Posted in
Entertainment,
General by
Nikki Webber on February 5th, 2010
Waitangi Day is tomorrow, so if you haven’t already got plans now is the ideal time to check out some of the events on offer in your region and celebrate New Zealand’s annual national holiday with your family.
Though often a day for political debate which is seen by some as divisive, celebrations commonly focus on the unity of Maori and Pakeha in New Zealand, with many Waitangi Day events, concerts and festivals throughout New Zealand, celebrating our nationhood.
Whether you head to your local marae in recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi or take a moment to celebrate what a great country we live in by having friends and family around for a barbeque at home, celebrating Waitangi day in New Zealand and recognising the Treaty of Waitangi is a great way to appreciate our national history and identity.
Posted in
Politics by
Nikki Webber on June 4th, 2009
Remember those famous, all too insightful words of gumbooted Kiwi bloke persona Fred Dagg?
Well, if you’re in need of some reminding as to just how lucky we are, mate, New Zealand has just been named the world’s most peaceful nation.
The land of the long white cloud jumped ahead three spots in the Global Peace Index in 2009, knocking last year’s leader, Iceland, off the top spot.
Now in its third year, the index defines peace as “the absence of violence,” and looks at 23 indicators of peacefulness across 144 countries. Internally, these include homicides, the percentage of the population in jail, the availability of guns, and level of organized crime. External indicators include the size of the military, the exports and imports of arms, battlefield deaths, United Nations peacekeeping contributions, and relations with neighbouring states.
New Zealand scored highly because of its stable government, high level of respect for human rights and relatively small defence spending. The world’s major military powers scored poorly, with Russia at 136th and China 74th.
The US was 83rd, due to its enormous military and the fact it still jails a higher proportion of its population than any of the other 143 nations in the Global Peace Index.
