HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jrdodd@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Aussie Joke
Date: 28 Aug 92 15:32:34 +1200
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

Let's not get into strife over the meanings and hidden implications
of Aussie jokes,  but I just heard one on the radio I thought I'd pass on
This is purely for humour,  so please,  no flames from Aussie readers
please!  We can all substitute our social groups,  so long as the fine line
between degradation and friendly stirring is recognised.
(This has got to be the most politically correct intro to a joke ever)

Q: What do you call an australian with an I.Q. of 180?
A: A suburb.

There,  I suppose I'll have to get back to work now$#%^*%$%(!!!

Jonathan.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: 19 September referendum
From: Michael.Norrish@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Michael Norrish)
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 01:50:49 GMT
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, Victoria Uni. of Wellington, NZ.

I'm interested to hear what people think are the objections to STV as
a proportional representation system. To my mind, it seems to have two
advantages over MMP,
 
i) all MPs have some local affiliation, and
ii) the party doesn't have the monopoly on power that is implied by
    the fact that parties specify party lists.

These might be considered two sides of the same coin I guess. 

I'm also curious as to what is supposed to happen if the proportion of
votes a party gets would indicate that they should have _fewer_ seats
than they have won in the seat-based half of the parliament. Does the
party then have to drop people? I admit, the possibility seems a
remote one, but I'm interested to hear an official answer.

Finally, it seems a shame that in voting for our preferred system of
change we have to vote in a first-past-the-post manner. The nasty
spectre of having to vote for MMP because it needs our votes to do
better than something stupid like PV, (is there any truth in the claim
that people who don't want change are being told to vote for this as a
next best option?), thus precluding STV, is not a pleasant one.

Michael.
--
--- Michael Norrish  -------------------- mnorrish@comp.vuw.ac.nz ---

       "I am not sure how clouds get formed. But the clouds know 
           how to do it, and that is the important thing."
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: weather report, christchurch
From: cctr123@csc.canterbury.ac.nz (Alan Murray, CSC Operations, Uni of Canty)
Date: 27 Aug 92 13:45:05 +1200
Distribution: world
Organization: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

In article <1992Aug27.130638.556@csc.canterbury.ac.nz>, moselecw@elec.canterbury.ac.nz (C.W. Moseley) writes:
> 
> ITS SNOWING IN CHRISTCHURCH
> 
> at the moment there is a bit of a southerly, and it is snowing moderately
> heavily. It even seems to be settling as slushy crud rather than melting!!
> 
> first time for about 3 years??

Nah - we've had snow for a day or so over the last couple of years but it has
normally been around the end of May when the first cold snap hit.

Alan
From: amanning@acd.acd.ucar.edu (Andrew Manning)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: NZ news to 29 August
Date: 3 Sep 92 21:23:19 GMT
Organization: Ntl Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry

In article <RCBC.92Sep3162159@honir.cs.cornell.edu> rcbc@cs.cornell.edu writes:
>In article <QedYXGu00j_HEIOCFg@cs.cmu.edu> Michael.Witbrock@cs.cmu.edu writes:
>
>>   > Excerpts from netnews.soc.culture.new-zealand: 4-Sep-92 NZ news to 29
>>   > August Alan C. Operations@csc.c (7625)
>>
>>   >  The storm, billed as the worst natural disaster for decades, caused
>>   > havoc throughout the region. 
>>   ....
>>   > Christchurch residents awoke to 10-30cm of snow in the city with deeper
>>   > drifts in the suburbs. 
>>
>>   Look, I don't like to sound mean or anything, but that's hilarious.  If
>>   10cm of snow is the worst natural disaster in decades, then ChCh must
>>   indeed be the idyll I remember,
>
>Yeah, I've been holding my tongue on this one too. Another posting said
>something like "we couldn't even go outside and make snow-men because it
>was only 2 or 3 degrees".
>
>Let's see, a couple of years ago here in Ithaca we had a daytime
>temperature of -25 C. Mind you, inside in the energy-unconscious US it's
>always a pleasant 20 C. 
>
>        -- Robert Cooper

Why don't you guys both wake up and read the original articles properly? It
was quite clear that the "worst natural disaster in decades" was a
reference to the huge losses in stock suffered by the farmers, and hence
the NZ economy as a whole, NOT any minor inconveniences suffered by the
general populace. 

Andrew Manning
From: bw@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Bruce Waldman)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Why does spring start so early?
Date: 4 Sep 92 02:24:20 GMT
Organization: MIT Laboratory for Computer Science

Why does spring start on 1 September in N.Z.
while it is still summer in the Northern Hemisphere?
Canterbury snow aside, isn't this a bit jumping
the gun?
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
From: slang@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: Japanese Imports
Date: 4 Sep 92 12:00:56 +1200
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

> it's not quite that simple.  japanese cars are designed for japanese 
> conditions, which in many cases means creep along a 40k in a traffic jam 
> and throw it away when the ash-tray gets full.

I don't think that this is entirely true. A hell of a lot of the Imports comming
into this country only vary by a small margin from the NZ model.

I gather that one of the reasons they have such tight emission laws is that
there cars spend do much time idling.
 
> cars assembled here and in australia are more likely to allow for the fact 
> that it will sometimes be required to cruise along at 120k for a couple of 
> hundred k's.

As I said, the engines are often virtually exactly the same, and capable of
being driven at 120+ k's for extended periods.

Cheers 
-- 
	   Drink is the curse		Steve Lang
	of the working class man	Systems Programmer Analyst
	Work is the curse of the	University of Waikato
	   Drinking class man		Hamilton
					NEW ZEALAND
					<slang@waikato.ac.nz>
					Ph	+64-7-856 2889 Ext 8341
					Fax	+64-7-838 4066

I am not responsible for my employers opinion (thank heavens,) and neither are
they for mine.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
From: andreb@aix00.csd.unsw.OZ.AU (Andre Baruch)
Subject: Re: Somehow *they* always get round to Jews
Organization: University of New South Wales
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 05:53:32 GMT


I grew up in Lower Hutt, New Zealand and attended the Wellington synagogue.

About the only anti-semitism that I vividly remember was when I was about ten
years ago.  I arrived at the Wellington congregation on a Sunday morning, for
Sunday School, and there were graffitied swastickas all over the synagogue.

This really shook up the Jewish community as they thought that, being in New
Zea
land, they were far away from the *nastiness* of Europe (which a lot of them
had
 escaped from) and were safe.  The community ralied magnificently, and the
 offending graffiti was removed that day or the next day. [This was after the
police were called, but they couldn't track down the perpertrators.]

The only other bit of antisemitism that really affected me was being hassled at
school one day by a kid calling me names like Jew-boy etc.  However, this soon
stopped when I explained that as I was Jewish I considered this highly
offensive, and anyway, exactly what did you mean by the term?  Most of the kids
at school (Hutt Valley High School) had heard the term 'Jew' before, but had
never really met a Jewish person.  They were surprised to discover that Jews
did
not grow horns on their heads!

Cheers,

        Andre
From: ct@dde.dk (Claus Tondering)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Good on you
Date: 28 Aug 92 06:59:51 GMT
Organization: Dansk Data Elektronik A/S

Could someone please explain the New Zealand/Australian expression
"Good on you!"?

Does it mean: "Something good happened to you" (i.e. you were fortunate)?
Does it mean: "You did something good" (i.e. you were clever)?
Or perhaps both?

-- 
Claus Tondering
Dansk Data Elektronik A/S, Herlev, Denmark
E-mail: ct@dde.dk
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: Looking for someone
From: Mark.Penney@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Chopper Boy! ( Mark Penney ))
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 00:48:25 GMT
Organization: Dept. of Comp. Sci., Victoria Uni. of Wellington, New Zealand.


In article <BtwArq.9z4@comp.vuw.ac.nz>, Mark.Penney@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Chopper Boy! ( Mark Penney )) writes:
|> 
|> In article <1992Sep1.062004.9302@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz>, graeme@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz ( Graeme Moffat) writes:
|> |> 
|> |> There's only Auckland University. (At the moment)
|> 
|>     Excuse me but there are a few of us who dare to live south of the
|> Bombay <sp?> Hills!  Or did you just forget the smiley?  :-)

    WHOOPS!  My humble apologies to Graeme, I just re-read the original
article and noticed that the person was in Auckland.  Guess thats what
happens when you only have limited time to read lots of groups.

    Thanks to Andy and Mark for pointing this out, please send all flames
via e-mail so I don't have to be embarrased to much in public  :-).

Mark.
From: sheena@chemeng.ed.ac.uk (Sheena MacKenzie)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Request for Lecturer Pay Scales
Date: 28 Aug 92 13:08:13 GMT
Distribution: soc
Organization: Edinburgh University Chemical Engineering Department

Can someone please give me an idea of the salary range for Lecturers at
Massey University?

Sheena


-- 
                                        ~ ~	
Sheena MacKenzie                        O O     Email:  Sheena@ed.ac.uk	
Department of Chemical Engineering,   ===U===   Tel:    +44 31 650 4868
University of Edinburgh.              =======
From: don@zl2tnm.gen.nz (Don Stokes)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: snow in Dargaville
Date: 30 Aug 92 04:38:15 GMT
Organization: The Wolery

mark@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Mark Davies) writes:
> Well there was a claim on the radio this morning that it was snowing in karori
> but I didn't see any.

There was a brief fall of the stuff up here (near the top of Tinakori Hill) 
yesterday around lunchtime but it didn't stay on the ground.  Nothing 
compared to last year's efforts.

--
Don Stokes, ZL2TNM (DS555)                        don@zl2tnm.gen.nz (home)
Network Manager, Computing Services Centre            don@vuw.ac.nz (work)
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand              +64-4-495-5052
				Vote MMP!
From: pmc5@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Paul M Corballis)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: Questions, please read
Date: 4 Sep 92 15:03:43 GMT
Reply-To: pmc5@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Paul M Corballis)
Distribution: soc
Organization: Columbia University

In article <HGORK.92Sep4125336@zenon.iesd.auc.dk> hgork@iesd.auc.dk (Birgitte Krogh) writes:
>
>Hello, all you well informed fellow news readers!
>
>At the moment, I am preparing the second edition of a Danish guide
>book about New Zealand that I wrote four years ago ("New Zealand
>rundt"). The publisher (and I) would like additional information
>about a couple of issues, and I would like YOUR opinion on the matter
>- apart from my own and from the usual looking up in books. The
>questions are:
>
>	- Who are the most (internationally) well known newzealanders,
>	  such as actors, singers, authors, athletes a.s.o.? (I known
>	  Ngaio Marsh, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Peter Schnell.)
						 ^^^^^^^
That's Snell, not Schnell.  

Actors: Sam Neill.  (can't think of any others)
Author: Keri Hulme (wrote The Bone People - 1985? Booker Prize)
Athletes: John Walker & Murray Halberg also won Olympic Golds in middle
distance running.  Several rugby and cricket players may also count, at 
least in some countries, as well as a few yachties (sailors).

>
>	- What are the most interesting and/or best foods (dishes),
>	  beer, wine, and other things to eat or drink? (I known the
>	  fruits (kiwi, tamarillo,...) and I know pavlova, of course.:-)
>
>And one more thing:
>
>	- Which do you think are the best (english) guide books on New
>	  Zealand? Both in general and for specific purposes, such as
>	  trekking, fishing etc.? And which are the best maps?
>
>...and off the record:
>
>	- Is it "a guide book about New Zealand" or "a guide book on
>	  New Zealand"???
>
How about a "New Zealand guide book" :-)

Seriuosly, the former sounds a bit forced, try the latter.

>If you have an opinion/knowledge about any of the above, or about
>anything else that you would like to tell an amateur guide book
>author, please email me - or post here if your comment is of general
>interest. I'm: hgork@iesd.auc.dk
>
>Thanking everybody in advance
>
>Regards 'gork
>--
>
>	   Shift to the left
>	      Shift to the right
>	         Pop up, push down, BYTE BYTE BYTE!


Cheers, Paul
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: car prices and need advice
From: Bill Bennett <billy@sideways.welly.gen.nz>
Date: Fri, 04 Sep 92 13:51:29 +1200
Organization: Sideways Bulletin Board, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

thomas@datamark.co.nz (Thomas Beagle) writes:

> In article <0s8BqB7w165w@sideways.welly.gen.nz> Bill Bennett <billy@sideways.
> >tfarmer@datamark.co.nz (Thomas Farmer) writes:
> >
> >> The reason that we can get second-hand Japanese cars cheaply is
> >> because their system is set up to encourage buying new cars. This is
> >> done through increasingly expensive 'roadworthiness checks'. We don't
> >> get the cars that fail - we get the cars that it isn't worth to check
> >> because the fee is so high!
> >> 
> >That's not the whole story. New Zealand is the only first world country 
> >with slack enough safty laws to allow thse cars in. (at least that's what 
> >I was told by the deputy head of the MOT at a party earlier in the year). 
> >He is convinced this has something to do with the extremely high road 
> >toll in NZ.
> 
> Come on Bill, you're not that naive!
> 
> Safety regulations == tariff protection == trade barriers.
> 
Good point. I've always wondered how a country with the population of a 
suburb can maintain a car making industry. 
 /
From: woodhams@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Michael Woodhams)
Subject: Re: Somehow *they* always get round to Jews
Originator: news@nimaster
Organization: Princeton University Observatory
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 02:30:03 GMT

In article <UeaZvae00j_HA_r5oH@cs.cmu.edu> Michael.Witbrock@cs.cmu.edu writes:
>> Excerpts from netnews.soc.culture.new-zealand: 25-Aug-92 Political
>> awareness hits NZ. Derek Tearne@nezsdc.icl. (2529)
>
>> >opprobrium [blah blah blah] [and Jews - somehow they always get round
>> to 
>> Jews]
>
>
>It was the only apposite quote I knew of. But since you've bought it up,
>perhaps it's time to discuss one of the more embarrassing aspects of New
>Zealand Culture (well, I hope this counts as New Zealand culture. I

[...]

>with such experiences).  In any case, one of the things that I remember
>clearly from that school was the tendency of the boys to call each other
>"Jew" when they wanted to accuse each other of being stingy.  Very
>probably, I used "jew" as an epithet too, without thinking about it,
>amongst my peers.  I also remember that none of the teachers ever

I had the extreme misfortune to spend about 5 years of my childhood in
Dargaville. (If you're ever thinking of going to Dargaville, DON'T.)
A similar thing happened there, except it was not stingyness, but
scrounging that caused it.  Anyone who picked something useful up off
the ground would be greeted by calls of "Jew" and "Jew-boy." The
school also had as one of its punishments the "Womble squad" where you
had to spend lunchtime picking up rubbish, and Wombles evoked the same
response. I don't remember any teacher response, but presumably it was
not done when a teacher was present.

However, I don't think there is a strong anti-Semitic feeling in New
Zealand. I think the school boys who behaved like this had only a
vague idea of what a jew was anyway, and very likely had never met
one. 

One of the not-so-wonderful examples of a Dargaville male I knew at
school thought it was a great idea to beat up pupils of the nearby
Catholic school too. This is part of the small town intolerance of
anybody different that made my life there hell, and no doubt
contributed to the "Jew" taunts.

Would any Kiwi Jews on the net care to comment on their view of
anti-Semitism in NZ? I do remember a couple of years ago, a woman
attacked children at a Jewish school in Auckland with a knife. I don't
think any piece of news made me feel more ill than that. Even when
political or religious differences turn to violence, children should
never be the targets.

"On Birmingham Sunday a noise shook the ground
And people all over the earth turned around
For never they'd heard a more cowardly sound
And the choir kept singing of freedom."
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: Looking for someone
From: graeme@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz ( Graeme Moffat)
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 06:20:04 GMT
Organization: University of Auckland, New Zealand.

spleong@tartarus.uwa.edu.au (Leong Siew-Peng) writes:

>	Hi!  I'm trying to locate this friend of mine who is in
>Auckland.  His name is LEON HO.  I'm not very sure which uni he goes to

There's only Auckland University. (At the moment)

>but I think he is studying some computer stuff and should be in his
                         
That's probably computer science, but could be engineering or commerce...

>second year now.  What are the unis there?  Or the nearest to

Ah! A dreaded undergrad! No hope of email access for him here!

-- 
Graeme Moffat                g.moffat@aukuni.ac.nz \ Time wastes us all, 
Computer Aided Design Centre,  Fax: +64-9-366-0702 /  our bodies & our wits
School of Engineering,    Ph: +64-9-737-999 x8384 /  But we waste time,
University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland, NZ \   so time & we are quits
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: 19 September referendum
From: brownt1@lincoln.ac.nz
Date: 2 Sep 92 16:35:26 +1200

In article <BtxH4p.Lo4@comp.vuw.ac.nz>, Michael.Norrish@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Michael Norrish) writes:
> I'm interested to hear what people think are the objections to STV as
> a proportional representation system. To my mind, it seems to have two
> advantages over MMP,
[deleted] 
> These might be considered two sides of the same coin I guess. 
> Finally, it seems a shame that in voting for our preferred system of
> change we have to vote in a first-past-the-post manner. The nasty
> spectre of having to vote for MMP because it needs our votes to do
> better than something stupid like PV, (is there any truth in the claim
> that people who don't want change are being told to vote for this as a
> next best option?), thus precluding STV, is not a pleasant one.

not pleasant perhaps, but there can be only one electoral system, so i 
guess a first past the post approach to voting in the reforendum is 
inevitable.  given that, if you think STV and MMP are both better than the 
present system but about equal to each other, you're really forced to vote 
for the one you think every else will vote for.

hmmm, i thought i'd something more to say :-)

Cheers -tb
----------------------------------------------------------------------
     Terry Brown, INTERNET brownt1@lincoln.ac.nz, 
                  UUCP     tb@tbnode.equinox.gen.nz,
                  /earth is 98% full ... please delete anyone you can.


Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
From: thomas@datamark.co.nz (Thomas Beagle)
Subject: Re: unflattering newspaper headline
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1992 20:39:04 GMT
Organization: Datamark International Ltd.

In article <1992Aug25.221959.1860@gaya.gp.co.nz> mdh@gaya.gp.co.nz (Martin D. Hunt) writes:
>At the risk of also sounding racist, I will say that I have no objection to 
>the maoris having their traditional fishing grounds. But I will expect them 
>to use traditional methods.

Yeah?

Does that mean that non-Maori New Zealanders also have to stick with
the technology available when the treaty was signed?

When you buy a house, you don't have to promise to use appliances
made before the house was built.

I expect your answer written on paper with an old-fashioned pen. :-)

>This reminds me of an incident at work a few years ago, where a Pommie made 
>some racist comment about a Chinese worker having no right to be here, 
>although the Chinese was NZ born and his family had been here for several 
>generations. He really had more right to be here than the English man, and 
>would regard himself as a native New Zealander, too.

To quote an old Pommy sayiny, "There's nowt so queer as folk." :-)
-- 
    Thomas Beagle | thomas@datamark.co.nz    or | Amiga 2.04, AIX 3.1
Datamark Intl Ltd | thomas@cavebbs.welly.gen.nz | Win 3.1, OS/2 2.0
 Technical Writer | 	              Vote MMP!
    & PC Wrangler |     A beagle a day keeps the doctor at bay.
From: amorgan@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: Why does spring start so early?
Date: 4 Sep 92 16:59:59 +1200
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

In article <1992Sep4.022420.20652@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu>, bw@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Bruce Waldman) writes:
> Why does spring start on 1 September in N.Z.
> while it is still summer in the Northern Hemisphere?

Possibly because December, January and February are the hottest months in NZ,
and therefore count as summer. So... the three months before that must
logically be spring - right?

> Canterbury snow aside, isn't this a bit jumping the gun?

No. The temperature in Hamilton starting rising on 12.01am Sept 1st [but we
still have the rain].
 
      8-)      <- me wearing my sunnies in antici...pation.

Morgy.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: car prices and need advice
From: thomas@datamark.co.nz (Thomas Beagle)
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 00:40:24 GMT
Organization: Datamark International Ltd.

In article <0s8BqB7w165w@sideways.welly.gen.nz> Bill Bennett <billy@sideways.welly.gen.nz> writes:
>tfarmer@datamark.co.nz (Thomas Farmer) writes:
>
>> The reason that we can get second-hand Japanese cars cheaply is
>> because their system is set up to encourage buying new cars. This is
>> done through increasingly expensive 'roadworthiness checks'. We don't
>> get the cars that fail - we get the cars that it isn't worth to check
>> because the fee is so high!
>> 
>That's not the whole story. New Zealand is the only first world country 
>with slack enough safty laws to allow thse cars in. (at least that's what 
>I was told by the deputy head of the MOT at a party earlier in the year). 
>He is convinced this has something to do with the extremely high road 
>toll in NZ.

Come on Bill, you're not that naive!

Safety regulations == tariff protection == trade barriers.

In many ways they're basically exactly the same cars that are sold
here when they're new.
-- 
    Thomas Beagle | thomas@datamark.co.nz    or | A beagle a day keeps        
Datamark Intl Ltd | thomas@cavebbs.welly.gen.nz | the doctor at bay.
 Technical Writer | 		      Vote MMP!
     Email is good.  Email is fun.  Getting up and walking is evil.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
From: davidnz@leland.Stanford.EDU (David Richard Bell)
Subject: Japanese Imports
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 92 18:05:51 GMT


I fail to see the logic in a recent posting about Japanese imports that stated
that these cars are somehow contributing to lower safety levels on the 
roads in NZ. The influx of imports has dramatically *lowered* the average
age of cars on the road. Surely newer cars are "better", safer, and more
fuel efficient than the wrecks that used to populate our roads.

As for the comment about the East Germans not importing these cars, that is 
completely irrelevant! 
Are you trying to suggest that driving an (imported) '87 Honda in
NZ is somehow worse than driving a Skoda or 2-stroke East German clunker 
that the EG's have?

Face facts, the import of second hand cars from Japan makes good economic sense
and has in fact improved the quality/value of money of cars for the "average
Kiwi". What's embarrassing about that?