puff 160 Wheeler's Corner 44

wheeler@inspire.net.nz Click Here!
44 16th November 2006
This Week: 1. Christmas nears. 2. Who is the boss? 3. Thank you. 4. Age Concern AGM. 5. ‘Kimberley’ victim of creed
1.
While retailers around the Square ponder their future and talk blankly about market days and two hundred and sixty-foot towers and remember Mark Bell-Booth’s failed promise of hundreds of new jobs and millions of dollars flowing into their businesses. While: Council and its lone staff member seek to wriggle out of its foot in the mouth effort of the Linklater block stuff up. While: Horizons bows its head in shame over the river and MCH puts its charges for parking to rest [for good I hope] another group of people is gearing up for its usual Christmas rush. It has over the years become fully aware of the pressure periods that arise throughout the year and makes detailed plans to cope. And the people answer the call and form themselves into highly active working parties to enable their forces to met the ever growing demand and while they don’t do it for money, although a little extra for Christmas wouldn’t go amiss. They do it for love and no doubt a thousand other reasons. These hundreds of citizens don't even know each other, but they have one thing in common and that is the well being of the people that live in our city. They not only care but they convert that attitude and emotion into action. They man our food banks, assist and protect woman and children, help the aged and our teenagers. Find housing and accommodation for those in need. We have a word for them, the Mayor even gave a speech about them earlier this year and while that was nice it didn’t solve their problem or the problems of those they so willingly assist. They come in all shapes and sizes, male and female, old and young, Maori and Pakeha, Asian or Pacific Islander. One I know is ninety. Some are politically minded others put their energy and hearts into the daily task that seems forever to confront them. This for most is not simply charity but a real and honest demonstration of what many would call social responsibility. They need other skills as well for their work is transparent, open and honest, they are in the frontline and they can’t hide behind staff for they are both management and staff. Their results are obvious and they save the city millions. You see the politically minded ones at council meetings, at Hospital Board meetings. They saved the public from parking charges at the hospital, restored the aged parking outside their club rooms, while on the other side of the very same coin, others fed those who needed food or protection during violent situations. They are our community volunteers! Volunteers make our organisations effective in the real world and we should never forget that. If we do then real people change is impossible. If you are a volunteer in whatever field let me say thank you. International Volunteer day is the 5th of December 06. Once again, VNZ is attempting to build a picture of what is happening around the country to celebrate IVD. This is useful background for the media and also helps demonstrate how different communities recognise their volunteers, so please e-mail ed@volunteeringnz.org.nz with news of what you will be up to in your community or volunteer group. 2.
Mighty River Power will not release three vital reports to the Manawatu Standard so that the public can judge the validity of their claims and the truth of City Council Public Relations spin… MRP advised a householder that his house would not be fit to live in, when the huge wind turbines are built on the Turitea reserve, home to our main water supply. Mark Nicholls resides in a home that could end up 500 metres from one of these monsters. A family in Ashhurst has had to leave their home because a much smaller wind turbine has caused vibrations of such strength that living there was impossible. It is very difficult for even councillors to get access to reports that the CEO wants kept from the public eye. The Linklater block is an example. That report failed to [or was more likely held up on purpose] appear on time and an attempt to introduce it as a late item backfired. The reason for holding it back was because it introduced new and unapproved possible sales of land and a rezoning. The person responsible for this is the person Cr. Naylor wants to protect the CEO. The Mayor claimed she knew nothing about it! Really! Doesn’t she talk to the CEO she is all that stands between the governance and the management of our city? The CEO simply ignores the policy direction set by councillors. The Linklater block departure from stated policy clearly proves the point. Some one has made an offer to buy, Who is that person or group…was there any connections to council or councillors? The Mayor suggests that a staff member wrote the report, true, but no report gets presented to council without the CEO signing it off. Hiding behind staff has to stop! The city council has become a covert land agent… for parties unknown and most unwilling to be known? In this day and age money talks, opens doors. Management tells us it’s ‘commercial sensitivity’ if land is to be sold it should be by public tender. What happened in the case of the Warehouse deal? And where has that money gone? ‘Green for Green? Words with no substance are no replacement for broken promises. It may be time for a bit of civil disobedience to get rid of those who ignore instructions Cr. Jefferies aided by Cr. Naylor could lead the charge. Now that would be a sight to see…
3.
A big thank you to all those who wrote letters regarding my removal from the Awapuni Ward Committee. I know some don’t agree with my opinions and that’s ok by me, I don’t ask you to agree with me but to consider what I say just as I do in regard to your opinions. I believe in democratic process and if after a fair and equable debate based on the facts where both sides have access to information to formulate their arguments if I lose so what. Too many people have little or no chance to put their points of view and even when their numbers equal thousands their pleas are usually ignored, the Square make over is but one example. NZ troops lost many battles in their march to victory but they won in the end. No democracy is perfect but so long as we march on that path we too will win in the end. All power to the pen rather than the sword, my feeling is that the days of the autocrat here in Palmerston North are numbered. A letter or two from you the reader to the local papers could well speed up this victory.
4.
Age Concern are having their Annual General Meeting at 10am on Wednesday the 22nd of November 2006 at the Hokowhitu Leisure Centre and would love to see all those interested in assisting the aged present. Assistance for the aged is never ending task and we need to be aware that we all age and will need assistance. So if you can make it please do.
5.
The CEO might enjoy the next item, I believe he might well remember the letter writer.
Kimberley Doors Shut. In the middle of the Rogernomics takeover of Godzone, when the right wing monetarist bean counters were seducing all the bureaucrats with their mantra of "Privatise everything to increase efficiency", a virtual revolution took place in the mental health area. The managers of mainly rural, residential mental hospitals were given the message that the new philosophy of mental health care is to de-institutionalise patients by returning them into communities. This under a political policy that is driven from the top rather than soft hearted psychiatrists; or be prepared to be replaced by more co-operative people. No surprise that under that sort of leverage, the new policy was implemented. Whereas previously people with deficiencies rendering them incapable of independent existence outside of institutions were looked after in an understanding and protected environment, the staff tried desperately under the new policy to prepare those with a whole range of mental handicaps to survive in an insensitive, cut throat world. Without even waiting to see whether the new policy was going to survive, and no doubt to force it through, coming, ready or not, the residential hospitals were put on the market block and sold for whatever they could bring. So, while no doubt rubbing hands with glee at the financial savings being made, the politicians, superannuated ex-managers and others with more interest in money than social services, promote a great celebration. And this, not surprisingly, provokes at least one Health Spokesman, to spit tacks and rip off a condemnatory letter to one of the provincial newspapers. David Tranter's letter to the (NZ) Dominion Post runs as follows. Invitations from Pete Hodgson and Ruth Dyson for people to "come and celebrate this historic day" I.e. the end of recent governments' deinstitutionalisation agenda, present a stark contrast with the increasingly frequent tragic spectacle of people who cannot cope with their supposed new "freedom" wandering aimlessly around our cities. According to information received 23 Kimberley residents have died since being moved out of what was recognised around the world as an innovative leader in mental health care. Sure, there are people who have benefited by leaving institutional care but that process was already well under way long before the "close-everything" mantra took hold of politicians and bureaucrats alike. While many of those most closely concerned, especially patients' families, have pleaded in vain with the authorities to recognise that not all those suffering mental health problems can cope with the much-vaunted "living in the community". The closure juggernaut has rumbled on with one of the worst consequences being the frighteningly high proportion of prison inmates having serious mental health problems. So while judges repeatedly bemoan sending people with mental health conditions to prison because there is nowhere else to put them. And while the authorities now regard prison as an acceptable place for mental health treatment to take place, the politicians and their hangers-on will be celebrating in Parliament's banquet hall. As writer Joe Bennett observed in his book "A Land of Two halves", "The planners' vision does not take kindly to how people are". Yours sincerely, David Tranter. My thanks to: http://www.electronz.cjb.net/
My God says Cheers and please have a good week, she was overjoyed at the All Blacks and the Kiwi League side doing so well, victory is just around the corner according to her.
Peter J Wheeler
Wheeler@inspire.net.nz