My impression of the #megaupload case being heard in NZ court
I was shocked when I heard Kim Dotcom et al were in custody and Megaupload had been shut down. When I realised it was the NZ police who had made the arrest, I was outraged.
My standard reaction was to find out as much as possible about the circumstances. During my search I found out some details about their court appearance that afternoon. By the time they were due to appear I decided to drive over to Albany and exercise my right to watch from the public gallery. The only other times I’d been in a court was voting (at Auckland High Court) and jury service (at Auckland District Court) where I was never selected on a jury. So I walked into the building not knowing where to go or who to talk to, but quickly spotted a bunch of cameras outside one of the courtrooms. A couple of reporters from TVNZ explained to me what was going on and that I could just walk into court and sit down.
There were about thirty seats in the gallery, almost all of them were occupied. There were quite a few journalists and then a bunch of supporters who all seemed to know the accused. Two teary eyed woman in the front row appeared to be partners of Dotcom and van der Kolk. I was sitting directly behind them and caught a wink (from Dotcom) and a blown kiss (from van der Kolk) which were no doubt intended in their direction. There were also a few Americans who we speculated to be musicians. I tried to strike up a conversation with a couple of them, and found out later that one of the guys, known as Printz Board, is part of The Black Eyed Peas. This is him in the Mega Uploads song:
The actual hearing was surreal. The Judge was clearly quite irritated by all the people in his courtroom, and took his frustration out on the press. He told them to stop taking photos before he’d even allowed them to start. (In today’s session, which I did not attend, he ordered press out of the public gallery.) I imagine it would be nerve-wracking for a district court Judge to preside over such a high profile international case, but if he felt uncomfortable why didn’t he hand the case to someone more experienced? I still can’t work out why the expedition hearings are taking place at North Shore District rather than Auckland High Court. It’s one of many questions I’m planning on asking a lawyer friend when I get the chance.
The Judge, who took about an hour to arrive, put the bail hearing off until Monday because it was late in the afternoon. It seemed apparent to me at the time that his intention was to lock the four of them up over the weekend. Afterwards I learned Dotcom had a lavish birthday party planned for Saturday, and this was the reason for the police acting when they did. Unfortunately for the NZ police by acting so hastily the only managed to arrest 4/7 accused. The others are apparently in Europe, where the courts likely won’t extradite them to the USA.
I don’t think Kim Dotcom is a “good” person – he’s made millions of dollars through questionable business practice – however he deserves more respect than he’s been given. The NZ government accepted $10Mil from him to apply for residency so it’s unfair for NZ authorities to treat him this way while he’s still innocent (until proven otherwise…). We’re talking about New Zealand police arresting a German/ Finnish citizen who is accused of breaking American laws in Hong Kong.
Without coming across as a hacktivist sympathiser may I also remind you that the British police are still holding an Australian citizen who was arrested [update] for alleged sexual molestation in Sweden. When it’s widely believed the real reason is the USA was trying to mount a case for rendition on national security grounds. [/update] Julian Assange has been under house arrest for over a year. Goes to show there’s nowhere for netizens to hide from American law.
It’s unlikely I’ll find the time to stalk any of the other Megaupload court dates, however if you’re interested in the case I suggest you read some of these articles:
Megaupload defendants in court today
Dotcom birthday party targeted
Megaupload’s Kim Dotcom bail decision reserved
From Rogue To Vogue: Megaupload and Kim Dotcom
Merry Chrischmitz or Merry Hell?
Filesonic Kills File-Sharing Service After MegaUpload Arrests
Prosecution: Gun in Kim Dotcom mansion was loaded
Kim Dotcom volunteers for electronic bail
A quick guide to Saturday’s referendum on voting systems #votenz
This Saturday you don’t just get to vote, you get to decide how we vote in future. You basically get four boxes to tick on Saturday, a party vote, an electorate vote, a vote to say YES or NO to keep the MMP voting system and which system should replace it, if indeed it should be replaced.
Below is a very broad overview of the voting systems, I am not an expert just want New Zealanders to be more informed about their options. In the interest of full disclosure I will admit I’m still unsure which way I will vote on this issue. But I will probably vote AGAINST keeping MMP so at least if it stays it will be given a thorough review.
MMP – Mixed Member Proportional
The system we have now where every citizen has two votes. Government is made up of 120 people, 70 of those are represent electorates (the area you live in) and the other 50 are made up from party votes. Under this system the government is often formed by coalitions (where a two or more parties agree to work together). This can be really good if you want minor parties to have more power. Unfortunately there are a few flaws in MMP, and if we keep this system those will be reviewed and hopefully fixed.
FPP – First Past the Post
This is the system New Zealand used to have, back in the days when the government swung between Labour and National. There are still 120 people in parliament but they are all representing electorates (so these are divided into smaller areas than under MMP). Because there is just often one party in charge they have a lot more power and can pass laws much faster without the need for debate and negotiation.
PV – Preferential Voting
This is the system which Australia has. Again there are 120 people in parliament, each one is voted in to represent an electorate. The difference is you rank the candidates you like. It’s a bit complicated, which means people have to do a lot more research about candidates before voting. Basically if the first person you vote for is declared the loser in your electorate they drop out of the race and your vote goes to the second person on your list. And so on and so on until someone has the majority of votes. People in Australia tend to either vote for personalities they like or just which ever candidate their preferred party tells them to vote for. It can produce majority governments or coalitions.
STV – Single Transferable Vote
This is a bit like the Preferential Voting system but with more people for each electorate. So there would still be 120 members in parliament, but only 24-30 electorates. So you might pick 3-4 people to represent the area you live in. Again you rank the candidates in the order in which you like them and the most popular members would be elected, a bit like how we elect members of local council. Under this system minor parties and independents have a good chance of getting in and coalitions would generally be required to form a government.
SM – Supplementary Member
This system is a bit like our current voting system, MMP, but with a lower number of list MPs. So out of the 120 people in parliament 90 would be elected to represent electorates and 30 would be made up by party votes. The other main difference is a minor party would not need over 5% to get list MPs in on party votes like they do currently. Everyone is represented how the public votes for them. So if a minor party won just over 3.5% of the party votes they would be allowed 3.5% of the party seats, which according to my math would be one seat in parliament.
To find out more go to referendum.org.nz and do their quiz. This is written to be a very basic overview, but if it’s sparked your interest there are more in depth summaries around including this paper from Maxim Institute.
Aotearoa – educating you about nearby NZ legends
So I’ve just submitted my first app for approval by Apple! Description for the website I had to make to submit it:
Aotearoa is your essential guide to New Zealand’s legends. All these legends have been passed down through oral tradition and cross checked. Most of the stories blend the location’s true history and elements of fantasy. Use the Legends tab while traveling the country to read about the destinations you visit. Alternatively use the Map view to see which parts of the country we have covered and read all the legends at once. Also included is a Glossary with Maori to English translations of relevant words and place names. We’ll continue to update this app with new locations as we hear of them. Please share more New Zealand legends with us by emailing aotearoa@annarosekerr.com.
I started building it myself and got a bit stuck on the GPS so had to bring in an expert to pull it all together. The good thing about that is it runs with no errors and will hopefully sail through the approval process. Although I have heard about apps being pulled up on the tiniest details, so I’m not going to get my hopes up.
I’ll let you know if/ when it gets released so you can all download it!
118 years ago today women first got the right to vote
And it happened in little New Zealand.
Such an amazing claim to world history and yet it will probably go unnoticed while our country focuses on rugby. Anyway I’ve done my bit and dropping some white camellias next to the hideous Suffrage fountain on Khartoum Place. I’ve come to realise that maybe Kate would have liked the memorial, after all she picked the ugliest flowers to spread her cause.
You should put some flowers down if you’re in the area. Or tweet your TV station of choice and tell them to do a story on suffrage. Or get your feminine hygiene client to run a really cool campaign about it. Just do something to acknowledge what Kate and the girls did for us.
But most importantly exercise your right to vote!!! I dare you to pick someone other than who your parents vote for. Visit political compass and find out who best represents your opinions and go do your thing for democracy.
26 November you’ll find me at my favourite polling booth, the High Court on the site of Auckland’s parliament.
This view of Parliament Buildings (far left) and St Paul’s, above Mechanics Bay, is from Parnell Rise. Andrew Robertson, Auckland from Parnell, 1859
My favourite pieces from @Auckartgal
Today started in the best possible way a Sunday could, waking up to the sound of church bells ringing. I made waffles for breakfast and then I went to the Auckland Art Gallery for the first time in way too long. The new building is fantastic, although easy to get lost in. I really like what they’ve done with the lighting, it makes the golds and whites really shine.
There are some great new additions to the collection, and I hope they decide to keep the Flower Chandelier permanently. However after being closed for this long I really just wanted to see the adored pieces I have missed over the years.
Anyone who knows me well (or reads this blog regularly) knows my favourite painting, Lamia, is in the Auckland collection. I walked into the room it is in and a bunch of tourists were crowed around it, I got a bit impatient waiting for them to move on.
Anyway here are some of the other artworks which have always appealed to me. The reproductions do them no justice, so go see them for yourself in all their true glory.
Frederick Goodall – The Finding of Moses Because of this painting I was amazed to see Ibises in Sydney, however after living there for awhile I realised what annoying birds they actually are. Daniel Maclise – The Spirit of Justice The angel in pink on the left is beautiful, I swear all the Disney princesses are modeled off her.
Frank Bramley – For of such is the Kingdom of Heaven This painting is so creepy, especially the grey faced girl staring directly at you. I was probably about her age when I first noticed this painting, and perhaps that’s why I like it.
Frederick Leighton – The Spirit of the Summit and Guido Reni – Saint Sebastian The internet has completely drained these images of their dark blue colours and star filled skies.
Eduardo Paolozzi Thank goodness some of the pop art collection has come out of hiding! If anyone from the art gallery is reading this, please bring out the two Liechtensteins and the Yoko Ono film. Much thanks!
William Hodges – A View in Dusky Bay, New Zealand
Christopher Perkins – Taranaki and Robin White – Fish and chips, Maketu
Why I’m not going to London. Yet.
Some of you know my BF and I were going to move to London this year. Originally I was set to sail in May but his work delayed us and consequently we’ve both missed out on a bunch of opportunities. I still have a flight booked leaving in two weeks and a suitcase packed full of candy for Vic at Sell Sell (dw I’ll post it to you instead). But I’ve made the really difficult decision to stay in Auckland for awhile yet.
For a couple of weeks I really couldn’t make up my mind. I could stick with a job I genuinely enjoy (most days) in a city that I hate OR start all over again in LONDON. And then I bumped into my old boss and he asked if I was “living the deam”. Even though it’s been a shit couple of weeks in this miserable city I realised that I totally am. I’m incredibly lucky to be working in the second best job I could ever imagine in the second best agency. (So until W&K start hiring wedding cake designers it can’t get much better right?)
A couple of my friends are annoyed that I gave in so easily, but I see it differently. I’m giving this place another chance. I’m going to make an effort to get involved with the local technology “scene”. I’m going to convince my BF to move back here. I’m going to be bloody excited when our art gallery reopens in two months. I might even start a hyperlocal blog about Ponsonby… but probably not.
Show me a picture of a squirrel and I might regret my decision. But remember London that you will always be my favourite city (until I visit San Fran and NYC next year) and I will see you soon.
Merry Christmas
I can’t believe Christmas isn’t over yet. I’ve been working on it since November, the perils of being a junior in an ad agency I guess.
My first Christmas project was the ASB Santa Parade float for which I wanted to create a Rube Goldberg machine. Kids on a seesaw flip a hairdryer switch on and off which blows wind into a trumpet which plays music.
(Drawn by Russell Chambers).
Unfortunately we lacked money, time and OSH regulated safety features so the float ended up looking a bit different. However the kids loved it and everyone was impressed with what Three Sixty managed to pull off in 4 days. I was at their warehouse at 9pm on the night before the parade putting on the finishing touches (a black and gold Christmas tree) and then ended up in the car which pulled the float down Queen St.
The music in that video is Holy Night played by Alaska. You can download that and a bunch more Christmas songs by kiwi artists here >
Speaking of kiwi artists, for the ASB Christmas cards we worked with three talented ladies to create unique kiwi images. (Click to go through to their websites).
At first I was mind boggled trying to think of things which were yellow and Christmasy (cellotape, panatone, franklin rd), but black on yellow actually works so well for NZ Christmas. In a sea of green and red these will certainly be standing out on people’s mantlepieces.
As for my personal Christmas colours, this year I wrapped presents in tiffany blue with gold ribbons and used Lotto scratchy cards as the gift tags.
Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!
Eye candy from The Craft Shop
I saw a few of these ads in IRL when they were running and loved the design. Today I discovered they are all out of The Craft Shop in Auckland. So beautiful! Enjoy.
Update
Oh hi, I live in Auckland now. More on that and White Camellia Day (commemorating the day women got the right to vote) later.
I am working at an amazing agency learning from the best in the business. I don’t actually have a contract or a salary, but I do have a swipe card to the building which definitely counts for something.
I’m writing this from the very first computer I have bought for myself. It’s a cute little macbook, but too be honest Apple doesn’t feel as special as it used to. Too many useless pieces of plastic in the box.
So we all know Australian news is atrocious, turns our Nightline is just as bad. Their headline story was about All Blacks captain Richie McCaw going to Chirstchurch to see the damaged homes. AND NOW it’s the ad break and Richie is back, promoting Verstile Home builders! You can watch the advert here > it’s about six months old, but obviously the Christchurch earthquake was too good an opportunity to exploit. TV3 please get some journalistic integrity.
The NZ ad depicting Muhammad’s image
A bunch of punks in Auckland have started a skate magazine called Muckmouth. Their website warns “If it still offends you… do not bother to complain as we still do not give a fuck about you”. Although I’d never heard of them until today their latest stunt is about to hit the international press (you heard it here first) because of this obscene sacrilege:
I can’t imagine Brian Tamaki’s following will take this very well, but no one has yet been killed for using his image in vein. On the other hand when Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons of Muhummad, their embassy in Pakistan was bombed. One 75 year old cartoonist will be in 24/7 police protection for the rest of his life because of the death threats and attempts against him.
What shocks me about these designs is not the derogatory way these figures are portrayed (haters gonna hate), but that someone actually pasted them up all around Auckland City:
Surely a poster which puts lives in danger breaches the advertising standards?
My guide to having a good time in Auckland
Lots of people seem to be heading to New Zealand for business and pleasure. While I’m sure you won’t get bored of the beautiful South Island, Auckland is another story. On first impression it can seem like a dreary version of Sydney with a slightly taller tower, significantly smaller harbour bridge and not a lot to do.
In reality Auckland has some great food, amazing beaches and lovely people. I am writing this guide so you can skip the dull bits and actually enjoy your stay in Auckland.
1. I may be biased because I grew up here, but I think most people agree it’s a pretty great suburb which can be summed up in one word: gentrification. You can still grab a decent coffee at some of Ponsonby’s original grungy cafes, just look for arty names like Cezanne or Byzantine.
For the best food in the city go for Italian words; Bambina for breakfast and Prego or S.P.Q.R. for either lunch or dinner. One of the best things about NZ being a farming nation is even in the hippest part of the big city you eat delicious fresh (often organic) food. You can tell the waitress you liked your meal in Maori by saying “ka pai te kai” pronounced ”car pie tea k-eye”.
2. About an hour north of the city are some of my favourite bits of the region. Goat Island has been a marine sanctuary since the 70s, you don’t have to swim very far from the beach to be surrounded by fish!
On the way there stop off at Matakana which is popular for it’s many vineyards and organic cafes.
3. Growing up I took black sand for granted, a whole side of Auckland’s coastline has it. After living in Australia for a while I have realised how incredible this phenomenon is. The best place to experience it is Muriwai Beach because you will also encounter spectacular wildlife such as the large gannet colony or seals.
You know how painful it is to touch a steering wheel when it’s been out in the sun all day? That’s what this sand is like, so wear closed shoes on hot days. Also remember to wear SPF30 sunscreen whatever the weather. Due to global pollution there is a hole in the ozone layer right above NZ. This means it’s very easy to get sunburned and the country has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. If you want to undo some of the damage done to our environment consider donating to the NZ Cancer Society >
4. If you want a Haka there are plenty of places you can pay to see one performed. However if you want to experience real Maori culture I suggest you pay a visit to this Marae which is used daily by the Ngati Whatua, my adoptive Iwi! Although not technically open to the public if you go up during business hours you may be lucky enough to find someone who is happy to show you around.
The land which it sits on has a spectacular view of Auckland, and an intense history. Remember no shoes!
5. After a day exploring you may want to get into bed and appreciate one of the country’s finest talents… advertising. We must have easily won the most international advertising awards, per capita. NZ is particularly good at TVCs. To watch some fantastic ads tune into primetime telly like Outrageous Fortune which currently airs 8.30pm Tuesday on TV3.
Is there anything that needs to be added to this list?
In the homeland enjoying some kiwiana
Sad to hear the Goldstein ads are over, but there are a few funny suggestions on how to end his career >
Special things from me to you
According to Google people who end up at my site are usually searching for “Chatroulette boobs” and I hope those people find what they are looking for.
The people who spend the longest time on my site (on average 15 minutes!) are usually looking for cats. So below is a picture of a kitten I had called Maebe, so all you cat people don’t have to look so hard:
Pretty soon I will be getting on a plane to Europe so the regular service may be somewhat disrupted. But never fear I will schedule some themed blogs for while I am gone. I have also compiled a list of very talented New Zealanders who write about the kinds of things you find here.
For advertising lols I recommend a peek at the hashtag #overheardinthecreativedept created by the very lovely miss @bexrad.
If you want the latest breaking news, I don’t know why you would be looking here. Nevertheless may I suggest following journalist @jonohutchison, who’s stories you can find on New Zealand’s TV3.
If you’re a nerd you will enjoy David Chambers Design, where my friend painstakingly writes beautiful code.
For everything and anything in any way awesome you must subscribe to Frivolity by my favourite Poppy Gallico.
(Tip: her boyfriend is also a fantastic tweeter.)
For music listen to Dear Time’s Waste, for arts & craft check out Craft-D, and there’s even a site to cover off the most obscure of the things I blog about weddings.
Lest we forget
Today we celebrate the soldiers from New Zealand and Australia who risked and lost their lives for our countries.
Over breakfast we got into a debate about whether their service is really the most important thing our country’s people have done to serve the world. Without denying that the ANZACs deserve the recognition they get, there are other New Zealanders have contributed a lot on the world scale and get little more than a face on note (which even kiwis don’t use now that everyone takes eftpos).
Lord Rutherford – Split the atom and although his science has been used for both good and evil, it really is world changing.
Apirana Ngata – A Maori leader who was probably the first “native” person to contribute to a western country’s politics.
Sir Edmund Hillary – Climbed the tallest mountain in the world.
Kate Sheppard – Lead the woman’s suffrage and got the first vote for women around the world. Without the efforts of kiwi women I am sure feminism would have eventually won the right to vote, but you’ve got to admit we did a great job of doing it first!
When you consider that these brave women were the first in the world to get females recognised as citizens in their own right, it is sad to see how little they are celebrated. Other than a face on a $10 note, a relief in Christchurch and a fountain in Auckland City there is not a lot we do to remember them.
There are so many statues in New Zealand of politicians and soldiers and none that I have ever seen have been famous women. Female statues are only found in war memorial sites. They are depicted with robes falling down revealing breast and failing to hold up the weight of an iron flag.
Are there any statues around the world in the likeness of any great women? (Real women from our age, not the Statue of Liberty or Mother Mary). Please link me to them if there are!
There is a better way to experience volcanoes
Ad concept for New Zealand Tourism which was proposed to run the morning of the volcanic ash story on the SMH story.
Photo of space station repairs above nz
Astronaut Robert L. Curbeam Jr. (left) and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Christer Fuglesang participate in the mission’s first of three planned sessions of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction continues on the International Space Station.
Ad agency posts out drugs
Ok not drugs, but rock salt and a note about how awesome P is. They even sent one to the prime minister.
I just don’t understand how someone thought that was a good idea. Also one of their clients in the pharmaceutical industry, surely with that contact they could have done something more creative and effective to raise awareness about NZ’s drug problem. >
Auckland train ride
This is a lovely animation, and a great ad concept. I really like the NZ Book Council ads, espcially the read at work one which has been taken down.
The problem with this particular spot is somewhere in between Maurice Gee’s writing and the ad being animated in a London studio there has become a great disconnect from what an Auckland train ride actually looks like.
Also from a book called “Going West” why would you pick an extract about going East?
Dick Frizzell
Dick Frizzell is one of my all time favourite artists.
Sleeping Woman (2008) was top of my Birthday present wishlist this year, I didn’t get it however there is potential of an even better present next year…
We’re going to Tuscany for my birthday and just after this Mr Frizzell himself is doing a 2 week painting workshop there! It would be a dream come true to go, however my flights back are shortly after it starts and with the booking being Florence – London – Kuala Lumpar – Melbourne – where ever I am living, it would be a mission to change. Fingers crossed they let me attend the workshop for just the first couple of days!
Actually come to think of it his son Otis Frizzell taught me how to tag, back in my West Auckland days.
The painting on the right (Grocer with Moko, 1992) was the inspiration for my 6th form painting boards. We had to start with Jim Dyne and thank goodness my teacher recommended this as a segway into a painting style I actually like. I’ve had a love affair with his work since then (minus the Colin McCahon inspired recipes series).
When we heard from a friend he was releasing a range of wines we fly back to Auckland and got 6 bottles from the airport, we drank one (the bottle is now used as a vase), but the rest have been reserved for a special occasion amoungst other far more expensive and better tasting, but not nearly as stylish wines (and a bottle or two of CC):
Will hopefully find out soon if I can attend the workshop, and then just have to save up a million dollars to fund it – or maybe I can sell the paintings I do on trademe to cover costs? Haha
Something i will miss this summer
The NZ roadtrip…
This ad reminds me so much of home.
Watch the episodes as well, although they are overacted and not quite as amusing.
Raising the IQ
I like that MR Vintage have put this Muldoon quote on a tshirt, it has been my motto over the last couple of months and it’s even my Skype status. Someone should probably buy me the tshirt.
Do you know which other Prime Minister has a daughter who dresses weird?
There’s been some controversy over this photo of Spanish Prime Minister’s goth daughters on a political trip to the USA via gawker >
Kinda similar to someone else who else took their fashionably awkward daughter on a political trip to the USA recently….
Innovative student uses live news for free advertising
from Dannews >
Watch the news story at 3news >
See the auction on trademe >
AirNZ ads
Everyone’s talking about the new Air New Zealand naked safety video but I personally think this little facebook ad is better. Coiencidence or not, that is some awesome personalised advertising!
