Copyright © 1995 Brian Harmer
The regional variation in weather never ceases to amaze me. Across the Tasman, where temperatures are soaring towards 40 degrees C in the fire-stricken state of New South Wales, parts of Victoria just a few hundred kilometres away have been experiencing mid-summer snow! Here in Wellington, with the odd brief respite, we have had what seems like two weeks of unremitting wind, and more rain than seems fair at Christmas. In Auckland temperatures have reached the mid thirties, though that may be attributable to a case of helio-proctosis on the part of a certain female Russian tennis player. Up the coast in Wanganui, temperatures have been warm and humid, while here in the global capital of Middle Earth, the winds have moaned as they did during the ill fated attempt by the fellowship of the Ring to cross the pass in the shadow of cruel Caradras, with all the wargs of the dark kingdom howling in support. Even as I write, the trees at the back of the house are writhing in the stiff Northerly which remains with us. Tomorrow, Saturday is forecast as bright sun, and since Mary and I are assigned to baby sit our granddaughter, we plan to visit Wellington Zoo. We hope the wind will drop.
May 2002 be kind to you all as we enter this 9th year of WYSIWYG News.
All news items (except where noted otherwise) are reproduced by kind permission of copyright owner, IRN Ltd. Any text above this point, and all subsequent material in parentheses, and concluded with the initials "BH" is the personal opinion of Brian Harmer as editor of this newsletter, or occasionally "HH" will indicate an opinion from Helen.
In all cases they are honest expressions of personal opinion, and are not presented as fact.
This week's formatting is sponsored by Mary Jane in Washington. Many thanks and best wishes for a great New Year, MJ.
On with the news:
Queenstown and Wanaka are gearing up for big crowds tonight, with waterfront festivals planned in both resorts. Accommodation is packed, and thousands are expected to see the new year in with massive lake-side fireworks displays. Up to 20,000 people are expected at the Queenstown celebrations and 10,000 in Wanaka. Liquor bans are imposed in downtown areas, and police have made a plea for parents to keep an eye on drinking teenagers. Police expect a night of family-oriented fun, with few problems. Meanwhile, police are making good on their threats to clamp down on drunken New Years Eve revellers, with at least 370 arrests so far in Mount Maunganui and Wanaka. Liquor bans at some other party spots come into effect at 6pm, and Whangamata police say they are ready for whatever comes their way.
(A huge variation in liquor bans was apparent, with a week long total ban in Hutt City where no one planned to be anyway, no ban at all in Wellington, to variations which allowed people to get thoroughly "tanked" prior to the celebration of the midnight hour - BH)
The official holiday period road toll has climbed to 18, with two fatalities today. This afternoon, a car hit a tree, killing a person in north Waikato. Police believe a male person was driving the car. Early this morning a man died when his car left the road and went over a bank in Duntroon, in the Waitaki District. The road toll was eight, this time last year.
(In numbers as low as this, I sometimes wonder at the validity of any comparison with other years. Is a year in which ten cars each laden with four people crash as bad as a year in which forty single occupant cars crash? Surely we should be comparing the number of crashes rather than the number of deaths, since that is a measure to which we have a more direct ability to respond. - BH)
Arrests have begun in Wanaka, as revellers count down to New Years Eve festivities. Twenty people were arrested last night for drinking in the area covered by Wanaka's liquor ban. Liquor bans in Nelson and Queenstown begin tonight, and Queenstown Sergeant Frank Dowle says police are prepared for any trouble. He says there are 65 police working to enforce the liquor ban and avoid any other poor behaviour. Sergeant Dowle says the ban runs for 12 hours from six o'clock tonight. Trouble is already brewing in the North Island, with 350 arrests in Mount Maunganui since Christmas Eve. Large numbers of extra police are rostered at both The Mount and at Whangamata
New Years Day weather looks fine for most of the country this year. After a week of scattered rain in the North Island, holiday makers will be happy to see the sunshine. Met Service forecaster, Cameron Coutts says North Islanders should look forward to fine skies with light winds. He says it is great weather for the beach and camping especially on the Coromandel. Cameron Coutts says the west coast of the South Island is the only place expecting rain.
Three hundred and fifty people have been arrested and fined for breaching the liquor ban in Mount Maunganui. The ban which was put in place on Christmas eve will be lifted on Wednesday. Senior Sergeant Duncan MacLeod says if people breach the liquor ban today their new year's day plans will be in jeopardy. He says people who consume alcohol at Mount Maunganui today may find themselves celebrating 2002 behind bars. Senior Sergeant MacLeod says its okay for people to have fun as long as they do not drink during the liquor ban. He says there is no way of beating the system and if you drink you will be caught. Senior Sergeant says officers will be out and about looking for offenders today.
Film-maker Gaylene Preston is delighted at the recognition of the New Zealand film industry in this year's New Year Honours list. The Wellington director is made an officer of the Order of Merit. Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson becomes a Companion, while his partner and Rings script-writer Fran Walsh, is a Member of the Order of Merit. Gaylene Preston says her award is also on behalf of a lot of others who have worked with her. She says New Zealand artists are now getting acknowledgement from the top and while the money is no good for most, there is a new respect which is greatly appreciated. Gaylene Preston says her award caps a year in which she was also named an Arts Foundation laureate. Her film include Ruby and Rata, Bread and Roses, and War Stories Our Mothers Never Told Us has been made an Officer of the Order of Merit. She says she plans a feature film called Perfect Strangers this coming year. It will be the first time she has written an original screenplay. She says it is a thriller which will star Sam Neil and hopefully will be shot on the West Coast.
Tauranga children's author Lynley Dodd says she is "bowled over" at her inclusion in the New Year Honours List. The creator of the Hairy Maclary stories has been made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. The same honour goes to Peter Snell, while Lord of the Rings Director Peter Jackson is made a Companion of the Order of Merit. The top honour goes to Nobel prize-wining scientist Professor Alan MacDiarmid who becomes the 18th Member of the Order of New Zealand. Lynley Dodd says she hopes her award recognises more than just the popular children's character. She says Hairy Maclary is high profile, but she has been writing and illustrating for 30 years. She says she is due to resume work on her latest book next week. Lynley Dodd says writing children's stories was a logical step from being an art teacher and illustrator. She has now been writing for 30 years.
(I think the media coverage of the honours confirms the total lack of awareness on the part of the public about the status of the various new awards. Alan MacDiarmid did indeed get the highest honour, but all attention was on the media people. They no doubt deserved their hour in the sun, but somehow, we seem to have got our priorities a little muddled. - BH)
The lack of small size condoms is becoming a concern. A recent Pharmaceutical Management Agency consultation has found that condoms can be found in all sizes except small. PHARMAC Medical Director Dr Peter Moodie says the consultations revealed that if condoms are not the right size they lose their appeal. He says condoms should come in different sizes so that they fit properly and are comfortable otherwise people will not use them. Dr Moodie says PHARMAC will ask pharmaceutical companies to put forward proposals for the supply of condoms of all sizes. He says family planning experts in the consultation group have pointed out that people need condoms of all sizes. Dr Moodie says people should use condoms for safe sex and to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
Nobel Prize-winning scientist Professor Alan MacDiarmid has been awarded New Zealand's highest honour, Membership of the Order of New Zealand. He heads a New year Honours List that includes Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson who is one of several honoured from the film industry. . Seventy-four-year-old Professor MacDiarmid, who has worked in the US since 1950, is honoured for helping discover electricity-conducting plastics. He becomes the 18th member of the Order of New Zealand. Peter Jackson is made a companion of the Order of Merit, while his partner and Rings scriptwriter Fran Walsh becomes a member. Another film-maker, Gaylene Preston is an officer of the Order of Merit. Peter Snell becomes a distinguished companion along with children's write Lynley Dodd. The same honour goes to Appeal Court judge Ted Thomas and Margaret Millard, for services to the rural community. Business Michael Hill becomes a companion of the order . Others honoured include former television interviewer George Andrews, racehorse trainer Trevor Mckee and former Auckland Mayor Christine Fletcher.
The chief executive of Women's Refuge is delighted at the reduced number of family violence cases reported this holiday season. Merepeka Raukawa-Tait says numbers this year are significantly down on previous years. She says it looks as if New Zealanders are getting the message that family violence is not acceptable. However, Ms Raukawa-Tait says January is traditionally a bad month, as bills begin to come in after Christmas, but she is hoping the pleasing trend so far this holiday season will continue. She says Women's Refuge will continue to build on the work done in the last year, encouraging people to stand up against domestic violence.
A horror crash has killed four people on State Highway one at Meremere. Two people have been airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after the two car smash just after seven this evening. One has serious head injuries while the other has serious internal injuries. A diversion has been set up over Spring Hill Road, but there will still be delays of up to 90 minutes. Police are appealing to motorists to be patient as they clear the wreckage. This accident takes the holiday period death toll to 21.
A shocker, is how the Director of Land Transport Safety describes the holiday road toll. Four deaths in a two-car crash at Meremere on State Highway One in Waikato yesterday brought the toll to 21. A woman and child are in a critical condition. Fourteen people died on the roads last Christmas. Transport safety director David Wright says the main factor behind the fatalities appears to be speed, or driving too fast for the conditions, and fatigue. He says the LTSA's message to motorists is to drive slowly and appropriately to the conditions while tired drivers should pull over. Mr Wright says a lot of work had gone into lowering the road toll. At the start of December the LTSA thought it was in for a record low, and the situation over the last week or so is discouraging.
The ACT party is calling for the wool board to be disbanded saying the actions of the board attracted low wool prices last year. ACT Rural Affairs spokesperson Owen Jennings says while wool prices are weak internationally, continued arrogance from the board has prevented wool growers from earning better incomes. He says the board should pay back 100 million dollars worth of reserves to growers before its disintegration. Mr Jennings says the Labour Alliance government needs to step in and remove the board. He says the government can not afford to stand by as they were the ones who provided statutory status for the wool board through parliament.
New Years 2002 came in with a bang, but crowds celebrating around the country were in the main well-behaved. With over 300 arrests at notorious trouble spot Mount Manganui in the days leading up to New Years Eve, police were fearing the worst when the real deal came along last night. But it was not to be, with a large but generally well-behaved crowd bringing in 2002 on the beachfront. That seemed to be the pattern right across the country, with Nelson, scene of massive riots last year, also reporting a quiet time. Wanaka, Queenstown, Taupo, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch all had relatively trouble free evenings although Wellington police are investigating three stabbings.
A microlight aircraft has crashed just short of the runway in Coromandel township, but its occupants have escaped unharmed. The light aircraft was approaching the airstrip, when it went down into an area covered in mangroves. Two witnesses called an ambulance, and then rushed to the accident scene to find the two people on board were shaken but unhurt.
A man has appeared in the Hamilton District Court after an explosion went off at his home, and has been remanded to a psychiatric unit. The 20-year-old has been charged with arson. He phoned police yesterday afternoon and told them he had a bomb wired to his bedroom door, which would explode if anyone tried to come in. An explosion went off in his garage sleep-out about an hour later. The sole occupant suffered minor burns. He has been remanded to the Henry Bennett psychiatric unit at Waikato Hospital. Meanwhile police are again checking his family property for more explosives.
A man has described how he rescued a motorist from a burning car, just minutes before it became engulfed in flames. Dwayne Beynon was the first person on the scene of last night's crash at Lincoln near Christchurch. A car had crashed into a power pole, and then ploughed into a hedge. Mr Beynon says the hedge was on fire and flames were coming from the bonnet of the car when he arrived. He says the fire was moving towards the man in the vehicle, when two other men helped him pull the motorist out through a back passenger door. Mr Beynon says a couple of minutes later the car burst into flames. He says it was quite frightening, especially when he heard explosions while they were rescuing the motorist. The 78-year-old is recovering from moderate injuries in Christchurch Hospital. Police say if the three men had not rescued the motorist, he would have burned to death.
Ten Indonesians who wanted to enter New Zealand posing as cyclists and reporters for this week's tour of Wellington cycle race have been denied visas. The New Zealand Immigration Services in Jakarta foiled the attempt by the Indonesians. The group even contacted the New Zealand organiser of the Jorge Sandoval who gave them accreditation. Mr Sandoval says the group called him and interviewed posing as journalists. He says it seemed the group did not seem genuine cyclists. Mr Sandoval says the Immigration Department in Jakarta called him and told him that the ten applicants provided forged documents for the visa and were denied entry.
A possible witness to a triple homicide is on the road to recovery after it was initially thought she would become the fourth victim. Susan Couch is the sole survivor of the attack in which three people were killed at the Mt Wellington-Panmure RSA nearly a month ago. She is in a stable condition at Auckland Hospital after suffering life threatening head injuries. Detective Senior Sergeant David Pearson says Susan has been making some responses to family. He says at this stage the main concern is her recovery and police will not consider any interviews until she is right. He says it is great Susan Couch is making tremendous progress considering the enormous injuries she received. Meanwhile two men accused of the murders will reappear in court next month.
A New Zealand Orion is accessing the damage caused by the cyclone which hit Tonga. Cyclone Waka has caused extensive damage to the island group destroying homes and crops. The Air Force is responding to a request made by the Tongan Government. Tongan Government representatives and the New Zealand High Commissioner will be on the flight. The Orion is expected to return to New Zealand this evening.
Australian bush fires have once again affected our skies. The MetService says a strong northwest flow has been dragging smoke from the Sydney fires across the Tasman to cover most of New Zealand. Forecaster, Cameron Coutts says it has caused a haze to cover the North Island and the top of the South Island. He says it is not unusual, as many insects and other things get blown across the Tasman. Mr Coutts says he can remember as youngster in Northland ash falling from the Australian bush fires. He expects the haze will clear soon. Meanwhile Australian firefighters continue to battle bush fires which have been burning since Christmas day.
Whangamata police say New Year celebrations may be over, but the clampdown on the public use of liquor continues. Despite 200 arrests on New Year's Eve, police are reassuring the public that Whangamata is calm and safe. Senior Sergeant Ross Ardern says community efforts and the liquor ban have made a difference. He says Whangamata has traditionally been a family resort, and young people can visit Whangamata as long as they realise there are rules which must be followed. Ross Ardern says there was no serious incidents at Whangamata this New Year. Several hundred people were arrested around the country, most of them in the North Island, and most for breaching the liquor ban.
Farmers are appealing to holiday motorists to have patience if they come across farm machinery or stock on the roads. With many beaches accessible only down rural byways, chances are drivers will meet stock or haymaking equipment on the roads. Federated farmers' Neil Barton says it is just a question of being patient. However, Mr Barton says it is a two way street, with farmers needing to be aware of motorists as well. He says blaring your horn or flashing lights will only scare stock and make it more difficult to get past.
The new backers of the failed airline Ansett Australia have poached the number two man at Air New Zealand, to look after the revamped company's finances. 39-year-old Adam Moroney, who is Senior Vice President of Air New Zealand, has been named Chief Financial Officer of the new Ansett. Mr Moroney's appointment appears to have caught Air New Zealand by surprise, as his photograph still appears on the company's website. He begins work for Ansett on January 15th.
(Now doesn't that just blow you away? Wasn't it as recently as September that all Australians, especially those employed by Ansett regarded Air New Zealand and all its works and devices as the manifestation of the devil? How did Mr Moroney escape that taint? Or is it that what Air New Zealand was doing was not so crazy after all? - BH)
Only a handful of the hundreds arrested for liquor ban breaches in Mt Maunganui plan to defend the charge. Over 500 arrests have been clocked up in the last few days, as the town's police presence was more than doubled for the New Year period. Most have pleaded guilty, and will pay a fine of up to $500. Those who chose to defend the charge will appear in court on Thursday, the ban ends at midnight tomorrow.
The Environment Ministry is making moves to reduce time and money spent on genetic modification approval. The regulations for low risk GM work will be streamlined to simplify and speed up the approval process. The changes will be made under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act. Environment Ministry spokeswoman Kay Baxter says the changes are necessary to save research teams submitting applications, time and money. She says the changes will cut back time wasted on approvals by around 40%. Ms Baxter says the changes only apply to low risk regulations and will not alter the range of work permitted by the Ministry.
Police in Wellington are beefing up security for next week's New Zealand Golf Open. They want to protect Tiger Woods from being mobbed by fans - or worse. More than 100 police staff will be directly involved in policing the tournament at the Paraparaumu Beach club. Wellington Police spokeswoman, Kaye Calder says this one is different from previous golf opens, because Tiger Woods has never played here before. He says it is a high-profile event, and police must be mindful of all possibilities. Kaye Calder says police are taking appropriate security measures to make sure everyone is safe at the Open, and anywhere else that Tiger Woods chooses to visit. She says since September 11, New Zealanders have been more security aware, so it is prudent for police to take extra measures.
Ten New Zealand fire fighters are off to Sydney this morning to help fight the New South Wales bushfires. A fire burning out of control at the holiday township of Sussex Inlet is causing most concern for firefighters today. Up to 7,000 people spent the night on the beach and in local clubs after being evacuated. National Rural Fire Officer Murray Dudfield says the New Zealanders will supervise the local firefighters. He says the kiwis will provide advice on matters such as the way the fires are likely to move and where resources should be targeted.
The flooding which hit Westport overnight is being described as the worst to hit the town in 60 years. A heavy rain warning in force for the West Coast-Fiordland region with up to 300 millimetres of rain expected. Buller District mayor Pat O'Dea says Westport was completely covered in water early this morning. He says about 15 centimetres of water covered most of the town until the rain stopped early this morning. Police have just reopened State Highway 73 through Arthur's Pass, but State Highway 67 between Westport and Karamea remains closed due to flooding.
People cleaning up the mess left by overnight flooding in the West Coast are being warned to prepare for more heavy rain. About 600 millimetres of rain was dumped on the Karamea and Buller areas in the 24 hours ending six o'clock this morning. The MetService is predicting another 2-300 millimetres of rain in Westland in the next 24 hours. Buller District mayor Pat O'Dea says in the height of the flooding the streets of Westport were covered in about 15 centimetres of water. He says the volunteer fire service felt helpless as there was nowhere they could pump the water too. Mr O'Dea says people are assessing the damage this morning.
Police are searching for a tramper who has set off an emergency beacon on the West Coast. The signal was picked up at about eight o'clock last night in the Wilberforce river area south of Arthur's Pass. A helicopter set out this morning to check out two huts in the region. Police believe the man may be trapped by the flooding which has hit the West Coast. They say they have no concerns for his safety because the emergency beacon gives off a strong signal.
The official Christmas-New Year holiday period road toll period has ended with 21 people killed on the roads. That is ten more than last year's toll when there were 11 fatalities. One of the worst crashes happened in Meremere in Waikato on New Year's Eve in which five people died.
An 18 year old woman in South Taranaki has undergone surgery after what police describe as one of the worst dog attacks ever seen. The woman was at a party in Patea when three dogs attacked her. Inspector Tom Ireland says two of the three dogs have been captured. He says the woman received injuries to her buttocks, arm and an elbow. Inspector Ireland says police and local council dog rangers are ensuring there is no repeat of the incident.
The Department of Conservation is advising trampers to show a healthy respect for rivers after two people were swept away in the South Island yesterday. Police are searching for 28-year-old Robin Buxton who is presumed drowned. He was hit by a two-metre-high wall of water while crossing a side creek of the Rees River, near Glenorchy. Meanwhile a massive air, water and ground search is underway for a Canadian woman who disappeared after falling into the Young River, near Wanaka. Glenorchy DOC spokesman Richard Kennett says although the flooded rivers are starting to go down trampers should take care. He says if people are in doubt they should stay put.
Searchers have found a backpack belonging to the tramper missing in a flooded Wanaka river. However there is still no sign of the 33-year-old Canadian woman who disappeared yesterday after falling into the Young River. Her husband ran five hours to raise the alarm. Sergeant Aaron Nicholson says a search boat has found her backpack about 20 kilometres away, at the head of Lake Wanaka. He says some of her clothes were found about two kilometres from where she fell in. Meanwhile a search is underway at the Rees River near Queenstown for tramper Robin Buxton. He is presumed drowned after he was swept away by a two-metre high wave which carried rocks.
A small tornado has hit north of Auckland this morning. The Fire Service says the twister pulled the roof off one house at Snells Beach, near Warkworth. Residents say it came from the sea and went through a residential area at about 10. 45. Police are not aware of any injuries.
Queenstown police are mystified over what caused the wall of water which swept away a tramper. Robin Buxton is presumed to have drowned in the incident yesterday in a creek off the Rees River near Glenorchy. Senior Sergeant John Fookes says Mr Buxton's companion told him they were hit by a two-metre high wave which carried rocks and other debris. Meanwhile another search is underway for a Canadian woman tramper who has disappeared in the flooded Young River near Wanaka. Her backpack has been found 20 kilometres away from where she fell in.
A GM label exemption has taken 'watch what you eat' to a new level. Restaurateurs have discovered a loophole that could see them liable if a consumer eats genetically modified foods in restaurants. The hospitality industry won an exemption from having to label GM foods in their products but that contradicts the consumers right to know. Food and Beverage magazine editor Gavin Bell says the idea was to avoid restaurants having book-sized menus listing all GM ingredients. But he says if they can not prove there are no GM foods, they can be liable to court action from the consumer. He says diners have the right to know what they are eating. Mr Bell says cases of food poisoning when there are fears of GM ingredients may also provide a stronger case for court action. He says the Ministry of Health is yet to devise what rights consumers have regarding GM foods in restaurants.
Two major tourist routes in the South Island have been closed due to flooding and slips. Transit New Zealand has closed part of the Crown Range Road which links Queenstown and Wanaka. State Highway 6 between Hokitika and Haast has also been closed half a kilometre south of Franz Joseph as the approach to a bridge has been washed out. Transit hopes to reopen this road by nine this morning.
Scientists have welcomed the Environment Minister's moves to cut the red tape surrounding low-risk GM research in laboratories. Marian Hobbs has announced new procedures to streamline the processing of research applications. The changes should cut the time scientists spend waiting to hear back about their applications by 40 per cent. Life Sciences Network spokesman Dr William Rolleston says it is a very positive step. He says it will allow researchers to spend their time and money on science, rather than fighting bureaucratic battles. And he says it will also allow bureaucrats to direct their resources to more controversial applications.
If you want to claim a special benefit from WINZ, do not move to Te Kuiti. New research by a Wellington social services agency has revealed alarming discrepancies in the way staff at WINZ service centres judge eligibility for hardship benefits. Aucklanders are most likely to get the nod, at one in seven, compared to only one in 46 in the Nelson region. Te Kuiti fared the worst, with just one in 150 applicants receiving the special benefit they were entitled to. Wellington Downtown Community Ministry director Kevin Hackwell says there is a shocking lack of consistency. He says New Zealand's poorest beneficiaries have been denied more than $100 million in welfare payments they were legally entitled to because of the way WINZ staff apply the criteria. WINZ is setting up a working party to examine the issue.
(I suppose there will be some external factors like the lower cost of living in rural centres which alter the circumstances in those places, but the variance seems extreme. There seems to be a culture within the department that attempts to conceal entitlements for as long as it can be got away with. The working party will "study" the situation and report in June. This too is symptomatic of the problem. I see no reason why the reporting date should not be next Friday. - BH)
Date: 27 December 2001 Brian Dooley
Wellington New Zealand
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The currency codes given below conform to ISO 4217, which
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The rates given are for telegraphic transfer and are
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To Buy NZD 1.00
USD 0.4202
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EUR 0.4795
FRF 3.1416
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