BRONZ Update (7 January)

[caseye]

Your'e both right! Stop the in fighting and come up with a viable solution to ACC's most immediate problem.Getting bikers to pay anything for their ACC content of the next registration. LOL, sorry guys but your disagreeing(though really only over which way the message is delivered) with one another is exactly what the Govt and ACC heads want. Ideally we and I'd wager most of the driving/riding population of NZ simply want a simple ACC as it was, flat fee for accident compensation. To allow them(ACC head and the Govt) to do anything else is to allow that there is wriggle room.There must not be and they need to know this sooner rather than later. BRONZ is I believe the best vehicle for getting whatever message/suggestion we collectively come up with across to the Govt.

[YellowDog]

Negative. We want ACC to go back to how it was originally implemented. Letting ACC play by their own rules is the reason why we are where we are today.

IMO - You're dreaming. I wish you good luck.

[craneman]

whats happening with Bronz Wellington - I went to a meeting in Lower Hutt late last year and joined, but Ive heard nothing since

[Skyryder]

OK - So I do agree with what you have said, but I do think it will easier to get ACC to play their own game rather than change it to what we consider to be fair and reasonable.

Jeeeez ya not serious. "Play their own game?" By this I takeit that you mean they make up the rules as they go along.

And on top of this you believe that they should not be fair and reasonable. I'm surprised ya still riding with such sentiments.

Skyryder

[Skyryder]

IMO - You're dreaming. I wish you good luck.

All things start with a dream. Without them nothing happens.


Skyryder

[pornoshauno]

When are we going to protest outside the ACC offices around the country? Come on, i'm sick of being mr nice guy and want to kick some ASS!!! For a BIG city like Auckland we dont seem to be doing much protesting!The more money the government extracts out of me, more of my "life force" is getting drained from my soul.

[shrub]

When are we going to protest outside the ACC offices around the country? Come on, i'm sick of being mr nice guy and want to kick some ASS!!! For a BIG city like Auckland we dont seem to be doing much protesting!The more money the government extracts out of me, more of my "life force" is getting drained from my soul.

That won't actually achieve anything. The ACC staff are not the ones making the decisions, it's a political decision and unfortunately the politicians have put their best offer on the table, so any form of protest is of limited value. I'm afraid the levies we've been told we'll pay are the best we'lll get, but there is still room for negotiation and we are still able to negotiate concessions from the government and ACC.

My position is that we're paying more, so we would like to get more for our money in terms of meeting our needs to ride motorcycles safely. What needs to happen now is professional and effective lobbying of local and central government as well as service agencies like ACC to change legislation, riding environment, resource provision, education etc. Protests will change nothing, but negotiation and reasoned debate will.

The next question is, are BRONZ up to it? Do they have access to the specialised skills and resources they need? Or are they limited to organising a few protest rides and having a few meetings?

[bogan]

That won't actually achieve anything. The ACC staff are not the ones making the decisions, it's a political decision and unfortunately the politicians have put their best offer on the table, so any form of protest is of limited value. I'm afraid the levies we've been told we'll pay are the best we'lll get, but there is still room for negotiation and we are still able to negotiate concessions from the government and ACC.

My arse thats their best offer, It's only their best offer If you believe Nationals bullshit that future funding is required, which is clearly just an attempt to privative ACC.

The next question is, are BRONZ up to it? Do they have access to the specialised skills and resources they need? Or are they limited to organising a few protest rides and having a few meetings?

I have faith that BRONZ will keep up the pressure, and make the future funding/privatisation of acc one of the big issues for the next election. Though there are a number of unions getting on board towards the same goal now as well, hence the next big welli protest which is not just for bikers.

[shrub]

My arse thats their best offer, It's only their best offer If you believe Nationals bullshit that future funding is required, which is clearly just an attempt to privative ACC.


I have faith that BRONZ will keep up the pressure, and make the future funding/privatisation of acc one of the big issues for the next election. Though there are a number of unions getting on board towards the same goal now as well, hence the next big welli protest which is not just for bikers.

I wish I had your faith. I agree that it's all a very carefully planned strategy by the National Party to privatise the ACC, but the public have a very short memory and all you need to do is see how little action has been happening on the ACC threads on KB to show that people have accepted and moved on. The politicians have made a significant concession (the cynic in me says we are paying what they originally intended and that the previous levies were just them going in high so they could be seen to make a concession), and that means they have backed down. National are a very popular government, and even if every motorcyclist in NZ voted Labour it might cost them 1 or 2 seats tops, and that won't happen.

As for BRONZ keeping up the pressure and making privatisation of ACC a big issue, they are not obviously putting any pressure on anything right now and I honestly doubt they have the resources to make privatisation of ACC an election issue, let alone being seen as an opinion leader outside a very narrow constituency.

[bogan]

hmmm, self fulfilling prophecy situation, if we all do nothing cos we assume bikers have accepted it then nothing will change, if we all get up in arms about it, hopefully things will change. One reason for the lack of activity on KB about it is that theres not really much to say atm, the facts are out in the open, most are set in thier opinions. So bugger all to do except actually get out there and protest, which I think (hope anyways) most bikers are willing to do, but few are willing to put in the work to organize (big ups to all those who do), next big one (with the unions) is scheduled for mid feb, see where we go from there I spose.

And as for the "is BRONZ up to it?" question, Im not well acquainted enough with politicking (and I hope to god I never will be ) to answer that, but they are the best we have, and stand the best chance If we get behind them 100%

[shrub]

hmmm, self fulfilling prophecy situation, if we all do nothing cos we assume bikers have accepted it then nothing will change, if we all get up in arms about it, hopefully things will change. One reason for the lack of activity on KB about it is that theres not really much to say atm, the facts are out in the open, most are set in thier opinions. So bugger all to do except actually get out there and protest, which I think (hope anyways) most bikers are willing to do, but few are willing to put in the work to organize (big ups to all those who do), next big one (with the unions) is scheduled for mid feb, see where we go from there I spose.

And as for the "is BRONZ up to it?" question, Im not well acquainted enough with politicking (and I hope to god I never will be ) to answer that, but they are the best we have, and stand the best chance If we get behind them 100%

Unfortunately the time for protests and "getting up in arms" is over, and that is reflected by BRONZ stating that they won't be engaged in protest action in Q1. Don't get me wrong, I love a nice big protest ride as much as the next man, but the main purposes of a protest are to: inform the political elites of the mood and will of the people and gain support for a position from outsiders. The pollies know how we feel and how pissed off we are (I suspect they always knew), but it's nearly 2 years before the next election and National are sitting pretty - even if every biker in the country voted labour, given current polling figures National would still get in. So telling them we're pissed off achieves little, and to compound the situation ACC levies are old news. In December Knuckles organised a ride with 1200 participants and the media didn't even give it a one liner, and without media coverage protests are never going to be effective.

The general public had some sympathy for us, but given the "generous" concessions made by our loving leaders I suspect that that well of sympathy has been tapped. A lot of car drivers see us as piss drinking morons who ride noisy bikes waaaaay too fast and take stupid risks, and I don't blame them for holding that opinion because bike runs always seem to decend on pubs and any citizen who has ever driven to Akaroa on a weekend has had a bike scream past them on a blind corner. The media like that look because it's Othering which is a socillogial term to describe creating the perception of a group of people not like us - others, therefore building perceived social conflict, which is why they love giving the mike to a burly middle aged man with a goatee and a leather jacket.

Another protest, especially one that disrupts Mike and Mary Citizen as they engage in the sacred ritual of shopping on a Saturday morning will achieve little, and may even be counterproductive - "look at all those horrid, rough bikers. All the do is complain about paying for all the millions of accidents they have".

As for BRONZ being the best we have, they're a great organisation with some good people. From what I understand there are several other groups that are in existence and forming who can work alongside BRONZ and share resources.

[riffer]

We're going back to Parliament on February 16. Members of BRONZ Welly and Kiwibiker, along with representatives of major union organisations, ACC Futures Coalition and other interested parties met last night to work on the fine details of how the protest action will be undertaken that day. We already have permission to take over Parliament grounds. More info will come in the next few days. In the meantime we'll try and give you more info as it's agreed upon.

[gazmascelle]

We're going back to Parliament on February 16. Members of BRONZ Welly and Kiwibiker, along with representatives of major union organisations, ACC Futures Coalition and other interested parties met last night to work on the fine details of how the protest action will be undertaken that day. We already have permission to take over Parliament grounds. More info will come in the next few days. In the meantime we'll try and give you more info as it's agreed upon.

Is there a thread for this protest?

[riffer]

Is there a thread for this protest?

Of course.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...and-the-Unions

[Pedrostt500]

BRONZ Wellington branch, had a good meeting tonight, at the Parrot and Jigger bar, our first for 2010, we are still feeling our way forward, learning to crawl before we walk and run, we are small in Numbers at the moment but very keen to grow, so any one interested in joining us, feel free to PM, or if you are local ish rock up to the Parrot and Jigger bar, in Lower Hutt, on the Second Tuesday of each month, @ 7pm,and we will be happy to meet you.
There will be many issues at Local level and National levels that will affect Motorcyclists, as Individuals, Clubs and.
ACC and the Cheese Cutters being two of the biggies of recent times, with stronger Membership Numbers, we can be more effective in lobbing for a better deal for our Members. We would like to hear from you if you belong to any Motorcycling Clubs, both on road and off, as we do not discriminate against what you ride, with in the Motorcycling Spectrum, or even if you don't ride but have an interest in Motorcycling.


Pedro