Chinese Poll Tax

The Chinese Poll Tax was a poll tax that was targeted at Chinese immigrants that moved to New Zealand during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At first, to limit the number of Chinese people coming to New Zealand, the NZ government only allowed 1 Chinese immigrant per 10 tons of cargo, and when they arrived in NZ, they had to pay a poll tax of £10 (equivalent to $1700 in today's money). Later on, the limit was shifted to one person per 200 tons of cargo, and the poll tax was increased to a whopping £100 ($19000)! If a Chinese immigrant didn't pay the poll tax, they had to catch a ship back to their homeland, and they would've had to wait for many months until the next ship arrived. The poll tax was lifted in the 1930's, and the poll tax was finally eradicated during the mid 20th century. In 2002, the NZ government officially apologised to the descendants of the Chinese immigrants who had to pay the poll tax.

NZEI Strike, which happened just yesterday on the 15th of August, 2018.

Just yesterday, schools around the country were shut down due to all the teachers doing a strike, and that was the first time it'd happened in 24 YEARS!!!!! The teachers were protesting against the government for a pay rise and the number of primary school teachers in NZ is decreasing. this has nothing to do with hi-school teachers. I think that the teachers SHOULD be striking because I can have a day of school, which I like to have. Plus I have an awesome person who looks after me and my annoying little brother. So TEACHERS STRIKING IS AWESOME!!!!!

Social Studies #2: The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was quite a violent war. It was started by the Indochina War, in which France tried to claim Vietnam as a colony, but communist forces which were known as Viet Minh fought back. Apparently, the war continued as a result of conflict between North and South Vietnam, and then the USA eventually got itself involved in the war. But sadly, millions of people were killed or injured due to the Vietnam War. The war ended around mid-1970's, and North Vietnam had united Vietnam as a country. But somehow, the end of the Vietnam War coincided with the start of the Dawn Raids, which I mentioned in a previous episode. Thanks 4 reading, and I'll see u on the next 1!

Social Studies #1: The 1974 Dawn Raids

In the morning of some day in 1974, at around 3am, police burst into houses with really big, bright spotlights and [BLEEP]s. The government then forced the Pacifica people out of their Auckland homes, and get back on planes bound for Tonga, Samoa, Fiji etc, due to a huge economic downturn. Even though they were welcomed with open arms into New Zealand in the late '50's, most of them were still kicked out of NZ.
But a few Pacifica people made up an anti-racism gang called the Black Panthers, who protested against the NZ government to keep the Pacifica people in New Zealand. But unfortunately, it didn't really work. And that's my view on the 1974 Dawn Raids, first social study for 2018!
See ya on the next one!

Cave Stream Reflection

As we pulled into the Cave Stream Scenic Reserve, my heart was thumping madly for the second time. I got changed into my wetsuit, and then I had to wait a nerve-racking 15 minutes in the scorching Canterbury sun. I was actually so hot that I wanted to run straight down to the cave's entrance and get started. But no, I had to wait through the briefing before we started our long, tiring downhill walk to the starting line.

Once we started shuffling into the cave, the cave water cooled me down...too much! Within just 2 minutes, my legs were already numb from the cold water (even though I had thermals and a wetsuit)! After about 20 minutes of being in the cave, my body had mostly adjusted to the temperature, and we stopped at an area where we turned our torches off (yes, all of them!). There was only one word to describe that moment: SCARY! Luckily, the water shallowed out after that. At one waterfall, the current was SO strong, 2 people who knew everyone's names pulled me up the waterfall like I was a ragdoll!

After that, I came across Jai, who asked me how far the end of the cave was. I said about 10 minutes, and it turns out I was correct. Near the end of the cave, Reed Antman dived into the freezing cold water, which I found quite weird. While I was climbing up the rock face at the end of the cave, Mr Sinton-White asked me how the cave was. I replied: "Yeah, it was sort of alright." But to be honest, once I got out of the cave, I felt like a survivor of a zombie apocalypse.

My view on the NZ nuclear free stance

I have decided to be on the American Government side for this topic. Which means that I am on the nuclear side! Or am I on the David Lange side? Ok, I think I'm half and half. That means I'm half a nuke and half no-nuke. But plutonium (the stuff inside nukes) takes a gargantuan 24,110 YEARS TO DECAY!! So maybe I am on the David Lange side. NUKES ARE BAD! LET NUCLEAR FREE NZ LIVE ON! And also, the fallout from the radiation would kill off nearly all of the people in the area where the nuke hit. So overall, NUKES ARE NOT GOOD. Snap out of it, racist Donald Trump and chubby Kim Jong-Un! Gosh! I just wish that North Korea would commit suicide and nuke itself! Then South Korea could expand up the Korea Peninsula and unify Korea! Yaaaay! So yeah, that was my view on the NZ nuclear free stance, and see you on the next one!

My view on the proposed Haast-Hollyford Road

Apparently, there is a proposed road that connects Haast to the Milford Sounds. If the road was to be built, it would shave 370 km off the route that you currently have to take. But on the downside, the road would cost a whopping 250 million dollars! But unfortunately, I am on the NO ROAD side. And it would also traverse all kinds of terrain that is easy for a hiker to navigate, but not for a car. And the road would also go through the forest, where nature lives (according to Mr McAulay). Also, the birds wouldn't like cars driving through their homes, so they'd probably gang up in large flocks and attack the occupants inside. So yeah, that's it. See you on the next one!