Copyright © 1995 Brian Harmer
No, we are not shifting to a two week cycle, but last week, Helen suffered one of those errors which befall us all, sooner or later, and managed to delete irrevocably, the wrong file. We apologise for the interruption in service, and hope to be back to our more normal reliability soon. Daylight saving rules! I love it! Sadly, each time it happens we seem to get a week of rotten weather, but that's a small price to pay for the eventual harvest of long evenings. As far as I am concerned, all daylight before my mid-morning coffee break is wasted! The week just passed marked the end of the lecturing year, though there are still the joys of marking 500 or so exam papers to come followed by the joy of writing a new course in time for commencement in January. Though I like (most of) my students, there is something special about the workplace during exam breaks and over the summer trimester, when the library is nearly empty, and you don't have to shoulder charge to get through corridors during the hourly class changeover times. To add to my enjoyment of this summer, I will be taking the first extended break since my trip to Okarito a few years ago now, and only the second one since I joined the university. I have been elsewhere for conferences or other work related issue, but this time, it is shut down, turn off, and enjoy ourselves. Mary and I will spend some time in Melbourne, which I saw but briefly on my previous visit. The rest of the time will be just unwinding. I shall indulge in my long neglected hobby of making and flying scale model aircraft, and have been delighted to discover the progress made in electric motors in my nearly ten-year long absence, so no need for noisy glow-motors, or messy fuels, or smelly chemicals to protect the paint from the exhaust residue. It is, of course, a shock to the wallet to restock with essential tools and equipment that was all sold when I set out on my academic journey, but it has been an enormous pleasure to rejoin my old club and to meet with people who get sunburn on the roof of their mouth from watching a radio controlled glider circling lazily in summer thermals. Hmmm, I hear my building board calling me :-)
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 WWW.KiaOraThailand.com. Thanks, Mark. On with the news:
Nandor Tanczos is using complaints about slow police burglary response times to again argue that the cannabis laws need to be eased. In Counties-Manukau the average response time in August was 24 and a half hours - nine hours more than last August. In the same period, response times in the north and west of the Auckland region climbed three hours to 12 hours. The Green MP says it is crazy to spend 280,000 sworn police hours investigating cannabis offences when burglary response times are increasing. He says police time and money would be better off investigating the burglaries and drugs in schools. The National Party, meanwhile, is claiming that suburban and rural areas are losing out as our police force becomes more centralised. Opposition spokesman, Tony Ryall, says extra police are needed to prevent entry-level crimes such as burglary and street disorder. He says there is an urgent need for a return to community policing and police need to be better resourced. Mr Ryall says the latest statistics show fewer burglaries are being solved in many regions. But Police Minister George Hawkins says the burglary rate is now running at less than a third of the level it was under National. However he says he is not happy police in some parts of Auckland are breaching their contractual 24-hour response time. National claims slower response times are due to under-staffing, but George Hawkins says his Government is providing police with more staff.
Criticism of convicted murderer Gaye Oakes by the Act Party is being dismissed by the Minister of Immigration. Lianne Dalziel says she cannot comment specifically on the Oakes case, but says calls by Act MP Stephen Franks for the British-born woman's deportation are mere mischief making. Gaye Oakes was released from Christchurch Women's Prison today after serving 8 years of a life sentence for killing her de facto husband in 1993. Lianne Dalziel says contrary to Stephen Franks' claims, recent changes to the Immigration Act do not apply to Gaye Oakes' residence status. She says she finds it galling the MP is still publicity-seeking over the matter.
The condition of a six month old baby rescued from a locked car in Christchurch is not as serious as first thought. Police had to break into a car at the Riccarton Mall car park this afternoon after the child was found alone in the car in a distressed state. A spokesperson from the ambulance service says the child's condition is not as bad as was originally thought. Police are looking for the child's parents.
(How many times must this scenario be repeated here, and around the world, before people get the message that you don't leave an unattended baby in a car. - BH)
A 34-year-old man who has been accused of fraud worth around $6,000 dollars has been arrested by Christchurch police. The man appeared in the District Court this afternoon charged with obtaining money under false pretences. Detective Senior Sergeant Phil Parsons alleges the man obtained the money from sympathetic elderly victims by lying about his family and personal circumstances. Detective Senior Sergeant Parsons say an elderly blind lady handed over $230 dollars and another lady parted with some of her life savings. The man reappears in Court tomorrow.
(There was a time when even the bad guys would have been ashamed to rip off the aged and infirm. I wonder how these louts dress up their story to gain credibility when they end up in prison? - BH)
The Energy Minister wants a National MP to stop making what he claims are blatantly untruthful comments on the state of New Zealand's electricity supply. National's Energy spokesman, Gerry Brownlee, says the country is in for blackouts and increased power prices by 2005. His comments follow the release of the two-yearly report from industry consultant Bryan Leyland, who indicates power shortages are possible in the next three years. But Energy Minister Pete Hodgson, says Mr Brownlee is distorting the truth as the Government is prepared for the potential problems. He says the claims about the significance of various electricity supply and demand forecasts are demonstrably false. Pete Hodgson says Gerry Brownlee should be sacked for making things up.
Twin brothers have appeared in court this afternoon charged over the murder of Hayden Kelly in Nelson a fortnight ago. Thirty-two-year-olds Aiden and Dallas Murray were arrested in Nelson and Auckland yesterday and this morning respectively. Aiden Murray has been charged with murder, while Dallas Murray has been charged with being party to murder. They have been remanded in custody until next Monday. Both intend to defend the charges. Mr Kelly was found unconscious on the Collingwood Street bridge over the Maitai River in the early hours of Saturday 21 September 2002. He had been severely beaten about the face and had several penetrating wounds to the head. He was flown to Wellington Hospital but died of his injuries later that weekend.
The Teresa Cormack murder trial has adjourned until tomorrow morning at the request of the defence. The Crown has today finished its case against accused Jules Mikus. The defence has now decided it will call witnesses, but says it will not be ready until tomorrow. Today was day six in the trial of 44-year-old Mikus for the 1987 abduction, rape and murder of the Napier six-year-old. Today the Crown's last witness, bio-scientist Graeme Dick, told the High Court at Wellington how he preserved semen samples taken from Teresa's body.
A young Wanganui woman who attempted to kill her terminally-ill mother, is now anxiously waiting to officially hear that police have reopened their investigation. Lesley Martin is a trained intensive care nurse. She gave her 68-year-old mother a bigger than usual dose of morphine and the next day smothered her with a pillow. She admitted the attempt in a book called "To Die Like A Dog" which has been published since the woman's death. Police have already carried out a ten-month-long inquiry, but no charges were laid as they were unable to prove that Ms Martin had actually given her mother a fatal dose, or if it was actually administered routinely by a hospice nurse later on. Lesley Martin says she did the only thing she could to help her mother, who was suffering from rectal cancer. She says she has not heard from the police, despite reports of them re-launching the investigation.
(If you are going to do something illegal, it seems unwise at the least, to then confess to it in a book - BH)
New Zealand's spy agency has issued a chilling warning. The Security Intelligence Service says there are individuals and groups in New Zealand with links to overseas organisations that are committed to acts of terrorism, violence and intimidation. In a booklet aimed at making the cloak-and-dagger SIS more transparent, the service says some of those linked to overseas organisations have developed local structures that are dedicated to their overseas parent bodies. It also says there are also isolated extremists in this country who advocate violence to impress on others their own political, ethnic or religious viewpoint. The SIS says a visiting dignitary or a major international gathering could be seen as a target by off-shore terrorists to capture worldwide publicity for their cause.
(Which of our "spy agency's" achievements in recent times gives them the credibility to be taken seriously on this? - BH)
The Greens are praising the Government's anti-nuclear stance - even though it may be costing us a free-trade deal with the United States. Deputy Prime Minister, Michael Cullen, says he has been told that President Bush sees our continued nuclear-free policy as a stumbling block to signing a free-trade deal. Under the policy, ships which are nuclear-powered or which carry nuclear weapons are banned from New Zealand ports. The Government says they have no intention of changing the policy just for improved trade with the US. Greens Foreign Affairs spokesman, Keith Locke, says America is dangling a free trade deal to undermine New Zealand's peace policy. He says, while the Government could not get away with abandoning our nuclear free status, it did send the SAS to Afghanistan in an effort to get a free trade agreement.
The Government's funding organisation Technology New Zealand is making it easier for businesses to apply for cash for projects. Technology New Zealand provides Government-funded support for a wide range of R & D projects that result in new products, processes or services. The organisation says it is streamlining its application processes, to make them more efficient and transparent, in line with what its business clients say they want. The changes are part of an extensive process improvement project, which will be applied to all the organisation's scheme guidelines over the next three months. The new guidelines are available on Technology New Zealand?s website at http://www. technz. co. nzIts funding has increased this year from $40 million to over $50 million with up to $2 million available for individual R & D projects. Technology New Zealand Manager Suki Siriwardena says many businesses applying for R & D funding found the paper work involved complicated and time consuming.
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's 2003 sampler CD no longer contains any unpleasant surprises. Someone outside the organisation had doctored the track information which appears on some CD-playing software used by computers. Normally, when a CD is played by the computer, it accesses a database via the Internet to display track and artist information. The doctored display was obscene. The NZSO says it has now fixed the problem. Chief Executive, Peter Walls says subscribers will now get nothing but beautiful music on their CD players or computers. He says very few people would have seen the corrupted track titles before the problem was rectified. The NZSO is working with the Police and the Department of Internal Affairs to try to identify the culprit.
(The reality is that the CD never contained anything unpleasant. It's a simple fact that the first one to play a CD on their computer using one of the CD emulators gets the chance to name the tracks. It seems the first one in this case had a schoolboy sense of humour. - BH)
The Police Minister is dismissing criticism from the Opposition over burglary response times, saying burglary is now at a 20-year low. National's police spokesman Tony Ryall claims police are losing the battle against burglary. He says extra police are needed to prevent entry-level crimes such as burglary and street disorder and that there is an urgent need for a return to community policing and police need to be better resourced. Mr Ryall says the latest statistics show fewer burglaries are being solved in many regions. But Minister George Hawkins says the burglary rate is now running at around 60,000 a year, down from 96,000 under National. He says he is not happy that police in some parts of Auckland are breaching their contractual 24-hour response time. But Mr Hawkins says that is better than the five to eight days it used to take under the last National Government. He points out that the Government is providing more police.
(Sorry no news today, e3's web servers were down apparently BH)
Disarmament Minister Marion Hobbs says New Zealand is playing a constructive role in the global landmine problem. Ms Hobbs has been speaking at the launch of a landmine report at Parliament today. She says up to 20,000 people worldwide are killed or maimed by mines every year. Ms Hobbs says New Zealand has given $12. 8 million to anti- landmine projects over the last ten years. Also at the launch was New Zealand Army Major John Flanagan who was in charge of a United Nations team that successfully cleared Kosovo of landmines over two and a half years.
A consignment of New Zealand avocados caught up in a port dispute on the west coast of the United States looks likely to be unloaded in the next day or two. President Bush has stepped into the lockout of 29 ports, which has stopped 140 ships from berthing. He is invoking a 55-year-old little- used law, to force an end to the issue. Global Fresh Marketing Manager, Tony Sinkovich, says the avocados are worth more than $2 million. He says the dispute has made his company rethink exporting to the US. Mr Sinkovich says the industry may explore other options, including sending further shipments to the east coast, rather than the west of the United States. He says there would have been serious consequences if the dispute had dragged on for another week.
New research seems to show that the controversial National Certificate of Educational Achievement means more choice for students, but more work for teachers. The Council for Educational Research has drawn that conclusion as a result of its research into the effects of the NCEA. The study looked at six schools, using the NCEA to assess Year 11 students. Researcher Rosemary Hipkins says they found it gave schools the ability to provide students with a wider choice of subjects. However she says there is tension in schools over whether students should be given more choice in their final year or kept focussed on key subjects to keep future options open.
The Air Force has been called in to help with the emergency at Bluff Harbour. The 16,000 tonne bulk carrier Tai Ping went aground in the harbour entrance about 4.30am on Tuesday morning. It had unloaded a cargo of bauxite and is carrying urea nitrogen fertiliser. There are fears of an environmental catastrophe, with the running aground on rocks of a Hong Kong freighter. It is feared the Tai Ping's fuel tanks could rupture, particularly if the freighter's load is lightened, which could result in the hull 'bouncing' against the rocks where it is currently stuck. A C130 Hercules has been sent with equipment on board to help contain oil spills. Meanwhile, work has started to lighten the load of the freighter so an attempt can be made to refloat her. A barge is shuttling back and forth between the Tai Ping and the wharf, removing fertiliser, 200 tonnes at a time. Fenwick Shipping director Chris Rabbidge says the job got off to a slow start, but they are humming now. He says they will have a look at trying to get her off at high tide this evening, but are more confident of being ready for a successful attempt at seven tomorrow morning.
Auckland police are concerned about an article in Auckland University's Craccum Magazine about drug rape. It details what drugs are available and how to administer them. Detective Inspector Bruce Shadbolt says it may have been meant to be funny, but it trivialises an horrific crime. He says he will be checking what, if any, action police can take before approaching the magazine's publishers. Auckland police say they receive around one complaint of drug rape a week.
(In my personal opinion this is the same as the suicide article Craccum were in trouble with a while ago. What perhaps the police and media don't understand is that they're raising awareness and choosing sarcasm and satire to get through to their target audience, students, who as a rule appreciate and understand that style of humour (oh, the jaded youth of today.) The article lists what the drugs do, and give the names of all the drugs that people use to spike drinks, the manner in which they do it, and how they make you feel. It's not teaching people how to do it as such, It's teaching people how to avoid it happening to them. -HH)
(On the other hand, several quite young people, including women students at Auckland University say that if some sort of reverse psychology was the goal, it misfired wildly. - BH)
Bill English is today celebrating a year as leader of the National Party. It has been a tumultuous year for Mr English. He came into office promising great things but led National to its biggest election defeat in history, picking up just 20 percent of the vote. A review of the party's performance following the election found that the leadership change was ill-timed. When Mr English took over from Jenny Shipley, National was rating 32 percent support, 17 percent behind Labour. Today it is at 26 percent, 30 points behind Labour.
The owners of the Hong Kong freighter stranded in Bluff Harbour want to refloat the vessel as soon as possible. They are in disagreement with the Maritime Safety Authority which wants to wait for professional salvors from Australia to arrive to refloat the Tai Ping properly. The owners are under commercial pressure to get the ship sailing again and see every incoming tide as a missed opportunity. The ship's managers in Sydney are looking to unload the cargo to lighten the Tai Ping's weight and hope the tide will take her off the rocks. The MSA believes this could leave the ship bouncing around on the rocks which may punch a hole in the ship's fuel tanks, causing an environmental disaster.
(Given the extent of the disaster to marine life if either the ships fuel tanks or the urea filled holds were ruptured by dragging the vessel across a rock-strewn bottom, I doubt the company's insurance is up to paying for the loss. - BH)
Healthcare and Medical services provider Eldercare is moving into dentistry. It is planning to buy the Geddes Dental Group, Australasia's largest single ownership dental group. Geddes' annual revenue is poised to break through the $9 million mark. The group employs more than 110 staff, including 32 dentists. New Zealand's dental market is worth more than $300 million a year, almost all of which is patient funding except for a few specific Government initiatives for selected and targeted health strategies. Geddes' founder Keith Pine will continue as CEO, working with Eldercare's management team to continue the dentistry group's growth strategy. The acquisition by Eldercare is for 100 percent of the Geddes business, and the consideration will be $2. 1 million in cash and an earnout based on actual net profit after tax achieved, which will be issued in Eldercare shares. Eldercare reckons the acquisition will increase corporate revenues by around 17 percent for the group.
Police Minister George Hawkins says, despite a demanding year for police, overall crime is at its lowest rate in thirteen years. Mr Hawkins has told the Police Association Annual Conference in Wellington that high profile crimes such as the killing of Detective Constable Duncan Taylor and the Baby Kahu kidnapping had caused huge public concern. However, Mr Hawkins says burglary is at its lowest level in 20 years and there has also been a significant decrease in road fatalities. He says the appointment of the first woman District Commander Sandra Manderson in Canterbury was a significant milestone. Mr Hawkins says problem areas include the policing of Auckland and the increased use of the drug methamphetamine.
Waikato University will apologise to the Jewish Community over the handling of alleged Holocaust denier and former PhD student Hans Kupka. The University received complaints from the Jewish community about Kupka, who had posted his views on several Internet sites. An independent report by former Director General of Education Bill Renwick on Waikato University's handling of the 2000 incident has been released today. University Vice-Chancellor Professor Bryan Gould says the report makes a number of recommendations, including an apology to the Jewish community for the pain and anguish it suffered. Professor Gould says the University will act on all the report's recommendations.
Police are investigating the troubled Northland health provider Te Hauora O Te Tai Tokerau trust, after receiving an official complaint. Child Youth and Family is currently seeking $1. 7 million in costs from the trust. Whangarei MP Phil Heatley says it is time those who have been playing with taxpayers' money are made to account for their actions. THOTT Board members are meeting on October 30 at the Te Ranga Paraoa Marae to discuss liquidating the trust. Phil Heatley says voluntary liquidation is irresponsible, considering police are now investigating the matter and that will not be finished until November. At this stage, it is unknown who has laid the complaint with police.
Parliament is today sitting under urgency, with MPs likely to be in the debating chamber until late on Friday. The Government has forced the House into urgency in an effort to pass 12 bills into law. They include the terrorism bill, which enacts a number of commitments New Zealand gave to the United Nations following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and the Victims Rights Bill.
The Insurance Council believes shonky ships are targeting New Zealand waters because there is no minimum insurance requirement. The Council wants the Government to push forward with legislation requiring ships weighing more than 400 tonnes to be insured before they are allowed in NZ waters. Insurance Council chief executive Chris Ryan says the grounding of the Tai Ping in Bluff Harbour should serve as a warning. He says most of New Zealand's trading partners require insurance and now have the power to ban ships which are not insured. Mr Ryan says, since they are allowed to come to this country, there is an increasing number of substandard, uninsured vessels entering New Zealand ports.
(I am unclear whether Mr Ryan is alleging that the Tai Ping fits in this category. - BH)
Child, Youth and Family social workers are being told to ensure children at risk from sex offenders are always rigorously investigated. The order has been given by the service's chief social worker after it was revealed the organisation had contact with convicted child sex offender Jules Mikus. Mikus was yesterday found guilty of the abduction, rape, sexual violation and murder of Napier school girl Teresa Cormack 15 years ago. Chief social worker Shannon Pakura has ordered a review of all dealings with Mikus after it was revealed a complaint had been laid against him in the 1980s before Teresa's murder. She says she is concerned social workers who knew of his previous convictions allowed him to continue to care for and have access to children. Ms Pakura has told her social workers around the country to intervene if necessary if children are considered to be at possible risk from sex offenders.
There are signs the legal profession is gearing up to tackle the leaky buildings crisis. A conference in Auckland today targeted lawyers, mediators, developers, designers and others in the building industry. The Building Research Association admitted the extent of the problem still is not known. Spokesman Adrian Bennett says the conference focused on legal issues including avenues for action. He says they included opportunities to pursue the different parties and the chances of getting anything out of them. He says those attending have been briefed on what is causing the leaks and rot, surveying the damage and remediation. Adrian Bennett says there is general acceptance the problem is real and substantial. He says a thorough survey of houses is needed to quantify the problem.
An export business opportunity has arisen from New Zealand's hydatid-free status. Hydatid tapeworms can only mature in dogs, but to complete their life cycles they also needs an intermediate host. In New Zealand, the main intermediate host is sheep. Dogs become infected by eating fertile hydatid cysts in raw sheep offal. Sheep become infected by grazing on pasture contaminated with tapeworm eggs passed in dog faeces. Hydatids disease in man usually follows close contact with infected dogs. The effect on the health of people can vary from no symptoms to severe illness and death, depending on the number of cysts, their site and size and requires surgery for treatment. Hydatid disease also causes losses in livestock with the downgrading of edible meat by-products because of the presence of the hydatid cysts. Less than fifty years ago, at the start of the National Hydatids Council's eradication programme in 1959, up to 80 percent of sheep from some parts of New Zealand were found to have hydatid cysts at slaughter. Now New Zealand has been provisionally declared hydatid disease free, and the technology developed to achieve that aim is now on sale around the world. AgResearch has produced a vaccine which is eagerly sought by countries still struggling with the disease, particularly in the third world. Control programmes based on dosing dogs - which was effective in New Zealand - have not worked in many countries, and the AgResearch vaccine has been identified as the extra tool required to successfully attack the disease.
The Minister of Finance is pouring cold water on suggestions a slice of Air New Zealand is about to be sold off to Qantas. Michael Cullen faced questions in Parliament today and said as the situation stands at the moment he has not heard anything from Air New Zealand about the possible sale of shares. He also pointed out that the Government has to avoid being seen to tip or promote shares in a company it owns. Dr Cullen says as far as he is aware no proposal is imminent and he says the fevered speculation about deals being done have been completely wrong every time they've been uttered. Industry sources say a deal involving Qantas buying 20 percent of Air New Zealand will be announced at its annual general meeting on October 30. Political editor Barry Soper says Dr Cullen has yet to see a proposal.
A judge will announce tomorrow morning whether a former stripper who wants to star in a porn movie while giving birth can keep her baby. Child Youth and Family has applied for wardship of the unborn child. A lawyer appointed by the court has argued the child has a right to privacy, the right not to be the object of anyone's sexual gratification and the right for its reputation to be protected. The judge has imposed an injunction preventing filming overnight if the birth occurs and will deliver this decision tomorrow morning.
(I would like to think that any child has the right not to grow up with a mother whose occupation degrades all its participants - BH)
The Building Industry Authority is disappointed at a call for its chairman and chief executive to resign over the leaky building scandal. National Party Leader Bill English says heads should roll for the BIA's failure to inform the Housing Minister about the situation until April. He claims the lack of urgency shown by the authority shows an attitude problem. Chief Executive Bill Porteous says once the authority received facts from an overview group in April, it reported immediately to the minister. He says prior to that it had collaborated with the Building Research Association's weathertightness steering group to find facts instead of conjecture and anecdotal stories.
TVNZ's Head of Programmes has quit, before being officially appointed. Tom Parkinson had negotiated the terms of a contract with the state broadcaster. But many of the details, including the start date had not been resolved. His appointment had been the subject of significant amounts of speculation in the media and within the television industry, particularly after his own production company, Isambard, was wound up. TVNZ Chief Executive Ian Fraser describes the speculation as baseless and scurrilous. He says Mr Parkinson decided his position as Head of Programmes would be untenable, given the rumour and innuendo. Mr Fraser says the constant media attention, which looks set to continue, is already unhelpful and distracting and could prove debilitating in the longer term. In the meantime, Mr Parkinson has agreed to assist Mr Fraser to put together a content and production plan that will reflect the values of the new TVNZ Charter. TVNZ says it is continuing its search for someone to fill the vacant role.
National leader Bill English is calling for heads to roll over the leaky building crisis. Mr English says the Building Industry Authority was alerted to the problem of rotting houses three years ago, but ignored expert advice. He says the Authority failed to inform Housing Minister George Hawkins about the situation until April this year. Mr English says that the Authority's lack of urgency on the matter showed an attitude problem. He says the Building Industry Authority Chairman and Chief Executive should resign in order to restore public confidence.
Economists say business confidence is likely to improve in the next survey. Deutsche Bank says the fall in confidence suggested by today's quarterly survey by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research was much less than had originally been signalled by the monthly National Bank survey. The Bank says part of the reason for the less downbeat picture is because the agriculture sector, where pessimism is greatest, is under-represented in the survey. It says positive reaction to the Reserve Bank's new monetary policy target may also have had a hand in boosting confidence. However, its analysts believe the next National Bank survey on October 31 will show an actual improvement in business confidence. It says once seasonal factors are taken into account, the quarterly figures already show an improvement . Senior economist Darren Gibbs says as far as inflation pressures are concerned, the survey indicators are mixed. He says surveyed capacity utilisation rose further in the third quarter to a new cyclical high while the proportion of respondents reporting labour as the key factor restraining expansion remained at the high level recorded in the second quarter. However, the incidence of shortages of skilled labour eased a little while the proportion of retailers reporting an increase in their selling prices fell to the lowest level since the second quarter of 2000. Mr Gibbs says the OCR is expected to remain on hold for an extended period, with the next move being towards a modest easing later next year.
ACC insists covert filming is cracking down on fraudsters. The Privacy Commissioner has received three complaints about its clients being secretly taped in New Zealand and Australia. ACC admits private investigators were hired to film some overseas claimants, after a review raised concerns. The Corporation's spokesman, James Funnell says they want to stop people ripping off the system. He says people making claims to which they are not entitled costs the taxpayer money, and is something they want to stop. The lawyer for the three people who complained to the Privacy Commissioner, Nicola Drayton-Glesti says the filming would normally be acceptable if someone was fraudulently claiming ACC and working at the same time. However, she says her clients have not committed any fraud. Ms Drayton-Glesti says the information has been gathered anyway and used to take away that person's entitlement. She says it is unclear whether this is actually permitted under the Privacy Act.
DNA testing is becoming so sensitive, scientists can now extract a genetic profile from a smudge on a window after someone has pressed their nose against the glass. Speaking in the wake of DNA's role in the Teresa Cormack murder case, Institute of Environmental Science and Research spokesman Wayne Chisnall says this is just one in a line of historic crimes DNA profiling has solved. Mr Chisnall says scientists are working with smaller and smaller samples, including how to get a profile from material such as that left on steering wheels by people's hands. He says it is now possible to get a DNA profile from samples of human material as small as 30 cells. Wayne Chisnall says ESR has been building an unsolved crime database for the past four years, and has so far managed to identify 1500 alleged offenders. He says DNA testing is now five to ten thousand times more sensitive that when it was first available.
New Zealand maritime officials are making no apology for keeping the Tai Ping waiting. The owners' hopes of getting the freighter free of her position on rocks at the entrance to Bluff Harbour today have been dashed. The Hong-Kong registered vessel became stuck on the rocks in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The Maritime Safety Authority is still scrutinising the salvage plan prepared by the owners' overseas experts, Smits Salvage, saying the job cannot be rushed as there is little room for error. Spokeswoman, Amanda Health, says they have not had any complaints from the Tai Ping's owners about the time it is taking. She says it is their responsibility to prepare a salvage plan, and the MSA only received it today. Ms Health says it is possible they will be ready to try refloating the ship sometime tomorrow. She says the MSA's prime concern is to prevent any oil pollution, so they need to carefully review every aspect of the plan to gauge its success.
The Real Estate Institute says the overall trend on mortgage rates is down. The Institute's latest Mortgage Survey shows roughly a third of the 18 institutions surveyed had lowered their floating rates during the month. However, the Institute points out the "lowering" effect is far more marked on longer fixed term rates with most lenders moving downwards. REINZ president Graeme Woodley says there is still plenty of room for lenders to manoeuvre. He says lending institutions traditionally lend with a 1. 5 - 2 percent margin above the bank bill rate. With the Reserve Bank leaving the Official Cash Rate at 5. 75 percent last week, the Institute believe there is still room for rates to come down further. Mr Woodley says since the REINZ began its Mortgage Survey, he has noted a reluctance by lenders to move downwards relative to the cost of funds. He says one new entrant to the market recently came in with loans as low as 6. 95 percent, but no other lender has seen a need to move down to meet them. For fixed term mortgages, all but one lending institution lowered one year rates in the past month. These currently range between 6. 75 - 7. 25 percent, while two year rates were trimmed to range between 7. 10 - 7. 45 percent. Five year fixed rates also fell within a very tight band of 7. 4 7. 75 percent. Mr Woodley says the outlook for homeowners is good, especially when lenders can currently offer five year rates at prices lower than their floating rate.
There will now be no attempt to refloat the Tai Ping this afternoon. The Maritime Safety Authority says experts are still finalising their salvage plan for the ship stuck on rocks at Bluff. Director Russell Kilvington says the plan will detail not only how Dutch experts Smit Salvage will refloat the vessel, but also the precautions they will take to prevent any oil pollution. He says it is possible an attempt to refloat the ship could be made tomorrow.
Plans are underway for a law that would identify sex offenders. Act's Deborah Coddington is drafting a private member's bill that would establish a national database of sex offenders. She says they would be required to give names and addresses and notify the authorities of a change of address. She says the police would then be free to do what they want to with the information and not worry about breaching the Human Rights Act. Miss Coddington says they will be able to warn people or move sex offenders on if they pose a threat.
A big turnout is expected at tomorrow morning's leaky building summit in Auckland. Internal Affairs Minister George Hawkins has called the meeting of key figures in the building sector. He says around 80 people from a wide cross section of the industry have accepted his invitation. The minister says response forms attached to the invitation asking for suggestions on ways to resolve the crisis have been popular. They will form part of the discussion at tomorrow's summit. However Mr Hawkins says the meeting is not going to be a forum where issues of liability or compensation can be discussed.
The owner of a pet food company responsible for the death of a rare tiger at Wellington Zoo has been sentenced in the Christchurch District Court. Mark Johnson pleaded guilty to 17 charges arising from breaches of the Meat Act and his meat processing licence. Sumatran tiger Jambi died after eating contaminated meat supplied by Johnson's Dogs Delight company. A cumulative fine of $3,750 plus costs was imposed. Mark Johnson has already paid $40,000 dollars in compensation to Wellington Zoo.
The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research says its latest survey shows business confidence is not as high as it would expect given the overall strength of the New Zealand economy. NZIER says indicators of business activity suggest strong economic growth has continued in the second half of 2002. Without adjustments for seasonal factors a net five percent of those surveyed expect things to worsen over the coming six months. That compares with two percent pessimism in June, and 23 percent optimism in the March survey. Uncertainty about the prospects for world economic growth, volatility on world sharemarkets and the possibilityof war in Iraq have been identified by NZIER as the main reasons for the pessimism. The figures do change when allowance are made for seasonal factors. A seasonally adjusted net 18 percent of firms are optimistic about business conditions in the next six months, compared with a net eight percent in the previous period.
Tradespeople in the construction industry may be registered, in a move designed to lift building standards. The idea of compulsory registration has come out of a Leaky Homes Summit, which was held in Auckland today. The summit was attended by representatives from all parts of the industry and associated sectors. Construction Industry Council Chairman John Pfahlert says registration seems to have strong support. He says it will mean tradespeople have the right qualifications. John Pfahlert wants a commitment to ongoing professional development, to ensure tradespeople keep up with new technologies.
The Justice Minister says a new law giving more rights to victims of crime has been introduced in response to public criticism of the justice system. Phil Goff's Victims' Rights Bill has been debated in Parliament this afternoon. It will give victims a say in when the person who committed the offence against them will be allowed to apply for parole. The legislation underpins one of the key agreements made if Labour was to receive United Future's support in Government. Mr Goff says the new law follows concerns the public has expressed in recent years shown in the 1999 referendum which demanded tougher sentencing of serious criminals. There was fiery debate on the issue in Parliament. National and ACT criticised parts of the new legislation, saying it does not go far enough.
A message has been sent to drivers of illegally modified cars with a jail sentence handed down to a 23-year-old driver. Gareth Taylor has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison for dangerous driving causing death. A wheel from Taylor's extensively modified car sheered off and killed 10-year-old Logan Patterson while he was walking to school in March last year. Judge Merelina Burnett blamed the illegal modifications of Taylor's car for the accident, and talked about his disregard for road safety. Defence lawyer Barry Hart outlined Taylor's great remorse and recommend a home detention sentence of two years or less. Taylor, his pregnant partner and other family members and friends sobbed as Taylor was taken away.
A child abuse expert says there are major problems in the way sexually transmitted diseases in children are dealt with in the light of an explosion in the number of cases. Dr Patrick Kelly of Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital says there have been 12 cases of genital gonorrhoea in pre- pubertal children in the last five years. This compares with just two cases in the preceding six years. Writing in the latest New Zealand Medical Journal, Dr Kelly says there are major problems in inter-agency co-ordination, and an inability to identify the source of the infection in most cases. He has carried out a retrospective review of medical records at a specialist child abuse assessment unit, and the follow up which other agencies then carried out.
The number of guests spending time in New Zealand hotels continues to climb - but not in the South Island. Statistics New Zealand says guests spent 1. 9 million nights in short-term commercial accommodation during August 2002. This figure was 4 percent above the August 2001 level. Government statistician Brian Pink says the underlying trend in total guest nights has been increasing since June 1998 at an average rate of 0. 6 percent per month. North Island guest nights were up 7 percent, but guest nights in the South Island were down1 percent in August 2002, compared with August 2001. The Auckland region contributed 44 percent to the change in total New Zealand guest nights.
New Zealand First claims Youth Affairs Minister John Tamihere would condemn more Maori children to be beaten to death if he had his way. Mr Tamihere has today defended the right of parents to smack, saying a ban could force parents to look at other, harmful ways of disciplining their children. His comments come as Cabinet prepares to consider a proposal to repeal section 49 of the Crimes Act which allows parents to smack their children. New Zealand First's Brian Donnelly says the law must be changed. He says if the current law continues, we will keep giving the impression that it is alright to beat children and leave them with bruises.
The cost of employing New Zealanders has risen nearly two percent since last year. Statistics New Zealand says labour costs rose by 1. 8 percent from the June 2001 quarter to the June 2002 quarter. The increase follows a movement of the same size from the June 2000 quarter to the June 2001 quarter. The costs of other business inputs also rose from the June 2001 quarter to the June 2002 quarter, with producer input prices rising by 1.5 percent, while capital goods prices increased by 1.4 percent. As a result, the prices charged by businesses for their outputs rose 2.3 percent and consumer prices rose by 2.8 percent over the same period. The salary and wage rates component of the Labour Cost Index increased by 2.1 percent, while the non- wage labour costs component increased by 0. 4 percent over the same period. The non-wage labour costs movement was partly driven by a 2.1 percent increase in annual leave and statutory holiday costs and a 1. 3 percent increase in employer superannuation costs. Workplace accident insurance costs fell 14.3 percent from the June 2001 quarter to the June 2002 quarter, due to ACC levy rate reductions. Costs are now 47.8 percent lower than the June quarter peak in 1997, and 15.6 percent lower than when the data was first collated in the June 1993 quarter.
The High Court at Hamilton has ordered that the unborn baby of a porn star be placed under the guardianship of the courts. The former stripper, known only as Nikki, wants a porn movie made including footage of her giving birth. Child Youth and Family is concerned about the welfare of the child, and applied for guardianship. However, Justice Paul Heath has named Nikki as the agent of the court for the purposes of caring for the child. He has ordered that she must comply with orders not to film the labour, birth or the baby afterwards unless further applications are filed to the court. The courts will permit filming of the labour as long as Nikki and production company Vixen Direct agree not to show scans of the unborn child, images during birth or the child after birth in the porn movie.
New rights for victims of crime are soon to be passed into law at Parliament. The Victims' Rights Bill was one of the key agreements made by Labour in return for United Future's support in Government. The new law will enable victims of serious offences to have a say in any decision about whether an offender should be released on bail. Victims will now also be able to be automatically informed about matters involving the offender, including any release or escape from custody. Justice Minister Phil Goff says the new law is in response to public demand shown in the 1999 referendum, where 92 percent of the public called for more rights for victims of crime.
Dunedin programme maker Natural History New Zealand has scooped a major award. The programme, "X Force - The Science of Free Flight", was awarded best documentary at the 20th International Festival of Free Flight in France. The documentary, one of six filmed in New Zealand, is part of a series exploring the science behind adventure sports and compares the physiological and psychological demands of each activity. The Science of Free Flight follows paraglider Bryan Moore's record-breaking attempt to fly across the Southern Alps. The jury's comment was that it was rare to see such an authentic aerial adventure. X Force series producer Judith Curran says she is delighted with the award and hopes the success of the series continues. Ms Curran says the award is a credit to the crew and adventurers who displayed enormous kiwi determination. The programme was produced by Natural History NZ in association with National Geographic. Natural History NZ is wholly owned by Fox Television Studios after being originally set up as part of TVNZ. It is one of the world's leading producers of factual programing.
Parkinson's New Zealand believes the authorities will approve trials of a new gene therapy technique to ease symptoms of the disease. Auckland University scientist Dr Matthew During has received US Federal Drug Authority approval to use the technique, which can be effective in quietening down brain cells which have become over- reactive. The treatment almost completely abolished the jerky movements associated with the disorder in half of a group of mice. A harmless virus is used to shuttle a gene into a part of the brain where Parkinson's causes over- activity in the cells, which in turn causes jerky movements. When the cells take up the gene, their activity is suppressed. Dr During's team tested the safety of the therapy technique in primates, and found no toxic effects, and as a result, human trials are set to start in the United States soon. The chief executive of Parkinson's New Zealand, Judy Buchanan says the technique appears to be a major step forward towards finding a cure. She says the FDA approval should give the trials the green light here, and people with Parkinson's enjoy being involved in these leading edge projects.
Waikato University's Vice Chancellor has offered an apology to the Jewish community. Bryan Gould has already made a public apology after former PhD student Hans Kupka was found to have denied that the Holocaust ever happened on some internet sites. The University received complaints from the Jewish community about the student, who was in Hamilton to study the use of the German language in New Zealand. An independent report by former Director General of Education Bill Renwick on Waikato University's handling of the 2000 incident was released earlier this week. The report made a number of recommendations, including an apology to the Jewish community for the pain and anguish it suffered. New Zealand Jewish Council President David Zwartz also wanted a personal apology from Professor Gould for his role in the saga. He now says he is happy with the outcome, although it was strange to receive it through the media.
The Cave Creek disaster seven years ago has today led to a significant change in the law. In the future it will be possible to bring a prosecution against Government departments, a move which our political staff say was hotly debated. National's Richard Worth was opposed to the change saying current law already provided for legal action and that drew a swift response from Justice Minister Phil Goff. Mr Goff said Mr Worth's view was more suited to Soviet Russia where the state took no responsibility for anything. Mr Worth failed to rise to the bait, saying he would not respond to what he described as "cheap and tatty" remarks which did Mr Goff no good at all. The new law now only needs the Royal assent before being enacted.
The New Zealand Stock Exchange says it is moving its alternative market into the development stage. The Stock Exchange first proposed making changes late last month. It says the move will inject capital into many promising and important New Zealand companies not listed on the main board. The new market will provisionally be known as AX. It is designed to appeal to companies with a total value of $5 million to $30 million. Geoff Brown, NZSE Relationship and Markets Manager, says submissions received from the industry to date have been overwhelmingly positive and demonstrate that the development of this market will serve a much broader base of New Zealand companies. The Exchange now plans to review all the submissions it has received and will work with the Securities Commission to develop a final market structure. The proposed timing for the launch of the growth market is being planned for 2003, when it will replace the New Capital Market and unlisted market.
The country's biggest wool cooperative has been formed. East Coast Wool Cooperative Ltd of Dannevirke and the wool division of Combined Rural Traders based in Christchurch, are joining forces to form Primary Wool Cooperative Ltd. The new organisation says it will provide a solution to the industry's search for a farmer-owned wool marketing entity that is closely integrated with end users. Primary Wool is expected to have an turnover of more than $50 million in its first year of operation. East Coast Wool Cooperative Ltd is a North Island-wide wool marketing cooperative with 400 shareholders, and is currently handling some 86,000 bales of wool a year. It markets wool overseas under the trading name of Associated Wool Exporters. CRT is a South Island-wide farming cooperative with around 9000 shareholders, currently handling around 54,000 bales of wool a year. The new company, which begins on November 1, will handle more than 140,000 bales of wool a year, making it the second largest procurer of wool in New Zealand, and the largest wool cooperative by a significant margin.
Funding is being made available to promote internet safety. Child protection organisation ECPAT is putting out an Internet resource kit aimed at parents and educators. The Justice Ministry has agreed to fund the kit which includes information on safety tips for children using the net. Justice Minister Phil Goff says the kit provides direction on what safeguards to put in place to protect children from potential child abusers.
The Maritime Safety Authority's playing down worries over appalling weather heading for Southland. It is day four of the drama surrounding the stranded ship at Bluff. The Tai Ping remains stuck fast on rocks at the entrance to the harbour. Strong southwesterlies, with snow, hail and rain are forecast. But MSA spokesman Lindsay Sturt says it should not be too bad because the ship is protected where it is. He says it is not a situation like the grounding of the Jody F. Millennium off Gisborne earlier this year. In that case, he says the vessel was being pounded in six- metre swells. He says the best way to avoid mistakes is to have key experts on board to make the decisions and get on with the job. Lindsay Sturt says time is on their side, because there is no danger of the ship breaking up.
An assurance that public confidence in the building industry will be restored. It comes as Internal Affairs Minister George Hawkins addressed around 80 members of the building industry at a summit in Auckland today. The meeting's held as the Government tries to reassure leaky home owners they will be supported by its voluntary mediation service. George Hawkins says builders are genuinely concerned about the situation of homeowners. He says it's important the views of the entire industry are put forward, as the Government devises an action clan to correct the mistakes that have been made. Meanwhile, the Tauranga District Council has issued a public statement assuring the public that leaky buildings are not a major issue locally. The council says it has not received one complaint over rotting caused by a combination of leaks and untreated timber. Spokesman Terry Wynyard says that is a phenomenal result, given the more than 12,000 building consents issued in the past decade, worth $1. 7 billion. He says it is an endorsement of the quality of inspections carried out by both private and council building certifiers.
(Mr Hawkins' brief attendance at this summit was, in my opinion, insulting to the people involved in this fiasco. Listening to the summaries of what he said, led me to the view that his contribution was zero. He led by trumpeting the leadership displayed by the government. Leadership? What leadership? A non-compulsory mediation framework is a non-solution. I am opposed to a taxpayer bail-out, but there should be some way of holding all parties accountable for their contribution to the problem, be they architects, builders, councils, inspectors, or insurers. - BH)
New Zealand's deepest port will be officially opened by the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, tomorrow. Northport, situated at Marsden Point near Whangarei, is expected to bring an extra $15 million in income a year into Northland. The development is a 50/50 joint venture between Port of Tauranga and Northland Port Corporation. The operating company, Northport Services Limited, has three shareholders, the Port of Tauranga, Northland Port Corporation and the new port's biggest customer, Carter Holt Harvey. Chief Executive of the Port of Tauranga and Northport, Jon Mayson, says the new port's deep-water capability will position it well for the future. He says the port has been built to meet the rapidly rising volume of wood and wood fibre products coming out of the area but will also cater to fertiliser, dairy, kiwifruit and meat. Carter Holt Harvey plans to ship around five million tonnes of cargo through the new port over the next five years and has invested $132 million in a new laminated veneer lumber mill at Marsden Point that can now be serviced by Northport. Prime Minister Helen Clark will officially open the Northport facility at 11am on Saturday.
Look out kiwi criminals, the boys from the Bill are on their way. The New Zealand police have received more than 300 expressions of interest from British coppers who want to work here. Auckland in particular is desperately short of frontline police and around 80 of the UK officers could be on the beat in the City of Sails next year. The UK applicants need to have a minimum of two years experience. On arrival, they will be put into a 10 week accelerated training course beginning in April. National police human resources manager Wayne Annan says the recruits will not be getting an easy ride and will not be getting any financial assistance to come here.
No charges will be laid over a crash in which former MP Judy Keall was seriously injured. In July a light truck travelling south on State Highway One near Levin collided head on with Ms Keall's car. Police say investigations have revealed an unforeseen mechanical failure in the truck caused the crash. As alcohol, speed and driver error were not contributing factors, police have decided not to press charges.
There is good news for some Hugh Wright workers. The menswear chain went into receivership last month, after 98 years in business. Some 120 members of staff were given termination notices. Receiver Rob Pardington says the Wellington branch is now back in business with the same staff. It has been bought by a Christchurch retailer. The Hugh Wright store in Auckland has been reopened by the receivers, with most staff staying on. Mr Pardington says a large number of other workers who had to be let go have now found jobs with other retailers. The remaining 17 stores have closed.
Date: 10 October 2002 Brian Dooley
Wellington New Zealand
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