HATAITAI’S One Love music festival rocked all day long to the beat of its 13th anniversary on Saturday, despite there being 5000 fewer punters than last year.

And it’s no wonder the crowd was a bit light, with so many events crammed into one weekend for the capital.

Wellington was packed to the rafters with the second day of Sevens at the Cake Tin, Te Rā o te Raukura at Te Whiti park in Lower Hutt and Te Rā o Waitangi celebrations at Waitangi Park.

But One Love was still as colourful as ever, with music from Sola Rosa featuring Spikey Tee and Rachel Fraser, Don McGlashan, The Eastern, The Midnights, Mungo’s Hifi and Richard Nunns and the Etymologists.

Not to mention the mysterious trumpet player who spontaneously emerged from the foliage, tooting away to on-stage entertainment from the side of the hill.

The festival is held every year at the velodrome in Hataitai to celebrate “unity within diversity” on Waitangi day, coinciding with reggae legend Bob Marley’s birthday.

“Waitangi Day was a politically charged day in Aotearoa 13 years ago,” says event director Hadden Morrison. One Love was intended as a day to celebrate unity within the community.

And it’s been going strong ever since, he says.

“It still serves the same ideals, but now we have live bands celebrating our national day together without prejudice and association of religion, politics, sexuality, creed or colour.”

BIG SMOKE: Fire Officers make their way towards the fire above Hutt Valley.

FIRE engulfed the hills above Wingate in Lower Hutt after a witness says she heard a sound like tires popping in a spare parts yard above her home.

The woman, who lives on Cambridge Tce about 700m from the edge of the fire, saw smoke from her window “some time after lunch” and called the Fire Service.

When she went outside she heard a sound like a “small pop of tires blowing up” coming from the  Pick-A-Part yard on the hill above the Wingate over-bridge.

The hillside above the scrap yard was burning.

Tara Noble watches the fire spread.

Tara Noble (17) saw the smoke from her home in Naenae at about 3pm and drove with her family to see the fire.

Miss Noble says the burning area was small at first, “and then started crawling up the hill”.

The Nobles were held inside a cordon set up by the Fire Service when Cambridge Tce was closed to traffic from Wingate bridge to Hewer Cres.

NewsWire saw motorists being diverted away from the area.

Many were angry at the diversion, including one motorist who ran the cordon and tried to drive on to Wingate.  The driver was turned back by police.

Fire officers fight the fire on the ground.

Station Officer Gareth Hughes of Avalon Fire Station said at the scene the first emergency call came in at 2:26pm for a “scrub fire” above the Pick-A-Part scrap yard.

Twenty two fire vehicles responded, including his crew, which was called away from the Te Ra o Te Rakura fair at Te Whiti Park in Waiwhetu at 2:40pm and were the fourth pump at the scene.

An Air Control helicopter and police also attended.

Mr Hughes estimated the fire to be 1km square, ranging over two or three ridges of the hill.

The helicopter began water dumps drawn from the Hutt River until a reservoir and landing area could be set up on park land adjacent to Wingate Bridge.

A Fire Service command centre was established at the Pick-A-Part scrap yard and a team of Rural Bush Force officers could be seen working in the burnt scrub.

A reservoir dam was set up on the traffic island adjoining Wingate Bridge and the helicopter made 10 to 15 drops by 4:30pm.  Water for the reservoir came by hose from a hydrant on Hewer Cres.

Locals lined the street to watch the helicopter deliver its pay load.

Police at the scene said the pedestrian cordon at Wingate was to protect the helicopter landing area and keep people out of the chopper’s flight path.

The Air Control helicopter collects a new payload from its reservoir.

]]> http://www.newswire.co.nz/2010/02/hills-above/feed/ 1 http://www.newswire.co.nz/2010/02/an-atheist/ http://www.newswire.co.nz/2010/02/an-atheist/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:43:22 +0000 Kylie Klein-Nixon http://www.newswire.co.nz/?p=13162

PICTURE: Atheist Christmas message

I AM an atheist.

That means I do not believe in god or angels or fairies at the bottom of the garden.

It means I accept I am all alone in the universe.

Well, except for you lot with whom I share this magnificent planet.

It means that I acknowledge – terrifying though it may be – when I die that’s the end of it.  Game over.  Thank you for playing.  Goodbye…not aufwiedersein.

Being a godless atheist, I embrace the fact that no one and nothing can help me get what I want out of life except me.

I am the alpha and omega and so are you, which is totally excellent because I answer to no one except myself.

Well, maybe I answer to my mum, but then she is fierce and pretty much everyone answers to her if she decides it is so.  She’s scary that way.

But I digress.

I’m an atheist and I’m ok.  This is the message the New Zealand Atheist Bus Campaign is bringing to the country: “There’s probably no god.  So stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

It is the first atheism awareness campaign in the history of New Zealand.  It is aimed at letting people know there is another option, many other options, besides religion and worship.

Option one is choosing not to worry about it.  Easy peasy.

It’s hard to talk about atheism without criticising the things that it is not.

Anyone who has heard or read Richard Dawkins knows the public face of atheism tends to appear utterly intolerant, dismissive and occasionally derisive towards religion and people of faith.

But it doesn’t have to be so.

I want to share something with you that I have discovered:  Option two – It is possible to be an atheist and love Jesus.

People who do are called Christian Humanists. Some prefer Christian Atheists, but whatever the label the intention is the same.

We love Jesus’ style, but we don’t really care where he came from, who his dad was, whether or not his mum was a virgin or if he came back to life after he was crucified.

I mean, Jesus was pretty cool.  His general message was: “Quit being rubbish to each other, treat people how you liked to be treated, don’t be so judgmental, think about your heart more than your stuff and you’ll be all right.”

Who doesn’t want to get behind that?

What I don’t need to do is worship him for it, assign his message some kind of divine importance or enforce his suggestions not only on myself but on others, too.

There is no good reason to.  His being divine doesn’t make his message any more or less powerful.

What does make it powerful is making a choice to follow Jesus’s general guidelines because, you know, I worked out that it feels better when I do.

Also, it was awesome when he walked on water and got everyone loaded at that party that time.  Pretty simple really.

In all seriousness though, the belief in Jesus’s god-head makes no more sense than spending the rest of your life expecting your mum to clean up after you, or sort stuff out when it doesn’t go your way, or punish you when you do stuff she doesn’t like.

In the youth of our species we probably really did need the idea that something, somewhere, had an eye out for our well being – we didn’t really know anything and it was all really blimmin’ scary.

But then Galileo discovered the true centre of the solar system, and that apple fell on that bloke Isaac’s head and the Enlightenment happened.

In that moment we as a species entered adulthood.  We packed our bags, cut the spiritual apron strings and moved out of the family home.

We realised the origins of the universe were way more awesome, complex and beautiful than could ever be contained within the confines of one relatively short book.

We realised that we could do anything we wanted and the buck stopped right here, on our very own doorsteps.

Well, some of us did.

Some of us did not.

I don’t mean that to be a value judgment.

It is what it is: I believe knowledge and truth are best uncovered by reason and logic and observation, and not by supernatural jiggery-pokery.  Some people believe some other stuff.  Point is, you get to choose.

So when you see the atheist buses, take a moment to think about what you really believe and why.

Make a choice instead of just going a long with your mum, or the Pope or whoever had the best idea last.  It’s your god-given right, after all.

THE heart of the city was transformed on Saturday night as the super sevens carnival hit town and streets were blocked off for Wellington’s party of the year.

More than 73, 000 people flooded into the capital for the two-day event, with an estimated one in seven of them staying on to celebrate in Courtenay Place.

Costumes were everywhere.

Dorothy, Toto and the Tin Man shared a drink with the cowardly Lion at one table, while a few tables down a green-painted Wicked Witch partied with Batman.

Despite the rugby outcome, the atmosphere was jubilant, with people proudly parading their outfits and clustering around speakers and on balconies to dance.

Police presence was unobtrusive and the more than 10, 000-strong crowd seemed generally well behaved.

Duty officer Inspector Anaru George called the number of arrests over the course of the evening “quite conservative” considering the size of the event.

“It was a good-spirited Sevens as per usual,” he says.

The larger numbers joining in on the party were probably a result of crowds from Hataitai’s One Love music festival merging with Sevens fans.

Extra staff from the Hawkes Bay and Palmerson North assisted Wellington Police with 14 arrests and 35 evictions from Westpac Stadium during the matches on Saturday.

Most of the evening’s 63 arrests were for minor offences and infringement of the open alcohol ban in Courtenay Place.

There were some drunk driving arrests also, but no serious incidents were reported.

Speaking before the event, Wellington city councillor John Morrison said organisers work closely with police to ensure behaviour at the event is acceptable.

“While one might predict complete mayhem at an event like this, there’s always a very good atmosphere and little trouble,” he said.  “They come for the party.”

The IRB rugby sevens tournament brings an estimated $16 Million into Wellington over the course of the weekend.

Next year may be the last time the Sevens are held here.

The Dominion Post reports that Wellington organisers have failed to secure the city as a permanent venue for the event, with the NZ Rugby Union throwing it open for bids when the Wellington tenure expires next year.

Both Auckland and Dunedin are likely to bid to host the tournament in 2012.

So far as the rugby itself is concerned, it was not a great night for the home team.

The NZers were muscled out in the semi-final by Samoa (14-24), which was itself beaten by Fiji in the final, 19-14.

SEVENS RESULTS - CLICK HERE>

NEWSWIRE reporter Liz Proctor has been among the crowd at the IRB Rugby Sevens tournament in Wellington…not so much to see the rugby as join the fun.

Here are some of her pictures:

 ”They’re always in good spirits,” he says of the thousands who come to the Capital for the annual IRB rugby sevens tournament.

TOP GUNS: Outside J J Murphy's in Cuba St - from left: Gary Skedgwell, Michelle Clifford, Paula Allen, Daniel Roberts, Brett Phillips and Mary-Ellen Earl.

“It’s a good atmosphere,” says Eugene, who manages James J Murphy and Co.

The Sevens – the third biggest night after St Patrick’s Day and the Cuba Street Carnival – is not like some other big events, he says.

In the case of the AC/DC concerts, for example, he laid on extra security “because we didn’t quite know what the crowd would be like”.

Plans for the Sevens weekend have been city-wide, says Wellington City Councillor John Morrison.

“The idea is to turn the whole city into a party. That’s the broader philosophy we try to bring to these events.”

Courtenay Place was to be blocked off from Cambridge Tce to Taranaki from 6pm on Saturday evening to 6am Sunday morning. Parts of adjoining Blair and Allen Sts also had traffic restrictions.

Courtenay Place and Queens Wharf had big screens showing the games, creating a “Sevens village type concept”, with marquees and music.

Mr Morrison says the rewards of hosting events like the Sevens make town being “a bit of a mess” afterwards worth it.

“You can go without this kind of thing, but then you wouldn’t have much of a city.”

The impact on traffic was expected to be the biggest problem, but Wellington City Council events manager John Dawson says blocking off the streets adds another dimension to the Sevens.

“It provides an opportunity for people who didn’t get into the stadium to participate,” he says.

“With that number of people, we would have had to close the area anyway.  So it’s a health and safety issue as well as event promotion.”

Council spokesperson Richard MacLean says the cost of closing the roads, which comes out of the council’s $1.8 million events development fund, is “not hugely expensive”.

Traffic management costs for Saturday night were budgeted at $8000.

Marketing for the Sevens event is funded by the downtown levy, a rate collected from central business district retailers and businesses specifically for tourism promotion.

Mr Morrison says businesses encourage the council to do whatever it can to bring in big events: “Everyone buys into it.”

He would not say how much the Sevens marketing budget is, but says increased revenue coming into the city over the weekend exceeds it.

Of the expected 70,000 people attending the event, 40% will be from out of town.

The council predicts that $15 to $16 million dollars will be punched into Capital’s economy this weekend.

TAI Tokerau MP Hone Harawira says the tinorangatiratanga flag is not a symbol of hatred – and wants all kiwis to embrace it.

The flag they call the tino rangatiratanga flag was launched as the “Maori flag” in 1990 and first flown at Waitangi on February 6 that year, he says.

“In 2010 we honour the fact that 20 years later it has become the flag chosen by 80% of Maori as our national flag,” says Mr Harawira.

“Who on earth would want to hate that?”

Mr Harawira says race relations in New Zealand have not been dealt with honestly and the Treaty should be the basis for harmonious relations and governance in New Zealand.

“They will continue to be an issue until this country wakes up to its real history.”

He is critical of recent negative mainstream media coverage, because his views are completely different from that of other MPs.

“They like to put us in boxes so they can explain us to their audiences easier.”

He says there is a desperate need for unity within Maoridom in 2010.

However, high profile critic Buddy Mikaere says the situation is not one of total despair.

“I don’t know if it’s desperate, but the whole Treaty claims process is forcing that kind of change,” says Mr Mikaere.

“In recent times, the forestry settlement in CNI (Central North Island) has been a good model that people can use by working together. The last couple of decades have been divisive.”

Waitangi Day celebrations were due to start today at the Copthorne Resort in Waitangi, where the Governor-General will host a reception for the Diplomatic Corps, and representatives from the Government and Maoridom.

Flag Facts

• The Maori flag was designed in 1990 by Hiraina Marsden, Jan Smith and Linda Munn.
• The whole colours represent the balance of natural forces, masculine and feminine, with a white swirl that can symbolise the cloud over Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud.
• In December last year, John Key agreed for the flag to be flown on Waitangi Day at significant sites to recognise the partnership between the Crown and Maori under the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

STORY: Penelope Scott. PICTURES: Kimberley Crayton-Brown, Carl Suurmond.

SEVENS KING: NZ sevens rugby coach Gordon Tietjens at the Wellington parade.

ORGANISERS of Wellington’s big sevens rugby weekend must be getting some good weather advice.

The Friday-Saturday annual event – expected to draw 70,000 people – kicked off at Westpac Stadium in sunshine, and the weather was forecast to hold until Saturday night.

As usual this summer, the Capital was due for a half-fine-half-wet weekend, with the Met Service predicting rain only developing on Sunday evening.

The Sevens means the city becomes a swarming mass of colour and costume, with thousands swarming in and injecting millions into local businesses.  Two in five come from out of town.

“In rough terms, a full house at the Sevens would bring in around $8 million [a day for the city," says city councilor John Morrison.

"So over the course of the weekend, that is around the $15-16 million mark.”

Mr Morrison (left) says the Sevens has become an iconic national event, with people clamouring for tickets. It was becoming more and more popular each year.

The event began with Thursday's Sevens parade in Lambton Quay.

The NZ team currently leads the IRB Sevens World Series, with wins in the first two tournaments in Dubai and South Africa.

Kenyan team.

Coach Gordon Tietjens named a largely experienced squad of 12, with one debutant, 21-year-old Fritz Lee of Counties Manukau.

It was a hard decision, says Tietjens. There were a lot of players putting their hand up for selection.

“I have picked an experienced side and hopefully the team can continue with the great start they have had to the series.”

Tietjens, who has won eight of the 10 World Series titles contested so far, says playing at home is a “pretty special” tournament.

Glen Osborne with the Sevens Cup.

“But they want to get out there and really turn it on for the home crowd.”

With a current standing of 48 points, the NZ team is top of the table, with Fiji following on 36 points.

NZ drew Wales in its first game, a reminder to the home side that last year the Welshmen beat the Kiwis in their pool match.

After the Wellington competition, the series heads to Las Vegas for the third leg  next weekend.

New Zealand Sevens team: DJ Forbes (captain), Kurt Baker, Tomasi Cama, , Paul Grant, Tim Mikkelson, Zar Lawrence, Fritz Lee, Lote Raikabula, Ben Souness, Sherwin Stowers, Nafi Tuitavake, Save Tokula.

PICTURES FROM THE PARADE

IMAGE: Brenda Cottingham.

THEY ARE NOT shaped like bazookas nor will they blow up like a grenade - but they are here to show they have what it takes.

The Niue rugby sevens teams is back in the city to play in the IRB rugby sevens tournament which kicks off at Westpac Trust Stadium today.

They are the small Pacific Island team that beat Samoa in what was described as a David and Goliath match by Captain Mat Faleuka at the 2009 IRB rugby world sevens  tournament in Wellington. 

SECRET WEAPONS: Niue sevens rugby team with Niue High Commissioner Sisilia Talagi and Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs CEO Colin Tukuitoga (both in the middle of the front row).

Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Georgina Te Heu Heu reminded the team of their win against Samoa last year.

“You guys beat Samoa. You are the secret weapons of Polynesia,” she told the team at a luncheon held on Wednesday and hosted by Niue High Commissioner Sisilia Talagi and Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs CEO Colin Tukuitoga.

Placed in pool A, Niue will play against South Africa, New Zealand and Wales today.

Zac Makavilitogia (20), a newcomer to the team and sevens, says as a team they are hoping to play well.

GETTING READY: The Niuen rugby sevens team at training.

 ”We are in what people call the pool of death,” he says.

“We are up against big names. It’s a pretty tough ask.

“We aren’t the biggest team, but we are hoping to play well and upset a few teams on the day.”

Vincent Pihigia (28) has scored more than 10 tries in his rugby sevens career since first playing in 2000.

“You can only gauge yourself playing the best in the world.”

Coach Rick Tagelagi.

Coach Rick Tagelagi says it is a hard pool to be placed in, given the calibre of teams:  “But in order to be the best, we have to learn from the best.”