The abuse experienced by the children of Rotherham is beyond belief. Sexual abuse. Physical abuse. Psychological abuse. It is all laid out in brutal detail in the report by Alexis Jay.

But one equally vicious aspect of the assaults on these children is identified in a less explicit way. And that is the manner in which the vast majority of the Rotherham victims were also racially abused.

Ever since the first reports, and subsequent convictions, of so called “Asian grooming gangs” began to appear, a debate has opened up about how to confront the racial element of these crimes. It was inappropriate, many people argued, to explicitly describe them as “Asian” or “Muslim” gangs at all. Others said to even touch on the race of the perpetrators, or the victims, was to itself pander to racism. When I first heard the reports, I sympathised with this argument.

I was wrong. There is no longer any debate about what happened in Rotherham. A major British town was turned into a rape camp. The overwhelming majority of the abusers were Asian men, primarily of Pakistani descent. And their victims were overwhelmingly white girls.

We cannot just ignore racism because it doesn’t fit a neat binary perception of the victim being black and the perpetrator being white. When a Pakistani man calls a white child a “white bitch” because she tries to stop him raping her, that isn’t just horrific sexual abuse, it’s also horrific racial abuse.

Those who tried to cover up the racial aspect of these crimes did so because they feared giving “oxygen” to racists. But what kind of perversion is that? You counter racism by covering up racism?

For those who endured the abuse, the racial origin of their attacker will seem irrelevant. But as we’ve seen, it wasn’t irrelevant because it was their racial origin that contributed to the abuse continuing unchecked for so long. That’s why we must never again allow a situation to develop where racism is allowed to flourish simply because it challenges our conventional belief of what racism is.

The children of Rotherham were abused racially, as well as sexually, physically and psychologically. We don’t just have a right to say that, we have an obligation.

“As mainstream media newsrooms collapse in numbers, the PR army grows and who can blame journalists for breaking ranks? No-one likes journalists.

...In the past the media may have force-fed the populace what they felt we should know.  Now, people who want to know about policy can find it on various party web sites.

People who want policy analysed can follow the person, people or media organisation that they trust most.

It’s difficult to know where to start with the Greens’ policy of banning all deep sea oil drilling. Just where do they think we’ll get the oil from? Just where do we think they’ll replace the money we get from the licenses for deep sea drilling?

As much as they love the environment, the world does still operate on oil. And even if their utopian dream of everyone eating homegrown veges, driving oil free cars and living in carbon neutral houses does come true, it is still several lifetimes away. So in the meantime back in the real world, it behoves us to provide the world what it wants and needs and what it wants and needs is oil.

Anyone who lives in or visited Taranaki lately will know the value of oil. In fact Taranaki is a good example. The Greens don’t like dairying either given it pollutes the waterways. So take the cows and the rigs out of Taranaki and just what is it the Greens are putting in places to replace the billions lost, not to mention the jobs?

Anyway, here’s the real issue. None of this is ever going to happen. Why? Because the Greens don’t truly believe in it. If they did they’d make it a bottom line in their coalition negotiations, which they haven’t. Which means that if they get to sit down with Labour and cut a deal, this is one of the policies that will go by the wayside because Labour is not ruling out deep sea drilling because (in this area anyway) they’re economic realists.

I get that the Greens need to put policy out. And I get that some of that policy is designed to grow their vote. But history shows us the Greens are about a 10 percent party, and broadly we know what they’re about. So those that are of that persuasion are already aware of what they stand for and have made their choice.

To swing more votes their way they need polices that are rock solid and I would have thought from a Greens point of view deep sea drilling is one. Why would you vote for a party where you’ve got no idea what’s going to come out in the wash if they ever get to put together a potential deal for government? If you’re attracted to the Green Party because you passionately believe we shouldn’t be deep sea drilling, how are you going to feel when that policy doesn’t happen due to the fact they gave it away?

National has done well by telling people what’s coming up. The asset sales for all their controversy at least wasn’t a surprise. If the Greens can’t draw a line under major platforms, just what is it you’re thinking you’re getting by voting for them?

People and parties have to have principals. You can have stuff that is tradeable but there needs to be baselines. The Greens are all about the environment and either they believe in offshore drilling or they don’t. If they don’t they don’t. And if they don’t, it’s a deal breaker. If it’s not a deal breaker, you can quite rightly ask how serious they really are.

Local governments and electricity companies are to blame for New Zealand's inflation rate being much higher than it should have been for the past 10 years.

They have raised their prices between 5 and 8 per cent each year for the past decade, despite being semi-regulated and mostly publicly owned.

Although the rates have trended down since 2004, they are still much higher than the Reserve Bank's 1 to 3 per cent inflation target. And that persistent inflation has acted like a type of plaque in the arteries of the economy, putting up its blood pressure of inflation, interest rates and the exchange rate.

Without that persistent inflation at two and three times the rate in the rest of the economy, New Zealand's interest rates and currency would have been significantly lower.

I've always wondered why Reserve Bank Governors Graeme Wheeler and Alan Bollard haven't convened a conference of mayors and CEOs of councils, electricity generator-retailers and lines companies to read them the riot act.

These two uncompetitive sectors imposed a massive price on exporters and those competing with imports.

The Reserve Bank's hard-wired focus on keeping inflation between 1 and 3 per cent meant it had no choice but to react with higher interest rates that helped make the New Zealand dollar 10 to 25 per cent over-valued relative to commodity prices and our current account deficit.

Manufacturing's share of the economy has suffered a similar fate….(but) these tradeable sectors rolled up their sleeves and whittled down costs. They came up with innovative ways to use technology and have improved their productivity.

It need not have been like this. In any area where there is no competition, the regulators should keep the pressure on to improve productivity and ensure the price-setters don't just increase prices to solve any problem.

The New Zealand workforce has changed dramatically over the past 24 years.

In mid-1990 our workforce was young and energetic with 338,500, or 22 per cent, of all employed workers in the 15 to 24 age bracket. By mid-2014 the total number of 15 to 24 year old workers had declined to 325,700 or just 14 per cent of the workforce.

This development has been mainly due to a dramatic increase in the number of 15 to 24-year-olds undertaking additional, post-secondary school education.

Meanwhile, the number of workers aged 65 and over has soared from 23,900 in 1990 to 127,500 in mid-2014. In other words individuals aged 65 and over now represent 5.5 per cent of the workforce compared with just 1.6 per cent 24 years ago.

Energetic grey-haired men and women have replaced young employees in shops, offices, medical centres and other areas of employment.

Based on current trends there is a strong possibility that by 2054 there will be more individuals from the 65- plus age group in full or part time employment than 15 to 24-year- olds.

There are a number of reasons why more and more of the 65-plus age group are remaining in the workforce.

New Zealand Superannuation is one of the main reasons why such a high percentage of the population stay in the workforce after they reach 65 years of age.

NZ Super is relatively unique because it applies to everyone once they reach 65 years of age, is not subject to any income test or means test and is not contingent on retirement.

Thus, there is a strong incentive for individuals to stay in the workforce until they reach 65.

However, lowly paid workers are effectively incentivised to retire when they start receiving NZ Super because this represents a high percentage of their preretirement income.

Conversely, highly paid individuals have a strong incentive to stay in the workforce because NZ Super is neither income tested nor means tested and represents a much smaller per cent of their employment income.

In other words, NZ Super is an extremely effective culling system because it encourages unskilled workers to leave the workforce while enticing the highly skilled to stay.

In addition, most New Zealanders have the majority of their wealth tied up in residential property, which doesn't generate income if it is the family home. Thus, they are incentivised to continue working because of the low level of income generated from their property-dominated investment portfolio.

There is no doubt that a greying workforce is a positive development for the New Zealand economy. This is because it helps retain our more highly skilled workers, it enables younger people to obtain additional education and it keeps the pressure off wage increases, inflation and interest rates.

However, one of the country's main challenges is to raise our overall skills level, particularly in information technology where older workers have limited abilities.

It is depressing to note that 371,500 individuals, representing 16 per cent of the total workforce, have absolutely no formal qualifications, either school or post-school.

These individuals will find it increasingly difficult to find gainful employment in the modern economy.

Conversely, this gives the highly skilled 65-plus age group more and more opportunities to remain in the workforce.

NZ based internet services company Muga has announced a new url class exclusively available in New Zealand, .krim.

Business will be apply to apply for a .krim internet address on April 1 2015, provided their principals are wanted in at least 5 countries for fraud and theft.

Owners of a .krim address will be invited to an annual gathering where they will be encouraged to get a bit jolly on RTDs and joint in the mass chanting of "Fuck IP"

In this case IP refers to intellectual property, a concept not recognised by Muga.

Muga CEO Robin Hood (family motto: Steals from the rich, keeps for himself), said that revenues from selling .krim addresses would be used to fund a range of political parties with allegiances across the political spectrum, in order to be able to fight any party in power at any one time.

"we want to make extradition an ex tradition, especially as far as our glorious leader, company chairman Nick McCopyright is concerned"

No names for these parties had yet been finalised, but under consideration were the Ngati Party, the Cycling Party, the Third Party and the Birthday Party.

McCopyright himself was unavailable for comment, as he had just undergone his daily name change and would only talk to us as his new identity, Hone-Laila Cunliffe.

"We know that different human races actually do not exist," Swedish Integration Minister Erik Ullenhag told Sveriges Television (SVT). 

"We also know that the fundamental grounds of racism are based on the belief that there are different races, and that belonging to a race makes people behave in a certain way, and that some races are better than others."

The German government established a feed-in tariff (FIT) incentive system, which guarantees long-term fixed tariffs per unit of renewable power produced. Germany underestimated the ultimate cost of the FIT, which to date is $412 billion, including guaranteed and grated rates that have not yet been paid. By 2022, the estimated cost of the FIT program will reach $884 billion, according to German Minister of the Environment Peter Altmaier, and the country will pay $31.1 billion in 2014 alone. 

Though the FIT program has succeeded in bringing a large amount of renewables onto the grid in a short amount of time, the report states that consumers have suffered as a result. Electricity prices in Germany have doubled from $.18/kWh in 2000 to $.38/kWh in 2013.

Grid interventions have increased significantly as operators have to intervene and switch off or start plants that are not programmed to run following market-based dispatching. It is higher amounts of renewables with low full load hours relative to the total portfolio of power production that creates greater variability and strains on the grid. In the case of Germany, it is the large-scale deployment of both wind and solar that has impacted the entire system…… the consequences of its transition, which include high electricity prices, subsidy debts, grid instability, and costly grid upgrades.

In additional to extra work in running a more complicated grid, as more renewables are introduced Germany must also invest in energy storage technologies. Germany not only has to deal with grid stabalization, it must also invest in expanding grid infrastructure to reach onshore and offshore wind projects. According to the report, these projects are estimated to cost around $52 billion over the next 10 years. 

A significant investor in Windflow are or were the Greens. In 2001 they announced:

Green Party energy spokesperson and co-leader, Jeanette Fitzsimons, and the Green Party’s Superannuation Fund have joined the growing list of investors in local wind power company Windflow Technology. …

“Our superannuation fund has a policy of ethical investing. Windflow Technology fits with our policy because it brings together local manufacturing and sustainable energy. As such, it is quite a unique investment opportunity in New Zealand and we are pleased to be able to invest at this early stage.”

British environmentalist and investor, Teddy Goldsmith, is the company’s largest investor so far.

Windflow Technology is offering two million shares at $1.50 each. The offer closes 1st June.

So the shares have lost 96% of their value. No wonder the Greens keep pushing policies to favour wind power.

The Esplanade - a road for all people

“The Esplanade is considered to be operating safely for all road users. The traffic calming measures….are effective in lowering vehicle speeds to a level that is appropriate for a shared use route. Traffic volumes are low and drivers were observed to be driving in a manner that is appropriate for a shared use route and exercised courtesy and caution when they encountered vulnerable road users.”

Build on the sculpture park theme established by all former boards

Play and Picnic in the Parkland Reserve

Alison Park is a Recreation Reserve. It is also becoming an oasis of beautiful natural parkland on the approach to Oneroa. In my teaching and Playcentre days leading researchers were saying that trees, hills, sand and  natural outdoor parklands were the best children’s playgrounds.The latest trend in playground design is returning to that same conclusion. Alison Park, which was a scruffy rubbish dump in the 1950’s, has been transformed to its present attractive and nurtured state by successive Council and Board initatives. The trees are climbable, the slopes could have long safe slides down them, skateboard routes could be formed in the natural contours. The swings could be in the trees. No artificial plastic play equipment is needed.

I recommend that the Board and Council continue to make Alison Park a model children’s playground on this very public corner of Oneroa’s gateway. It will surprise and delight local parents and children and visitors alike.

The completely refurbished former Bowling Green Pavilion will be available for public use when the Board Offices have been rebuilt in Ostend. The park can then have a Tea  Kiosk, open to all, as do the wonderful parks in Hamilton’s Sillary Gardens and Pukekura Park in New Plymouth. The commercial kitchen can be a café and gathering place for the elderly, for parents of children in the park and also for public gatherings , catered  dinners or small conferences. It could be a fund raising venue for a whole range of community groups. The Tea Kiosk is an integral part of the park and belongs in the development plan.  The building work has been done by the Council to a high commercial standard. It is ready to use. All ratepayers  and residents can access, benefit from and enjoy the asset which our rates have provided.

There is more. A mini golf course could be created on the former bowling greens. There can be open fronted stalls around the perimeter of the golf course for community groups to hire for quality market days and fund raising initiatives. Similarly the Te Kiosk by day can be hired for fundraising events, quiz nights and community gatherings at night. It is a ready made family and community hub on the route into Oneroa . The natural amphitheatre behind the buildings, where the tennis courts were earlier, is an outdoor performance area. Fruit trees and herb gardens can also be planted and tended.

Alison Park is potentially an awesome asset for all our community to enjoy.  Visitors to the Island will also benefit from it. I  recommend that  this open and beautiful  environment be made a welcoming facility for all of us for the years to come.