This is an old kiwi video; it is Split Enz's promo-video for the hit single "I See Red" (February, 1979) taken from the 1979 album "Frenzy".

The group formed in 1971 at the University of Auckland. The original line up was Tim Finn Mike Chunn, Robert Gillies, Phil Judd and Noel Crombie (who was really great at playing "the spoons"). From 1972 the band (then called Split Ends) became a full-time occupation. The spelling was later changed to Split Enz shortly before their first trip to Australia to signify their New Zealand roots - NZ is a common abbreviation for New Zealand.

Split Enz were widely known for their unique visual presentation. Their costumes and hair were wild, colourful and inventive. The costumes were designed by Noel Crombie, who also designed most of the group's other visual material, such as stage sets, posters, stickers and album covers, as well as directing many of the band's music videos.

Their career falls into two distinct phases. The first was firmly rooted in the progressive rock scene of the early 1970s. The group's sound progressed over the first era from progressive rock to a punk rock sound at times. Then in 1977, with the departure of Judd and the enlisting of Neil Finn, the group's sound began to change from a progressive rock sound to new wave with folk roots.

The 1980s proved the group's most commercially successful period, with a string of popular albums in the burgeoning New Wave style, the group further established a legacy that is still recognised as a distinct musical style after over twenty years from their departure. Since their departure, the group has reunited as Split Enz several times, though its members have gone on to create other successful musical groups with one another since the breakup in 1984, such as Crowded House, Schnell Fenster, Citizen Band and the Finn Brothers.

I have written about the two Finn brothers before on the Crowded House - Private Universe video I posted last year, also I have posted a stage version of I see Red before sung by Turanga Merito at the 2006 Christmas In the Park concert in Auckland.

Judith Bell and her husband Nelson Bell had a young family, a promising manufacturing business, and a passionate determination to get ahead. When The Warehouse came calling with a big order, they thought their dreams had come true but within four years they had lost almost everything.

This book is Judith's story about her battle to save her family and business. This is a deeply disturbing story, because what she writes about is not just the story of her factory closing due to the pressure of the cheap imported competition, but is in fact the story of the deliberate manoeuvres by The Warehouse to destroy the local competition of their cheap overseas suppliers. Judith and Nelson Bell were manufacturing LPG cylinders and were in fact supplying them at the same price as the imported cylinders.

This story is also an in-depth scrutiny at the power of The Warehouse and other big-box retailers over local businesses, councils, the media, the government, the New Zealand economy and people who go shopping. As well, Judith has written searingly on the human cost of cheap foreign imports into our country and about why free-trade agreements will continue to destroy New Zealand jobs.

The Warehouse is New Zealand's largest retailer with approximately 130 stores throughout our country and a huge annual sales revenue. It came into being following the nineteen-eighties deregulating and liberalising of our economy. The chain probably has strong similarities with the American Walmart, and in fact the original owner of The Warehouse visited with directors of Walmart and learnt from them before he opened his first Warehouse store.

For people not so familiar with New Zealand, the title of this book "I See Red" is a play on the classic Split Enz song "I See Red" and on the fact that all of the large barn-like Warehouse stores are painted bright red.

... it is finally getting dark. Very late of course because it is summer and we are on daylight saving time. It is a very late night for our little kids, some of whom have fallen asleep and we make little nests for them with chilly bin walls so they don't get stood on in the dark. Or we just hold them in our arms.

You need to have packed up your belongings as much as possible before the dark comes, otherwise you will never find them.

Its easy to lose your kids as they run to and fro to the loo queues in the dark. The kids that are awake still are all hyped up with the music and because Santa is coming and because there is going to be a huge fireworks display at the end.

This song, "I See Red" is an old Split Enz song being covered by Turanga Merito with help from his friends...

All the kids are yelling "Look it's Santa!"

(After this will be the fireworks display with the orchestra playing at the same time - I couldn't find a decent clip of that, but all of you know what great public pyrotechnics displays look like).