History
The arrival of Presbyterianism in Akaroa followed closely the arrival of Presbyterianism in Canterbury. In 1856, the Rev. Charles Fraser was inducted Minister of St. Andrew's Christchurch, and that same year he presided at the first Presbyterian service in Akaroa. Worship was conducted in the morning in English and in the evening in French. The group gathered at the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Brown, a Scott Presbyterian who had come to Akaroa in 1843. A dividing wall between the family kitchen and living room had been removed to accommodate the congregation. On 23 January, 1860, on the site of the present church, a small church built by Jean-Baptiste. Eteveneaux was opened by the Rev. Fraser and named 'Bon Accord'. (Bon Accord was moved and is now at 63 Rue Lavaud). Services on the Peninsula were held in the Akaroa church and in the school room at Pigeon Bay, being conducted mainly by laymen. Initiated largely by the Presbyterians at Pigeon Bay, a move was made to obtain a minister for the district from Scotland, and in late 1862 the Rev. George Grant arrived to serve as Akaroa's first resident minister. However, after 16 months Grant accepted a call to Christchurch, where he became the minister of St. Paul's and for the next 10 years Akaroa was without a minister. In 1874 this situation was remedied by the arrival of the Rev. W. Douglas and during his ministry the house at 73 Rue Balguerie was built as the church manse in 1877. Church membership was only about 40, but soon Rev. Douglas was conducting services at Akaroa, Pigeon Bay, Head of the Bay, German Bay and Robinson's Bay in rotation on Sundays, with weekday services in Little Akaloa, Le Bons Bay and Wainui. When the Rev. W. Douglas arrived in Akaroa in 1874, the old church, Bon Accord, unused for 10 years had fallen into disrepair "broken windows, leaking roof, crazy walls creaking like a basket at every blast of wind…". He raised nearly £100 and had it repaired. In 1881 he accepted a call to Hokitika. Rev. D. McLennan was minister from 4 May 1885 to 4 June 1890. By then the 25 year old church was too small and the congregation decided to build a new church on the same site. The old building was sold and removed and the present church, designed by Mr. Whitelaw of Christchurch and built by T. Gee at a cost of £500 was opened free of debt on 13 June 1886. In 1916 the present church hall was designed by H. Haylock, descendant of one of Akaroa's earliest immigrants, Charles Haylock. (Note - according to the Lyttelton Times of 10 September 1856, the Rev. Charles Fraser, Presbyterian Minister will preach at Akaroa on 21 September, so the 1857 date given in the Presbyterian leaflet

Mean daily maximum Temp.

Bright Sunshine Hours

Mean annual Rainfall mm

Jan

Jul

°C

Auckland

23.8

15.1

2,071

1,106

Wellington

20.3

11.2

2,024

1,269

Christchurch

22.6

11.1

2,066

645

Dunedin

18.9

9.9

1,595

799

An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale struck the lower North Island at 6.31am today. The quake was centred 40km southeast of Martinborough, at a depth of 20km. The Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences said the quake was felt in the Wairarapa and Wellington regions. The quake was the latest in a flurry of seismic activity in recent days. This morning's quake was centred at the same location as seven of ten quakes which shook the Wairarapa and Wellington in a ten-hour period on January 18. The biggest measured 5.3. A 5.5 magnitude quake centred near Upper Hutt struck on January 21 -- the largest in the region for nine years. It was quickly followed by a smaller quake, measuring 3.7. On January 28 the region was rocked by another small earthquake, measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale and centred within 30km of Paraparaumu on the Kapiti Coast.

SANTA'S STONED.....Police in Auckland had to deal with a group of drunken Santas last December. A large group, dressed in Santa suits, began fighting. There were about 30 of them, both men and women, police said they were heavily intoxicated. A Father Christmas and a Mother Christmas were arrested and charged with disorderly behaviour, and the Father Christmas has also been charged with resisting arrest. Police believe the Santas had been drinking since early morning.

More than bad apples in the barrel of cop culture

There has been a lot in the media lately about cop culture. It might surprise many to know that libraries have literally been written about this. So much so, in fact, that some of these scholars now specialise in meta-studies, detailed reviews of what other studies on police culture have shown. Textbooks view cop culture as a patterned set of understandings that help officers to cope with the pressures and tensions confronting police. All organisations have a culture and police forces around the world have been shown to have a distinct one, often compared with other male-dominated and hierarchical occupations such as the military and the firefighting. Issues that arise out of the Senior-Sergeant Anthony Solomona court case are far from unique and show just how transferable what has been learned about other police forces might be to our own. Overseas research has tended to show that police culture is a combination of sense of mission, action-oriented behaviour and cynicism where the emphases on danger, suspicion, isolation, solidarity, pragmatism and authority are all core elements. Part of the answer is provided by the officers who gave evidence in court. When Solomona talked of the assault he was convicted of, he told the court his experience as a police officer had shown that in situations where one person is quite vocal it is important to act quickly. This is true but shows even an experienced officer feels the need to take action and also to assert authority so things do not get out of hand. It is remarkable, in fact, the extent to which similar comments come up in fieldwork done by researchers in other countries. Not to act is to appear to be weak and is to risk letting things escalate and get out of hand.
Sergeant John Nelson, who also gave evidence, was asked about the photograph of a 16-year-old said to be wearing a sign saying, "I belong to Senior Sergeant Solomona". His reply was, "I don't think I could explain the humour in two sentences". Just as police feel the need to assert their authority in relation to someone who is vocal, they also share dark humour the world around. No doubt this is a coping mechanism but it is also a way of expressing their solidarity to one another. As such, dark humour is often said to form part of the canteen culture in the police.
Counties Manukau Police district commander Steve Shortland has told the Herald in response to this case that in every box there's at least one bad apple. This is indeed one of the main ways of understanding police malpractice. As one leading criminology text states: "One set of theories see the problems of policing as the result of psychological weakness in police officers. Often referred to as 'bad apple theories', they suggest that organisational failures result from the actions of a small number of rogue police officers. "Such theories indicate that the solution lies in screening at recruitment, education and strict disciplinary procedures. Not surprisingly, senior police have often favoured the bad apple view." Recent experience in Britain and Australia has turned away from this thinking, because it does not sufficiently take account of possible systemic problems. In England, the police force has grappled with the issue of racism because of a number of well-publicised incidents there. In Australia, racism has also been of concern but corruption has been more of a focus. Unfortunately, New Zealand has a police force with systemic problems in these areas. Nevertheless, it is not sufficient to write off this case by way of the bad apple thesis if our force is to stay intact. After all, as Sergeant Nelson said about the joke photographs, this sort of thing appears to be happening throughout the country. Mistakes many academics have made is to view police culture in an entirely negative way. The reality is that it is often beneficial. Officers in the front line do need to look after each other, and to maintain their authority. As many policemen and women know, however, they also need to treat all they deal with respectfully and as fellow citizens. It's because they have done this in the past that their standing in the community is good. An inquiry by Sir David Tompkins into this matter is to be welcomed. His remit is too narrow, a review of the entire country might have been wiser, in fact, of more help to the police. More importantly, Sir David should note lessons from overseas. The differences between formal policies and informal practice must be kept in mind, as must the distinction between what street cops, on the one hand, and what management cops, on the other, do. The research shows quite clearly that how police higher up think and behave can be very different from how those on the ground do. 
 

I searched and believe I have found my paradise...the Marquesas Islands! I include some info on this subject. Please give me your valued input as I am far too romantic and far too impractical in my thinking. Problems I see are the language barrier, however they do speak some French, as do I. Isolation is another, however as I am on the computer 6-8 hrs a day, I believe I could get satellite internet easily, is that true?

June 23 - 26, 2005 - Victoria, BC
Victoria TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® 2005
C/oVictoria Tall Ships Society, 19 Bastion Square,
Victoria, BC V8W 1J1, Canada
www.tallshipsvictoria.ca
Telephone : 250 384 2005
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Frequently found carved in large freestanding wood and stone figures and in high relief on clubs, bowls, dishes, canoe paddles, stiltsteps and many objects of personal adornment, Tiki Ke'a, as he was known to the Marquesans, was most frequently portrayed as a squat, heavy figure of inscrutable mien and menacing power. Carvings of a type found (with local variations) throughout Polynesia invariably show the Tiki figure with hands clasped over a protruding stomach, with large round eyes, a flat but prominent nose and a elliptical mouth. The complete Tiki figure is rarely found in flat low relief decoration, but the face or head alone was frequently used and often incorporated with other nonrepresentational designs on a large variety of Marquesan utensils and artifacts. These abstract design elements which were apparently derived from natural forms, i.e. flora and fauna, became dominant in the decorative repertory. Decorative lashings for canoes and houses, tattoos, wooden utensils and numerous other objects all displayed multiple permutations of these basic forms.

By the 15th century, the islands of the Marquesas had entered into a period of rich cultural growth and diversification. Extensive ceremonial activity and increasing rivalry amongst secular and priestly individuals had led to the construction of increasingly massive stone terraces for house and temple structures. Although these structures followed in basic form those of an earlier era, they were now larger and more elaborate. Widespread use was made of cut tufa slabs in the construction of platforms, and monumental stone sculptures also made their appearance. The largest and most important of these stone structures were the Tohua, enormous multi-terraced platforms which were accessible to the common people and used for functions of a community nature or of hierarchical importance. The Tohua Vahangekua, which stands today on the island of Nuka Hiva, is probably the largest, measuring 600 by 80 feet and containing an estimated 240,000 cubic feet of earth fill.

The first European to visit the Marquesas was Alvaro de Mendana, who arrived in 1595, named the islands Las Islas de Marquesa de Mendoza and claimed them for Spain. Although de Mendana's journal described the natives as friendly and welcoming, nevertheless, over 200 of them were killed in separate incidents with the Spaniards.

Nearly two centuries were to pass before the next white visitor, Captain James Cook, arrived in 1774. Although this visit was less traumatic, blood was still spilled. More disastrously, Cook's expedition had the effect of opening the Marquesas to the outside world. Within a relatively short time, other exploring voyages were made and by the early nineteenth century merchants, whalers and missionaries came in numbers to the islands in search of adventure, wealth and/or destiny. With little respect or comprehension for the people upon whom they had intruded, the early European visitors had a dramatic and destructive effect on the Marquesans and their culture. The introduction of firearms, alcohol, and a multitude of diseases decimated the local population and contributed to an element of self-destructive anarchy.

Prior to 1840, missionary influence was slight, but eventually both Protestants and Catholics recognized the possibilities of the Marquesans as converts and each made great efforts to ensure dominance. To further these aims, missionary groups did their best to destroy the traditions of singing and dancing, the use of Marquesan musical instruments, wearing of native dress, kava-drinking, the use of turmeric (it led to immoral ways) and of course, tattooing, which was viewed as a heathen practice. This effectively nullified the power of the priestly and artisan classes and drove yet another nail in the Marquesan coffin. 

In their endeavors, the Catholic missions were enthusiastically supported by the French government, which had formally taken possession of the islands in 1842. With neither side interested in compromise, conflict became a significant component of interaction between the Marquesans and the French. Gratuitous violence which occurred beyond the norms and controls of Marquesan culture engendered a legacy of fear and mistrust and this, coupled with disease, apathy and demoralization resulted in a birth rate that was appallingly low. By 1872, fewer than 6,000 Marquesans were still living. The situation continued to deteriorate until in 1923 only an estimated 2,000 Marquesans remained. Thus, one hundred years of sustained contact had resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Marquesans and their culture.

Today, the Marquesas are still hauntingly beautiful. The great valleys are silent, but imbued with the presence of a once-powerful people. Everywhere the remains of great stone platforms, walled house sites and terraces provide silent testimony of a culture that no longer exists. Exquisite artifacts and tools of daily living (those that remain) are found only in European museums and collections, far from the homeland where they were created and used.

The French still maintain a presence in the Marquesas, although there is little left to govern. Dreams of a thriving commercial and trading center proved illusionary, and although the local birthrate is gradually increasing, the current population numbers are impacted by out-migration to Tahiti and France.