Bill Dalton

Surely I’m not alone in thinking that playing Super 14 rugby in January is bloody stupid. Sure the weather we have been having lately might suggest that the rugby season is here, but January is a nonsense.

It is my view that those in charge of the game both here in New Zealand and internationally are doing the game a great disservice. They are killing the goose that lays the golden egg.

Last season finished in November – we’ve started again in January – how stupid is that?

Well I remember as a kid, looking forward to the start of the rugby season. And later, I travelled to every test I could get to and those I couldn’t get to, I would be glued to the TV to watch. Now, if I’m home I certainly watch rugby on TV but if I happen to be out that night and miss the Test, then too bad. There will be another one next week.

My old man played every test, bar 2, when he was injured for the All Blacks from 1935 until the Second World War. He got 9 caps. In those days there were just 15 players selected for a test. No emergencies and certainly no substitutions. Now we select 22 players which is about the same as the number of officials who are involved with the team. How stupid is it having a head coach, two assistant coaches, a scrum coach, a kicking coach, a lineout coach, the list goes on.

Over the years the sport has been hijacked. People who used to assist voluntarily have over the years created cushy little paid numbers for themselves.

Mind you, it is not only in rugby we see that sort of thing happening. The days of volunteerism are rapidly fading and that’s sad. Everybody seems to have their hand out these days.

Rugby is now suffering from total over-exposure. My wife who is a real rugby fan refuses to watch rugby at this time. She says the summer sports need their time to shine and I agree with her. Mind you I have to agree with her or I’m in real trouble!

The fact is that the New Zealand rugby supporters are suffering from rugby overload. That view is supported by the spectator figures in places like Canterbury last year. Despite the best players and team in the country, they had to drop ticket prices and give a lot away to get a decent crowd.

Surely that message is not lost on the powers that be in our National Sport.

There are those amongst us who would ban gambling, drinking and I’m sure a bit of the other if they could preserve the human race without it.

The fact is controlling all so called vices, will always be “walking a fine line” for decision makers.

Making decisions, rules and laws to protect those who are vulnerable in our society in terms of alcohol and gambling, is always going to be challenging. Those who propose a total ban would deprive those who like to, say – have a day out at the races – a few bets – a couple of drinks – a good sociable day out. Of course at the races or anywhere else there is alcohol, there are always those that get sloshed and make a nuisance of themselves but is that enough reason to ban drinking?

Gambling is an even bigger issue for society. At least when someone abuses alcohol it becomes obvious to all but when someone becomes an addicted gambler, it is often not obvious to anyone until great damage is done.

Poker machines are the talking point right now. Again there are those who would say we don’t need them – get rid of them. Those people should speak to members of any sporting or cultural club and ask them where they get a large part of their funding. They should try and imagine what life in their community would be like if there were no sports clubs or pottery clubs or theatre groups.

There is great debate about what number of machines is appropriate for a certain community. In Napier there are those who are alarmed that we have significantly more machines per head of population then do other centres. These people support the Councils “sinking lid” policy and want to see the number of machines dropped to the national average.

Why should we aspire to being average?

We should be sitting down and deciding what number of poker machines is acceptable for Napier and what sites are appropriate for them to be installed in. And if that’s more or less then the national average – so be it.

If we are going to ban or restrict poker machines then we should apply the same rules to Lotto. Why not – it’s just another form of gambling. I would love to know how much funding Lotto has put into the Hawke’s Bay community.

And we are applying to the very gaming trusts whose activities we are trying to restrict, for funding for our own pet projects. Isn’t that hypocritical?

So we need to make sensible and practical decisions around gambling – and poker machines in particular – not silly superficially warm and fuzzy emotional decisions.

It has been calculated – I would prefer to use the word estimated, that in the 18 months to June 2009, one third of the world’s wealth disappeared.

When I say wealth, much of that wealth was really only perceived wealth. I well recall visiting folk in America. They were in their 60’s, had a nice home, a car and what the yanks call a truck and a RV (motor home) parked up their drive. To the casual observer, this was the home of a reasonably well-off couple. Yet chatting to the fellow over a BBQ, he admitted that they had about 25% equity in the lot. Such was, and I emphasise was, the way of life of the average American.

Now in the States, especially in the industrial belt, the place is virtually in ruins. In Detroit, the home of the car industry, it is estimated that there are between 30 and 40 thousand homes that have simply been abandoned. The local authority is bankrupt. It will take decades for some of these industrial cities to recover and most of them will never recover to what they were.

So how did all this come about and I suppose if we boil it all down to its most simple level, there is only one word for it – greed.

Since the late 30’s in America, if you took out a mortgage and couldn’t service it, you could walk away from your home with nothing. The bank would then get what they could for the home but they couldn’t pursue for any shortfall.

Because you had walked away from a mortgage you were regarded as being sub-prime. No one would lend to you – you were committed to a life of renting.

Then the greedy boys said – “We can lend to these sub-prime people and charge them plenty. We can make a fortune.” And to get the punters in, they gave them very low interest rates for the first two years. As soon as the mortgage was written they flogged it off to a merchant bank which subsequently securitised it.

Of course when the true interest rates kicked in, the borrowers could not service their loans and so the sub-prime crisis began to snowball.

We moan and groan about rules and regulations here in New Zealand but I guess it is better than living in the Wild West.

I would like to congratulate Bay FM for taking up the challenge of providing community comment spots for local commentators. Clearly Newstalk ZB believes that Hawke’s Bay radio listeners will be happy with a constant diet of regurgitated guff from Auckland or elsewhere but I have always believed there is a place for local content on our radio waves.

Well done Bay FM.

And a happy New Year to you all. 2010 promises to be a year of slow but steady recovery from the economic ills that have plagued the world for the last couple of years.

When you look around the world, New Zealand has weathered the economic storm better then most. There are still some enormous hurdles to jump but unemployment seems to have peaked, investment markets are certainly improving and business confidence is climbing.

There are still some very clear problems in the economy. The hangover (in more ways than one) of commercial property from the finance company sector meltdown is affecting yields and prices in that market. Partly completed developments are a real problem because banks are reluctant to lend new owners the funds to complete these projects and some may never be completed.

Whilst every area is different, the Auckland domestic property sector is interesting. Top end properties in the $2m plus bracket are simply not moving.

Mid-priced properties are selling because people in that bracket generally have substantial equity. However, lower priced properties are struggling because the banks are now demanding greater deposits and people can simply not save 20% of the value of a property.

I am guessing that Hawke’s Bay is not too different.

Another feature of 2010 is that it is local body election year and if the past is any indication of the future, most people will not be the slightest bit interested. Aspiring local body politicians will pollute the environment with their ugly signs, they’ll troop from poorly attended campaign meeting to poorly attended campaign meeting and eventually, some will be elected by the very few, who bother to vote.

For some reason, local body politics simply does not create the interest in the community that central politics does and yet, if there is one political level that citizens can have a direct influence over, it is local body politics.

Despite that, most of the people who tend to get involved in the process, apart from the aspiring politicians themselves, are single issue nutters who are not prepared to see the bigger picture.

Sad really but that is the way it is.

This is my last radio piece for the foreseeable future and I am keen to look forward to 2010.
There are clear signs that international economies, including that of New Zealand, are improving. That doesn’t mean to say there won’t be any bumps on the way, it simply means that at this stage at least, we are heading in the right direction.

And the way we can all help, is to put our shoulders to the wheel and work hard. To increase production. To build the economy.

Labour who were in power for 9 of the most prosperous years the world has seen for decades, failed to grow the tax base, and allowed the growth of a whole industry of benefit and welfare abuse.

But our current government can only blame their predecessors for so long. They need to address these matters and do so urgently.

The article in yesterday’s Dominion which suggested that a so called sickness beneficiary – supposedly addicted to marijuana – had received by way of special needs grants from Work and Income, a new set of tyres for his luxury car, and new fencing for his swimming pool, is nothing short of scandalous. The National lead government must put a stop to these bludgers so that we, as a caring society, can look after those who are truly needy.

People who receive benefits or welfare and don’t really need it are not only stealing from you and me the humble taxpayer, but from the genuinely needy as well.

It must stop.

On the local scene it’s great to see that Hastings has settled on a logo that most will be happy with. Mind you, it wouldn’t be hard to beat Hastings the Salt of the Earth! Hastings the Heart of Hawke’s Bay reflects the geographic position of Hastings, the fact that Hastings is part of Hawke’s Bay and also gives recognition to the organ that Hastings District Councillors use to make financial decisions – if their expanding mountain of debt is anything to go by.

So as I sign off for the last time, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2010.

This is Bill Dalton from Napier – The Head of, or should I say, the Brain of Hawke’s Bay.

I suppose it is inevitable that at this time of the year we tend to look back and assess how the year has treated us.

From an investment perspective, it has certainly been a better year than 2008 but then again almost every year has been better than 2008.

One very pleasing aspect has been, not just the number of new clients we have met this year but the number of clients who had previously dealt with us and had drifted off for whatever reason, that have returned to the fold. It is never pleasant to lose a client but really pleasing when they have the guts to come back to where they belong.

On the negative side, I am sad about the Radio Networks decision to disestablish Ross Holden’s job and also the fact that, that decision brings to an end the community comments that Ross has always organised. I am sure there will be those who will be delighted not to have my voice disturbing their coffee break, but I will miss the opportunity to have my say. In fact I’ve been contributing to this station since Dave Pipe’s day so I will miss it.

Some of you will know that I post my radio notes to my blog and I intend continuing to update that with a weekly comment so if you are interested, my blog address is www.dalton.net.nz.

From the perspective of a Napier City Councillor, it has been a satisfying year. There have been some significant issues to grapple with and make decisions on but the good news is we have a very good council. We certainly have some strong differences of opinion but unlike some previous councils, we all acknowledge each others right to have an opinion. And we are not, as some would suggest, mere puppets of the Iron Lady.

I really would like to thank my fellow councillors for their support in 2009. In 2008 I was very much the new boy and it really does take a while to feel you are able to contribute. In 2009 I feel I have done that.

So it’s been a good year and its only going to get better in 2010.

One of the thoroughly enjoyable aspects of being a City Councillor is that you get to go to a lot of “feel good” functions.

Recently Napier City recognised a small group of people who had made amazing contributions to their community. How some of these people have managed to find the time to serve in such a way just amazes me.

A couple of nights ago the Civil Defence Minister, John Carter, presented awards to some of our long serving civil defence personnel. Again it amazes me that so many people can find the time to serve an organisation such as civil defence on a purely voluntary basis. It really does restore your faith in your fellow man.

And we need to celebrate these people. And we need to learn to say thank you to them – to tell them that these efforts are appreciated.

On Sunday a large group of well known Napier performers put on a concert in the Municipal Theatre in aid of the Christmas Cheer appeal. It was a good little show and hopefully from these modest beginnings, it will grow into an annual charity concert that will be on everyone’s calendar. But again everyone gave their time freely, even those who would normally charge for their professional performances.

And then there are people like Ross Holden here at the Radio Network. Ross has always been incredibly community minded and has given many hours to charitable events. In the interests of community radio, Ross has put in hour after hour over and above his normal work hours to ensure local events were advertised and reported, especially in the sporting field.

At a time when everything is being centred in the main centres, when our local community paper has been sold to a major, Ross Holden has been a great voice for his community. Well done Ross.

I can tell you it makes me feel good to live in such a caring community and to know that, especially at this time of the year, those less fortunate are not forgotten. So well done Napier folk – keep up the good work.

In the last couple of days I have read a couple of very interesting reports.

The first was a glowing endorsement of everything the Port of Napier has done and is doing. In fact the article concluded by suggesting that the Port of Napier, is a “model that works.”

The second very interesting piece I read was the very thorough report, prepared by Westshore resident Larry Dallimore, on Westshore Beach erosion.

Napier is very fortunate to have a resident like Larry Dallimore who has the time, the energy and the knowledge to prepare such a detailed report. I congratulate him.

I started by skimming it and got so interested I went back and studied the full report in detail. It is a very good piece of research and I have to say, the timeline that the report produces, provides compelling evidence that the erosion problem that the City of Napier now faces at Westshore is, in part at least, the result of works done at the Port of Napier.

I have always felt this was the case and Larry Dallimore’s report confirms my view.

The major conclusion of Larry’s report is that the Westshore beach, as some of us old codgers remember it, is gone forever. No amount of playing around with groynes, artificial reefs or breakwaters, is going to get us a sandy beach back. What is needed is a sea wall to protect our coastline.

Now I’m no engineer but its obvious to me that by deflecting the force of waves, you are simply transferring the erosion problem from one part of the beach to another. And it seems amazing to me that we as Councillors are not listening to Larry Dallimore, who is a long term resident and observer of Westshore and a man who has a long history in the heavy civil engineering contracting business - yet we place total faith in a bunch of engineers, sitting in an office somewhere, studying simulations on a computer.

Perhaps we as a council need to have yet another look at this problem and perhaps the Port of Napier needs to be putting some funds aside towards remedial work at Westshore.

I’ve been away in Melbourne for a few days to attend a family wedding – and I have to say a good time was had by all.

The headline news in Australia is some barmaid claiming that the South Australian Premier bonked her, amongst other places, on the desk in his office – which only proves that Australia is as bereft of real news at the moment as we are.

The news upon my return late last night was that Hone Harawira is likely to retain his position as a Maori Party MP which only proves that idiots will always get their own way as long as they are big enough bullies.

On the local scene, the news appears, again, to be Marineland. And again we have Marineland’s supporters saying it must stay open and its detractors saying it must close.

Whilst everyone is entitled to their opinion, it is my view that it is still too soon to make the closure decision or in fact to decide to spend millions on the refurbishment of Marineland. Management are providing us with reports and figures next month.

To me – there are two criteria that must be met. Firstly, it must be economically viable. That doesn’t mean to say it has to pay its way directly – it means that the benefits provided to our community, must outweigh the cost to our community.

The second criteria that must be met in my opinion is that we must be proud of the facility.

When the first cries went up to close Marineland, I spent some time looking at the facility and I have to say, if it had to remain in the condition it was in, I would have voted for closure. It was a disgrace and an embarrassment to the city despite the very best efforts of the staff.

So it’s simple. Either we spend the money to bring the place up to a standard we are proud of – and that expenditure has to be justifiable economically – or we close Marineland down. To me there is no point in a compromise position.

Anyway – its back to the grind for me today which I dare say will mean it will appear a long day – who said no cold beer with lunch.

As a local body politician and a political commentator, it is easy to appear to always have a bee in one’s bonnet. It is also easy to sound permanently negative as you point out projects that need attention, jobs that have been done badly or people like Hone Harawira who is a disgrace to society.

But over the last few days I have once again, had it proven to me, that Hawke’s Bay is a wonderful place to be.

Over the weekend the Hawke’s Bay Vintage Car Club held it’s 50th Jubilee. We had a “noggin and natter night” on Friday night and then Shirl and I went on to the Napier Operatic Show at the Tabbard Theatre – a great night all round.

On the Saturday night the Vintage Car Club had an awards dinner at the Cossie Club – an excellent meal – good music – good company – what else could a man want.

On the Sunday we picked up Charlie Black who at 93 is a legend in Vintage Car circles and drove right up the Taihape Road. The old 1929 Model A went like a dream and we had morning tea at the Russell Homestead - Tunanui. We cruised off around Crownthorpe and came back to Okawa where the Lowry family hosted us at lunch time. A picnic in the magnificent grounds – walking through the rose gardens – life doesn’t get much better than that.

Then last night we attended a ceremony where six prominent locals received special awards from the Mayor of Napier.

When you heard the list of organisations that these people have served and the contribution they have made to our Society – it made you feel very humble.
So no grumbles today – just a confirmation that we are indeed fortunate to live in such a magnificent part of the world.