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Ek het gedink in plaas daarvan om vanoggend eers die koerant te lees, kan julle so vinnig loer na die NZ-koerant. Ek skryf later vandag of more my eie algemene nuusbrief. In plaas daarvan dat ek nou al hierdie nuus moes oorskryf, “ steel “ ek sommer gou die nuusberigte.

Tot later

Anna-Maré

Eight Wellington parking wardens have been sacked after not ticketing each other's cars.

A city council investigation uncovered the scam in which wardens regularly let each other park in the CBD without paying. Whether that extended to family or friends is not yet known.

Council subcontractor ADT Armourguard suspended nine wardens last week. One of them resigned.

Council spokesman Simon Beattie said the company has asked for a further week to finalise its report on the matter.

He said the eight wardens were dismissed and one resigned for a range of "inappropriate practices".

ADT's report will also be sent to police.

Kiwi-maatskappye glo tevrede met immigrante

Die NZ Herald het onlangs berig dat ‘n nuwe meningsopname onlangs aangetoon het dat werkgewers tevrede is met die gekwalifiseerde immigrante wat hulle aanstel. Sowat 56 persent van die deelnemende organisasies het aangedui dat hulle voel die feit dat hulle ‘n immigrant aangestel het, hul organisasie meer bevoordeel het as toe hulle ‘n Nieu-Seelander aangestel het.

Immigrasie-minister David Cunliffe het gesê die vraelys is uitgevoer om te bepaal hoe goed die Department van Arbeid vaar om werkgewers se behoeftes aan te spreek tydens vaardigheidstekorte. Hy het genoem dat 81 persent van werkgewers tevrede was met die prestasie van immigrante wat vir hulle werk.

Werkgewers het gevoel dat immigrante heelwat bydra tot die organisasie se kennis, oor vaardighede beskik wat nie altyd by Nieu-Seelanders beskikbaar is nie, die organisasie se vlak van vaardigheid verhoog, bydra tot die organisasie se groei en oor innoverende praktyke beskik.

Die werkprestasie van immigrant-werkers is ook in 90 persent van gevalle nie deur probleme met die Engelse taal geaffekteer nie.

Die vraelys het ook bevind dat 69 persent van immigrante in die steekproef steeds vir die werkgewer werk waar hulle as nuwe immigrante begin werk het.

New Zealand faces up to a diverse future

When Irish businessman Richie O’Neill was weighing up whether to move to New Zealand, he was aware he had other options. Knowing he could earn twice as much in Europe, he chose New Zealand for its space and lifestyle. Some would have made a different decision. As the international shortage of skilled workers drives up wages, others in O’Neill’s position would opt for US greenbacks over our green pastures. Throw in an ageing population and decreasing birthrate, and even Prime Minister Helen Clark is worried. She has asked the Department of Labour what it proposes to do to ensure New Zealand’s economic growth is not constrained. In the current financial year, the Government aimed to bring in 20,000 applicants (including their families) under the skilled migrant category. Four months into the year, 3055 people had been accepted, and the Immigration Service would not supply an update, saying simply they were "pulling out all the stops" to improve the situation. It is clear New Zealand is seeing a "whitening" trend in migration. Last year, Britain was the greatest source of immigrants, making up a fifth of all approvals for permanent residency. Just over one-tenth came from China - a 4 per cent fall from earlier years. The swing is largely due to the toughening up of the English language test requirements in 2002. While Immigration Minister Paul Swain denies the result was intentional, other politicians and academics are not so sure. While a certain command of English is necessary, says Auckland University geographer Ward Friesen, he wonders whether the changes might be a throwback to the 1970s when European countries were the preferred sources of migrants. Perhaps coincidentally, every change making it harder for non-English speakers to be granted entry has come in an election year. Regardless, the whitening will not last, says Waikato University population expert Richard Bedford. A quarter of the world’s population - 2.5 billion potential immigrants - live in China and India. The pool of white labour is far more shallow. Between them,Europe, the United States, Canada and South Africa have a potential workforce of less than 1 billion. Statistics NZ’s latest forecasts support this. Europeans are predicted to fall to just over two-thirds of our population by 2021, while Asians are predicted to double to 15 per cent. The Pacific and Maori populations will also grow. But Waikato University population expert Arunachalam Dharmalingam thinks the predictions are optimistic. He thinks it is unlikely there will be such a big influx of Asians, partly because many will lured by Europe and North America. The Department of Labour is working on the issue together with the Immigration Service, and in recent months the number of Pacific Island migrants has increased. With the lowest unemployment rate in decades, training New Zealanders is not the answer. Dharmalingam says the focus should be on bringing ex-pat New Zealanders home by improving the student loan system and boosting salaries. Friesen is not so sure. Not everyone leaves the country to pay off student loans, he says. Many want to see the world or further careers - a wanderlust that shouldn’t be curbed. Bedford says we have to face facts. We’re a relatively low wage economy. We must promote our positives - a cheap education system, recreational opportunities, "and perhaps most importantly, our tolerance of people who are different". Nevertheless, Bedford says he’s despondent at our negative stereotyping. In 1996, when Asian immigration was relatively new, he could understand some antipathy towards immigrants. "But hell’s bells, we’re nearly 10 years out from that and we’ve had a lot of migration anda lot of discussion about the roleit plays." Yet each election year, Bedford hears the same racist debate. "People have got to get their heads around the fact that the world is a lot more diverse and complex than that."

Maak gereed vir Sensus 2006!

Het jy jou vorms vir Sensus 2006 van volgende Dinsdag?

- Wat sou Charlise op ons sensusvorms oor haar taal aangedui het? -

Elke vyf jaar word ‘n nasionale sensus in Nieu-Seeland gehou en dit is een van die dae – op 7 Maart - weer sulke tyd. Die Bestuurskomitee van Die Afrikaanse Klub wil graag alle Brokkieslesers in Nieu-Seeland aanmoedig om getrou hieraan deel te neem, om twee redes: Enersyds omdat daar ‘n burgerlike plig op inwoners van die land rus om deel te neem en ons Suider-Afrikaanse immigrante het oor die algemeen ‘n goeie rekord as pligsgetroue en lojale immigrante.

Andersyds wil ons vriendelik versoek dat mense enige vrae wat te make het met ons as immigrante se afkoms (land) en/of huistaal so korrek en volledig as moontlik sal antwoord. Statistiek oor die werklike getal Suider-Afrikaanse immigrante se teenwoordigheid in Nieu-Seeland is histories baie onbetroubaar en daarom is wilde raaiskote oor hoeveel ons dan nou sou wees, aan die orde van die dag. ‘n Ander problem wat hierby aansluit is syfers oor huistale wat nie altyd maklik afleibaar is of te kry is nie. Dan is hierdie twee vrae van die algemeenste vrae waarmee ons as steunorganisasie gereeld bestook word – hetsy deur voornemende immigrante, of deur joernaliste, of sommer tydens gesprekke met Kiwi’s. Dit sal “nice” wees om te weet…

Ons hoor soms van mense wat die vraag oor taal anders antwoord as wat hulle normaalweg sou, omdat hulle meen dat hulle daarmee hul integrasieproses in die nuwe omgewing sal kan versnel. Omdat die vorms vertroulik gehou word, is so ’n poging futiel en gaan ongesiens verby.

Volgende Dinsdag, 7 Maart, is dit Sensustyd in Kiwiland… Die Afrikaanse Klub het in verlede week se Brokkies ons lesers in NS vriendelik versoek om enige vrae oor ons as immigrante se afkoms (bv. geboorteland) en/of huistaal so korrek, eerlik en volledig as moontlik te beantwoord. Baie mense sal graag wil sien wat die statistiek te sê het oor ons as Suid-Afrikaanse en ook Afrikaanstalige immigrantegroep in terme van getalle, ligging woonagtig, patroon en frekwensie van immigrasie, ens. Statistiek oor ons getalle in Nieu-Seeland is histories baie onbetroubaar en daarom is wilde raaiskote aan die orde van die dag.

‘n Voorbeeld hiervan het net voor die vorige sensus gebeur, toe die riemtelegram dit wou hê dat daar tot 50,000 Suid-Afrikaners in Browns Bay alleen sou woon! Die sensus het toe aangetoon dat daar slegs sowat 26,000 landwyd was! Daar was natuurlik mense wat met ander lande se paspoorte na Nieu-Seeland gekom het en ander wat as besoekers in die land was toe die sensus plaasgevind het, wat kenners genoop het om die syfer op sowat 30,000 te plaas. Ons weet dat hierdie syfer intussen heelwat toegeneem het, maar wat is die ware syfer? En wat is die profiel van die groep ten opsigte van bv. huistaal?

Sommige mense het al vir ons gesê dat hulle die vraag oor taal dikwels anders antwoord as wat hulle normaalweg sou, omdat hulle meen dat hulle daarmee hul “integrasieproses in die nuwe omgewing sal kan versnel”. Omdat die vorms vertroulik gehou word, is so ’n poging futiel en gaan ongesiens verby – en ons sit met ‘n gebrekkige weergawe van die statistiese werklikheid.

Dink net: as Charlize (vir jare reeds in die VSA woonagtig) steeds so sterk kan voel oor die behoud van Afrikaans as haar moedertaal – en sy is maar een van talle wat so voel - kan ons mos ook goed voel om te weet dat ons meer as een taal magtig is. En waarom dan nie hierdie feit (dat ons meertalig is) deur middel van die komense sensus na vore bring nie? Die land is hoeka so multikultureel en sowat 200 tale word in Nieu-Seeland in huise gebruik! Ons is maar net deel van daardie lappieskombers.

Onthou dus om op 7 Maart die sensusding te doen. Die sensus verskaf ‘n “kiekie” van hoeveel mense in die land woon en hoeveel woonplekke daar in die land is. Daarmee saam word ‘n magdom ander bruikbare inligting versamel. Deelname aan Sensus 2006 is verpligtend. Die wet bepaal dat elke persoon wat op sensusdag in Nieu-Seeland is, getel moet word en moet deelneem.

NZ second biggest web user in world

20.02.06
By Peter Nowak

New Zealanders are the second-biggest users of the internet in the world despite poor broadband uptake, new statistics show.

A compilation of figures on Internet World Stats website shows 76.3 per cent of New Zealanders - about 3.2 million people - regularly use the internet.

That's good enough for second place, just behind Malta, at 78.1 per cent, and ahead of Iceland, Sweden and Denmark.

Colin Jackson, president of internet governance body InternetNZ, wasn't surprised with the showing.

"New Zealanders have always been up at the head of this. Back in the early days of the mass'net, in the early nineties, it was always us and the Nordics and the US who were the leaders of the pack."

The statistics were compiled from a number of sources, including the International Telecommunications Union, ratings analyst Nielsen//NetRatings and the Computer Industry Almanac.

Although definitions differ between the sources, the website qualified an internet user as someone who has available access to the internet and who has basic knowledge of how to use web technology.

The statistics reinforce similar numbers from the OECD, which ranks countries according to internet subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

New Zealand rates well by that measure - its 52.6 subscribers per 100 is good enough for eighth out of 30, ahead of countries such as Canada, the UK and Japan. But the numbers include dial-up subscribers, who are the overwhelming majority of New Zealand's internet customers.

Conversely, the country ranks near the bottom of the OECD - 22nd out of 30 - in high-speed internet uptake. This further highlights the broadband problem, Jackson said.

"We have lousy broadband penetration in a country where all the other figures including this one show that we would love to be ahead of the curve," he said.

"We've been choked. There is huge demand but inadequate supply."

Telecom has no real broadband competition and controls more than 90 per cent of the market, either through retail or wholesale, which allows the company to set prices and speeds as it sees fit, Jackson said.

Telecom spokesman John Goulter said the company shares the Government's goal of moving customers over to faster services.

"Our big challenge is to get as many as possible of those internet users over to broadband as fast as possible. We think we've made a good step towards that" with the new set of plans it unveiled last week.

But Jackson said the plans, which boost speeds and lower prices somewhat, were not enough to make a difference in international rankings.

"I'm not convinced that the recent improvements by Telecom, while they are welcome, are anywhere near enough to get us into the top quarter of the OECD like the Government has been asking."

The low broadband uptake is also the main reason for New Zealand's poor showing in overall number of websites, he said.

New Zealand has about 15 websites per 1000 people, less than half the OECD average of 30 and well behind leader Germany, at 85.

Slow upload speeds and data restrictions have made it impractical for many users to set up and host their own sites at home.

"You run a serious risk of blowing some relatively modest data cap and letting yourself in for an unlimited bill. Nobody is going to do that from home," Jackson said.

The result is that users need to pay somebody else, such as an internet service provider, to host their website. That's an extra step and cost that discourages all but the most serious businesses.

The other result is that some businesses host their websites offshore because it is cheaper to do so.

Some Government sites, as well as some of Radio New Zealand's streaming content, is hosted in the United States, Jackson said.