The Wanganui Council Prayer Row

Nearly 50% of the Wanganui region do not count themselves as Christian and the council is refusing to acknowledge that by insisting they read a Christian prayer at the beginning of every meeting to bless the decisions made on our behalf. This whole thing started when a councillor stood up for the rights of one of us who wrote to the mayor and asked that something be done about it. Now his personal beliefs are on public show and his kids are being targeted for it. This isn't right at all! One person shouldn't be left to deal with this! This is a human rights issue! If we dont speak out now - they're gonna think that they can take away our rights any time they please. I'm going to send the council a letter and I'd really like to urge you to join me. Please help me to speak out! Here is what I propose.......

 We write to the Wanganui Mayor and quote Lesley Rudhall's original statement......

"I object to anyone's religious beliefs being imposed on others. Religious worship has no place in a secular debating chamber that exists to serve all sections of the community, regardless of their religious beliefs, or indeed lack of them,"

That's all we gotta do - make sure they know that we will not go quietly into the night. 

The mayors email address is: mayorandcouncillors@wanganui.govt.nz
Below is my own submission.....you are very welcome to use it.

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Dear Ms Main,

I am writing to you in support of the removal of the Christian prayer from the formal proceedings of the Whanganui District Council Meetings. Since the proceedings and decisions therein are conducted on my behalf, I do not feel that the prayer is appropriate as it does not respect my beliefs. 

"I object to anyone's religious beliefs being imposed on others. Religious worship has no place in a secular debating chamber that exists to serve all sections of the community, regardless of their religious beliefs, or indeed lack of them,"

I would like to see the prayer either removed entirely or adjusted to a non-denominational affirmation.

Thank you for your time

.............................(sign your name here)

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Submission to parliament concerning the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 2)

This bill implements the recommendations of the Law Commission in relation to the protection of children and young persons from assault, neglect, and ill treatment. This was my submission to the committee, made in an attempt to help to stop the child abuse and murder happening in my country - feel free to use it.

There have been so many children tortured and murdered by the very people who are supposed to be protecting them. Countless more suffer every day at the hands of their so-called family and guardians. This continues to happen in our country because our laws are lax, because people are afraid to get involved, because the organisations that have been put in place to help these children are failing and because our society is sick.

Please, please, please do something to help these children. If you cannot help them by revamping the procedures CYPS and other child protection agencies have in place, at least change the penalties for child abuse, child neglect and child murder.

I am asking you to make the penalties extremely severe by the simple fact that the victim is a child. Many of the killers are charged with manslaughter or injury causing death. This cannot be - this is unjust and it takes no amount of that child's suffering into account. When someone beats and tortures a child, they are responsible for a lifetime of emotional anguish from that point on and should pay for it accordingly. When someone beats a child to death, it is murder and the penalty should be to the fullest extant of the law. When someone watches it and allows it to happen - they are just as responsible and should also pay to the fullest extant of the law.

There are no excuses for the torturing and the killing of a child. There are no excuses for allowing it to continue.

Thank you for your time.

Letter in Support of the NZ Breakfast in Schools Programme

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to you to urge you and your company to support the Breakfast in Schools Programme. This programme supplies breakfasts to over 1600 NZ school children at decile 1 schools. These are children living in the poorest areas throughout NZ. 

The major sponsor, Countdown supermarkets has just pulled out on them, forcing the programme to shut down. 

NZ is at a time when poverty is rife and many of these are children are already suffering malnourishment - these kids desperately need your help.  I urge you to contact the Red Cross, who are the main organisers of the programme. Their contact details are 0800 RED CROSS or you can follow this link to their website http://www.redcross.org.nz/cms_display.php?st=1&sn=27&pg=503

Thank you very much for your time,
A Caring Kiwi.

Whaling and irresponsible fishing

It appears that the government is thinking of backing the idea of allowing specific quotas of whaling in the international community rather than strictly holding our anti-whaling stance. Even if you're not into the whole whale debate, this is a bigger issue than most are aware of. Have any of you been to a beach lately and been surprised at the lack of 'life' there? Particularly beaches you knew from a child? If we don't do something now our grandchildren will never know the joy of poking through the rock pools and watching everything scuttle away. They will never watch dolphin pods playing just off our beaches.

So with that in mind, I've a letter for people to use if they need it with the addresses to send it to. Go for it - have your say!............

A Letter protesting whaling and irresponsible fishing

Tuesday 9 March 2010

To those who hold our childrens future in their hands,

I would like to join my voice to the people of New Zealand who are opposed to whaling.

I would to make it clear to our politicians and leaders that my family and I want New Zealand to remain strictly opposed to ALL whaling and we want the countries who are still doing it to be held accountable in the International Court of Justice and we want New Zealand to back any efforts to do so. Our stance on whaling is that it is not justified or moral and it must be stopped.

I also wish to point out that irresponsible commercial fishing is causing dreadful damage to our sea stocks and our coastlines and it must also be stopped. I am aware that our own fishing industry is fishing out our waters using foreign vessels and crews. As I understand it, foreign vessels are not legally allowed to be fishing within 200 nautical miles of the New Zealand shore. This is happening apparently because of a legal loophole that must also be closed quickly and effectively.

There are several species of fish that were once plentiful and are now nearing an endangered status. People are now able to watch commercial fishing vessels pillaging our oceans from the beach – regardless of whether or not it is legal, there should not be commerical fishing within the 12 mile coastal limit. Something needs to be done now to protect our waters.

Once upon a time it was a wonderful thing to explore the rock pools on our beaches because they used to be teeming with abundant life. and it was easy to gather a bit of seafood for lunch. But even now there are many beaches in New Zealand where you'll be lucky to find a decent sized hermit crab for your kids to look at. This cannot be.

• I want the children of New Zealand to able to see whales and dolphins in their natural habitat, living as they should – free and safe from harm caused by humans.
• I want the children of New Zealand to able to play on New Zealand beaches that are teeming with the sealife I knew when I was a child.
• I want the illegal pillaging of our oceans and coastlines stopped and I want to see those responsible punished now before it's too late.

If our grandchildren ever have to look up at us and ask us why there are no whales and what did real fish taste like - we should not have to be ashamed of our answer.

Think of how history will remember you in fifty years. Please make a difference now.

Thank you for your time,

Put your own name here,

Put your own town here.

Addresses to send our letters to......

The Prime Minister.......Hon John Keys
j.key@ministers.govt.nz

The Minister of Fisheries........Hon David Carter
d.carter@ministers.govt.nz

The Minister of Foreign Affairs............Hon Murray McCully
m.mccully@ministers.govt.nz