52 posts tagged “wellington”

Sometimes when you look up, you see some interesting things. First, on the Terrace in Wellington, when I noticed a lovely blue sky in autumn.

   Then, when in Auckland: I was heading down to Simon and Marie Young’s office so I didn’t stop to find out what this was all about. Was it training, a fancy way of washing the building, or fans of Police Rescue doing a tribute?

And here’s another one, letting me come up really close as well. Beautiful—and I still wonder if it’s a sign.

I was booked on a 7.30 p.m. flight last night, which is why I landed at 11 p.m.
   Fog closed Auckland Airport earlier yesterday so I was stuck waiting for a few hours. But at least I got something out of the fog: thanks to it, we managed to get some good shots of the Ford Focus that FoMoCo lent me.
   Other folks weren’t so fortunate.
   I saw a lady travelling with her two daughters from London, England, who had been flying since Wednesday on London–Dubai–Singapore–Auckland–Wellington tickets, and she only faced a delay when getting to New Zealand.
   And Ray Nelson and his wife, heading to Christchurch for a headstone unveiling ceremony, who had been there for 12 hours all told, flying up from Tauranga.
   Ray, his wife and I had plenty of good conversation about Māoridom and language, which fascinated me.
   I also saw a St Mark’s alumna, who filled me in with what’s been happening at our school. It seems there was another principal v. Synod bust-up.
   I won’t name her in case there are repercussions but she is diplomatic and I am reading between the lines rather than attributing the news directly to her.
   All I know is that as an alumnus I am not delighted with the way the Church sometimes treats the school principals, especially one who has done as good a job as Tina Leach.
   Tina and I worked closely together on various school matters ranging from the alumni groups to the yearbook over her term, and I really felt she managed to stretch the budget and offer the kids amazing opportunities.
   I’m going to pay the school a surprise visit as a long-standing old boy and size up this acting principal, and see if I can find out more. But it sure sounds like petty politics to me, the kind that churches only do so well.

I could have spent half an hour doing something more productive but them’s the breaks as a ratepayer.

Attn.: Transport Group, Wellington City Council
via email

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We’re very happy that WCC has contracted Fulton Hogan to reseal Mamari Street, Rongotai. The road was in need of repair and it was done with very little fuss or annoyance to the residents. The road workers were extremely courteous and made sure that we could carry on with our business without delay.
   But—and there’s always a but—the entry to the street is more compromised than before, certainly more so than it was after the last repair.
   The design of the entrance from Coutts Street is akin to that of a driveway now, rather than a street, which normally I would not have a problem about. In fact, for security, it makes the street look more private and out-of-bounds than it really is.
   I know that the Council and Fulton Hogan would have seen this as an improvement and I thank you for that consideration.
   There are some road safety issues as a result of the improvement, which you would not have been aware of without being a resident of Mamari Street.
   That corner (outside Leo’s and 163 Coutts Street) has traditionally collected a lot of water. Now, because of the way the entrance is designed, more water collects in the new gutter, making it hard for motorists, especially those unfamiliar with the street, to see that it’s not a regular turn from Coutts Street, but more like a driveway. I see potential for accidents as a result of this; at the least damage to suspensions at the carriageway edge and gutter. This has become apparent with the extra rain we've been getting since the road works.
   Secondly, the corner on Coutts Street between Salek and Mamari Streets is notorious for tailgating. Again, this would be something you wouldn’t have known. Some motorists will tailgate more on that corner, unaware of the pedestrian crossing there, or that the car in front has slowed to turn into Mamari Street, despite indicating. In the past one could make a hasty but safe retreat into Mamari Street if tailgated. Today, I am not so sure as the driver of the first car would have to slow down considerably more and tailgaters might not be able to react in time.
   Thirdly, exiting Mamari Street is now more difficult, especially with front-wheel-drive cars which, as you know, form the majority of modern cars unless you go to neighbourhoods with BMWs and Mercedes. The gutter and carriageway crossfall from Mamari to Coutts now make it hard for these cars to get traction and on a wet day, wheelspins aren't uncommon.
   With the increased traffic to and from the Warehouse in Lyall Bay, this intersection has become far busier and wheelspins, while a motorist is trying to join the main road, are potentially dangerous.
   It’s another thing you would not have known without living here: with the greater number of SUVs and minivans, it is not always easy to see out of Mamari Street. We often have to come out into Coutts more than we safely should to see what is approaching from the southern end. A motorist coming out of Mamari Street risks getting T-boned as some drivers from Coutts coming from the northwestern side are not always prepared to slow down for the pedestrian crossing or for motorists exiting from the smaller street—sadly, we New Zealanders can be mean-spirited drivers. But to avoid wheelspins motorists may have to come out into the crossfall or risk the front wheels going back into the gutter.
   Fourthly—and this is one that maybe affects me and one other neighbour more than other residents—the verge from Mamari Street to Coutts Street is at a more severe angle than I would like even though it is probably within your guidelines as being acceptable. My car is not a low car, but one neighbour has a Corolla with a spoiler. Even on mine I hear the tiny front spoiler (it is not a large boy-racer one, but a simple plastic air dam) scrape as I exit Mamari Street and enter the Coutts Street carriageway. I hate to think what it would do to her car which does have a larger, after-market front spoiler.
   If it was just one issue I’d have been happy to put up and shut up, but faced with several potential hazards, especially the ones that are now becoming apparent with the rain, I hope you can look into this.
   I am not sure what the best solution is, but the faux brick paving of Salek Street may be a solution for Mamari Street if the aim is to slow entering motorists. Whatever the case, I believe the entrance to the street should resemble that of a street, rather than a driveway, for safety reasons, even if I personally like the idea of living on a secluded, private-looking street.

Very truly yours,

Jack Yan
13 Mamari Street
(04) ***-****

cc for Councillor Leonie Gill, Eastern Ward

   As I pasted this in, I thought: in the old days you might back this up with a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, or send it to someone higher up than the person you were addressing it to, to get extra attention. Now we just turn them into open letters and stick them on our blogs. Power to the people?

[Cross-posted] This has been official for a while (or so I think—not that I ever heard what the Electoral Commission thought, but I did see it on its website). However, I wanted the party to approve the news first before sharing it with you all. The following is the overseas release which was rewritten from the one sent to domestic newsmedia. One that includes a mention of the Bush–Cheney campaign of 2004 was sent to US media.

JY&A Consulting revamps logo for New Zealand’s Alliance Party

Wellington, May 9 (JY&A Media) New Zealand political party, the Alliance, is looking more modern and relevant, thanks to its new logo by JY&A Consulting (http://jya.net/consulting).
   Devised by JY&A Consulting’s Jack Yan, the new logo signifies a new beginning for the democratic socialist political party.
   Mr Yan says that he has been a keen observer of general elections in the UK, US and New Zealand since the 1980s and that played a part in his team’s design.
   He says the Conservatives in 1983, Labour in the UK in 1997 and 2002 and Labour in New Zealand in 1999 and 2003 had certain commonalties in their campaigns, centring around typography.
   He also said that in those years, the party’s name was important, not the symbol—hence the traditional Labour rose was not present on that party’s election materials in 1997 and 2002.
   By abandoning the old A symbol of the Alliance and concentrating on the word, Mr Yan says that the party looks more professional and ready.
   The Alliance has contested every General Election in New Zealand since 1993. However, due to party changes it is trying to rebuild itself for the country’s General Election later this year.
   ‘We have two major parties in New Zealand that vote pretty much the same on all issues,’ says Mr Yan, ‘and minor parties that get ignored because of a lack of visibility. I wanted to change that. Why should minor parties be laboured with second-rate brands?’
   The logo is based around the Frutiger typeface and its lettering is predominantly in red, with a red dot over the i in Alliance to signify its environmental awareness.
   He says the letter i also shows the humanizing aspect of the party.
   ‘As a piece of design I think it looks more cohesive than the committee-led logos of National and Labour,’ he says, criticizing the major two parties in New Zealand.
   ‘I was given a lot of freedom, which is a good sign of how the party leadership handles matters. It clearly believes in trusting the right people.’
   As well as heading JY&A Consulting’s parent, Jack Yan & Associates, Mr Yan co-wrote Beyond Branding in 2003 and is a director of the Medinge Group, a branding think-tank based in Sweden.
   In October 2007 he was a keynote speaker for the Alliance Party at its annual conference.

I know, cute, huh? My friend Bevan’s kids, Andrew and Jessica, at the barbecue yesterday, raiding Bevan’s cousin Sonia’s costumes (no, Chinese people do not regularly walk around like this).
   Remember when you went to family functions and there were strange “uncles” and “aunts” who could not possibly be related to you, making weird comments at you while you ran around and just wanted to play?
   Oh, man, I have turned into one of those weird-ass uncles.
   But the kids got used to me and actually understand Cantonese, though they tend to reply in English. They are both extremely bright for their ages (two and four).
   I really noticed how the tables turned yesterday and seeing Bevan’s kids made me feel a bit old. Bevan’s older brother, Aaron, and I were in the same year at primary (elementary) school. And Aaron and I did reminisce about school days and wondered what happened to that dude Karl Urban who used to be in our class. Wonder if he ever became famous or something … Remember how he used to like acting?

I have had a record number of monarchs in my garden this year. This one was on one of my paths, and let me come up real close. They were actually from April, not May as the captions state.
   Earlier today, when attending a photo shoot for Lucire, what did I spot among the props?

I had to share this. My friend Jennifer Hamilton (as Baby Spice in this video) and her group, Avidiva, performed at the closing ceremony of the NZI International Sevens in Wellington this year. I did the Avidiva logo’s hand-lettering (based on Jennifer’s idea) and website (also her concept). Stars in Their Eyes’ (the New Zealand edition) Freddie Mercury is behind them. It’s really cool to see Avidiva do so well from humble beginnings.

A big thank-you to those early members who have joined the new New Zealand group on Vox: I really appreciate it. Now I am off to a very Kiwi thing: a barbecue. May post photographs later …

I must say I felt more alert last Thursday when the weather was like this.