The patience of the people of Porirua, New Zealand, has reached an end. They can’t stand the fact that cars equipped with loudspeakers regularly drive down their streets, regularly blasting a Celine Dion song.
Battle of the Sirens: Members of a popular subculture in New Zealand outfit their cars with warning speakers and sirens, and then hold competitions in which the winner is whoever can play the loudest but clearest music solo. Although this phenomenon is characteristic of the entire country, Poriora’s enthusiastic residents of about 62,000 have now had their fill – writes The Guardian British newspaper.
Anita Baker According to the mayor, cars equipped with loudspeakers often roam the city streets, making it impossible for local residents to sleep properly. “We have to find some alternative for these people, otherwise they should stop what they are doing,” the city manager said.
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They often scream during siren fights Celine Dion Songs from cars, because the singer is very popular among the Pasifika ethnic group, that is, those who moved to New Zealand from the Pacific Islands, and their descendants, and of course also because speakers designed for sirens can more easily handle a lot of songs with high notes and small bass. In Poriora, the situation is further complicated by the fact that the city is located in a basin, so wherever the battle takes place sirens can be heard throughout the settlement.
Although the authorities receive a lot of complaints about the noise caused by siren battles, the subculture is also surrounded by a large support community. Anita Baker’s office received a petition with hundreds of signatures urging city offices to intervene. Many people say that if nothing changes, they will move out of town. Baker is working with police and local and regional authorities to resolve the situation.
