“Local Government New Zealand is showing real leadership on the leaky homes issue,” says its President, Basil Morrison. “We have been closely engaged in the issue and the implications for councils and homeowners since 2003.”

The organisation has been trying to engage Government in discussions on possible risk-sharing mechanisms to manage the ‘leaky homes’ issue. The latest example of this was through Local Government New Zealand’s submission to the Select Committee considering the Weathertight Homes Bill in October 2006, the organisation was not successful in achieving change to the current legal situation on liability.

About Palmerston North

Situated on the banks of the Manawatu River nestled at the foot of the impressive Tararua Mountain Range, Palmerston North is a vibrant, youthful city with an active student population, nearby military bases, and an impressive array of educational, scientific and research institutions. The largest centre of Manawatu, Palmerston North city lies 140 km north-east of Wellington and 546 km south of Auckland. The city’s central location also places it within easy two hour drives of the North Island’s Central Plateau with its thermal areas and ski fields, the beaches and wineries of the Hawkes Bay, Mount Taranaki and historic Maori sites of the Taranaki region, the Wairarapa with its vineyards, and the attractions of New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington. On our doorstep, we have the spectacular Manawatu Gorge, nearby West Coast beaches, river activities, museums, galleries, golf courses, parks and walkways, and enough cafe’s, bars, restaurants and shops to cater for every taste.

Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the Maori Queen and longest-serving head of the Kingitanga movement, died today. She was aged 75. In May, Dame Te Ata celebrated the 40th anniversary of her coronation as leader of the Kingitanga. On Waitangi Day 1971, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, accompanied by her husband, daughter Heeni and about 100 Waikato supporters, visited Palmerston North and became the first New Zealand citizen to be given the “Freedom of the City”. It was a huge event for Palmerston North (and possibly the only time a hangi has been laid down in The Square). I still recall standing by the clocktower watching the ceremony, which was held at the now-demolished soundshell. Mayor Black did the honours. That event passed into history a long time ago and sadly, now, Dame Te Atairangikaahu has too. My sympathy goes out to her family and followers.

I have had a question for the major political parties, which I thought appropriate to ask in the run-up to the General Election. I decided it was best to send my question by e-mail, not least because any response is then written and can be followed up if necessary.

In case you also have questions you would like put to the parties, I am listing the e-mail addresses of many of them here. Note: these are in no particular order.

policy@greens.org.nz - Greens

info@unitedfuture.org.nz - United Future

info@nzfirst.org.nz - NZ First

hq@national.org.nz - National

While walking down the street, a politician is hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven, and he is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

“Welcome to heaven,” says St. Peter. “Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see such a high official around these parts, you see, and so we’re not sure what to do with you.”

“No problem,” says the politician, “just let me in” .

“Well, I’d like to, but I have orders from ‘on high.’ What we do is have you spend a day in hell, and a day in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.”

As so often happens, a passing comment got me thinking. I was speaking to a woman who said she believed there were no barriers in New Zealand, that people all had the same opportunities. She did concede that family circumstances, low incomes, and differentials in education create barriers but was adamant that people could “rise above” these and change their lives if they so chose. Hmmm…

I think we are all probably aware of many barriers which prevent people from being included in our community and we could, if asked, probably name groups of people who are marginalised for one reason or another. But I am going to talk here about one thing that really makes me very angry. The way NZ’ers treat the disabled.

In Palmerston North, there are a number of cafes which pack their tables in so closely that potential customers who use wheelchairs cannot get in. One I can think of has an accessible entrance which is always locked. We have taxi drivers who refuse to transport wheelchairs and others who will not allow a service dog to travel in them. And every time it rains mobility card holders know better than to try to go shopping as disability car parks are filled with people who seem to think that getting damp is some kind of disability!

These are some of the barriers that disabled folk face every day here in town. Going out of town brings more problems. InterCity and Newmans coachlines do not have accessible buses. A blind person can travel inter-city around the country, but if a deaf person wants to go they are not permitted to take their assistance dog. A wheelchair user can travel inter-city on a bus, but only if they have a caregiver who can physically lift them on and off the bus. If they use a mobility assistance dog, the dog is not allowed to travel. Rail services have no problem with taking disabled passengers, except that many of the stations around the country are not built in such a way that the ramp can be used.

Our form of government is representative democracy. We elect people to represent us in both Parliament and the council chamber, as well as on a number of other local governance bodies such as district health boards and school boards of trustees. There are many opportunities for us to express our opinions about the activities of those who make decisions on our behalf - but to take advantage of those opportunities we need to understand how government works at both levels: Parliament and the council chamber.