Copyright © 1998 Brian Harmer
Passing on, we soon arrive at Pt Halswell, just below the secluded pseudo-Greek elegance of the Massey Memorial. Off the point, a small automated lighthouse guides ships turning into the harbour. Round the corner and heading back South, past a secluded cove in the lee of a steeply wooded hill, we get a look across the deep blue waters of the harbour entrance, past Ward Island (now renamed Makaro / Ward Island) to Eastbourne, and the Eastern Hills. Just off the shore are a bunch of rafts from which festoons of mussel spat dangle as part of a fisheries research programme. Soon the road comes to the grotesquely misnamed "Scorching Bay". It was always my experience that no matter what the weather the water flowing into the harbour past that spot had only just been strained to remove penguins and icebergs. In fact some penguins still get by and they come ashore at Eastbourne.
A little rocky outcrop just round the next bend in the road is, in the right season, home to a colony of hundreds of terns. There were a few of these incredibly dainty seabirds flitting about on this occasion, but either the season is not yet with us, or the colony is sadly depleted.
Just short of Fort Dorset, a footpath carries along the beach to the poignant memorial to the victims of the inter-island ferry Wahine which foundered in a raging storm April 10, 1968. A few of the ship's ventilators and other items mark the place where survivors were hauled ashore in that appalling weather, so different from the blue sky and flat calm water on this occasion,
The road darts of up the hill to the mysteriously named "Pass of Branda", a narrow cutting in the rock which takes us out to the heads. The road runs, barely above sea level between the sea-splashed rocks of the shore and a settlement of houses which must surely get driftwood on their front lawn each time there is a good storm. A little off shore the jagged rocks comb the long rolling waves, no doubt straining the icebergs and penguins, and pouring a welter of white water towards the shore. Despite the calmness of the day, there always seem to be waves heaving themselves at that Southern tip of the peninsula. A dark line in the water denotes each fresh burst of oceanic energy wearing away at those savage ship-eating rocks.
Despite warnings about a nearby sewage outfall (shame, Wellington) there always seem to be a few divers gathering paua and other "kai-moana" at huge personal risk of cholera or other nasty disease. Still the view is spectacular, and now as we swing round toward the West, the splendid flanks of the Seaward Kaikouras seem to spring out of the sea. It may seem fanciful, but they actually seem to lift, as if emerging from some underwater hiding place to be seen only when someone is there to appreciate there majesty. Of course this would be terribly inconvenient for everyone living between Blenheim and Kaikoura so it probably doesn't happen, but I enjoy the illusion, and the burst of inspirational music in my head each time they tower up before me. Round the rocky shore, the road goes past the Kemel Ataturk memorial, named as an appropriate quid pro quo for the consent of the Turkish Government to the permanent and official naming of Anzac Cove at Gallipoli.
Soon the road is back at the South end of the airport and into more prosaic surroundings. Still worth the look, but that's for another day.
To another, more weighty issue:
A few weeks ago I wrote about the forthcoming parade for New Zealand's Vietnam veterans, and mentioned the role of the New Zealand Army in that regrettable conflict. I had forgotten that the RNZAF were there too... crews from No 40 Sqdn took their venerable Bristol Freighters on a weekly supply trip, as did the more fortunate C130 crews of No 41 Sqdn who did the longer haul from home once a month. Other Kiwi pilots, including my informant, were seconded to RAAF No 9 Sqdn where they flew Iroquois helicopters, while yet others were attached to USAF forward control units. Medics and nurses, both men and women from the New Zealand armed forces also served with distinction in combined medical units.
My purpose in remembering all this is not to glorify war, or any of the exploits associated with it, but by disassociating myself from the cowardly graffitists around Wellington, to offer my respects to men and women who left this country wearing our uniforms to do on our behalf what they thought was right, to the best of their ability. Again I say, thank you.
Oh, and one last thing, an apology to the folks at Akiko ... the logjam which held up the last two issues was caused by a mental aberration which caused me to mis-type the authorisation codes. It was my error and I regret any inference that they were at fault.
On with the news **************** All news items are reproduced by kind permission of copyright owner, IRN Ltd whose current news listing can be found at http://www.xtra.co.nz/news/.
Suggestions today that police are about to swoop on the killer or killers of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope. The Blenheim friends have been missing since they boarded a boat with a mystery man in the Marlborough Sounds on New Year's Day. Police will today explain the relevance of an item recovered by navy divers last week, there are suggestions it's a sail. Operation Tam spokesman Detective Inspector Rob Pope, admits the mystery object is not the break-through clue police had been hoping for. However, he says the inquiry team is narrowing in on certain suspects.
(A thread in the USENET group nz.general has debated the extraordinary amount of police resources - over $3 million so far - which has gone into this case with no visible result. This has been all the more remarked upon in the light of large cutbacks in police services. - BH)
ACT MP Owen Jennings is undergoing tests in Wellington Hospital to see what caused his collapse this afternoon. Mr Jennings collapsed just outside the House at around three o'clock, immediately after receiving a roasting from MPs over his alleged involvement with a get-rich-quick scheme. He's denied the claims saying he only lent his Parliamentary office to a friend for a meeting, and isn't involved in any way with the scheme. Mr Jennings left the chamber soon after the remarks and collapsed, complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath. An ACT spokeswoman says doctors are still trying to find out what he suffered from.
GPs WELCOME NEW SURGERY BOOKING SCHEME
A qualified welcome from the GPs' Association for the new Health Funding Authority booking scheme for surgery. Under the new booking system, people with serious medical conditions will be treated first. The 90 thousand people currently on the waiting list for operations will be re-prioritised, with 20 thousand being removed from the list altogether. GPs' Association spokesman Dr Clive Stone says in theory, the new scheme should ensure the right people get treated first.
(The 20,000 who were waiting for "non-critical" surgery such as hip replacements, cataracts, etc may not share Dr Stone's rosy view. - BH)
An angry reaction from the Education minister to the latest industrial action plans from secondary teachers. The PPTA will begin rolling strike action from next month in protest at the Government's decision to increase bulk funding to schools. Wyatt Creech says the union is using school children to advance its political agenda. Mr Creech says the Government is perfectly ready to negotiate with the teachers, but it will never negotiate on issues of Government policy.
(The item above refers only to bulk funding. In fact the teachers are saying the increase in school rolls needs another 1,200 teachers. I am baffled as to why the minister thinks that classroom numbers are not relevant to the teachers' employment conditions... more kids means more marking, and a bigger workload ... Of course it's a legitimate employment issue - BH)
REWA CASE ENDS 2nd DAY OF SUMMING UP
The Crown will continue to build its picture of Malcolm Rewa as a cold hearted and cunning rapist, as it enters into its third day of summing up tomorrow. The three month long trial in which Rewa is charged with 44 counts of murder, rape and assault is drawing to a close. Crown prosecutor Paul Davison has started from the very beginning of Rewa's decade of alleged offending - systematically going through each of the 27 attacks pointing out what he calls the "Rewa style". The Crown has summarised the facts of each attack including the six Rewa has already admitted, showing the similarities between each one.
Japanese researchers are backing a New Zealand study which found the asthma drug fenoterol is associated with asthma deaths in children. The Japanese Ministry of Health is now warning against children using the drug. Its manufacturer has announced plans to halve the dosage of the drug in Japan. The Japanese action follows research from a group at the Wellington School of Medicine who found a link between fenoterol and deaths in asthmatics in 1989.
A Muriwhenua negotiator says the return of land at Cape Reinga must be dealt with slowly and without division. Maori tribe Ngati Kuri is calling on the Prime Minister to return over 70 thousand hectares of land at Cape Reinga to them immediately. The tribe is involved in a dispute with the Department of Conservation over the management of the area which attracts thousands of tourists each year. The land is included in the multi-million dollar Muriwhenua land claim. Muriwhenua Runanga spokesman, Shane Jones says the area is of special significance to all Maori and must eventually be returned.
(Cape Reinga is, in Maori mythology, the jumping off place for the spirits of the dead ... for Maori it is the most sacred place in New Zealand according to most commentators. Offence has been taken by the commercialisation of the area by DOC in breach of previous agreements, by the selling of food and souvenirs within close proximity of the special area. - BH)
It could be another wilderness hoax and the Conservation Minister's not being sucked in. Nick Smith says he's not convinced by photographs forwarded to him by a hunter, which appear to show wild moose are alive and well in Fiordland. Moose were released on the coast in 1910, but there's been no sign of them for the past thirty years. Doctor Smith says if there are any moose left, there would only be a few, but he's not totally convinced.
The Auckland City Council wants Mercury to pay out over two and a half million dollars in damages to them, for costs incurred during the city's power crisis. The Council is currently in negotiations with the power company, in an attempt to recoup some of the extra costs it faced when the lights went out in February. The Council's Finance Director, David Rankin says they're confident of reaching a settlement with Mercury over compensation for increased expenditure. He's hopeful an agreement will be reached, without having to sue Mercury.
(It has been noticeable that the media splashed the results of the ministerial inquiry all over the headlines, but has scarcely given a paragraph to Mercury's own engineering investigation. While I accept the obvious self-interest in any report coming from Mercury itself, the imbalance of the media is shameful, in my view. For those interested in mercury's own analysis of the causes of the great Auckland Blackout, see http://www.mercury.co.nz/index.html - BH)
Claims the Customs Minister is living in a dream world, if he doesn't believe car dealers are trying to exploit a loophole in the tariff laws. Several thousand luxury cars are being sent overseas, before being brought back to New Zealand, where it's alleged dealers will try to claim a tariff rebate as a result of last week's budget. Customs Minister John Delamere says if that's the case, he'll change the law. But the Alliance's Jim Anderton says what more proof does Mr Delamere need, when three thousand cars are being loaded on to two ships right now, before heading overseas for ten days.
(The minister was apparently advised that the fiscal exposure to dealers using the drawback option was about $2 million. On the basis of $10,000 per car in the worst case, the budgetary risk is nearer $30 million. A number of planned exports to Fiji and back have not gone ahead as the dealers wait to see whether the minister makes good on an implied threat to introduce some retrospective legislation - BH)
The ASB Bank has pulled out of talks for naming rights to the redeveloped park, after confirmation a Christchurch-based corporation will take up the sponsorship. Official details of the new deal are expected to be released next week. Public backlash against the prospect of Lancaster Park being renamed ASB Park appears to be behind the decision to pull out. Managing director, Ralph Norris says the ASB Bank has consistently said it wouldn't proceed with the naming rights proposal, if it didn't have majority community support.
A bid is underway to have Parliamentary security tapes released, to show whether or not ACT MP Owen Jennings was in the debating chamber, during a meeting in his office on a 'get quick rich scheme'. On the Holmes TV show last night, three men who were at the meeting claimed Mr Jennings presented the scheme to them, and appeared to be promoting it. That's been hotly denied by ACT, which says Mr Jennings was in Parliament at the time. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says security tapes have been used in past Breach of Privilege cases, and he's written to the Speaker, asking for the tapes to be released.
(The tapes would show at what time the member passed through the corridors on the way to the debating chamber - BH)
Firefighters themselves are now in considerable danger, following the announcement of the new restructuring, according to the South Island Firefighters Union. Secretary Ivan Richards says fighting fires is a dangerous occupation. He says reducing the numbers, means that if firefighters are caught in a burning house, there'll be nobody to rescue them. Ivan Richards says the public will also suffer, as reduced manpower lessens the ability of the fire service to save lives.
(It seems that the coalition government is getting cold feet about the plan to sack all 1,600 firefighters and have them re-apply. The minister has been instructed to find a way to persuade the supposedly independent commissioner to reduce costs without firing the firefighters. Some pundits predict that either the minister or the commissioner may have to resign in the face of such an embarrassing reversal - BH)
Helping the average New Zealander understand what the Treaty of Waitangi means for them, is one of the top priorities for New Zealand's newest Race Relations consultant. Former Governor General, Sir Paul Reeves takes up the position today, at the office of the Race Relations Conciliator. He says today's New Zealanders face two major challenges, coming to grips with our bicultural relationships, and placing them within an increasingly multicultural setting. Sir Paul says he'd like to see unity among all people in Aotearoa, but he realises that's a tall order and he's got a tough job ahead of him.
Another rise in the number of the unemployed for the year to March. There are now nearly 189 thousand people registered with the New Zealand Employment Service, an increase of 19.1 percent on this time last year. However, the employment service's playing down the relevance of its statistics. Its general manager Tony Gavin says their register shouldn't be used as a measure of unemployment, because under the Community Wage, beneficiaries who aren't considered "unemployed", also must be registered. For that reason, the employment service will now release its figures quarterly, in line with the official register, the Household Labour Force Survey.
A Dunedin detective is dealing with a weighty problem- the theft of 170 tonnes of gravel from a city quarry. The crime took place earlier this month, with three thousand dollars worth of the small stones disappearing from the Palmers Quarry. Detective Constable Steve Gregory says someone must have seen something, as a company front-end loader with a flashing light was used to load what's thought to have been a convoy of trucks. No-one's sure where the gravel's gone, but the amount taken would be enough to seal three kilometres of road.
(One assumes that the police are looking for criminals suffering from gravel rash - BH)
The PPTA says name calling isn't going to stop it taking industrial action. It's protesting against bulk funding announcements in the budget, and will roster students home on a form by form basis for 15 weeks. The School Trustees Association says the move is arrogant, the Association of Bulk Funded Schools says it's a waste of time and the Principals Federation says it's a knee-jerk reaction. PPTA's Martin Cooney says as far as he's concerned the PPTA is not the one who should be targeted, and the insults would be better thrown at Education Minister Wyatt Creech.
Seven more New Zealanders can now be called "the Right Honourable." Government House has released the names of more New Zealanders who've been appointed to Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, including the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister. The council is the Queen's inner advisory committee on executive matters of state. Jenny Shipley and Winston Peters have been appointed, along with other MPs, Paul East, and Doug Graham. Appeal Judges Sir Kenneth Keith, Justice Blanchard, and Justice Tipping have also been named. That brings the total number of New Zealanders on the council to 36.
(My flabber is truly gasted ... does anyone know what becomes of members of the Privy Council when they cease to hold the office from which they were appointed, as seems imminent for at least one of the present appointees? - BH)
New research into New Zealand's high road toll is challenging existing theories on fatal road accidents. The study, conducted by Wellington researcher Doctor John Bailey, suggests too much emphasis is placed on speed and alcohol when determining the cause of crashes. Dr Bailey says the main culprits behind fatal drink-drive accidents are persistent hard-core drinkers, who display characteristics quite different from the general population. He says there's therefore little point in lowering the legal blood-alcohol limit. Dr Bailey says the focus should be widened to include such key factors as sub-standard State Highways, and bad weather.
West Auckland winery Coopers Creek has greeted the Ministry of Health's decision not to prosecute it, with delight. The company's been under investigation, following allegations it mislabeled some of 1995 and 1996 wines. But the Director General of Public Health, Dr Karen Poutasi, says legal advice suggests there's not enough evidence to warrant a prosecution. Coopers Creek Marketing Manager Mick Hodson says the decision confirms their belief that the labelling discrepancies were minor.
Residents on the South Island's West Coast are marking the 30th anniversary of the Inangahua earthquake. The magnitude seven earthquake killed three people, and another three died when a rescue helicopter crashed. The shake remains the biggest on-land quake in New Zealand in the past three decades. Seismologists say if it had struck in a densely populated city, such as Wellington, the earthquake would have killed hundreds of people, and caused property damage worth billions of dollars. The earthquake will be remembered at a gathering in the Inangahua Town Hall today.
A big jump in disposable income over the past four years. Finance Minister Bill Birch told a business luncheon in Auckland today that the average household will have an income of $ 62, 000 this year, a 5 percent increase on the previous year. That's $12, 000 more than the average household income in 1994. Mr Birch says people will also benefit from tax cuts, the removal of tariffs on imported cars, and the electricity reforms, which will save households an estimated $90 to $180 a year.
The Prime Minister is visiting Marlborough today to get a first hand look at the drought stricken region. Jenny Shipley says the people of Marlborough have faced testing times with the severe drought and the Asian economic crisis. But she says there is room to be optimistic with a drop in the New Zealand dollar and early signs of improvement in the commodity markets. Mrs Shipley says she congratulates the Marlborough community for the way it's pulled together, and Federated Farmers for coordinating drought relief packages for the region.
The Privy Council may be the next step for lawyers representing an Opotiki man, jailed following a fatal helicopter crash. Earlier this week the Court of Appeal threw out James Edward Gedson's appeal. Gedson was jailed for three years for the deaths of two men in a helicopter crash in 1995. The accident occurred when a fake rotor blade which had been installed on the chopper, disintegrated in mid-air. Gedson's lawyer Roger Gowing says he'll be talking to Gedson today to discuss where he wants to take it from here.
(On the basis of an "Assignment" programme on TV, I think that even if Gedson were not totally blameless, two Americans should be in jail as well. The tail rotor blade was "re- manufactured" in an absolutely unlawful manner from the remains of another wrecked Robinson R22. - BH)
The Government's being accused of taking a wrong turn over a pot-hole in customs law. It's promising to put the brakes on a scheme where car dealers have been sending vehicles offshore, only to bring them back and claim tariff rebates. The Alliance claims it's a multi-million dollar scam. But the Motor Industry Association says Customs has given the idea the green light and the Government was warned four months ago. Spokesman Perry Kerr can't see anything wrong with dealers using existing legislation to minimise their losses.
Gisborne's Public Health Unit says it's unlikely an increase in reported cases of cryptosporidiosis is linked to the presence of the bug that causes the disease in the city's water supply. 10 cases have been reported to the Unit recently. Clinical Director Bruce Duncan says it's more likely people may have picked it up from someone else who had it, from contact with animals or from drinking from untreated water sources.
Another crucial decision for those New Zealanders holding $77 million worth of bonds in Maine Investments and its Skellerup subsidiaries They'll meet next week to discuss whether to accept Maine's offer to give them eleven percent of the shares in a new holding company, Viking Pacific. The bondholders have already rejected an earlier offer of seven percent. Tower Financial Services, which negotiated the offer, says it's a significant improvement on what was originally a totally inadequate offer.
Date: 21 May 1998 Brian Dooley
Wellington New Zealand
CURRENCIES
The currency codes given below conform to ISO 4217, which
can be found at http://www.xe.net/currency/iso_4217.htm.
The rates given are for telegraphic transfer and are
as given in the Wellington Evening Post today.
To Buy NZD 1.00
USD 0.5372
AUD 0.8566
GBP 0.3291
JPY 73.24
CAD 0.7784
FRF 3.1977
DEM 1.9535
HKD 4.1738
SGD 0.8881
ZAR 2.7501
CHF 0.7952
INTEREST RATES (%)
Call : 8.60
90 Day: 8.88
*****
See you next time
Brian Harmer
"Our luck is even better than I expected Don Quixote exclaimed
... I'm going to attack those mighty giants and slay them in their tracks" - Cervantes
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