I had a lazy start, sleep in, as had booked a Weta Workshop/Studio tour for 11:00. I went via Mt Victoria, another first for me I think (although maybe went up there as a kid). The weather was still mixed, but the clouds and glimmer of sun made for some nice views.
The Weta tour was great. Must admit I found the Thunderbirds set visit more interesting than the Rings & fantasy stuff but admired the craftmanship and dedication apparent in all their work. Glad to see how they make the magic: hard work and creative thinking.
A demo of sculpting, using scrunched up aluminium kitchen foil as the medium!
One of the few areas you are allow to photograph on the tour.
I parked the little car on a nearby bookshelf…
After that it was great to catch up with fellow car enthusiast Jack Yan. Although we ‘met’ well over a decade ago via blogging Jack is a professional publisher (amongst other things) with titles including the fashion/lifestyle Lucire (web & print) and his (hobby) carcyclopædia Autocade. Searching my own blog (while writing this, trying to figure out when we met) I found a 2008 post referencing “Lucire’s Car to Be Seen in for 2008 - Fiat 500”. I’d totally forgotten about it but still agree with this quote:
We have both struggled to buy manual cars, less than 10% of sales now in NZ, but Jack went further afield than I. He imported his Renault Megane from the U.K."! This was the inaugural "NZ European Three Door Manual Coupe Club" (NZETDMCC?) meetup! :)
After that I did visit Zealandia, after missing it yesterday, which is an impressive predator proof fenced wild life sanctuary around a former water reservoir. Great to see a patch of NZ wilderness preserved, recreated, so close to (in) the capital city. The weather was better, still overcast & damp but no rain, and I had time for a decent walk. Mostly saw bird life but was impressed with the flora, fauna and visitor centre displays.
Although a fresh water reservoir marine birds fly in at evening to overnight at Zealandia!
I also saw another white 500 parked on the road side. It was a good opportunity to see the visual differences between a Fiat and Abarth 500. Most obvious is the extended snout (needed to fit turbo intercoolers apparently), bigger wheels, extra cooling ducts, side skirts, more prominent roof spoiler and twin exhaust rear bumper ‘diffuser’. A standard 500 has 0.9-1.4 Litre (44-75kW/88-133 N-m) engines, the Abarth Esseesse a 1.4 Turbo (118kW/206 M-m).
After that it was an early night, for me, as had to be on the road by 06:00 next morning to get to the interisland ferry on time!
It all started with an email. A running TradeMe search for “Fiat” turned up this listing which got me thinking about a way not to replace the Fiat Bravo HGT which is my daily drive. I should also credit, blame, Sam “Seen Through Glass” whose numerous Abarth YouTubes. many I (re)watched over Christmas/New Year, contributed to the Abarth being on my radar again.
Love the Bravo, but time for a change?
I’ve owned this 2001 car since 2008 and it has 252,000km on the clock. Although reasonably reliable minor mechanical problems can cost a lot to fix thanks to next to no room in the engine bay. I knew that when I got the car and offset a ridiculously low purchase price, no finance costs, and almost no depreciation, against higher running costs. Although not exotic they are rare in New Zealand, probably less than 20 still on the road. I really like driving it and it offers a good mix of performance and economy in a practical (for me) package.
However, a recent gearbox repair led me to think it was time to consider something newer. This photo from the garage was a bit of a sign. That's the subframe, engine & transmission out of the car. In the end it was only a few hundred dollars parts, gearbox bearing & engine mount, but labour to get them in there was quite a bit more…
But which new(er) car?
The problem with me getting a new(er) car, in NZ, is I have a rather limiting set of criteria:
Italian | I prefer Italian cars, even if they are not exotic. A history of owning Fiat 127, 128, Uno 45 and Bravo HGT is a bit of a clue
Manual | Yes, I have driven modern autos… yes, with paddle shifts… yes, I prefer manual… yes, even commuting in Auckland traffic.
Hatchback | It is just more practical (see 5)
Four seater, if not four doors | Although I commute alone four seats are a must for family transport. I don’t have children but the seats need to be usable by elderly relations.
Can fit a bicycle in the back | I don't like bike racks of any type. Apart from the security hassle (when parked) I don't like the bike being out in the exhaust, wet & road grime, blasted by slipstream while driving.
I have been looking for a while and the most likely candidate was an Alfa Romeo Giulietta. It really is a cousin to the Bravo (or more correctly its Stilo successor) as shares a similar Fiat Group platform. Although it’s a five door hatch the hidden rear door handles (in a black panel at the end of the window) means it looks more like a three door. Problem is a decent used one would still be around $20-25,000 (the Bravo is worth little as a trade). Although newer, it really offered no more performance, space or fun than the old Bravo and I didn’t really want to spend that sort of money on a car.
The other alternative which fit my criteria was even further outside the budget!
A new Commodore helped me decide, to keep the old car.
I had a Holden V6 Commodore rental for a week in Australia. Although it had all the supposed improvements of a new car – touch screen, cruise control, auto transmission, Start/Stop button, Keyless doors etc – I didn't find any of them very compelling. In fact I thought keyless entry and engine start/stop button were just annoying. At least with a key you know where it is and have somewhere convenient to store it. A week of driving an auto, especially on some ‘interesting’ rural roads, convinced me I really don't like them at all.
I found the Sat Nav in the dash was worse to use than than a phone in a holder, nearer your line of sight, and touch screen input in a car is just horrible. The other thing I found surprising was, width aside, how much room there wasn't in a much larger car. In some respects the Commodore felt smaller inside than the Bravo!
A bike ride, A call
The email had me thinking and for me the best place to contemplate something is cycling. By the time I got to this seat (overlooking the Waitemata Harbour & Tamaki Estuary) I decided to make a call. The asking price of the Abarth meant I could get it well within my budget and keep the Bravo as a project car. After a decade of commuting, clear coat aging due to being parked outside in the NZ UV (at work, garaged at home), a small carpark ding and stone chips it needs a respray to be good as new. The Abarth wasn't available to view that day but I arranged to see it the following, Monday, evening.
So, what’s an Abarth 500?
Take a Fiat 500 1400, add turbocharger and intercoolers, electronic limited slip diff, replace the suspension with racier firmer components, uprated brakes, 17 inch wider wheels and a higher spec interior and you have an Abarth. It is Fiat’s performance brand; like Mercedes AMG or BMW M compared to their standard models. This short launch video shows a bit of the Abarth heritage it is a homage to.
A test drive, the pre-purchase tick of approval
They say don't buy a car on a wet day but after weeks of fine weather my first drive was in drizzly rain. It was apparent this car had a devoted owner, immaculate condition for age & kilometres, and the country roads near its ‘home’ were the perfect test environment. However, for my first drive in a powerful (for its size) turbo car I didn't own it seemed prudent not to get too ‘enthusiastic’. I saw enough to decide it was certainly worth pursuing, the next step, the skeptical German test!
The owner was accommodating enough to bring it over to my regular garage, about 30km away, for a pre-purchase inspection. They mostly service BMWs so the little Fiat caused some interest but it also had some interesting company. You can see it below on the hoist beside someone else’s impulse buy: a rare 1938 Alvis! There was little to quibble over — lightly kerbed wheels and a brake fluid change needed as it failed the moisture test. Seemed odd as the car was only weeks past a dealer service (double checked with two testers) — so a deal was quickly done!
Perhaps this old sign, lingering in the garage from the owners 1980s Fiat 125 racing days, was a sign…
Wheels fixed and a bit of history
Soon after picking up the car I arranged to get the wheels sorted. WheelFixIt are near work and did an awesome job refurbing my Bravo wheels a couple of years ago. In one of those small world Kiwi things their service manager knew the Abarth as used to work at the dealers where it was sold and serviced. In an even smaller world thing he also worked at the (different) dealer where I got my Bravo in 2008 and told me more about that. It was sold to clear space to process one of the early batches of Fiat 500s. The result of their refurb, done in a day ,is four good as new wheels. I told him was very happy with the work but hoped I never need to see them again!
Windows Auto, and a 500 Bluetooth media solution
I now have a car Powered by Windows, but it needed some help with the phone. My phone paired easily for calls but the Fiat/Microsoft system has never handled Bluetooth media. Remember this system dates back to 2007 when car media meant an iPod or you copied mp3 files into the cars system!
Fiat had an expensive adaptor to connect to your iDevice but I found Noel Leeming sell a neat little Bluetooth receiver, the Griffin ITrip Clip Bluetooth Headphone Adapter, which works fine with the car’s USB and Aux in ports. The unit itself sits in the cupholder next to the cup’like (forever to be unused) ashtray. It pairs separately to phone audio so that still works just fine. Media Sorted!
Stress testing phone holders
The other unexpected challenge was finding a phone holder which worked. My Samsung windscreen mount one was out of reach because of the cab forward screen base, rake of the screen and seat position, even with my short legs!
I tried a ‘Smaak Fuse’ dashboard mount wireless charging holder which stuck to the dash well enough but didn't grip the phone hard enough. The Esseesse suspension is firm and cornering plus bumps had the phone flying out of the still solidly mounted holder!
I changed to an Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger which is more rigid and holds on to the phone solidly. Wireless charging is ok with my S7 but I find in ‘normal operation mode’, GPS running plus podcast playing, it only just keeps up with the phone. You might even lose a couple of percent battery per hour but it certainly doesn’t recharge. If I turn off the GPS it will slowly charge. On longer trips I’ll just put the cable power direct into the phone as get full function with recharging then.
And a new plate to remind me how to say Abarth
There is no getting away from the fact that this is a ‘cute’ little car and with its FYE… number plate I tended to think of it as Faye! There were funds left in the car budget for a custom plate so I decided it had to have a new ‘name’.
I’ve known the brand Abarth since watching the Fiat 131 Abarth rally cars in the 1970s as a kid. I’ve always said, heard it said, “AH-BATH’ but while researching this car discovered that was not really correct. Karl Abarth was Austrian but when he moved to Italy changed citizenship and altered his name to the Italian equivalent Carlo. I’m not sure how the Austrians would pronounce it but the Italian pronunciation of Abarth has a silent ‘h’, more like AH-BART or AR-BART. As the ABARTH plate was already taken (on a Abarth 124 in the Waikato) I moved the H along to a phonetically correct AHBART!
Seemed a bit ‘mean’ to leave my faithful old car on its regular plates and they were a bit scruffy. When I got it in 2008 I looked at getting the model as a plate 155HGT, BRAVO was already taken, but never did. It was still available…
A short history of the “new” Fiat 500 and its Abarth cousin:
The ‘new’ Fiat 500 has been on sale (in NZ) for about a decade but the design concept dates back to long before that. First hint was the Trepiùno concept introduced at the 2004 Geneva Motor Salon. It was an homage to the 1960s Fiat 500 (Bambina in NZ!) but adopted a modern front wheel drive platform and, ultimately, two, three & four cylinder engines.
It was a productionised as the Fiat 500 which was released in 2007 (2008 in NZ) as a stylish, if expensive, little town car. They ranged from $27-33,000 for a top spec model in NZ when the Panda (it shared a platform & drivetrain with) was nearer $20,000. There were rumours of a ‘hot’ Abarth version but it was not seen in Europe until 2008.
The Abarth 500 arrived in NZ in 2011, it cost about $43,000 and only came with the ‘Esseesse’ performance package.
“The Abarth 500 is offered in other markets with a 1.4 turbocharged engine producing 99kW and 206Nm. The Esseesse upgrade is then purchased literally as a box of bits which the dealer fits. It consists of upgraded brakes, 17 inch alloys, a sport suspension kit, high performance tyres, a BMC air filter and a re-mapping programme for the engine ECU, taking power and torque out to 118kW/230Nm. The front wheels are driven through a 5 speed manual gearbox”
“Due to legislative requirements Down-under, which would deem such daring upgrades as modifications requiring engineer’s inspection and certification, the decision was taken by Australian and New Zealand Importer Ateco to have the cars factory built with the Esseesse goodies, the only markets in the world to do so.”
The Esseesse name is a tribute to the 1960s Abarth 695 SS (below). More recent models have also adopted the 695 badge too.
Although plainly based on the Fiat 500 you see the Abarth name and Scorpion logo everywhere. The only place I have seen Fiat branding is briefly on the stereo display as it turns on.
It’s a hoot to drive, strong performance and incredible grip/handling mean you can maintain high average speeds without speeding. The ride is very firm, but well damped, and the short wheelbase means you notice every ripple in the typical Kiwi highway but I found it fine for touring. Certainly notice the difference getting back in the Bravo which has a more relaxed ‘GT’ feel.
The Scorpion was Carlo Abarth’s birth sign, sigh, but rather appropriate for his little cars with a sting in their tail!
The instrument binnacle and body colour on the dashboard are reminiscent of the original 500. The shift position looks a bit odd bur works really well. Love the shift feel, it seemed familiar but quicker due to the short lever, then read it uses the same gearbox as my Bravo!
The concentric speedo & tachometer in the main pod are unusual but actually work, and read, really well. The little pod on top of the dash is a Turbo Boost gauge and shift light. In normal mode it tells you when to shift for best economy, press the sport button and it indicates shifting for best performance. Sport mode also alters the steering feel (weight) and throttle sensitivity to the point where I don’t use it for motorway rush hour commuting as it is too touchy! No touch screen, the display is controlled by a single button on the end of the wiper stalk, and simple buttons for all the commonly used controls.
It is a pity the 30km/h speedo increments don’t match many NZ speed limits (50/70/80/100 most common) but I have audible limit set on my phone (why I prefer the Here We Go drive app over Google). The small multi-function display has water temp and fuel ‘gauges’ and a text display with range, two trip functions (each with distance, time, avg speed & avg consumption), clock, media (Station/Title/Artist) and instant consumption. Range estimation is a bit useless as, depending how you drive, consumption varies wildly from about ~6-9l/100km, shows 25 l/100km at full throttle! A mix of normal city/hwy gives about 7-8 l/100km but the tiny 35 Litre tank means frequent, if cheap, fills. My best commute, religiously obeying the economy mode shift light, is 5.9 l/100km (about 49mpg in the old measure).
It’s impressive how much performance you get from a 4 cylinder 1.4 Litre Turbo, some variants of the Abarth go up to 134 kW/180 Hp, and mine is similar to the 5 cylinder 2.0 Litre Bravo. It has a power output of 113 kW (154 Hp) vs BART’s 118 kW (160 Hp) but much less torque — 186 Nm vs BART’s 230 Nm — and the Bravo is about 150kg heavier. Some once said the HGT stood for ‘Hasn’t Got Torque’ and, while it goes fine, I do notice that more now!
I’m keeping the Bravo, as my more practical car, but the Abarth back seats are ok for short trips. Rear seat leg room is fine but the curving roofline means headroom is a bit tight. The boot is ok and, seats folded, I can get my bike in there but do have to take both wheels off (vs one in the Bravo).
Given the firm ride I’m impressed how solid the interior and trim are. It’s an eight year old ‘Fiat’ with no rattles. The only real sign of age related wear was a bit of scuffing on the headliner near the passenger hand grip, clinging on?, and the embroidered Abarth logo on the drivers floor mat. I got a near new mat set on TradeMe and use the old ones to protect the only ‘cheap’ looking part of the interior. The back of the rear seat is just painted black metal. When folded that becomes the load surface so I protect it with the old mats.
It’s easy to park, short as!, but for the size has a huge turning circle (~11.8m). I guess its the a result of a bigger engine/gearbox and wider tyres than the normal 500s (9-10m). For real world comparison it’s about the same as a BMW 5 Series sedan!
In summary it’s a fun, cute, quick little car which makes me grin every time I turn the key. Most of these photos were taken on a drive north of Auckland, to Kaikohe, to ride the Twin Coast Cycle Trail. Its next mission, in late April, is a road trip to Christchurch to join another cycle trip with a route favouring fun driving more than shortest distance. It is not the first time I’ve driven the length of New Zealand in a little white Fiat, back in 2004 it was an Uno 45!
I blogged about the ‘new’ 500 long before owning one:
I just started reading the April Issue of Car Magazine U.K. but had already seen one Letter to the Editor :)
From: Robin Capper
Sent: Monday, 29 January 2018 13:23
To: car@bauermedia.co.uk Subject: In defence of the 308 GT4
Hi,
Awesome ‘Ferrari at 70’ issue except...
You call the Bertone 308 GT4 ugly and show the worst (US spec?) colour scheme I have seen on one. The follow-up Pininfarina 308 GTB/S were beautiful but they didn’t have to package 2+2 seats and a mid-mounted V8.
Over the page there’s no comment on the crude styling of their attempt, the Mondial. It resorts to black detailing to disguise massive rear pillars and cheese graters covering crude side air intakes. In comparison the proportions and elegant ‘glasshouse’ air intakes on the GT4 show how well Bertone did.
Which has aged better? For me there is no contest, but maybe I am biased.
I took this photo of one in 1977, when the 308 GT4 was current and I was 11, parked in the driveway of a holiday home near where we were staying. No idea who owned it, this was as close as I got, but since that day the 308 GT4 has been one of my favourite cars.
Robin Capper
New Zealand
PS: My subscription just auto-renewed, look forward to ‘Ferrari at 80’ : )
PPS: The photo is a bit orange as is a corrected scan of a very faded 70s print!
I prefer Italian cars (for both irrational and rational reasons!) but if was in the market for a Japanese one the Suzuki Swift would have been top of the shopping list.
After years of making worthy but dull small cars (Cultus, Ignis etc) they hit the jackpot with the Swift. It was a good drive with a simple distinctive style; a tough combination to get right.
Now they’ve done this which could be from any number of other brands.
Yet another six sided grille (are they compulsory for all now?), gloopy style with indistinct lines and generic headlights that could be from anyone. Dull, off the list.
I just saw the “New” NZ Herald news website and filled out their “What do you think of the new design?” survey.
Comments in reply to: “Once the site is finalised and launched to the public, how likely is it that you would recommend the new NZ Herald website to a friend or colleague?”VERY UNLIKELY
Site doesn't look like a professional news media site, looks like a blog with stolen Herald logos on it.
I tried in Windows Edge and Chrome on an i5 13 inch HD screen hybrid machine, no browser add-ins or ad blockers
Enormous sidebar menu an awful waste of space
Sub menus are fiddly to navigate and not intuitive
Response is awful, slow and the way it covers the site is terrible
At normal browser scale (125%) article summary and body font too small (worse in Edge than Chrome)
Sidebar menu should not scroll with main body
Its scrolling is jumpy and out of time with main content. Visually distracting
Does this explain why I — who doesn’t like any other SUV (including the podgy Fiat 500x) — find the Cactus rather appealing? The 2CV is one of my favourite cars and certainly my favourite Citroën. That is saying a lot given the brilliance of the DS and Traction Avant.
I hadn’t really connected the C4 Cactus with the 2CV until I read this wonderful article, with lovely Parisian photography, by Gavin Green. While from a different era, and different class of vehicle, in the Cactus the light*, large and ‘happy’ philosophy of the mighty 2CV lives on.
Even the tourists queuing outside the Grand Palais know they are looking at something different, and something appealing: a Citroën that shows a better way, and a Citroën likely to succeed…
* One line is as much a indictment on the bloated over-weight things badged ‘mini’ these days as it is praise of Citroën’s achievements:
“It’s 200kg lighter than a basic Mini hatch and as roomy as a Focus”
The Cactus 1.2 weighs 1020kg, the 1.6: 1085kg. It’s lighter than the 5 door Mini hatch 1.6 (1205kg), let alone the even more obese 1390kg Countryman 1.6!
Wasn’t until this photo (a random selection from my Flickr images thanks to John) appeared on my desktop this morning that I realised I had a candidate for @jackyan ‘s Font Police.
Damn! I didn’t think to repurpose this, created in 2001 for Chris Sayer’s Open 50 sponsorship proposal, into a flag contender.
Given the current “keep the old”, what about the Union Jack, maybe Southern Cross Stars, or a Fern kerfuffle perhaps this mash-up of the current flag stuffed into a fern outline would have been a contender. Silly me, I thought it was just a logo placeholder until a sponsor was confirmed!
My notes & photos from TEDx Auckland 2015. I only took the phone (for both notes & photos) and was sitting right at the back of the hall so my shots are a bit ‘distant’.
The italics are the speaker profiles sent out by TEDx Auckland
The bullet points my OneNote notes taken on the day (which may contain errors) and a few post-TEDx thoughts after.
SIOUXSIE WILES
Award-winning scientist Dr. Siouxsie Wiles describes herself as a microbiologist and bioluminescence enthusiast but to others she is “that pink-haired science lady”. She believes that playmakers like Lego should lead the way in stamping out gender-stereotyping in toys.
18/150 minifigs feminine when first looked
20% feminine 2014
Lego friends mostly feminine but they suck
Hands don't move
Can't ride a bike, can brush hair
In NZ: 98% plumber mechanics builders men, 97% teacher female
Lego have had a solution for years, the two face Voldemort minifig could be male/female
Of 200 head introduced 2013 had 2 expressions
Just make all figures with both gender two sided faces is a simple and elegant solution
#letkidsdecide
I know Siouxsie, from Skeptics in the Pub, and had seen her speak before so wasn’t at all surprised she was great. Must be a double edged sword being first up to kick off a big day. Big expectations but the benefit of getting out of the way to enjoy the rest of the speakers. As a life long Lego fan (having Grandparents living on duty free Norfolk Island helped that) I the topic was of interest. I loved the simple solution Siousxie offered, something Lego could, and should, easily implement.
GRANT SCHOFIELD
Grant Schofield lives and breathes the motto “be the best you can be”. Through his work as Professor of Public Health and director of the Human Potential Centre at AUT, his focus is on preventing the diseases of modern times, and seeing what it takes to help people live a long, healthy and happy life.
Ever think about how you are going to die?
Aspire to live long, then drop dead without lingering
Worked on pacific atoll, still had population of 40k, 50% have diabetes
Lost traditional values, living on instant noodles not the best
How did we get to the point where butter is like marijuana, most have tried it but wouldn't use it daily
George:
Grant found him after he commented on a blog post, looked a bit like a rock star.
Drug user with hepatitis c
Figures out new way of eating, health improves
Was on benefit in West Auckland, now research assistant at AUT public health
George’s journey enabled by internet
Public health should involve the public
Sometimes complex problems have simple solutions. Public health should involve the public.
RILEY & STEVE HATHAWAY
Riley Hathaway is a 14-year-old ocean ambassador, who presents her own TV series called ‘Young Ocean Explorers’. In it, Steve and his daughter Riley present captivating stories about what happens when a teenager comes face to face with the marine animals we’re all curious about.
Started with dad helping daughter with school project in waste plastic on turtles, fantastic response, inspired the series
Using Kids to inspire kids works
If we win the kids we all win
Great message and amazing where a school project can lead.
SHAUN HENDY
Shaun Hendy is the founding Director of Te Pūnaha Matatini, a Centre of Research Excellence hosted by the University of Auckland. Shaun believes that the challenge for New Zealand is to overcome our relatively small and widely dispersed population base and build a city of four million people.
NZ primary sector ~50%
Denmark similar size
same primary sector
4x other export
NZ 1 patent/1000 people, chch 1/1000, akl 1/750
Sydney 1/500
Larger city, more innovation
To improve:
Connect:
Connect innovators
Create social network
Cities enable connection but technology can too
Diversity:
Barcode invented by AMTRAK, didn't work till combined with laser
Innovation is diverse ideas connected
Diversity drives innovation: Detroit (old Auto) vs S.F. (Tesla)
Share:
Hitachi in Japan led idea/ patent sharing
Dominant global business model of shared patents responsible for 2/3 patents worldwide
Interesting to compare the culture of patent sharing to some of the patent trolls who hoard and stifle innovation. I wonder, in spite of some awesome examples, if New Zealand will ever get beyond the commodity mentality.
People rush out for coffee at the end of the first session
STEVE POINTING
Steve Pointing is Professor of Applied Ecology at AUT and for over a decade has led an astrobiology research team collaborating with NASA. He has broadened his interests to consider the societal impacts of discovering life on other planets: How will this change our perception of humanity?
Science was his escape from bullying
Studies extremophiles in Antarctica, NZ, Tibet
Is there life on Mars
Almost certainly
Aliens likely to be microbes, imagine bio security risk of returning samples
Will discovery of alien life impact faith?
Probably not
Pope Francis happy to baptize alien
Consider impact of Spanish on Aztec South America
Disease
Cultural loss
Genetic changes from interbreeding
If we discover alien life, are we going to be the colonists or the Aztecs?
Strange leap from potential of alien microbes to the Pope being open to welcoming Aliens!
HONG SHENG
Dr. Hong Sheng Chiong is currently an eye doctor in Gisborne hospital. In 2014, he founded OphthalmicDocs, an R&D company that focuses on the development of ultra mobile and economical eye tests and diagnostics devices.
A dream to end preventable blindness
Has worked in Kenya, Nepal
285 million vision impaired, 39m blind 80% preventable
As I have fairly poor vision — short sighted, astigmatism and a risk of glaucoma — I know how it would impair life without treatment. Hong Sheng got a deserved standing ovation for a brilliant combination of invention, technological innovation and creative distribution to get affordable health care to people who really need it.
TOM SCOTT
Tom Scott is an award winning political columnist, editorial cartoonist and documentary maker. Some of the films and television dramas he either wrote or co-wrote include Footrot Flats and Tiger Country. He's currently working on a six-part television series on Sir Edmund Hillary.
Charlie Hebdo: Not great drawings, but great messages
Father came to NZ after war, in part to escape religion in northern Ireland
Why do states like Pakistan & North Korea devote so much of limited GDP to nuclear weapons? Where are the keys? Tucked under the drivers sun visor probably!
His biggest concern: Global Warming
95% of people are decent, 5% nutters and shitters try to ruin it for the rest of us.
Have known his work my whole life. Great to hear Tom speak about his work, our world and some of the bizarre things that are considered normal.
GAVIN HEALY
Gavin Healy, who is originally from Ireland, will speak about the impact of growing up in a country devastated by centuries of civil war, and how the 5,500 year old spiritual sites that surrounded his childhood home gave him hope...
Thoughts determine behaviour
Brain rewired by thought
Denial is easier then acceptance and behaviour change
Suggested religion but wouldn't give car keys to a stranger, wouldn't give brain to something wasn't sure exists
Investigated spirituality, Celtic etc
Formed ‘I Stop’ to get kids out of the Northern Irish troubles
Theory: If thoughts create neuron pathways, & those pathways create addiction, what is media doing to our brains?
Marshall institute ran smoking is ok campaigns, now working on climate change
Creating doubt is their goal, doubt feeds denial
Met kiwi wife, moved here and reconnected with environment
Created
Good Magazine
Element Magazine (Herald insert)
About to launch social media site
Message: Change the world by changing how you think
Grow new behaviour with new thoughts, spirit & world
Some interesting views on the way media is influencing us, maybe our brains. Have been thinking about this myself since the Tibet trip. Both Buddhism and the political oppression combined with media control have impacted a whole society. Maybe (in a different way) the same is happening here.
BILLIE JORDAN
Billie Jordan established a hip hop dance crew with her elderly neighbours (aged 68 to 96 years old) with the audacious goal of performing at the World Hip Hop Championships in Las Vegas within eight months. From that point on, her life and the lives of her dance group changed forever.
At what point are you considered old?
Ageism is real
US senior citizen suicide rate 3x youth rate
Old age should be the most liberating time of your life
All the group have physical/mental aging problems to some degree. ASIDE: Why do people still whisper about dementia? It's going to happen to all of us who live long enough to some degree
I think because all mental health problems still stigmatized
Her story:
Both parents abusive, felt Suicidal
Cut off from that and moved to Chch
Traumatized by quake survival
Moved to Waiheke, created flash mob of oldies top connect with others
Set them impossible goal: Performance at World Hip-hop championship in Vegas
Learnt hip hop off YouTube to be their choreographer
They got there
Their doctors say are healthier now than have been in years
Billie and her crew were just awesome. What I found really sad was the prejudice they encountered (from both family and community) which was much more discussed in the AUT Lounge session after.
Hip Hop-eration video
BAILEY WILEY
Bailey Wiley filters neo-soul classicism through modern, righteous and true live musicianship. The star of the show is her golden voice – effortless and organic, supported by her raw talented band.
Nice!
DALE NIRVANI PFEIFER
Dale is changing the way we connect online. Her #donate software, developed to make giving easy on social media, is unleashing the next generation of generosity. Her goal is to support the evolution of the human experience with money by creating a generosity-based financial system.
Her https://goodworld.me service allows you to use the #donate tag to give to charity via Facebook and Twitter
Paradox of generosity
Giving is also self serving
Givers are happier
Give what you want to receive
I hadn’t heard of Goodworld and how the #donate tag worked before this talk. A neat way to enable more people to give, breaks through the hassle of giving.
JANETTE SEARLE
Janette Searle had a life changing conversation that turned into ‘Take My Hands’ a not-for- profit organisation that redistributes prosthetic, orthotic and medical equipment to those in need.
Working at conference found NZ hospitals dump unused limbs - later worked out equiv of 60,000 boxes of medical equip/year goes to landfill
Arranged to get some unused limbs to Pakistan
Worked out 1 limb cost $0.30 to get to a boy in Pakistan
Turned it into a trust
PBT transport, Mondiale & NZ Post supported
Designed a platform (now open)
Partnerships:
IT: Item tracking & management
Knowledge: Advisory board
Stories: Telling about the impact
Now used from
Blissful act s of kindness palm nth
Furnishing the pacific
The floating foundation
Everyone can make a difference, you don't need to wait until you're rich and retired.
The last note sums it up. A simple idea, connecting a waste problem to a resource shortage, and she made it happen. Brilliant.
SIR BOB HARVEY
Sir Bob Harvey is the Chairman of Waterfront Auckland, has served 6 terms as Mayor of the city of Waitakere and recently published his biography ‘A Life Less Ordinary’. Sir Bob’s involvement in leadership, creativity and his passion for the environment will be the foundation of his TEDx talk.
Leadership in a landscape
Grew up in Newton Gully
Cycled to Piha, bit never got there, Karekare took his eye & heart so he never got to Piha
First sea air rescue ever was at Karekare when float plane picked up woman who'd drifted out.
Slept on beach, saw Waterspout and discovered dead whale, inspired to do something creative
Ad agency worked on:
Manapouri
Norm Kirk campaign - Its time first NZ modern political campaign,
David Lange - Was huge, but got a little slimmer
Major of Waitakere:
Named it Eco City - a green bastion of sanity
Inspired by Karekare
Driftwood talks to itself but we cant hear it, that's not crazy, but it is edgy.
If you want to find leadership: find your place and believe in you.
Bob’s talk really resonated with me. Maybe because I’m a Westie and love the West Coast that was ‘his place’. I don’t live on that coast but would never want to live far from it. I made a point of hanging around to thank him personally for the talk, inspiring.
SORCERESS SOUNDSYSTEM
A futuristically classic sound in a distinctive blend of funky drum rhythms and soulful synthesizers – that is how you can explain the diverse music mix of Sorceress. The duo has evolved into a widely respected soul electronica act with a truly global following.
To be honest, initially had my doubts, then the trumpet came out and the performance soared. Loved it.
TAME ITI
Tame Iti will explore the old saying of "Te ka nohi ki te ka nohi" (Dealing with it eye to eye) and how it creates a far more productive space for open dialogue around any issue.
Mana:
Sense of self
Sense of place
Sense of heritage
At primary school principal banned Maori at school
He tested that and had to write lines on the blackboard
Authority is not mana
Make them face you
Eye to eye
Went to crown treaty hearing
They were up on stage
He didn't want to be looked down on
Took a ladder to do his submission from
The mana of the people is equal to that of any authority
History has woven us together, we are the basket, the kité, which holds the future. We must face each other eye to eye
When I saw Tame Iti on the line-up I remembered the underwhelming Willie Jackson session last year. No worries about that as Tame Iti was brilliant. A great message, beautifully delivered.
MAX CRYER
Max Cryer (MBE) was New Zealand television’s first quiz host and was awarded ‘New Zealand Entertainer of the Year.’ He has an Honours degree in English Literature and Etymology, and for TVNZ he produced over 100 episodes of “University Challenge” and 100 episodes of ‘Mastermind’. [and MC Vaughn in W3
English language has a world of its own
No country called Germany
No city called Venice
No place called Gallipoli
But we use all these words
Impact of internet on language
Met without meeting
Dating without dating
Grooming... Doesn't work out well
Friend you haven't met
Text evolved to texting & texted
We Chat in rooms with no chat
Tweet in silence
@ amphora symbol has no name in English
Used for pricing before the web was invented: 4 yards @ £3 yard
That is why it's on the keyboard
In many languages has a name but in English has none
Spam was originally Spiced Ham
Monty Python popularised spam spam spam
Something we get in profusion but don't want
Have known Max’s work my whole life, listen to his Radio Live spot with Graeme Hill every weekend (via the podcast usually), was great to see him live. He didn’t disappoint.
LISA MATISOO-SMITH
Lisa Matisoo-Smith is the Professor of Biological Anthropology in the Department of Anatomy at the University of Otago. Her primary area of interest is in looking at the biological evidence for the human settlement of the Pacific.
Uses DNA to understand human migration history
Pioneered by NZ Allan Wilson
Mitochondrial Eve
All the diversity in humans today happened in about the last 60,000 years
Polynesian triangle (New Ginea, Samoa, Tonga) colonised over 3500 before present BP
NZ 1200 to 750 BP
Polynesian chicken bones found in South America dated 750 years before Columbus. They returned via Ecuador bringing kumara with them
Studied rat dna in Polynesia, community engagement from the led to acceptance of human dna project
30 female mitochondria means there were thousand or more, not previous thought hundreds, woman settled here (NZ) in initial migration.
The longest journey: Africa to Aotearoa: A genetic study of NZ
Had heard of Lisa’s work (I think thanks to G Hill on Radio Live) and interested. A few years ago I submitted my DNA to the National Geographic Genographic Project. The results showed that my (paternal) ancestral DNA left Africa about 60,000 years ago migrating across continents to the U.K. & Western Europe. From there a much more recent migration resulted in me being Kiwi born. It was interesting to hear how Lisa’s work was rewriting, or restoring, the remarkable abilities of the Polynesian settlers.
MICHEL TUFFERY
Michel Tuffery has a deeply held belief in the possibility of art to create connections: "I’m not a social worker, I’m an artist who’s trying to create a conversation".
C3WEST 'Transforma Project' partnered with Museum of Contemporary Art and Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney, Australia, 2012-2014
Aboriginal settlement near Campbelltown,
Cars stolen, burnt, dumped in river
Solo mothers
Drugs, needles in bush
Interviewed elderly
River used to pristine
Started boxing club for kids
Trained for hour
Fed & ate with them
Had kids design transformers made of car wrecks, printed on paper & t shirts
Worked with council, army, tow truck companies and community to clear it up
Built a Kangaroo transformer sculpture that changed a community
Interesting to hear how art was used to build community in an area with many social challenges.
And that’s it:
There was a strange sky to greet us, the result of a full'ish moon being eclipsed by a cloud!
This was a new venue for TEDx. Although the auditorium was great I thought the lack of foyer space, compared to the previous Aotea Centre, really impacted the ability to circulate and socialise during the breaks. Food, from The Food Truck, was good but they were seriously challenged trying to feed a couple of thousand people in the one hour break. It was fortunate there was no rain, always a risk in Auckland’s changeable climate, as the outdoor areas got a lot of use. In short, a great day but I hope it returns to Aotea next year.
When I saw TEDx Auckland 2014 announced I really wanted to go but was a bit torn. I loved the 2013 event but it meant a precious day of weekend gone. Weekends were crucial as I was trying to get fit for a rather demanding cycle tour in the Himalayas.
The TEDx 2014 theme was ‘Ascending’:
Ascending is about individuals and society rising to a higher level of consciousness.
Ascending is about finding the positives in any situation and building on them to make our lives, community, business and planet better.
As it turned out, the day spent at TEDx may have been the most valuable trip preparation I ever did thanks to Mike Allsop!
Click on the speakers name to link to a video of their talk (if on YouTube)
Bullet points in italics are unedited notes I took during the day using OneNote on my Nokia Lumia 1520 phone. I also used it for all the photos and John Boone session video clip.
The gathering crowds, the Aotea Centre was a near sell-out!
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I prefer Italian cars (for both irrational and rational reasons!) but if was in the market for a Japanese one the Suzuki Swift would have been top of the shopping list. 
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