MAG-NZ opposes the Motorcycle Safety Levy

[NONONO]

Yep, it was not well done, but it WAS done, it did keep the protest against ACC changes in the media, briefly...

[NONONO]

"Here come the jets like a bat out of hell,....
Lets have some perspective here.
I'm a member of BRONZ.
Was at the time of Bikoi (and I do dispute BRONZ's claim to ownership of that).
Why then did I feel the need to get involved with MAG-NZ?
BRONZ simply became inactive as soon as Welly was over.
It appeared asleep before Welly, think it had 25 members, and after Bikoi it became sluggish again.
In the lead up to Welly, Action Groups were formed, Wellington Action Group and the Auckland Action Group. They where not BRONZ groups.
These groups, kept the ACTIONS alive.
BRONZ appeared to find the whole ACTION thing problematic, forever earring on the side of caution and process. The Auckland Action Group had no such qualms.
AAG, often with the tacit support of BRONZ but never with BRONZ's full backing, consistently kept the levy hikes and ACC changes in the public eye and achieved fantastic media coverage while maintaining the support of a hard core of bikers.
This hard core, has not been seen as such by BRONZ.
Inaction has continued to be the BRONZ byword and it's default setting until very recently.
AAG has since become the Auckland Local MAG-NZ, other Locals already exist.
MAG-NZ will always be an ACTION focused organization. That's why I'm in and that's what will keep me in.
If the existence of MAG-NZ is enough of a kick up the arse for BRONZ to get it moving (I can't say AGAIN), then that's an achievement all on it's own.
We do and will oppose the MSL and by default the MSL EG.
I personally believe that the groups signed up for this bean feast are simply being co opted by Nick and Judge...
When you sup with the devil, better bring a long spoon.

[Pixie]

Well, MSL will NOT be buying anyone a free vizi vest that I can assure you, not without going through the GETS website with correctly formatted RFI-RFP-TENDER process

In fact not one cent has yet been allocated to ANYTHING and wont till 2011 at the earliest

The 30$ is NOT above the increase.
The increase in total was 140$ of which the 30$ MSL was negotiated AFTER the levy increase was set, (thanks Ulysses club!) effectively giving us SOME say how its spent and some control over the use of OUR levy
I STILL OPPOSE the increase and say so often.
If 9,500 riders showing up at Parliament couldn't stop it neither will whinging on Kiwibiker

So many opinion's on here and no one paying any attention to the facts, as they are clearly stated over and over again.

The MSL is the ONLY good thing we got out of the levy increase if you all bother to read the legislation behind it (as I have)

Et Tu BRUTE?
No....woke up one day and realized battle no 1 was lost, so continue the war as best I can.
Buried my hatchet, got on with the task at hand

Typical Kiwi back down and give up tactic.

This is how to Fight:

History - Fred Hill


Many people will recall the extraordinary example set by Fred Hill in defying the compulsory helmet law throughout the nineteen seventies and eighties. Nowhere in the world has anyone made such exceptional sacrifices in the name of biker's freedoms.

A former army dispatch rider during WW2, Fred worked for many years as a mathematics teacher before leaving to enjoy what he doubtless expected would be a quiet retirement. Incensed by the compulsory helmet law, Fred rode everywhere in an old beret, collecting literally hundreds of tickets, which he stored in a large suitcase. Fred's refusal to pay the fines for helmet-less riding constituted 'Contempt of Court' for which he was given custodial sentences thirty one times.

Some of the sentences were very short, as little as 24 hours on one occasion when he was held in an unlocked police station cell and told by the desk sergeant to - 'bugger off when no-one's looking.' Other sentences were much longer however and the company which Fred found himself amongst in Her Majesty's hostels was not always the finest. Fred loathed prison life and once wrote a disturbing account of his experiences for Magnews. 'What is a man deprived of his name, his freedom of movement taken away, his every privacy invaded, every move spied upon, locked away in a filthy cell for 23 hours out of the 24 hours- and half of these miserable hours spent in darkness.'

A member of MAG, Fred's face was a familiar sight at MAG demonstrations all over the country. Fred always made speeches at the demonstrations, dressed in his arrow - patterned prison suit he would treat the crowd to theatrical helpings of his Yorkshire wit, always maintaining a characteristic good humour even when being booked. Though in every other way, a law-abiding citizen, Fred would encourage the crowds he addressed to follow his example, as the law would have to be repealed if enough people simply ignored it. In so doing he risked the more serious charge of incitement to break the law, though such a charge was never brought against him. Once in the dock of a magistrates court where a lady magistrate berated his lawlessness, Fred took the opportunity to remind her that if it hadn't been for members of her sex breaking the law some years ago, she wouldn't be sitting where she was.

With the passage of time, police in Fred's neighbourhood frequently turned a blind eye to his indiscretions. though when he went further afield he would invariably be stopped. In order to cover the necessary distances Fred replaced his Honda 50 with a 250, aboard which, on one occasion, he battled all the way to the Gower Peninsula in Wales and back, a distance of about 500 miles in one day despite appaling weather.

Demonstrations of support by MAG members were frequently staged outside prisons in which Fred was held and a commemoration of his efforts is made annually at the gates of Pentonville Prison on the anniversary of his death. Fred Hill was seventy four years old when in 1984 he died from a heart attack suffered whilst in custody in London's Pentonville Prison . Despite the tremendous news angle of one man against the state, the national media, with the exception of two columnists, Mathew Parris and Auberaugn Waugh, suspiciously blanked the tragedy.

Fred was imprisoned 31 times, his final sentence of 60 days, proving too much to take, was half completed. The prison governor had warned Fred that the harsh prison environment could be the death of him, to which Fred replied that, 'it didn't matter where a man died but how.' An enquiry into Fred's death resulted in a coroner's report which concluded that Fred's prison experience had not contributed toward his death.

Whether the helmet issue is important to you or not, we all owe it, not only to Fred but to ourselves, to sustain a ceaseless call for the reform of this outrageous legislation for, as Fred wrote - 'what is a man deprived..of his freedom ?' Motorcycling is about freedom. Fred understood that. We must never forget Fred's example lest we forget why we ride motorcycles.

Fred Hill was a member of MAG-UK

[Ronin]

"Here come the jets like a bat out of hell,....
Lets have some perspective here.
I'm a member of BRONZ.
Was at the time of Bikoi (and I do dispute BRONZ's claim to ownership of that).
Why then did I feel the need to get involved with MAG-NZ?
BRONZ simply became inactive as soon as Welly was over.
It appeared asleep before Welly, think it had 25 members, and after Bikoi it became sluggish again.
In the lead up to Welly, Action Groups were formed, Wellington Action Group and the Auckland Action Group. They where not BRONZ groups.
These groups, kept the ACTIONS alive.
BRONZ appeared to find the whole ACTION thing problematic, forever earring on the side of caution and process. The Auckland Action Group had no such qualms.
AAG, often with the tacit support of BRONZ but never with BRONZ's full backing, consistently kept the levy hikes and ACC changes in the public eye and achieved fantastic media coverage while maintaining the support of a hard core of bikers.
This hard core, has not been seen as such by BRONZ.
Inaction has continued to be the BRONZ byword and it's default setting until very recently.
AAG has since become the Auckland Local MAG-NZ, other Locals already exist.
MAG-NZ will always be an ACTION focused organization. That's why I'm in and that's what will keep me in.
If the existence of MAG-NZ is enough of a kick up the arse for BRONZ to get it moving (I can't say AGAIN), then that's an achievement all on it's own.
We do and will oppose the MSL and by default the MSL EG.
I personally believe that the groups signed up for this bean feast are simply being co opted by Nick and Judge...
When you sup with the devil, better bring a long spoon.

That there is the best post of the thread (sorry Mom)

[Eyegasm]

This is how to Fight:

So are they allowed to ride without helmets now?

Good story, but in the end it really did no good.

I guess you could say that one man can fight a fight, but it will take all of us to win the fight.

[Katman]

Typical Kiwi back down and give up tactic.

This is how to Fight:

History - Fred Hill


Many people will recall the extraordinary example set by Fred Hill in defying the compulsory helmet law throughout the nineteen seventies and eighties. Nowhere in the world has anyone made such exceptional sacrifices in the name of biker's freedoms.

A former army dispatch rider during WW2, Fred worked for many years as a mathematics teacher before leaving to enjoy what he doubtless expected would be a quiet retirement. Incensed by the compulsory helmet law, Fred rode everywhere in an old beret, collecting literally hundreds of tickets, which he stored in a large suitcase. Fred's refusal to pay the fines for helmet-less riding constituted 'Contempt of Court' for which he was given custodial sentences thirty one times.

Some of the sentences were very short, as little as 24 hours on one occasion when he was held in an unlocked police station cell and told by the desk sergeant to - 'bugger off when no-one's looking.' Other sentences were much longer however and the company which Fred found himself amongst in Her Majesty's hostels was not always the finest. Fred loathed prison life and once wrote a disturbing account of his experiences for Magnews. 'What is a man deprived of his name, his freedom of movement taken away, his every privacy invaded, every move spied upon, locked away in a filthy cell for 23 hours out of the 24 hours- and half of these miserable hours spent in darkness.'

A member of MAG, Fred's face was a familiar sight at MAG demonstrations all over the country. Fred always made speeches at the demonstrations, dressed in his arrow - patterned prison suit he would treat the crowd to theatrical helpings of his Yorkshire wit, always maintaining a characteristic good humour even when being booked. Though in every other way, a law-abiding citizen, Fred would encourage the crowds he addressed to follow his example, as the law would have to be repealed if enough people simply ignored it. In so doing he risked the more serious charge of incitement to break the law, though such a charge was never brought against him. Once in the dock of a magistrates court where a lady magistrate berated his lawlessness, Fred took the opportunity to remind her that if it hadn't been for members of her sex breaking the law some years ago, she wouldn't be sitting where she was.

With the passage of time, police in Fred's neighbourhood frequently turned a blind eye to his indiscretions. though when he went further afield he would invariably be stopped. In order to cover the necessary distances Fred replaced his Honda 50 with a 250, aboard which, on one occasion, he battled all the way to the Gower Peninsula in Wales and back, a distance of about 500 miles in one day despite appaling weather.

Demonstrations of support by MAG members were frequently staged outside prisons in which Fred was held and a commemoration of his efforts is made annually at the gates of Pentonville Prison on the anniversary of his death. Fred Hill was seventy four years old when in 1984 he died from a heart attack suffered whilst in custody in London's Pentonville Prison . Despite the tremendous news angle of one man against the state, the national media, with the exception of two columnists, Mathew Parris and Auberaugn Waugh, suspiciously blanked the tragedy.

Fred was imprisoned 31 times, his final sentence of 60 days, proving too much to take, was half completed. The prison governor had warned Fred that the harsh prison environment could be the death of him, to which Fred replied that, 'it didn't matter where a man died but how.' An enquiry into Fred's death resulted in a coroner's report which concluded that Fred's prison experience had not contributed toward his death.

Whether the helmet issue is important to you or not, we all owe it, not only to Fred but to ourselves, to sustain a ceaseless call for the reform of this outrageous legislation for, as Fred wrote - 'what is a man deprived..of his freedom ?' Motorcycling is about freedom. Fred understood that. We must never forget Fred's example lest we forget why we ride motorcycles.

Fred Hill was a member of MAG-UK

I think you just shot yourself in the foot.

[Pixie]

I think you just shot yourself in the foot.

Oh yeah the ATGATT thing.
I wonder how Fred lived to die in prison at the age of seventy four without ever wearing a helmet while riding.

No,both of my feet are fine.
Now take your's out of your mouth and check them for bullet holes.

[Katman]

Oh yeah the ATGATT thing.
I wonder how Fred lived to die in prison at the age of seventy four without ever wearing a helmet while riding.

No,both of my feet are fine.
Now take your's out of your mouth and check them for bullet holes.

The moral of your story is that Fred died having achieved nothing.

[chasio]

The moral of your story is that Fred died having achieved nothing.

Sticking to his convictions in the face of overwhelming pressure to abandon them is nothing? I strongly disagree with that.

I don't hold the same position that he did, personally, but I have great respect for his willingness to live and breathe what he felt was right.

[MSTRS:Me]

The 30$ is NOT above the increase.
The increase in total was 140$ of which the 30$ MSL was negotiated AFTER the levy increase was set...

If you are going to quote figures, PLEASE GET THEM RIGHT, Nick.

The increase for 601cc+ was $175. It was later announced, as a sop to try to make the increase more palatable, $30 of this figure would be set aside to form the MSL.

[MSTRS:Me]

Please don't let MAG-NZ become just another motorcycling organisation who refuses to accept the cold hard truth.

Can you show us anything that MAG-NZ, or it's members, have said that?

Au contraire. We know that the collective we crash/injure/kill ourselves too much. However, compared to the number who do not, it is clear that most riders are 'safe'.
MAG-NZ believes that it is abhorrent to have a levy placed on each and every one of us to fund safety initiatives for those that need it.
And personally, I am not convinced that the people on that committee are there for totally selfless reasons. Place a carcass in the open and the vultures will come...

[Eyegasm]

Place a carcass in the open and the vultures will come...

And the vulture that was turned away from the carcass will oppose those that have been allowed to feed...

[MSTRS:Me]

Bullshit. The stance MAG-NZ has taken in the MSL came first.

[Eyegasm]

Bullshit. The stance MAG-NZ has taken in the MSL came first.

Chicken or Egg, I really don't care. This is all it sounds like to me.

[Ronin]

And personally, I am not convinced that the people on that committee are there for totally selfless reasons. Place a carcass in the open and the vultures will come...

I still for the life of me have no idea why MNZ has anything to do with it.