Pimping Proscriptions

The new Auckland Council has announced that it will be supporting a local Bill which proposes to give it the power to prohibit street prostitution in specified places throughout the city.

This is a bad Bill.  It is unnecessary law-making and lazy regulation. 

Alcohol, driving and the precautionary principle

- RadioNZ: "Joyce still not convinced about lower alcohol limit"

RadioNZ reports that Minister of Transport, Steven Joyce, says "more evidence is needed before the Government will consider lowering the general drink-driving limit".  Others such have David Farrar have echoed the claim that specific evidence is needed that lowering the drink drive limit will have an instrumental effect on the number of road deaths and accidents.

Baloney.

A Kiwi New Year message - from our de facto Head of State

Sir Anand Satyanand has released his regular New Year message:

- http://www.gg.govt.nz/node/3488

The New Year is a time when we look ahead, and also a time to consider the year that has passed. Any year inevitably has its highs and lows but 2010 is one that New Zealanders will remember for its tragedies and natural disasters, including the deaths of members of the New Zealand Defence Force and, most recently, the terrible loss of 29 miners at the Pike River coal mine.

New Zealand Order of Merit: Te Reo Appellations

You probably know that I previously agitated for the return of titular honours for the NZ Order of Merit. My support for the return of the old titular honours - the Knighthoods and Damehoods - was, however, teamed with the belief that we could also make the titular awards more Kiwi by formally providing for Te Reo translations or equivalent appellations.

Possible appellations could be, "Tā" (Sir) and "Kahurangi" (Dame). However, the development of these appellations probably should involve Māoridom and the Māori Language Commission to ensure they are appropriate and supported. Honorands could choose to adopt the English version or Te Reo.

Constitutional review: broad cross-party support?

The constitutional review was finally announced last week:

- www.beehive.govt.nz/release/govt-begins-cross-party-constitutional-review

It's a long-term project, so forgive me if I take my time to digest it before posting more.

I shared some of my initial reactions on the Court Report this week:

- tvnz.co.nz/the-court-report/court-report-index-group-3602627

And my law buddy, Andrew Geddis, has some typically wise analysis and a set of predications over at Pundit:

- www.pundit.co.nz/content/what-the-constitutional-review-will-recommend-you-heard-it-here-first

But, one thought to set the rolling maul of constitutional navel-gazing off.

Bill English proclaimed that any significant constitutional changes would require overwhelming support:

"Significant change will not be undertaken lightly and will require either broad cross-party agreement or the majority support of voters at a referendum,"

Good call.

But, based on this principle, does that mean the government won't be amending the jury trial threshold in our Bill of Rights unless they can garner broad cross-party support for the change?


- www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2010/0243/latest/DLM3360694.html