council Negotiation Training Video

NOT DEAD

We have been a little busy lately, but as they say reports of our early demise are greatly  exaggerated. 

For the record we think;

Waitangi Day at Waitangi has become the shame of ngapuhi. its a woeful piece of violent thuggish theatre. 

That anyone should be able to buy a slice of our pavalova paradise. As long as they are good stewards of the land. 

Its time that journalists took at look at oil and mineral exploration in the south. Iwi and the communities there are on board. Why? Ask some questions

How the fuck can anyone say they are poor and need a  food parcel when i can wander down the road and pick some excellent free roadside fruit. 

Christchurch has some of the  most funkiest bars in the  country. Im thinkin a bar tour company could make a killing.

If David Bain gets any compo there will be no justice in nz.

The idiots who bowed to the pressure from the breast feeding nazis  over the  Peri Weepu feeding his kid with a  bottle  need to be drowned in a vat of sour milk.

 

Unfortunate number plate #27

Why I joined Occupy Auckland #3

Reason # 3 : I live in Hamilton

"A McDonalds worker behind the Occupy Hamilton protest planned for Garden Place on Saturday says he, and half a dozen others, are now gearing up to camp there for a week." - Waikato Times

"Asked if Hamilton was too boring for refugees and those moving here would likely want to leave as quickly as they arrived, Ms De Lisle said ..." NZ Herald

Why I joined Occupy Auckland #2

Reason 2 : I get to use socialist slogans

Stuff video @ 51 seconds in  Occupy Auckland protestor  Malcom France calls Maori security guard a "class traitor". Is that because the security guard is a worker ? or a Maori ? 

Why I joined Occupy Auckland

Reason 1 : daddy didn't buy me a pony.

HAYESY HAY DAY

Today we baled and stacked 300 bales of hay. It was a bit of a family affair, Mum always at the ready with a cuppa and a scone,  Dad,76 with one kidney and some dodgy pipe work happy to get on an ancient Fergy tractor and haul it around the paddock that has some tight corners. We started the job yesterday in 29 degrees - today was  aslightly cooler but sticky 27 degrees uncomfortable.

And then there is the Rock who has a passion for doing things the old way which means using old stuff. Some of it 30 - 50 years old. We had our moments - the Holland Baler busted its boiler a couple of times but the Rock , as he almost always does , fixed it. And the Hay conveyor chewed bales for a while till we worked out a bulging guiding rod was the culprit  it was fixed in a paddock moment with the most intricate of tools  - a sledgehammer. Two bangs and dang if it didn't slide the bales up like butter. 

Son Matthew joined us for the last round of the paddock so there were three generations of Campbells outstanding in their field. It also meant the oldest skited to the youngest by ripping round the paddock  only to be sworn at to slow down. Dad might want to do a lot of things at his age but apparently driving a  62 bedford truck scooping up hay sedately is not one of them. 

The bales were neatly stacked in our shed  - almost all of them - a mate took about 60 straight from the paddock for her stock. 

As I sit here typing this , Im still feeling the scratch of a lonely grass wand on my slightly less ample arse  but  no one stirs. 

Asleep they are  -  dreaming of big bales and noisy machines, dust and a very tidy stack, a cleansing shower  and the smell of Mums fresh scones and my strawberry preserves from the house and a cold beer.   

Don't die - multiply

"However, as with other cities that have faced eviction; Occupy Auckland did not die - we multiplied. Thus, our members have committed to (and already begun) independently establishing several new simultaneous occupations throughout Auckland, that will continue to grow organically and under their own governance." - https://www.facebook.com/OccupyAuck?sk=wall

Translation : we went home ( or back to our cardboard box under Grafton Bridge.)


"Occupy Auckland ‎#OANZMedia URGENT NEEDS...... We need Tsticks for Mobile Internet x5 We need an upgrade to our Ustream channel www.ustream.tv/channel/occupy9z Currently we have a basic channel Its 90USD to upgrade to a Professional channel." - https://www.facebook.com/OccupyAuck?sk=wall

Translation : we need access to those 'corporate news' channels and multi-national capitalist, telecommunications channels we disparage.


"chris - we're still in Aotea Square. we need to go somewhere. let's go to vic pk.

awatea - vic pk! that's where tangata whenua are going.

areta - twh needs to stick together against you, the british subject, the settler

alison - i acknowledge that i'm a guest on this land. I was raised by maori, i was the first to speak up for tangata whenua on the occupation. insulted by being called a racist." - http://occupyauckland.org/ga-minutes-23-dec-2011-1800

Translation: Maori have more rights to protest than non-Maori.

BEAT UP OF THE YEAR

What a complete load of tosh. This is another example of  speculative journalism. Take a pinch of facts chuck in some fame seeking expert. Look at the worst case scenario and report it. 

Mind you if the birds glow in the dark they will be easier to catch.

However we are pretty confident that the titi's biggest threat is a hungry Rakiura Maori chap or chapess.

Auckland Council reconnects water supply to Occupy Auckland protest site

FINE WINE AND LODGINGS

Today was a great day. We woke up early at Spring Creek  motorcamp and I shot down to the creek to feed the eels.  They fought with the ducks and trout  for a few crumbs of bread.

Then we decided on a trip up the Wairau Valley. Our first stop was a small pub at Wairau Valley township where we had a toasted sandwich and I had a half of Matsons lager..  It was a nice light drop.

Then we went to one of a myriad spots that motorvan owners (mo'vanners) like ma and pa know about. Todays visual treat was Lake Argyle which is a small canal lake that is diverted from the Branch  and Leatham  Rivers to create a bit of power.. It holds a few fish - so ma and I went for a stroll to the big rivers while dad had a couple of casts in Argyle. While he claims he got a few nibbles there were  no fish in his bag on our return.  

On the way back  to Picton and our final night in the South, we stopped to get some cherries for lambcut  and some good white wines . I wanted some nice aromatics to go with the crayfish dishes I have planned for Boxing Day. 

So I purchased a six pack of  Gewurztraminer, Toru and Pinot Gris from Te Whare Ra wines. 

I have a few recipes to try out and will blog about the matches after Xmas. 

I am no true believer in biodynamic practices but  I am a  believer in loving the land and nurturing it and whatever the Flowerdays are doing it is good for the grape. Their wines are probably some of the most complex and interesting aromatics in the country. 

And I cant wait to pair them up with a range of crayfish,  whitebait,  and smoked eel dishes. 

Today was a brilliant day.. some great sights, fantastic people and good food and wine.. It doesn't get much better..