Bob Sullo is touring new Zealand in January and February in 2011. He is a wonderful speaker and author. Check out his latest newsletter. Use the drop down menu to access the newsletter.
I watched a current affairs program about the New Zealanders going to live in Australia in their thousands over the last five years. The current situation is that New Zealanders arriving in Australia are temporary citizens, not able to access any government money in the form of grants or benefits. That people cannot access unemployment benefits is a good thing, as it is often too easy to become dependent instead of standing on your own two feet. However, the argument was the children who have gone with their parents to live in Australia since 2003 are unable to access student loans when they wish to study and will need to pay overseas student fees which are significantly higher. Minister Peter Garrett responded to questions about this situation, stating that New Zealanders were making the choice, knowing this information before they left New Zealand. He did indicate that there were avenues, government to government that could be undertaken to change this situ...
According to the New Zealand Department of Corrections website, one in every two prisoners is re-convicted and re-imprisoned within four years of release. With a 50% failure rate, is what we are doing working? Anne Tolley, Minister of Corrections wants to reduce this rate by 25%. How about 3.5% That is the result of a 2012 longitudinal university study in the Californian Institution for Women. These inmates are being taught how they can have control over their lives by Instructors from the William Glasser Institute. Over a period of five years 500 women have spent over 100 hours learning Choice Theory. There is currently a waiting list of 200 women wanting to be involved. They request transfers from other prisons to be able to learn this life -changing program. Of the 175 women paroled, only five have returned to prison. That is 3.5% - a long way better than 25%. This tra...
The Weather Rope My older brother and I had a discussion about school journals that were a part of our reading program at school in New Zealand all those years ago. He reminded me about a story that had made a huge impact on him called The Weather Rope . Perhaps it was the fact that we grew up in a farming community where the weather was always a topic of discussion "We need rain." Or "Wish it would stop raining so we can get the hay in." Perhaps it was the possibility of being able to control things over which we had no control. The story told of a community that discovered a weather rope that hung from the sky. All one had to do was to go and pull on the rope to get a change in the weather. If the community wanted rain then the rope was pulled and hey presto there was rain. Then if the rain was sufficient for the grass to grow, the rope was pulled again and there was the sunshine to dry up all the puddles. This all went along...
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