Auckland ACC Christmas Cards Event

I think this one gets lost in the threads, I like the idea and would like to put this up for discussion. I don't mind organising it either.

The Christmas card idea with a twist. Print heaps of em.Make a date and have a group of bikers with petitions etc set up on top of No! tree hill.
Tell every biker( THIS TIME, lets advertise the date and our intention for all bikers to see so there is no excuse for complancy)
that we can to ride up there to receive their Christmas card for a National MP, an ACC executive or any of the other political parties who are supporting National.
Give them a specific address a name to ask for and send em on thier way. This could take all day so have a few bikers ready to take over on the hill.
We could do this in every Major town and city in NZ with out stresing all of our motorcyclists.
The Media wouldn't know which way to turn, which address to go to and the generral public would see us going about our intended protest without disturbing them while taking a message to the Govt that we are standing in the front of the line for them too.
The Message needs to be clear, we are bikers,we are no longer angry, we are enlightened, the Govt started with us thinking we'd be easy beats and the general public wouldn't care.
WRONG.
Let them try to end it with just us NOW!
Take the publics raised levy charges with us, take the truckies increased levies with us, let them know we feel for them and will fight for them too.
Just an idea.

Its not mine and I have not quoted all posts on the topic.

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I would suggest, we set up a "office" (One Tree Hill sounds good) from which we send out bikes with one Christmas card each to a specific address. If you want you can do more than one, but the coming back part is important. This event should be done throughout the whole day. Scooters and the like could get closer targets.

Benefits: Lots of bikes entering and leaving One Tree Hill location. Information on top of the hill for media and the like. Christmas cards with information for our "friends". Every biker can do his/her part without much scarification of time.

Negative: Not one big convoy showing up with numbers - no media feast. Bikers not participating cause others will do, so why bother.


Now lets discuss: Worth organising? What day? Who is keen to be part of it? Who is keen to help spread the word? etc?

I think the idea has merit! I think the media might be a little tired of the same old thing (mass gatherings of bikes) but this adds a nice little twist.

could be fun too - we could dress up our bikes and ourselves in Christmas tinsel to deliver the cards.

Timing may be an issue though... when would you do it? Party offices all over the country will soon be closing.

We could also do different cards for different parties.
National and Act: stop the nonsense!
Labour and the Greens: thanks for your support!
Maori Party: you need to stand up to this rather than selling out to National

Difficult on a weekday. On a weekend , offices are closed. Stick the card to the door, shades of M Luther?

In Auckland, how many recipients? Maybe 30? Add another 20 or so if people are prepared to ride to , say, Whangarei, which doubtless some would.

No reason why it need be only one rider deliver the pressie, though

Extend the 'card' concept, the traditional gifts for a good child was an orange, for a bad child a lump of coal. That wouldn't blow the budget too much.

It could be combined with the other idea a mass ride down Queen St. The distribute the pressies for delivery in Britomart .

No. Better. We take the whole of that idea on board. Mass ride down Q St, and loop back to the City Mission. There to deliver a gift of tinned food from each rider (they are soliciting such donations). And then posses of riders head off with the OTHER pressies (orange or coal) for the politicians/ACC dudes.

That sounds newsworthy, and a ride experience for the riders. Short easy one , just teh Q St loop for those that want,and longer ones (up to several hundred km) for those that want.

Has to be a weekend to get maximum numbers.
has to be a big show down Queen Street.
Have we got the time to combine this with Mom's idea of taking over the Viaduct?
If as has been requested in other posts we can't do it on 20th, by my calculations that only leaves this weekend...
Are we on or off?
Shit, my calculations are as bad as ACC's, Sat 19th...gives us less than 2 weeks but is it doable and what can I do to help?
Thinking we need a gathering place from which lots of bikes can get to top of Q street.
An exit route from the bottom...to where? Viaduct by 10.30 am?
Speeches and hand outs, then the delivery guys out to where ever.
Any ideas? Or shall I just get my coat?

If this has any legs at all, we could get 20 or 30 bikes to Viaduct early to take up the spaces so we all have somewhere to park when we get there. Not 1 bike 1 park i know but might work?

Ready willing and able, tell us what needs doing and lets get it on.

Originally Posted by klingon

We could also do different cards for different parties.
National and Act: stop the nonsense!
Labour and the Greens: thanks for your support!
Maori Party: you need to stand up to this rather than selling out to National

These do for a start? (might need to check my reo - been a while since I learnt Maori)

I don't get the bit where we're not angry..

Steve

Count me in!

I think the Q street loop and salvation army drop off is a good idea to get publicity and to explain to the media what we are doing, I imagine they would want to get a shot of someone delivering the card to an mp for good TV value.

We need a meeting place and definite time, the rest we might be able to sort,
Fuck, we? so far only a couple thinking bout this.
So anyone got an idea for where to gather? how many up for it?

Originally Posted by taff1954

These do for a start? (might need to check my reo - been a while since I learnt Maori)

Nice! Well done!

Originally Posted by DangerousBastard

I don't get the bit where we're not angry..

Steve

We are angry you silly man!

I am liking this very much. Name a date and lets get organised. Can you buy coal at this time of the year? Where from, no fire supplies on show up this way.

BTW my other idea will keep.

Yes mom we are STILL Angry, but now we;re fighting for all of the other ACC levied people out there.
To have any of them and or other affected groups who are already protesting(ie" Rape crisis, Owner operator truckies, taxi drivers etc.) on board and helping us deliver cards and Food would be fantastic.
Also make for good pictures Bikes, taxi's, trucks.
As for coal, well lets compromise a little bit and get carbonettes, smaller, same size, easily wrapped in a tissue or crepe paper and oh so typical of a National Politician Squeezed this is what they look like.
no goodness left in em, just shit that burns like hell.

I want to put this out there VERY early
The Auckland City Mission are very protective of their profile. It's not about them not wanting as much help as they can get, it IS about ensuring they get sustainable and deliverable help.
Shit, don't want this coming out the wrong way,. I don't have any connection to them at all but unsure if they would be happy for us to make our protest by using their profile (in part).
I've said before, if we want to do something for the Mission we should contact Diane Robertson (CEO) and talk to her. Not sure having us walking in and out on a Sat morning with a can apiece would benefit them at all. And the people they serve might get spooked as well.
I suggest we do the loop, but until Diane gives us the nod we should hold off on the Mission, unless we have a truckload of cans and food to donate, and I mean a TRUCKLOAD.
The parking outside the Mission is not good either.
I liked the idea of the Viaduct but willing to go with anything.
Anyone got the gathering point yet? And to where after the loop, maybe twice around the block? Or 3 times even? Then heading up to 1 tree hill?

You're probably right. I tried to make a donation to them over the Internet some years ago, they made it so damn hard I gave up and donated to Christchurch Mission instead- no hassles, do so every year now. And we certainly can't commit to truckloads, or wheelbarrow laods. What was that thing about the widow'smite?

We don't have time on this to farf around justifiying ourselves, if we're not good enough for them, then we'll forget that bit. Simplifies it a lot , too

Assemble at the Viaduct - tie in to the early thing Mom is sorting. Then roll up Queen St, close convoy, across Grafton Bridge (just because we can and they can't), Park Rd, into the Domain. Distribute cards, coal, oranges and go.


Viaduct is easy access for all points - N'Western and Southern, just come off at Nelson St, and roll down to the water. Northern, straight down Fanshaw St. Plenty of room to assemble.

Date - has to be the 19th. This weekend doesn't leave enough time, and 19th is last Saturday before Xmas.

Time - maybe 11? What time is the Viaduct thing planning to finish?

Delivery will take various so no end point.

We need names and address for the cards; cards printed; a couple of bags of oranges (can anyone get them cheap); a bag of coal or carbonettes.

And people to step up and indicate how far they want to ride to make the delivery.

I'll ride all bloody day for this.
Mom if theres a Viaduct thing on, Count me in there too, early as you like I'll be there.
The First part of this whole day sounds like it'll be the viaduct so we need as many bikes down there as we can get.
I can tell about 20 other people when and where and I can keep telling then till they get sick of me and agree to go.

Originally Posted by Ixion

.And people to step up and indicate how far they want to ride to make the delivery.

For me mid to upper North Island. Should I bring my own Anthrax?

And that folks sounds like a plan.
So what time at Viaduct Mom?
And Maha, this organizing things not THAT hard after all. lol.

Count me in for whatever is arranged. And a couple of others from round here as well.

What I can't understand is the apathy of the general public.........."so we get less pay and higher car rego costs, and reduced benefits..........." all they can do is shrug and give a blank stare..............
must start slapping people around to get it through to them that everybody will be shafted.......
not just the bikers

I thought I saw somewhere that MoM was planning a park-in at the Viaduct, but now I can't find it anywhere. So maybe I imagined it.

If not, still the same plan. Viaduct's as good a place as any to a ssemble.

I'll put a summary of tonight's suggestions in the first post tomorrow morning.

I would like to have the Scooters on board this time as well, easy ride, no motorway, no fast roads. (Who has contacts to get them on short notice, please PM) Bikes on trailers would be fun too, loosens up the convoy and good for a interested look from bystanders. Also good to fix some larger messages to

Keep the ideas coming

Who's working in town and could drop into the mission tomorrow, please be respectable, and ask them if they would have us donate food. We could even collect at viaduct and use the "car and trailer" to deliver due to the parking and scare factor.

Definitely drive by TVNZ on the way out.

Alternatively to assembling at the viaduct, we could meet earlier that day on West Street, top of Upper Queen St, have the drive in to the viaduct as a first ride of the day.

Mom I'll get in contact with you re coordinating both events. The Viaduct thing is very good to educate the public, far better than the ride.

Please PM me with the addresses and I'll put a list together with rough km. Also if you want to deliver one or maybe more cards, let me know how far you would like drive max.

Rest tomorrow