Copyright © 1995 Brian Harmer
Every so often, I take leave of my senses and expose a
visitor to the rigours of the Akatarawa road. For those not
familiar with it, it starts off gently enough at the
Northern end of Upper Hutt, and heads North and Westward to
Waikanae. As I observed, the road begins deceptively, with
nice houses on the right, and the lush green of Harcourt
Park on the left. The Hutt river is particularly scenic in
this area, and the majestic old trees in the park make it a
delightful prospect for picnics. However, there I was, with
my mother and her sister-in-law in the car, heading
westward. The road crosses a bridge near the confluence of
the Hutt and Akatarawa rivers then swoops up past the Upper
Hutt cemetery and begins to follow the meanderings of the
Akatarawa River. Steadily the countryside becomes more
rugged, and the walls of the river valley seem to get
steeper. The narrow road is such that the very thought of
an oncoming car makes you suck your breath in. In places
the drop down to the river below is quite steep, and
perilously close. Cloustonville is an interesting little
settlement, dominated by the Salvation Army's facilities,
one for alcoholics drying out (Heaven knows it's a long way
to the nearest pub) and the other a home for children in
difficulty. Staglands passes on the right, a pleasant
little park with a variety of interesting wildlife, from
the Kune kune pigs to Clydesdales and so on. There is a
colony of rooks and all kinds of animals you might not
normally encounter. If you are not familiar with the Kune
kune, imagine a very short pig that engages in high speed
chases of parked cars. They are UGLY! But I digress. Having
clung precariously to the road for about 20 km, it seems
unreasonable that the road should now get narrow. But it
does. Oncoming cars now pose a real issue, and whichever of
the two opposing vehicles is nearest to a piece of off-road
land that isn't actually sliding down hill, pulls into that
to let the other go by. Eventually, after a great many
prayers of thanksgiving to whoever invented power steering
(not to mention power brakes), the crest of the road is
reached. Far in the distance and a long way below, the
foaming surf on the West coast beaches between Paraparaumu
and Te Horo make a dramatic distinction between land and
sea. From up here, Kapiti seems more imposing than ever,
and across the water to the South and West Cape Jackson and
Arapawa Island stand up from the sea. The road down to the
coastal plain is much more open than the heavily bushed
land on the Easter side of the crest, so it seems a little
easier. At least there are fewer surprises. It's a road
worth the journey, but not recommended for those who suffer
from motion sickness.
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 Ian Grant in Tennessee. Many thanks, Ian.
On with the news:
The Social Services minister's plans for Maori foster children have been described as impossible. A new CYFS plan for the care of Maori children has been released today. It states the child's interests should be paramount. Social Services Minister Steve Maharey agrees with the plan and wants Maori children placed with family or Maori providers. But Foster Care Federation chairman Malcolm Yorston says there are not enough Maori foster homes. He says children do well with any loving foster family, irrespective of their race
The Bank of New Zealand has restructured its savings and transaction accounts, to offer customers a wider range of options for reducing fees. With the Government's low fee option Kiwibank now up and running, the BNZ is launching Flexi Money which it describes as a cost-effective option for people who use electronic banking. Under Flexi Money, customers get 30 of their transactions free each month. The bank has also revamped its other accounts, and modified its existing rebate structure to allow more customers to reduce the cost of their banking.
(Does the knowledge that they could have done this earlier, but didn't annoy anyone else? - BH)
A 27-year-old man charged with the murder of a Matamata resident at the weekend has been remanded on bail. Darren Visser, also from Matamata, appeared before community magistrates at the Hamilton District Court today after giving himself up to police late last night. He is charged with the murder of 26-year-old Nathan Waka Harris who died after being stabbed outside Matamata's Cue Bar early yesterday morning. Police prosecutor Senior Sergeant Tony Bowen says police have filed an appeal against the decision to grant bail. It will be heard at the Hamilton District Court tomorrow.
A top rugby official is questioning the TVNZ charter, after talk of taking major sporting events off air. Television New Zealand says it may cut funding for the Olympics and the Rugby World Cup, because broadcasting rights cost too much. Rugby Union Chief Executive, David Rutherford says he thought the TVNZ charter was a reflection of New Zealand communities. He says if TVNZ does not broadcast the World Cup, then the charter obviously does not consider rugby an important part of society.
(Although I think it's a fair question, I am staggered by the source. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it the very same NZRFU which decided to maximise its profit and sell TV rights to the highest bidder, and therefore price rugby off the market for Free to Air broadcasting? Wasn't it the NZRFU that decided that profit was more important than serving communities? - BH)
Parliament is looking a picture with the flags hoisted, lawns finely manicured, windows cleaned and the tables laid in preparation for the Royal State dinner tonight. Down on the ground floor of the Beehive, a catering team has been working for the past three days preparing tonight's banquet. Bellamy's head chef, Anita Sarginson, says nothing is left to chance. Four menus were sent to Buckingham Palace, with the Queen making the final selection. Ms Sarginson says Her Majesty has been quite adventuresome in her choice.
Secondary school teachers have had enough of negotiations, and scheduled a strike for Friday. The Post-Primary Teachers Association will walk off the job in protest, after the failure to reach a settlement in wage talks. The teachers have rejected an offer of a 3. 5 percent pay rise over two years. PPTA president Jen McCutcheon says negotiations so far have not worked. She says their members decided the Government's package did not suit their recruitment and retention needs.
National Radio's weekday nine to noon host Kim Hill is stepping down after nine years in the job. Ms Hill will instead host the public broadcaster's Saturday morning show, which has until now been hosted by TV3 anchor John Campbell. The move was initiated by Ms Hill, who indicated she was looking for a change. She takes up the Saturday morning slot on the 20th of April. Radio New Zealand says her replacement on the weekday programme will be announced in due course.
(Now I regard that as really good news. - BH)
The Court of Appeal has shot down a legal challenge to the
decision to scrap the air combat wing. The Save Our
Squadrons campaign had asked the court to overturn a lower
court ruling that struck out their case. But the Court of
Appeal has ruled against the lobby group Save Our Squadrons
(SOS). The group maintained the Government exceeded its
constitutional powers by disbanding the Skyhawk squadrons.
SOS spokesman Clive Bradbury says they are naturally
disappointed. But he is promising to hold the Government
accountable at the ballot box.
(Oddly, the government just keeps climbing in the polls, and I can't help thinking that the people polled actually already know about this. Unless there is a sudden war in which the absence of a strike capability proves to be an embarrassment, I suspect the public won't really care. And single-issue campaigns don't often fly. - BH)
Fonterra has posted a half-year operating surplus of $2. 9 billion, on revenue of $7 billion. Fonterra says the surplus will be paid out to suppliers, with the board deciding on the final payout at the end of the financial year. Chief Financial Officer, Graham Stuart, describes the company's progress in its first trading period as satisfactory. Farmers supplied Fonterra with 518 million kilograms of milk solids for the six months to the end of November.
(Remember that export herds are usually dried off and produce no milk from May to August, so the half is not necessarily a good guide to the whole year - BH)
Cabbies are bracing themselves for the rumoured petrol tax out his week. Cabinet is expected to sign off on a proposal today to slap an extra four cents a litre on petrol prices. The money will be used for major roading projects in Auckland and other regions. New Zealand Taxi Federation boss Tim Reddish says the cabbies will not be looking to account for the rise out of their own pockets. He says the costs will be passed on to the customer.
(I wouldn't mind if it paid for improved roads in the region where it was collected, but the GPTTis going to support Auckland roads. The argument is that Auckland pays a third of the petrol tax but gets only a quarter of the roading funds. Well guess what! No one else gets their share either, because every community loses some to provide all the country roads and main highways. - BH)
The Prostitutes Collective is brushing off criticism of a bill, which aims to give people working in the sex industry more rights. The Prostitution Reform Bill, a private members bill put forward by Labour's Tim Barnett, will decriminalise the soliciting of sex and aims to raise standards in the sex industry. Graham Capill from the Christian Heritage party says the bill goes too far and says it puts sex workers' lives at risk. But Catherine Healey, from the Prostitutes Collective, says a change in the law would be beneficial for sex workers.
The Jody F Millennium, which has been stranded off Waikanae Beach in Gisborne since late on Waitangi Day, has finally been refloated this afternoon. Three tugs, one pulling and two pushing, managed to release her from a sandbank just before four-fifteen.
(Her rudder is damaged. She has a large hole in the bottom of one of her double skinned tanks, and a lengthy section of the hull is reported to be rippled, but she is afloat and is being towed to Tauranga for temporary repairs prior to a major work in Singapore. - BH)
Asylum seekers unable to get to Australia may now be heading for this country. Officials here are on alert for up to 300 illegal immigrants rumoured to be preparing to sail from Indonesia. Diplomats and intelligence staff in both New Zealand and Indonesia have been working to verify the claim and avert a possible sailing. Government ministers are downplaying the report, saying there are regularly rumours about boats preparing to sail for New Zealand, but no specific report has been confirmed.
The Queen has been getting a first-hand look at what goes on behind the scenes at Team New Zealand. Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh are being escorted around the America's Cup base in Auckland. The Royal couple will get a chance to see the launching of one of the Black Magic boats before they take to the water themselves. They are due to be escorted by Royal barge to the public part of the Viaduct Basin where the Queen will conduct a brief walkabout among the waiting crowd before heading to Government House for lunch.
There has been an arrest in the Teresa Cormack inquiry. A 43-year-old man has been arrested in the Hutt Valley and charged with abduction, sexual violation, and murder. Six- year-old Teresa disappeared in June 1987 while walking to school in Napier. Her body was found eight days later. Police say the arrest was made this morning and the accused will appear in the Lower Hutt District Court this afternoon.
State Highway One between Foxton and the Himatangi turnoff has been closed due to a massive gas leak. The main gas line servicing the North Island has been ruptured. Police say gas readings from the leaking pipe have reached dangerous levels. Residents in the area are being asked to stay indoors and keep their windows shut to reduce the chance of ignition. A detour is in place and the road is closed until further notice.
(Reportedly, a large bulldozer working on a farm on the Himatangi plains was just metres from the sign warning of the presence of the high pressure natural gas pipe. - BH)
Gas workers are trying to fix a massive leak in the lower North Island. It has closed State Highway One near Foxton. The main gas line servicing the North Island was ruptured just after three this afternoon by construction workers. A construction worker has been treated for the effects of inhaling gas. Police say there is still a high concentration of gas in the air. The road will be closed for some time yet. Traffic is being diverted.
There has been quick success in the emergency operation to repair the gas supply outage in the lower north island. Natural Gas Corporation (says repairs to the damaged 8-inch high pressure gas pipeline near Himatangi, north of Foxton, have been completed sooner than expected. It says full gas supplies to the lower North Island resumed at 1.00pm this afternoon. Gas retailers are being advised and are informing their customers that they can resume normal deliveries of gas. The pipeline was severed by a bulldozer yesterday afternoon. Meanwhile, one of the companies which lost its gas supply says the outage came at the worst possible time. Heinz Wattie had to shut down its two processing plants in Hastings, affecting 1,800 workers. Operating manager Neville Cameron says the company had to stop processing hundreds of tonnes of fruit at the height of the season.
A Napier barrister is applying to have his client's attempted murder charge dismissed on the grounds it has taken too long to come to trial. Gordon Williams is accused of breaking into his mother's Napier home and attacking her with a piece of timber almost three years ago. Olga Williams died a month later from a heart attack. Williams' trial in April 2000 was aborted because of his state of mental health. Later that year he was deemed fit but the court is only revisiting the case today. His lawyer Derek Quilliam says he wants the case thrown out under the Bill of Rights. He says a person has the right to be tried without undue delay.
The Government is introducing tough new fines for employers who hire illegal immigrants. Employers will now face a $10,000 fine if caught employing illegal immigrants and an increased fine of $50,000 if they are found to have knowingly hired illegal labour. Any proven exploitation of illegal immigrants for employment purposes will now carry a penalty of seven years in prison or a $100,000 fine. The changes come as part of the Government's new legislation to deter people smuggling. Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel says the people who hire illegal immigrants make life difficult for the Government as they support people who should not be in the country. She says exploitation can include breaching minimum wages and the withholding of passports. Ms Dalziel says she has been aware of illegal sweat shops in the Auckland clothing industry, as well as problems in the sex industry.
(The question is reasonably being asked as to why the burden of verification is not with the IRD who must supply a tax number, rather than the employer - BH)
Staff from several universities are planning a one-day strike. They will walk off the job next Monday after a breakdown in pay talks. Tony Quinn from Victoria University says staff realise universities are under funded. But he says management expect staff to take all the strain instead of looking for other ways to solve the problem. Staff at Canterbury, Massey, Lincoln and Waikato Universities are also striking on Monday and say there will be further industrial action in the following weeks.
A reminder from Inland Revenue - working parents could qualify for some extra cash. The 'parental tax credit' is a one-off payment of up to 12-hundred dollars offered to parents when their child is first born. National manager, Bryre Patchell says it is hard to track down all the parents eligible, so new parents need to be aware. He says the amount paid depends on the family's income and the number of days the baby is in a parent's care during its first eight weeks. Mr Patchell says the credit is issued fortnightly or as a lump sum.
Maori activist-turned MP Donna Awatere Huata has launched a scathing attack on Maori marae protocol, saying they champion the bullying of women. The Act MP says while at the Waitangi marae on Waitangi Day, protocol dictated she sat on the floor with her female colleagues while the males occupied the benches in from of them. She says the women felt degraded. Women are banned from speaking on the marae, but Ms Awatere Huata says the male speakers lack the intellectual rigour, overdose on ritual and are dead boring.
Air New Zealand has appointed four new directors to the board as its restructuring continues. Former CTU boss Ken Douglas is one of the four. The others are former Dairy Board Chief Executive Warren Larsen, one-time Fletcher Challenge executive John McDonald and director Jane Freeman.
(I have always had a great deal of respect for Warren Larsen. He is a very capable manager indeed. - BH)
Ngati Kahungunu will lay its economic future on the table today. The iwi is holding the first of three economic summits at the War Memorial Centre in Napier. Hundreds of people, including a number of leading Maori in business, are expected to attend to help develop an economic strategy. The iwi owns the second biggest mass of land in the country and hopes to turn it into a billion dollar enterprise.
The Jody F Millennium is expected to depart for Tauranga today, where it will undergo repairs. The Korean log carrier was pulled off a sand bar on Waikanae Beach on Sunday after being grounded for 18 days. Salvors have been patching up the ship to make her secure enough to be towed to Tauranga where her steering can be repaired. MSA director Russell Kilvington says the ship has no power and has around 500 tonnes of oil on board. It will take around 60 hours to tow the vessel.
More than half of New Zealand teenagers are financially illiterate. Enterprise New Zealand tested the banking, investment and insurance knowledge of 800 high school students. Fifty-two per cent failed. National Programme Director Lyn Morris says students in the lowest and the highest socio-economic areas had the poorest scores. She says there is no difference in the scores of students in different areas or between boys or girls. Mrs Morris says students need have basic financial knowledge before they leave school and take on debt.
(I wonder if anyone has tested their parents. - BH)
A new e-mail service aimed at lowering the youth suicide rate is being launched in the South Island today. Youth Suicide Prevention Information New Zealand (SPINZ) is launching the service to 185 organisations and individuals working with young people. SPINZ co-ordinator Freedom Preston-Clark says in most centres, especially smaller ones, people are concerned about gaps in information and resources and especially timely access to those resources. She says by being aware of the resources available, young people will get help sooner.
Keeping Maori children within their whanau is not always the best option according to a former principal Youth Court judge. The Department of Child, Youth and Family Services unveiled a blueprint this week to improve care for Maori children. Judge Mick Brown, who wrote a critical report 18 months ago, says the Department should now get on with implementing changes. He says he accepts that, when a child is in a dangerous situation, the Department should first look to the family. But he says, if that is not available, or if the family is unable to cope, the child must be placed in the safest and best environment.
(Regardless of ethnicity, there should be no formulaic placements of children who for one reason or another can't be with their parents. The dreadful case of the grandmother who inflicted cigarette burns on the little child should ring warning bells. Every placement should in the child's best interest, after vary careful scrutiny, and on a case- by-case basis. - BH)
Telecom is puzzled by claims it is disrupting Telstra Clear phone calls. Telecom's rival says some of its subscribers cannot make111 emergency calls, because Telecom will not activate extra lines requested last July. But Telecom says it only found out two weeks ago that Clear had not commissioned and tested five 111 links it fast forwarded to them at the end of November. Telecom also says it was under the impression Telstra Saturn and Clear are one and the same company with the same requirements. It says it now appears Clear wants a different deal from the one agreed with Telstra-Saturn.
The Securities Commission has cleared Telecom of any concerns over its half year financial accounts. The Commission reviewed Telecom's financial statements for the six months to December 31st, after public comment on some aspects of its reporting. The Securities Commission says it has not found any departures from generally accepted accounting practice in New Zealand. However it comments that Telecom's requirement to report both here and in the United States, where it is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has created some 'conceptual differences' in accounting approaches. The Commission says the issue points to the need for ongoing work on international harmonisation of accounting standards.
(I saw someone comment that Enron got a clean bill of health just days before its collapse. I do not mean to insinuate any similarity with Telecom. I am just a little sceptical of some of our certification processes. - BH)
It is all good news from the kakapo breeding sanctuary on Codfish Island near Stewart Island. A total of seven chicks have now hatched, and they are all healthy and doing well. The news gets even better, with DOC expecting another 22 fertile eggs to hatch in the next two weeks. The Kakapo population is now 69. DOC is particularly pleased with the efforts of one adult bird, Hoki. She is the first chick to be hand-reared in captivity, and then released into the wild. Hoki is now sitting on her own egg.
(Much less good news from the Albatross colony near Dunedin where 12 of this year's 17 chicks have died of a mysterious ailment. - BH)
It has been revealed that a woman at the centre of a home- alone case in Tauranga was working a night shift. Four children, aged eight months to nine years, are now with Child Youth and Family Services after police found them alone in an Otumoetai house overnight. CYFS Manager Don Sorrenson says his staff have interviewed the woman and their investigation is continuing.
Girls have out-shone boys in the honours list from last year's Bursary examinations. Girls took gold in 19 out of 29 subjects, doing especially well in languages and fine arts, while boys excelled in maths and physics. Students from single sex girls schools took out a third of the top prizes. However, the NZQA says no clear trend in year-by- year results by gender exists, with boys outperforming girls last year. The country's top female scholar was Abi Fox from Auckland's King's College, and top boy was Michael Oehley from Saint Paul's Collegiate, in Hamilton.
Former All Black Norm Hewitt is the new face of child advocacy. Mr Hewitt will assist the Office of the Commissioner for Children, teaching kids how to stand up for their rights. He says it will be a rewarding experience and one he will learn a great deal from. However, he says it is tough for today's kids. Mr Hewitt says he wants to make young people more aware of their rights. He will be speaking around the country in a series of workshops beginning next month.
There is pessimism in the rural sector at the way the economy's heading. Farmers are the only group in the latest business confidence survey picking things will get worse in the next year. A net 17 per cent believe general business conditions will deteriorate, according to a National Bank report. That is at odds with the overall survey, where a net 16 per cent of firms are forecasting an improvement. The figure is a turnaround on last month's survey, which saw a net two per cent of businesses expecting things to get worse.
The Government's looking at having victims' reparation payments automatically deducted from any compensation paid out to prisoners. The scheme follows the case of a prisoner convicted of assault who was paid a large sum of money by the Government for being held in prison too long. However, the required reparations he was supposed to have made to his victim had not been paid. Corrections Minister Matt Robson has asked his Department to make sure it does not happen again.
Greenlane Hospital is struggling to deal with an influx of calls from parents concerned their baby's heart is being stored without their consent. The free phone line was set up following revelations the hospital kept 1300 mostly baby hearts for the past 50 years, for research purposes. There have been several complaints from upset parents unable to get through to the hotline. Hospital spokeswoman Brenda Saunders says only five people are answering the phones and trying to return 50 messages left overnight. Mrs Saunders says the hospital was forced to launch the hotline earlier than planned, when the story broke unexpectedly last night. Wellington Hospital says it does not hold any human organs for use in research or teaching. Capital Coast Health spokeswoman Karlum Lattimore says, on rare occasions, an organ will be removed during a post-mortem examination, but permission is sought from the family first. She says any tissue taken is held until a report is written. It is then cremated or returned as requested.
The Minister of Health is defending the actions of Greenlane Hospital. Annette King says doctors collected the organs to advance medical science and it was not done with any malice. However, she says it is unacceptable to carry out such programmes without informed consent and we have moved on from those times. Surgeons say the practice provided a valuable training tool. Greenlane's paediatric cardiac surgeon Kirsten Finucane says being able to use the hearts for research has saved the lives of other children. She says surgeons learn more by being able to examine the hearts.
Health spokesman Roger Sowry says an inquiry would find out whether the action was due to a structural problem within the hospital's system, or whether an individual was responsible. He says, while he does not want a witch hunt, the public's faith in the health system must be maintained. The freephone line set up for concerned parents who want more information is 0800 746 445.
(It's a rare day indeed that I agree with Phillida Bunkle on any subject, but I heard her say "we have had inquiry after inquiry after inquiry. Now is the time for action." And in my view, the principal action now required is to eliminate any residual ambiguity in the Human Tissues Act so that no retention whatsoever can occur without the informed consent of the next of kin. - BH)
Skateboarders may soon be banned from riding on Wellington roads, if the Land Transport Safety Authority has its way. This follows a coroner's report into the death of 22-year- old Christopher Wood, who died after falling off his skateboard in Kelburn in 1999. He came off his board on the corner of Kelburn Parade and Salamanca Road after riding on the road at speeds estimated to be up to 50 kilometres an hour. Andy Knacksted, from the LTSA, says they are considering a change to the law, to make sure skateboards can only be ridden on footpaths. The Land Transport Safety Authority says under current laws, it is OK to ride a skateboard on the road, if you are over 14. Here is the official word from the LTSA: "If you are under 14 and using non-motorised transport you are a pedestrian and your use is restricted to a footpath. If you are over 14, you can use your skateboard or scooter on the road but we strongly advise you not to. If you are using a scooter or skateboard on a footpath you must take care not to harm or endanger other pedestrians. You are also advised to wear protective gear, including a helmet, knee and even elbow pads, especially in steep conditions. Robust shoes should always be worn. Riders must obey all normal road rules. Because it is classified as a vehicle, careless use could see a rider facing a fine of up to $3000".
(If I recall correctly, the Transport Act defines a road as "any place to which the public have access, whether as of right or not." It defines a vehicle as "a contrivance equipped with wheels, tracks, or revolving runners upon which it moves or is moved." The difficulty with micro- legislating, is the ease with which a new fad can replace the old. - BH)
Lower Hutt is set to install surveillance cameras in the city's streets, in an effort to combat crime. The decision follows a similar by move both the Wellington and Porirua City Councils. District police commander, Bruce Dunstan, says the cameras, will be located in Bunny Street and parts of High Street.
(Bunny Street is where the buses leave Lower Hutt for Wainuiomata and Wellington. Youngsters waiting for the buses tend to get into various forms of mischief and mayhem. It is not a place where you would feel safe at night. - BH)
Name suppression has been lifted for the man accused of the abduction, sexual violation and murder of Teresa Cormack. He is 43-year-old Jules Pierre Nicholas Mykus. A High Court hearing in Wellington this morning has been considering the issue of name suppression, which was granted earlier this week. The accused's lawyer Steve Gill told the court interim suppression had been sought so Mykus could tell his family about the charges. He says Mykus has now done that, and there is no need for further suppression. The accused did not appear at today's court hearing. He next appears in court in Napier on March 6. Six-year-old Teresa was snatched from a Napier street as she walked to school in June 1987.
Six Hawke's Bay teenagers will be tried in Gisborne on sex charges. The former Taradale High School students face one charge of attempting to sexually violate and another of sexual violation, after an alleged assault on a classmate. A pre-trial application to have the trial venue moved from the High Court in Napier to Gisborne has been successful. The trial is set to begin on April 8.
Walkers and cyclists will not be left out of the Government's new transport legislation passed through Parliament under urgency early this morning. Three million dollars from the $227 million being raised by an increase in fuel taxes and road user charges will go towards a special walking and cycling fund. The fund will promote the benefits of walking and cycling as alternative transport options. The Green Party is championing the move. Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says the tax will provide lower income people with more options as it also improves public transport. However, Act MP Rodney Hide has dismissed the walking fund as a waste of time. He says people have been walking for 10,000 years and he has never heard of the need for a dedicated walking fund before. The tax on petrol rose by almost five cents a litre at midnight last night. The owners of light diesel vehicles face a 30 per cent hike in road user charges.
Most members of the new Auckland District Health Board did not know about the Green Lane heart library. The Auckland hospital is fielding calls from parents after revelations hundreds of hearts, taken from mainly children, had been kept since the 1950s for research purposes. Board member John Retimana believes three-quarters of the board have only just found out about the collection. Meanwhile Mr Retimana believes all families involved in the issue should be informed. The board has decided to seek legal advice to consider its best course of action. Mr Retimana admits the board underestimated the number of people wanting to contact the hospital on the special hotline it set up. More resources are being allocated to the hotline today. That number is 0800 746 445.
Protesters are accusing Auckland City Councillors of walking away from public debate. Last night's City Council meeting was cancelled after around 60 protesters took over the council chambers. Mayor John Banks claims he received Nazi salutes and death threats. He is also angry that some councillors chose to remain with the protesters. The protesters, from the group "Wake Up! Auckland", dispute the claim they were abusive and believe there was no reason to stop the meeting. They were protesting several issues, including the sale of vacant council housing and chemical weed spraying.
Alliance MP Grant Gillon believes a flood in the party's parliamentary wing yesterday may have been sabotage. Mr Gillon says the flood started in the Alliance's kitchen sink and was found by cleaners early yesterday morning after water started dripping through the floor boards. Internal fighting in the Alliance has seen it split into two hostile camps. Mr Gillon, who is in the Jim Anderton camp, says the flood caused quite a bit of electrical damage and did not appear to be an accident. He says the plug had been put firmly in the sink, the tap turned on full and the door of the kitchen shut. However, Mr Gillon does not believe the sabotage was necessarily caused by someone from within the Alliance. He says the kitchen is a busy thoroughfare and anyone could have caused the flood.
A drivers' advocate has expressed disgust at the hike in road user charges for diesel car drivers. As part of the Government's transport strategy passed overnight, petrol has risen nearly five cents a litre. The owners of diesel vehicles under four tonnes will pay 30 per cent more in road user charges. Drivers' Club founder Alan Dick says it is a disgrace that heavy trucks are the ones causing the congestion and damaging the roads, but they do not have to pay. He says some roads in Auckland are being upgraded specifically for heavy transport, but the private motorist is having to pay.
The Government is unable to guarantee that Auckland will get the bulk of its new transport spending. Today's increase in fuel taxes will raise an extra $227 million for the Government's new transport strategy. A petrol tax of almost five cents will be added to the cost of a litre of petrol today, which is expected result in motorists paying an average of $1. 34 extra a week. There will also be a 30 per cent rise in road user charges for smaller diesel vehicles. The bill was passed in Parliament under urgency early this morning. National claims very little of the new tax will actually be spent on fixing Auckland's traffic congestion problems, as has been promised. Transport Minister Mark Gosche concedes government agency Transfund will decide where the money is spent. He says he will not breach the law by telling Transfund where to target the funding but the Government will give it enough money to do its job properly. Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says the new tax will actually benefit low income people as it will give them more options. More than half of the money will go towards alternatives to roading such as rail, cycling or walking. The Opposition tried to stall the bill's progress through the house. However it passed at 4 am with a vote of 63 votes to 51.
In an unusual move, Parliament's Speaker has referred New Zealand Post to the powerful Privileges Committee. It is alleged the organisation misled a parliamentary committee, by denying it had a report on its South African management operation - when in fact it did. Speaker Jonathan Hunt says a possible breach of Parliamentary privilege could be involved. Mr Hunt says if NZ Post considered it had misled the committee, it has had plenty of time to clear up the matter with the committee - but it has not done so. The company will now be forced to explain itself to the politicians.
Date: 28 February 2002 Brian Dooley
Wellington New Zealand
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