December 13, 2007

As Google Maps Comes To New Zealand, PM Responds To Blog

Duncan Riley

20 comments »

New Zealand joined the exclusive Google Maps club yesterday, a day that according to local press reports Prime Minister Helen Clark joined the blogosphere.

The Maps rollout provides “localised and customised” Google Maps for New Zealand viewers, that includes full local business search capabilities and Local Business Centre so “any Kiwi business can get a free listing.”

On the political front, Prime Minister Helen Clark responded to a post on leading local political blog On The House that ripped into the PM based on comments she allegedly made about journalists that had her saying that many journalists were “too young to remember history” and had wide gaps in their general knowledge.

According to Stuff.co.nz, the PM through her press secretary posted “what is believed to be the first blog posting by the Prime Minister” suggesting that the blog post was inaccurate: “You’ve managed to write nearly 600 words about an event that you didn’t attend, but were happy to blog about on the basis of a story in another newspaper, written by another reporter – who also wasn’t there.”

(image via Fernmark, post in part via The Blogging Journalist)

Sphere It

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Chris R.

December 13th, 2007 at 3:03 am

wow, sheep!
Campbell Anderson

December 13th, 2007 at 3:37 am

Wonder when Bush will start blogging? GO NZ!
Bob Jones

December 13th, 2007 at 3:42 am

Sheep? Racist Aussie
Duncan Riley

December 13th, 2007 at 3:52 am

Actually Bob, I typed New Zealand into Google and that’s one of the images that came up: talk to Sergey and Larry
micfo.com

December 13th, 2007 at 3:53 am

Looks good, however it would be interesting to find how much sales conversation this can generate from local business with their search capabilities.
Steve Ballmer

December 13th, 2007 at 4:18 am

I know this guy!
He once tried to get me to reduce license cost for them, I said “not enough people mate”.

http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
Paul Christian

December 13th, 2007 at 4:41 am

Interesting lot our politicians. There’s the PM of course who is married but rumour has it has a girlfriend, Georgina Bayer who used to be a guy, and Nandoor Tanczos who has dreadlocks, wears hemp suits and says, yes I smoke pot but it’s OK, I don’t do it in the House of Parliament
Marcelo

December 13th, 2007 at 7:01 am

Looklikes very well!

Att,
Marcelo
pancreaticcancerchemotherapy

December 13th, 2007 at 7:05 am

Interesting, thus we could be connected and to know a little more on the businesses, investments and locations of all the corners of the world
Antje Wilsch

December 13th, 2007 at 9:02 am

Duncan you can put up a picture of Sam Neill for us instead!
Roy

December 13th, 2007 at 9:22 am

Fake Steve Ballmer…. your trolling could benefit from reading the article.

Unless I’m terribly mistaken “Helen” is still usually feminine.

Misogynist trolls are a new one for me…

/troll-trolling

But it would be pretty cool to have more politicians, right down to city councils, responding to criticisms online. If only ours could get over their fear of ‘the tubes’. It’s not like a dump-truck.
Rob D

December 13th, 2007 at 10:04 am

New Zealand should actually be known for rabbits, not sheep. While there are 4 sheep for every New Zealand resident, there are (estimated) 10 rabbits for every sheep. The problem is concentrated on the East side of the South island. (Possums are the problem on the North Island.)
Jane Copland

December 13th, 2007 at 10:42 am

I do love the picture you chose to describe my entire country
Greg Southcombe

December 13th, 2007 at 11:24 am

The Prime Minister does her first blog post - and the Leader of the Opposition rolls out his first DVD… and then recalls it. Don’t judge the rest of us on the basis of these two (or the sheep!)

DVD story is here http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/.....mo-nz.html
baah-baah-the-black-sheep

December 13th, 2007 at 11:34 am

Helen doesn’t like journos and hates bloggers. She hates free speech too. For example they made it illegal to make satire of politicians, believe it or not!
They even made it to the Daily Show (click on my name to view, it’s hilarious).
Don

December 13th, 2007 at 1:26 pm

Duncan, since your an Ozzie, I bet you used some roundabout term, to find a sheep image, like “wooly animil” and then when you found it, on the tenth page, you celebrated your act of searching brilliance by throwing off your cork rimmed hat, swatting away the flies and yelling, “Jeeze, well tie me kangaroo down sport, I’m a bloody bright bugger I am”:)

Cheers Don
PM

December 13th, 2007 at 2:11 pm

As a current tourist in NZ, I can confirm that there are incredible amounts of sheep around, so the pic is appropriate (did not see any sheep while in OZ).

The only gripe I have with NZ in regards to internet is that the broadband fees in here are INSANE.

Just paid over NZ$25 (multiply that by 0.78 for US$) for ONE nights broadband connection at a hotel in South Island.
Bob Dole

December 13th, 2007 at 5:16 pm

Aunty Helen just doesn’t like idiot journalists…
nbc

December 14th, 2007 at 5:42 am

NZ - where’s that again?
Sooty

December 16th, 2007 at 1:51 pm

Hey I think that is Lake Wakatipu in the background… and those sheep look familiar… it could very well be my own back yard here in Queenstown. FYI internet isn’t that expensive in New Zealand (only in a hotels, which is even the case in the US ey?), hey I was charged over $20US for a phone call in a hotel in L.A.! and it didn’t even connect!
I’ve been waiting for expanded Google Maps New Zealand for so long… I used it all the time when I worked for a Real Estate Agent. It had things that RPNZ didn’t and it was faster.