From news at wysiwygnews.com Wed Jan 6 15:51:20 2010 From: news at wysiwygnews.com (news@wysiwygnews.com) Date: Wed Jan 6 15:51:29 2010 Subject: WYSIWYG NEWS - 6 January, 2010 Message-ID: <3F185A541960DB4B9FBBBB4104820BBCE77E7562AC@STAWINCOEXMAIL1.staff.vuw.ac.nz> Subject: 4 January, 2009 ----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------ Copyright, Brian Harmer. Whoof! I have a positive talent for procrastination and reap the consequences ... in this case several more weeks have gone by with no news. Sorry, I shall not even attempt excuses. So, here we are in 2010 already. Warmest greetings for this new year, and depending on your perception or mathematical pedantry, for the new decade ahead. So what's been happening? Well of course, the university closed at the end of the year, and since then, we have celebrated Christmas, and a week later, the new year. During that period the weather has been oscillating between plain awful and sparkling blue ... on a cycle that lasts about 36 hours. And, truth to tell, the awful has outnumbered the good by about three to one. I am told that it has been somewhat better in other parts of the country. Happily, the presence of family, whether in person or by phone, brought warmth to the season regardless of the weather. Christmas day managed to cling on to the reasonable side of the cycle, though the wind was rising steadily as the day progressed. On Christmas eve, I decided to undertake some pre-emptive exercise to compensate in advance for anticipated excesses of the days to come. I set out to walk from our home in Normandale to my son's home in Eastbourne, a little over 8.5km by the most direct route. At that time we were at the high point of the climatic cycle and the sun provided warm and visual pleasure. There was a light Northerly breeze at my back, and conditions were just wonderful for walking. >From Point Howard to Eastbourne, the road winds along the foreshore, and the journey is enhanced by the sounds of lapping waves and seabirds. Across the water, a very large cruise liner was in port, and its vast (80,000 tonne) presence added an attractive note to the view. It is of course, pohutukawa season, and as a counterpoint to the usual crimson flower, there are a number of the yellow variety on the road out to Eastbourne. They are not as spectacular as the common red one, though the birds seem to love them as much. At Day's Bay, people were swimming and having a good time in and near the water. The local restaurant seemed to be attracting good crowds, perhaps as much for the sunshades on the deck, under which many patrons were enjoying cooling drinks of one sort or another. A little further on and I reached my son's home where he and other family members were engaged in preparing for the family gathering the next day. I arrived in time to help with the erection of a large marquee to accommodate a table big enough to seat the two families (ten adults and five youngsters) for lunch. A modern contraption, the structure of which consisted of ingeniously interlinked and concertina'd aluminium extrusions, it was misleadingly labelled as an Easy-up tent. No actual herniation occurred but it was a close run thing. If nothing else, the exertion was sufficient to dissuade me from a vaguely formed intention to walk the return journey. Instead, I hitched a ride to Petone with my son's Mother-in-Law, where I did some last minute Christmas shopping, and then caught a bus up the hill to home. Christmas day dawned, as I already hinted, reasonable, if not picture perfect. In due course, we gathered at Anthony and Sarah's house. Members of both families ranging in age from two to the nineties, and had a lot of fun exchanging gifts and eating good food. The wind was steadily increasing, and we were very glad of the marquee as the breeze flapped noisily at the walls. The youngest members had a lot of fun (and scored a lot of loot). The seniors ate, drank, and in some cases snoozed, but everything went as planned. That's another year gone. There were a few lovely days in the period between then and New Year, and one of them was not the day I chose to drive with Mary to visit my mother in Wanganui. That was an ugly day with strong wind, rain, and way too much traffic. No mountains seen, and no great pleasure in the journey, though of course it was good to see my mother, and I think she was pleased to see us. The return journey was something of a nightmare with heavy holiday season traffic resulting in nose-to-tail crawl from Levin through Otaki. Ugh! Though I am officially on holiday, there have been tasks to be done, things to prepare for, that if not dealt with during the break, will bite me in the posterior when the university re-opens (tomorrow, in fact). I have kept a record of all this and shall have a clear conscience when I need to do some things for myself during term time. And of course, I am now back at work. That brings me to the issue of the continued existence of WYSIWYG News. This edition marks the completion of its sixteenth year. The real reasons for its existence have long since lapsed, as there is now a plethora of news sources. Subscribers have dwindled from a peak of 4,600 to about 1,400. To those who have stuck with me, I thank you. From my own perspective, I still enjoy writing the purple prose, though I have been lax in doing it regularly in recent times. I am not yet decided where to take it from here. I shall probably not continue with anything that requires funding or the payment of external helpers when the present reader gifts are exhausted. Reader opinions are welcome. ---- 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 "GS" will indicate an opinion from our editorial assistant. In all cases they are honest expressions of personal opinion, and are not presented as fact. All news items (except where noted otherwise) are reproduced by kind permission of copyright owner, Newstalk ZB News. All copyright in the news items reproduced remains the property of The Radio Network Limited. *Sponsorship this week is courtesy of Ivan Rowe of Fresno, CA. Ivan has been a supporter for many years and encouraged me through the darkest days of my studies. Thanks again Ivan. ---- On with the News. Monday, 28 December 2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PROMISING SIGNS FOR GENERATION Y IN 2010 ---------------------------------------- It is believed 2010 will be the year Generation Y reignites careers that have stalled because of the economic downturn. A report from recruitment company Hays says the global recession was a big wake up call for the generation, whose skills were in high demand in the market place around 18 months ago. Hays' managing director Jason Walker says there are signs of frustration from those who have been affected by the recession and who want to achieve career development. He says there may be a large shift with Gen-Y next year, particularly from those whose careers have not been developed or managed, as the recession has made Generation Y people more flexible in their location and role specifications. (To be honest, I think the notion of a career as we older folks knew it belongs in the past. Increasingly, what people do in their lives is not the orderly progression through a succession of related tasks that it once was. Instead, people are now able to do whatever tasks they are able to sell to someone else, whether or not they have prior experience. Of course you can't suddenly become an astrophysicist or an airline pilot, but you can engage in a vast array of business opportunities equipped with little more than self confidence - BH) BILLIONS DONATED TO CHARITIES ----------------------------- New Zealanders have given $2.5 billion to charity in the past year and have donated more than 1.3 million hours of work per week. The figures are based on the registration of charities seeking an exemption from paying tax on donations. The Charities Commission says 24,000 organisations have signed up to the system. Some of the charities have an income of less than $20,000 a year, while others are pulling in more than $20 million. The Commission says the registration process means people can now find out more about a charity they are thinking about giving to. It is urging people to make a difference in their community or internationally, by donating their time, goods or money in the coming year. The Charities Commission's register can be found on the website www.charities.govt.nz. BIG BUDDY SUFFERS FROM CASH SHORTAGE ------------------------------------ A cash shortage threatens to crimp the growth of a mentoring group, which has previously won praise from Prime Minister John Key. In the past year, Big Buddy has matched up more than 60 boys with a volunteer father figure. It is work Mr Key said National would support when it came into office. Big Buddy chief executive Richard Aston says with the recession driving down donations by around 30 percent, he hopes Mr Key will deliver on his promise. He says one of the organisation's main supporters, the ASB Bank, has reduced its funding because of the downturn, although is still offering valuable support. Mr Aston says screening potential buddies is a time-consuming and expensive process. Because of the funding crisis, Big Buddy's services will have to be reduced next year, despite overwhelming demand for the service. EXTRA SECURITY SCREENING AN OVER-REACTION ----------------------------------------- New air security measures are being deemed an over-reaction. America is demanding tighter checks on inbound passengers, after the incident involving 23-year-old Nigerian man Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is accused of trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day. The new restrictions, which are being implemented at Auckland International Airport for passengers heading to the United States, involve passengers going through a second set of security checks, which it is believed will involve sniffer dogs, more rigorous luggage searches and could include body searches. US-bound passengers are being screened off from other travellers so that they cannot interact. The new restrictions extend to what people can do once they are on board the plane. Passengers will be confined to their seats for an hour before landing and will not be able to have computers, pillows or blankets on their laps. Aviation journalist Peter Clark says one of the only ways to eliminate problems would be to not allow any cabin baggage on board at all but he says even then, it is possible that people could carry small amounts of chemicals or powders on their bodies which still might not be picked up, even with secondary screening. Mr Clark says he cannot see why peoples' movements will be limited an hour before a plane lands, rather than at any other time during a flight. He says the Detroit incident shows that passengers have to monitor the people they are travelling with and their surroundings. Passengers bound for America are being advised to add an extra hour on to the time they spend getting through airport security. Tuesday, 29 December 2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THOUSANDS EXPECTED AT GISBORNE FESTIVAL --------------------------------------- Up to 18,000 people will rock up to the opening of the Rhythm and Vines music festival near Gisborne this afternoon. It is the beginning of three days and nights of non-stop entertainment up to and over New Year's Eve at the Waiohika Estate just out of the city. There will be more than 60 acts on four stages with New York dance music exponent Moby the headline act tonight. Top Australian bands Empire of the Sun and the John Butler Trio will follow over the next two nights. The festival has been incident-free since it began in 2003. SEVERE WEATHER WARNING ISSUED ----------------------------- Residents near Nelson and the Buller Ranges are being warned to watch out for rapidly rising rivers as heavy rain hits the region. MetService has issued a severe weather warning. A band of rain lying across central New Zealand is expected to bring intense falls of 20 to 30mm per hour to northwest Nelson and the Buller Ranges. The rain band should move north and weaken during the day, with falls in the Tararua Ranges easing during the afternoon. Overnight rain has also caused problems on the roads in and around Wellington and police are asking motorists to take extra care due to surface flooding on State Highway 1 and State Highway 2. Police say motorists should drive to the conditions. (Oh Lord, didn't it rain! We didn't see the other side of the valley for two days! - BH) Wednesday, 30 December 2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SHORTAGE OF LAB SCIENTISTS LOOMS -------------------------------- It is claimed that cost saving in the medical industry is coming at the expense of experienced laboratory workers. A new Ministry of Health report shows more than 80 lab workers left Hawke's Bay, Wanganui and Gisborne in the latest round of tenders. Most of those workers took early retirement. Medical Laboratory Workers Union spokesman Stewart Smith says for the sake of saving a few dollars, New Zealand is heading towards a critical shortage of lab scientists and most laboratories are now reporting difficulties in finding skilled staff. Mr Smith says if laboratory scientists are not kept on, it will be the patients who suffer in the long term. (My guess is that "early retirement" is a euphemism for "they took the money and ran". Retirement is not necessarily part of every person's thinking these days. - BH) BIG INCREASE IN YOUTHLINE CALLS ------------------------------- Youthline says there is an upshot in the number of young people using the service. The help line received just over 1400 phone calls over the past fortnight which is a 70 percent increase on the same time last year. It has also recorded a 50 percent increase in the number of text messages received. Youthline Chief Executive Stephen Bell says for many young people, the main barrier to asking for help is embarrassment, and the fact there are increasing numbers reaching out shows the distress they are feeling. However, Mr Bell says the flipside of that progress is that young people are bearing the brunt of pressure on families from the recession. Mr Bell says a survey of calls received on Christmas Day show the most common concerns include self harm, eating disorders, and relationships with family. STALLED TOWNSHIP MAY SPRING BACK TO LIFE ---------------------------------------- Development of the massive Five Mile project near Queenstown is to tipped to restart next year. The planned township development was a major failure for Christchurch property developer Dave Henderson and the site has remained a 'hole in the ground' since his company went bust. However, the new owners have taken over the 7.7 hectare Stage One site and are planning a large-scale retail precinct. The architect mainly responsible for the Palms Shopping Centre in Christchurch has been contracted to design the complex. In July last year, building on the Five Mile project was halted when Five Mile Holdings was put into receivership owing around $80 million. Hanover Finance put the land on the market in February this year and Stage One was sold last month. (As I have said before, I think Queenstown is a beautiful location spoiled by the town that has developed there. I can't see this making it any better. - BH) Thursday, 31 December 2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TEN-YEAR-OLD IN LINE FOR GAME FISH RECORD ----------------------------------------- A 10 year old Northland boy is in line for a world record after landing a huge marlin off the coast of Cape Brett. Sam Marsh made the catch on Boxing Day with the striped marlin weighing in at a whopping 133 kilograms. Brian Marsh says his son is a pretty competent game fisher. He says once the fish took the lure, Sam removed the other rods out of the water, grabbed the rod with the fish on it and got to work. Forty-five minutes later, he had it. Mr Marsh says the International Gamefish Association in the US will confirm in the New Year whether the catch is a world record in the 10- years-and-under category. FREEDOM CAMPING MAKING A REVIVAL IN GISBORNE -------------------------------------------- Gisborne District Council says it is doing all it can to entice freedom campers to the area. Freedom campers pitch tents anywhere they like along the coastline, just metres from the sea, in areas that are not officially designated campsites. Council community facilities manager Terry McMillan says this time every year, hundreds of campers visit the region, which is the only area which still allows freedom camping. He says people like the idea because it is unrestricted, cheap and fun. He says the council wants to keep the cost of freedom camping low and so only charge a small fee for waste removal. Mr McMillan says about half the freedom campers are locals and one family has been returning to the same spot for 70 years. SKY TOWER FIREWORKS FOR AUCKLAND NEW YEAR ----------------------------------------- The New Year will kick off with a bang in Auckland. Sky City spokeswoman Connie Sprague says over seven hundred kilos of fireworks will be set off from the Sky Tower. She says at twelve o'clock it will start off with a big bang and there will be five and a half minutes of an absolutely spectacular light show. She expects around 40 thousand people to visit Sky City and many more will watch the fireworks from around Auckland. NEW YEAR'S EVE PREPARATIONS STEP UP ----------------------------------- New Year's Eve celebrations in Queenstown are expected to draw a crowd of about ten-thousand tonight. Free concerts are being held in both Queenstown and Wanaka's waterfront areas and will involve bands and a fireworks display at midnight. Event coordinator Nicole Fairweather says alcohol bans will be strictly enforced and security will be on hand to stamp out bad behaviour. Meanwhile police in Dunedin are not anticipating any major trouble there tonight. People are already beginning to assemble in the Octagon for a concert and fireworks display to welcome in 2010. Dozens of extra police staff will be on duty in Canterbury tonight, catching any drunk drivers. An extra 35 officers will be stationed around Christchurch, at various check points throughout the night. Canterbury road policing manager Inspector Al Stewart says it is part of a three month long blitz of drunk drivers. He is hoping it will be a quiet night. Inspector Stewart says the message is simple - "if you drink, don't drive, otherwise you will be caught". A fortnight ago, more than nine thousand drivers were stopped and breath tested with 49 failing the test. SEVERE WEATHER WARNING FOR SOUTH ISLAND --------------------------------------- Metservice is warning a vigorous front is set to bring gale force winds and heavy rain to most of the South Island from tomorrow. It has issued a severe weather warning for Westland, Fiordland, Canterbury, Otago and Southland. The front is expected to move onto the South Island tomorrow night with severe gale force winds likely in exposed inland places from Southland to Canterbury. Rainfall intensities may reach as much as 20 to 30 millimetres an hour during thunderstorms. Meanwhile, further north, a severe weather watch has been issued for the Buller, northwest Nelson and Tararua ranges on Saturday. Strong northwestly winds ahead of the front are also expected in Marlborough, Wellington and Wairarapa. BIG NUMBERS TURNING TO INTERNET FOR MEDICAL ADVICE -------------------------------------------------- It seems more of us are turning to the internet for health advice. A recent study from health insurer Southern Cross shows over 80 per cent of its members use the internet to get medical information. That is up seven per cent from two years ago. Southern Cross group chief executive Dr Ian McPherson says while it is great people are interested in their health, it is concerning if people are using the internet to self-diagnose. He advises people not to rely solely on the internet. Dr McPherson says while there are some excellent and authoritative sites, there are also people wanting to scaremonger so as to sell their products. SOLUTION TO SH1 CONGESTION STILL YEARS AWAY ------------------------------------------- Plans are underway to ease holiday congestion on State Highway One north of Auckland, but the solution is years away. Rodney District Mayor Penny Webster is asking the New Zealand Transport Agency to prioritise the planned bypass of State Highway One west of Warkworth. She says State Highway One was chaotic on Sunday with traffic queues 25 kilometres long and reports of children playing on the motorway. The NZTA says it has taken note of the mayor's concerns. Spokesman Ewart Barnsley says the agency will be discussing them with her and other local authorities in the New Year. The Transport Agency says it is carrying out road-widening on State Highway One at Warkworth, which is due to be completed soon. Mr Barnsley says the bypass of State Highway One past Warkworth is also in the pipeline. (I wonder if they will agonise over it for as long as they did for the at last approved Transmission Gulley route into Wellington. - BH) $25 MILLION FALSE ALARM BILL EXAGGERATED? ----------------------------------------- Firefighters are accusing the Fire Service of exaggerating the cost of false alarms. The cost to tax-payers of false call-outs was reportedly up to 25 million dollars in the past financial year. The Auckland Firefighters Union says these claims are paving the way to reduce the response to central city buildings with fire protection systems. President Jeff McCulloch says the only additional cost for attending a fire is the diesel used by the fire trucks. He says the fire fighters are there all the time anyway and are being paid. Mr McCulloch says it does not matter whether they are having tea, a sleep or doing a drill - they are still there. He says the fact they go out to a call is not a cost. Mr McCulloch says the Fire Service has already tried the cut-backs, but had to delay them a few times. Friday, 1 January 2010 (Happy New Year - BH) SURF LIFEGUARDS BUSY AROUND THE COUNTRY --------------------------------------- Surf lifeguards have rescued one hundred and sixty-nine people on beaches around the country so far this season. Over 90 have been saved in the Northern region and 20 in the Bay of Plenty, including a seven-year-old child. Two men caught in strong offshore winds on a lilo at Papamoa and a teen at Pukehina Beach on a foam board were also helped out by lifeguards. Lifeguards in the Bay of Plenty are warning about the dangers of trying to swim out to Rabbit Island at Mount Maunganui. Four teens were rescued after becoming stranded. Guards say it looks deceptively close, and it is not uncommon for visitors to get into trouble trying to reach it. There have been a dozen rescues so far in Canterbury and 17 in Gisborne. RETAILERS ANTICIPATE RUSH ------------------------- Retailers are expecting another big day's shopping. Most stores are open, and the Retailers' Association says New Year's Day is usually very busy. Spokesman Barry Hellberg says there is usually plenty of Christmas product to shift, and most stores extend their Boxing Day clearances. He says it is a very good time of year for consumers, although today's trade will be influenced largely by the weather. Mr Halberg says if it is not warm and sunny 'beach' weather, more people are likely to go shopping. RESOLUTIONS DO NOT LAST ----------------------- While many people do it, today might not be the best day for making bold resolutions about the future. Mindworks' psychologist Sara Chatwin says every year people vow to give up vices like alcohol or smoking, or pledge to lose weight. Unfortunately she says, most New Year resolutions do not last more than a few days. Ms Chatwin believes people should think on a modest scale if they are serious about staying on target. She suggests starting with smaller goals and working up to the bigger ones. And she says it can help to write down resolutions, and buddying up with a friend helps achieve them. STRATEGIC FONTERRA PURCHASE --------------------------- Farmers who supply Fonterra look set to benefit from an investment the dairy giant has made in a pharmaceutical company. Fonterra has just bought half the shares in FrieslandCampina Domo-Pharma, a pharmaceutical grade lactose manufacturer. Federated Farmers chairman Lachlan McKenzie says in the short-term it is a strategic stake. In the long term, he is expecting to see a pay-back which will be reflected in Fonterra's dividends and the value of its shares. Mr McKenzie says the co-op has consistently proven it is not necessary to be a listed company to have good management and governance. SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian Harmer does NOT administer the mailing list. Please do not send subscription related messages to him. Instead, visit the website listed below, where you can make changes as required. If you want to send a personal message to Brian, change the country code to nz and send a message brian.harmer@vuw.ac.xx If you do choose to comment on something in these posts, please don't send the whole newsletter with your message. Just trim it back to the relevant bits. Thanks. Brian. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://wysiwygnews.com/archives/news/attachments/20100106/a0508c1a/attachment.html From news at wysiwygnews.com Mon Jan 11 15:56:39 2010 From: news at wysiwygnews.com (news@wysiwygnews.com) Date: Mon Jan 11 15:57:03 2010 Subject: WYSIWYG NEWS - 11 January, 2010 Message-ID: <3F185A541960DB4B9FBBBB4104820BBCE77E7564F7@STAWINCOEXMAIL1.staff.vuw.ac.nz> Subject: 10 January, 2009 ----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------ Copyright, Brian Harmer. My younger daughter Helen, posted a facebook entry this week that said nothing but "Turanganui-a-Kiwa (heart)". Taking it at face value, as a statement of affection for the Poverty Bay region a little to the North of region in which she lives and works, I replied in kind "Te Whanganui-a-Tara (heart)", referring to the great harbour of Tara, usually known as Wellington. Truth to tell, my loyalty to my home region has been sorely tested in the last month or two, with the weird El Ni?o weather patterns. Even as I started writing this piece, in what should be the height of our summer, the house was shuddering under the onslaught of a blustery Nor'Wester, and the clouds were racing past against the backdrop of a washed out sunset sky. The birch tree in the neighbour's back yard was writhing and whipping about as it struggled to avoid premature and unseasonable separation from its leaves. To add to my weather-related despondency, I heard on the evening radio news that we are to expect a further three months of this kind of weather. Well, just as you think life is proceeding along a reasonably even path, it leaps out from behind a bush and whacks you in the face with a misery stick. My brother and his wife came up from Southland and spent time with my mother in Whanganui* during the week, and on four consecutive days managed to get her out of her room in the rest home, into their car and took her out to see various places and to visit old friends, and to eat in some of the local places she used to enjoy. She had a good week. Then, on Thursday night, she got sick and the next morning was loaded into an ambulance. She spent all of Friday in the Critical Care unit of Whanganui Hospital where she died just before 11 pm that day. What more can I say? What needs to be said? My mother was a gregarious woman who would befriend anyone. She and my father often brought home bewildered tourists who they had found lost or confused on their travels. A pair of Israeli cyclists, some Swiss tourists, Canadians, pretty much anyone in need of a meal and a bed could find themselves with a free night of homestay accommodation. Of course the price of the stay was having to listen to how proud she was of her family, but many long term friendships were born out of these encounters. This sort of thing came to an end when her health deteriorated and she need to be in full-time care. We chose the Aubert Home of Compassion in Whanganui where she became one of the resident "characters" and assumed effective ownership of Jasper, the institution's cat. We wanted her to move to the Wellington Home of Compassion, where we could see her daily if necessary, but she didn't want to be so far from her many friends in Whanganui. Ever since my father died in 2002, she has been ready to join him. Now at last she has her wish. In between times she has taken great joy in the periodic presence of her family, my brother and I, our wives, children and grandchildren. She looked forward to our visits to Whanganui, and resisted attempts to relocate her to Wellington where we might have visited her daily. She stayed in touch with her many friends, and formed many new friendships while there. Her room was adorned with many pictures of the family, and a variety of her trinkets and possessions, all of great sentimental value to her. She was splendidly cared for in the last few years by the staff at the Home of Compassion, and I have nothing but praise for the staff of the hospital's Critical Care unit, which is in a vastly different league to all my previous encounters with that institution. They have lifted their game. My mother's funeral will be held in Whanganui on Wednesday, so another chapter in the book of life ends. *In accordance with the legal findings on the name of the place, I have made an editorial policy decision, and consistent with my stance prior to the finding, will hereafter stick with the "Whanganui" spelling. ---- 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 "GS" will indicate an opinion from our editorial assistant. In all cases they are honest expressions of personal opinion, and are not presented as fact. All news items (except where noted otherwise) are reproduced by kind permission of copyright owner, Newstalk ZB News. All copyright in the news items reproduced remains the property of The Radio Network Limited. *Sponsorship this week is courtesy of my friends George and Pat Berger in Alexandria VA. Thanks as always to you both. ---- On with the News. Monday, 4 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RIGHT ATTITUDE NEEDED FOR BUSINESS RECOVERY ------------------------------------------- One of the country's top business leaders is emphasising the importance of attitude to an economic recovery. It follows the latest economic outlook survey from Grant Thornton, which shows a sharp jump in optimism. It is up from negative 15 percent last year, to 66 percent positive. Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief Michael Barnett says being confident is an important part of any economy and it is the attitude that people take into business which causes them to employ and to spend. Mr Barnett says it is clear large finance-based economies are faring worse at the moment than small economies like New Zealand. NZ BUSINESS OPTIMISTIC ---------------------- A new international report shows New Zealand businesses are the seventh most optimistic in the world. The annual Grant Thornton survey shows a sharp rebound in business optimism for the coming year - at 66 percent positive. Last year the indicator was minus 15 percent. Director Peter Sherwin says he puts the turnaround down to New Zealand not suffering as much pain as other countries did during the recession. He says the country's exporters still managed to send a lot of goods abroad during the downturn, and we are now about to benefit from a higher dairy payout. Mr Sherwin says 66 percent of North Island businesses expect better revenue this year, compared with nearly 43 percent in the South Island. POSITIVE NEWS WORKS ------------------- A business expert says recent positive news on the economy has had an impact on how businesses are viewing the year ahead. Today's Grant Thornton survey shows a sharp rebound in business optimism - it is 66 percent positive. This time last year the indicator was 15 percent negative. Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief Michael Barnett says the survey is great news. He says it is clear talking up - or talking down - the business environment can have an effect. Mr Barnett says a year ago, every media outlet in the world was talking about what a bad year it was going to be but that has changed now. Mr Barnett says when businesses are confident, they make decisions to spend. BILLBOARD TRIGGERS RESPONSE --------------------------- The Ministry of Social Development has responded to a large billboard in central Auckland, attacking its policies. The hoarding created by Trinette Tawse suggests the Ministry pays plenty of New Zealanders to sit on their butts, while hard workers are driven into bankruptcy. She has been fighting the Ministry for 9 years, after it refused her some benefit payments because she owns a rental property. MSD Deputy Chief Doug Craig says Ms Tawse had been paid all she was entitled to. He says he would have been happy to help her have the Ministry's decisions reviewed, but instead she chose to put up the billboard. Mr Craig says the Ministry's income and asset tests make sure benefits go only to those who genuinely need them. (If I read the more detailed news coverage of this correctly, I would have been offended if Ms Tawse had been able to dip into the public purse. She seemed to believe that protecting her retirement investments was sufficient reason why she should not cash up some of her assets and go on a benefit. I could find no sympathy for her cause. - BH) RAISE DRIVING AGE ----------------- A survey released this morning shows 80 percent of people who responded want the legal driving age raised to at least 18. The Herald-Nielsen poll found fewer than one in five people think the status quo should remain. Among those surveyed, 6.5 percent think the legal driving age should be lifted to 20. (When I lived in Auckland, the taxi drivers always swore that most accidents were caused either by people who wore a hat while driving, or by people with prominent ears. I have some sympathy with the person who observed that raising the age merely changes the age of people who have accidents. Novice drivers have accidents no matter what their age. - BH) HEALTH INSURANCE REBATE TABLED ------------------------------ The Government is being urged to reconsider the idea of a health insurance rebate for people over the age of 65. The proposal was floated by the National Party in the lead-up to the last election, but dropped in the round of belt- tightening during the global credit crunch. Health Funds Association director Roger Styles wants to see the scheme revisited, now the economy is starting to look a bit stronger. He believes the initial cost would be around $45 million a year. Mr Styles says it would mean thousands more people aged over 65 would be able to have elective surgeries. That would deliver a payback not only from their being in better health, but also because those surgeries would be handled in the private sector easing the load on public health facilities. Mr Styles says at the moment only 25 percent of people over 65 have health insurance, because of the cost, and wait for their turn in the public health system. Tuesday, 5 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PETROL PRICES RISES ------------------- There has been another hike in petrol prices. BP and Shell have confirmed they have increased petrol by four cents a litre and diesel has gone up two cents. There have been reports both Caltex and Mobil have also upped their prices. The rise is being blamed on significant increases in refined petrol prices, which went up 12 percent before Christmas. Gull has announced they will be holding their prices until at least Thursday. (Driving to and from Whanganui I noted that 91 octane unleaded was usually $1.695 per litre. - BH) NZ'S MOST POPULAR NAMES ----------------------- Jack and Sophie remained the most popular names for New Zealand babies in 2009. The list of the most common names was released by Births Deaths and Marriages today. Jack has been the most popular name for five years in a row, while Sophie takes the top spot for the second time. The popularity of old-fashioned names continues, with Oliver and Ruby taking second spot. Ruby is in the top ten for the first time. Rounding out the top 10 list for boys out are old favourites James, Joshua, William, Samuel, Liam, Benjamin, Daniel and Thomas. For girls, Olivia came third, followed by Isabella, Ella, Emily, Charlotte, Lily, Emma and, for the first time, Amelia. DAIRY FARM INVESTMENT APPEALING ------------------------------- Investment in dairy farms has been on the rise for the past six months and current conditions should see this trend continue. MyFarm director Andrew Watters says the combination of lower asset prices and interest rates has made farm investment very appealing. Farm values have come back significantly from the boom in 2008 as well as stock and Fonterra share values. He says farms are popular because people recognise they are a tangible investment. Mr Watters says the future of the diary industry is bright and continued investment will be good for the economy. NEW LOOK FOR INVERCARGILL AIRPORT --------------------------------- Invercargill Airport is getting a makeover. A contract to overlay the airport runway has been entered into with Fulton Hogan. The work involves milling and overlaying 1710 metres of the 45 metre wide runway with a 50 millimetre thick layer of a specifically-designed asphaltic mix. Invercargill Airport chairman Merv Cook says the runway requires a rejuvenation layer to ensure that it continues to meet the demanding stresses imposed by modern aircraft. (I understood that one of its recurring problems was to prevent yachts mooring on the runway during one of the periodic floods - BH) NEW ZEALANDERS KEEN TO SPOIL THEMSELVES --------------------------------------- A survey into New Zealanders' planned discretionary spend has found that there is an enthusiasm to spend on treats this year. The latest MasterCard Worldwide Survey of Consumer Purchasing Priorities found that in the next six months New Zealanders plan to use their discretionary spend on themselves. MasterCard New Zealand country manager Stuart McKinlay says confidence is building after a tough 2009. He says the strong categories in particular were dining and entertainment, fashion and accessories and the new increase in consumer electronics. Mr McKinlay says these results are due to a mixture of positive feelings in the economy and a rise in affordable products. (Many of us are already spoiled ... that said, I have just ordered a new lens for my camera :-/ - BH) TRANSPORT MINISTER ENCOURAGED BY DECLINING TOLL ----------------------------------------------- Transport Minister Steven Joyce says the low holiday road toll is encouraging, but there is more work to be done to improve road safety. Twelve people died on the roads during the official Christmas - New Year holiday driving period, which finished this morning. During the same time last year, 25 people were killed. Mr Joyce says the result reflects that most motorists have been focussed on their driving behind the wheel over the busy holiday driving period. He plans to release a new road safety strategy to take motorists through to 2020. PUBLIC WARNED OVER RISE IN IDENTITY THEFT IN SUMMER --------------------------------------------------- A warning your financial reputation could take a blow if you are not careful with your private details. Credit reporting agency Veda Advantage says summer is the busiest time of year for identity thieves, who will try almost anything to steal wallets, credit card details and even mail, to commit fraud. Managing Director John Roberts says identity theft costs victims money and can have serious consequences for their financial reputation. He says if a fraudster uses a stolen identity to obtain credit and the loan is defaulted, the blemish goes on the victim's record - not the fraudster's. He says credit card and Eftpos crime is on the rise and it is thought as many as one in 25 people has their identity compromised. Mr Roberts says unfortunately New Zealanders are yet to wise-up to just how easy it is for fraudsters to do their work. For instance he says people still leave bags on the beach with their wallets inside when they go for a swim. Mr Roberts says on top of usual security measures, people should also look at the benefits of taking out identity theft insurance to protect themselves. FISHERIES SAYS SIZE CHANGE DIDN'T SPUR POACHING ----------------------------------------------- Confidence a reduction in the size of paua allowed to be legally taken is not behind large scale poaching in Taranaki over the weekend. Two groups of poachers were nabbed with catches of 700 and a 150 paua. Individuals are only allowed10 paua each and groups 20 of the shellfish. Ministry of Fisheries spokesman Andrew Coleman says a reduction in the minimum size for paua in Taranaki to 85 millimetres has nothing to do with it. He says poachers probably do not care whether it is 65, 85 or the 125mm limit that applies throughout the rest of the country. Mr Coleman says these people are stealing paua and they will take them whatever size they are. BOOST IN FUNDS FOR JOB SUMMIT PROJECTS -------------------------------------- A new project is being kicked off to get more Pacific people into education. Funding is coming from the Tindall Foundation, which has committed nearly two million dollars to Job Summit projects. The initial pledge has been upped from a million dollars to 1.7 million. Foundation Manager, Trevor Gray, says the Pacific Peoples Advancement Trust is trying to increase the skills and employment prospects of Pacific people. He says the trust will be trying to find a way of getting more Pacific people engaged in tertiary education, or into obtaining some form of qualification that will get them into jobs. Mr Gray says another project that stands out helps Counties Manukau District Health Board employ local people. He says the project tries to connect the employer directly with people who live in the area. Mr Gray says if those people are trained in the right way, they will be able to fill job vacancies over time. NZ OFFICIALS TO QUERY US TRAVEL SECURITY CHANGES ------------------------------------------------ Clarification is being sought on new air travel security measures requested by United States authorities. It follows the failed terrorist attack on a plane heading to Detroit at Christmas. Aviation Security Service general manager Mark Everitt says the service received notification of the new measures yesterday morning. He says the new measures supersede those that went into place on Boxing Day. However, Mr Everitt says the service has a dilemma with the new measures, which involve a combination of human factors, intelligence and technology. He cannot disclose the details at this stage, but says the service is going back to US regulators to seek clarification about what is wanted. Wednesday, 6 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAUTIOUS CHRISTMAS IN NEW ZEALAND --------------------------------- New Zealanders remained cautious in their pre-Christmas spending, according to figures released by Eftpos provider Paymark. December figures out today show mixed spending, with jewellery shops, eateries and beauty outlets experiencing strong growth, but hardware, sporting and camping outlets not faring so well. Paymark spokesman Paul Whiston says overall, December was a good month, with spending higher than 2008 and early 2009. The company processed 80.7 million transactions in December, a 6.5 percent increase on the previous year. 3-D TELEVISION ON THE WAY ------------------------- Sky Television is in talks to broadcast some of its programming in 3-D. It comes as ESPN announces plans to launch a 3-D television network in June, which will air at 85 sporting events in its first year. The first broadcast is a World Cup soccer match between South Africa and Mexico. Sky TV Head of Sport Kevin Cameron says while it is unlikely New Zealand will see any part of the tournament in 3-D, the company is talking to various groups about the new technology. He says over time 3-D television will be widely available. SKY TO BROADCAST COMMONWEALTH GAMES ----------------------------------- Sky Television will broadcast this year's Commonwealth Games in India. The pay-television operator has bought the broadcast rights off TVNZ for an undisclosed sum. Sky's chief executive John Fellet says they probably paid "way too much" but are excited about the prospects. He says the company's free-to-air channel Prime will screen 12 hours of live Commonwealth programming. Mr Fellet says a number of Sky channels will broadcast the Commonwealth Games live, 24 hours a day when it begins in October. NZ TO LOSE MORE DOCTORS TO AUSTRALIA? ------------------------------------- A move by Australia could see more New Zealand doctors lured there. A bill to become law in April will lift restrictions on New Zealand citizens and permanent resident doctors who gain their first medical degree from a New Zealand or Australian university. Association of Salaried Medical Specialists president Jeff Brown says it is a threat to the whole medical profession in New Zealand. He says the move means our young doctors will be able to work anywhere in Australia. "They can just about name their price over there in some of the areas in the outback, but this is going to mean they can even work in the urban areas like Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane very soon after graduating." Mr Brown says it is a major anxiety at the very time when they are trying to address our own work-force crisis. In Auckland last year, more than a quarter of the 900 hospital resident doctor positions were vacant. MILK POWDER PRICE DROPS IN OVERNIGHT TRADING -------------------------------------------- There has been a small drop in milk powder prices in overnight trading on Fonterra's internet sales site. The average price for whole milk powder is down 7%. Fonterra's Global Dairy Trade Manager, Paul Grave, describes it as a minor correction after five months of price rises totalling 95%. He says it's a signal markets are now more closely in balance and the fall is expected in the current market environment. Mr Grave says consumer demand is returning and global supply continues to be tight. LIVES COULD BE SAVED BY NEW OUTDOOR RULES ----------------------------------------- Money, time and lives are expected to be saved through a new Outdoor Safety Code. Five simple rules have been developed by the outdoor and tourism sectors as many tourists and even locals are experiencing our adventures unprepared. Examples include visitors turning up to do the Tongariro Crossing in jandals. The rules include the need to tell someone where you are, to be aware of the weather and to take sufficient supplies. Search and Rescue spokesman Dean Duthie says they will be using many mediums like the airports, tourism operators, backpacker hotels and DOC offices to get the message across to international tourists in particular. He says he also wants locals who see people heading out unprepared to warn them. (One of the problems with the concept of adventure tourism, is that the very purpose of the exercise is to enjoy the thrill of taking risks. While I am sorry for his loss, I always disagreed with that man who wrote to the Prime Minister asking for more regulations. It is at odds with the purpose of the exercise. If there is no possibility of danger, there is no risk, no thrill, no one comes. On the other hand, perhaps there ought to be safeguards against stupidity, and people who go into the mountains or the remote bush without an EPIRB ought to be required to post a bond against the costs, and the risks incurred when people have to go to rescue them - BH) Thursday, 7 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NZ RATED FIFTH BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD ---------------------------------------- A international survey says New Zealand is the fifth best place to live in the world. The Quality of Life Index is published by International Living Magazine. France has been named the best in the world as it has been for the past five years. The rest of the top five is made up by Australia, Switzerland and Germany. (Odd isn't it, that people will fight to the death for their own particular patch of desert and war-torn land while we engage in fatuous comparisons such as this. - BH) HOW LONG WILL LOW INTEREST RATES LAST? -------------------------------------- Low interest rates are continuing to make buying a home more affordable but there is a question mark over how long that will last. The latest Home Affordability report from Massey University shows home affordability across the country improved by just over 20 percent last year. The biggest improvement was in the Central Otago Lakes District, but that still remains the least affordable area. However, Professor Bob Hargreaves, who compiles the report, says a recent more hawkish statement from the Reserve Bank makes it increasingly unlikely current low mortgage interest rates will continue this year, and that will have an impact. HOUSE PRICES RISING IN AUCKLAND ------------------------------- House prices are on the up and up in Auckland. Real Estate firm Barfoot and Thompson says the average price for its sales last month comes in at well over half a million dollars, at $552,933. It is the third row in a month prices have risen and Managing Director Peter Thompson says you have to go back to the height of the 2007 property boom to see comparable figures. He says activity in the market is also up. The company sold 648 homes last month - the highest number of sales in a December for two years. EXPORTS CONTINUE TO FALL IN NOVEMBER ------------------------------------ Latest figures show a widespread drop in exports in November. Statistics New Zealand figures show exports of $3.1 billion worth of goods, down $614 million on October, a drop of almost 17 percent. The fall was across most sectors but Statistics New Zealand says it is most significant in dairy products such as milk powder, butter, cheese and casein. Exports have been falling since October 2008. POLICE TO CRACK DOWN FURTHER ON CRIMS IN 2010 --------------------------------------------- The Police Minister is warning there will be a further crackdown on methamphetamine this year. Police conducted a series of operations in the last two months of 2009 that saw 400 arrests for drug related offences and the closure of 19 clan labs. Minister Judith Collins says that's only the beginning - there will be further property seizures and closure of more clan labs in the year to come as well as more arrests at the border in terms of Customs and Police working together. Mrs Collins says Police have also assured her that they are expecting some good asset recovery work to come through so criminals are likely to start feeling the heat. She says the government and police are working hard together to get the message across that crime does not pay. She the operations are part of a raft of new policies aimed at the drug trade introduced by the government during its first year in office. RECORD TEMPS SPARK CALLS FOR MORE WATER STORAGE ----------------------------------------------- Federated Farmers is demanding the government invests more money in building water storage as temperatures heat up. Figures released by NIWA yesterday show the past decade was the hottest since records began in 1960. Federated Farmers president Don Nicolson says, while New Zealand does not lack for water, we certainly lack the means to store it. He warns, without more funding, that situation will only get worse. "It's hard to get that collective cash together and what we need is help from Government to get that initial seed funding going so that we can get these investments and projects on the way. Mr Nicolson says if water storage is not prioritised, New Zealand will languish even further behind Australia. "We know that for every export dollar generated in New Zealand there is a multiplier effect on our whole economy of between four and five so every dollar generated inside the farm gate feeds the New Zealand economy - the more we can do the better the standard of living". Mr Nicolson says if tens of millions of dollars can be spent on emissions trading schemes, then it is lunacy not to put the same commitment into water storage. Friday, 8 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FONTERRA HAPPY WITH INTERNET BASED TRADING PLATFORM --------------------------------------------------- Federated Farmers is demanding the government invests more money in building water storage as temperatures heat up. Figures released by NIWA yesterday show the past decade was the hottest since records began in 1960. Federated Farmers president Don Nicolson says, while New Zealand does not lack for water, we certainly lack the means to store it. He warns, without more funding, that situation will only get worse. "It's hard to get that collective cash together and what we need is help from Government to get that initial seed funding going so that we can get these investments and projects on the way. Mr Nicolson says if water storage is not prioritised, New Zealand will languish even further behind Australia. "We know that for every export dollar generated in New Zealand there is a multiplier effect on our whole economy of between four and five so every dollar generated inside the farm gate feeds the New Zealand economy - the more we can do the better the standard of living". Mr Nicolson says if tens of millions of dollars can be spent on emissions trading schemes, then it is lunacy not to put the same commitment into water storage. GOVT EXPLORES STEPPING IN OVER NEW DAIRY FARMS ---------------------------------------------- The Government is considering intervening in the approval process for massive new dairy farms planned for the Mackenzie Basin. Applications were made late last year to farm 18 thousand cows in a concrete-floored barn with small cubicles for them to sleep in. Environment Minister Nick Smith says the issue lies with the Animal Welfare Act rather than the Resource Management Act, which constrains their ability to use the call-in powers. An option he is exploring is appointing a project coordinator from the Environmental Protection Authority. Dr Smith says he has been advised the final date for any intervention by government is early February. SKILLED NZERS NEED IDENTITY CARDS IN UK --------------------------------------- >From today, skilled New Zealanders wanting to work in Britain will need to carry identity cards containing their fingerprints and other data. The announcement is part of a clampdown by the British government on illegal migrants and workers in the United Kingdom. British High Commission communications manager Chris Harrington says not all New Zealanders need the cards yet and it affects just those who are already working in the UK under the skilled migrant category. He says the cards will make it easier for New Zealanders to get jobs, health care and national identity numbers. PLANS FOR COMPULSORY THIRD PARTY INSURANCE A BUST? -------------------------------------------------- A big dent has been put in a government plans to make third party vehicle insurance compulsory. Results from a survey of 4,000 people suggests around 92 percent of us already have insurance. Transport Minister Steven Joyce says that makes it harder to justify the cost of making it compulsory. He says there must be a pretty high hurdle in terms of benefit over cost before the government makes anything compulsory and that does not appear to be the case in this instance. But Mr Joyce is surprised by the 92 percent figure, given what you hear anecdotally. He says it could also mean some people are telling porkies at accident scenes when they say they do not have insurance. Mr Joyce will not say yet whether the proposal will be thrown out. He says a decision will be made later in the year. NEW ZEALANDER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS ANNOUNCED --------------------------------------------- The finalists for New Zealander of the Year have been announced and include an Olympian, a philanthropist and a scientist. In the run for the inaugural title are Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall, gold medal winner Valerie Villi and medical device inventor Ray Avery. The awards are being backed by some big names with judges including former Prime Minister Jim Bolger, Dame Malvina Major and former All Black Michael Jones. Co-ordinator Grant McCabe says other categories include Young and Senior New Zealander of the Year, Community of the Year and Local Heroes awards. John Key will present the award for New Zealander of the year at a dinner on the 3rd of February. Finalists New Zealander of the Year Ray Avery Valerie Villi Sir Stephen Tindall Senior New Zealander of the Year Diana Lady Isaac Sir Eion Edgar Ron O'Grady Young New Zealander of the Year Matt Truman Divya Dhar Vanisa Dhiru Community of the Year Waihi Community Vision, Waihi Victory Village, Nelson StarJam Charitable Trust, Auckland Local Heroes Award George Phiskie, Waipu Helen Johnson, Palmerston North Haami (Sam) Tutu Chapman, South Auckland IMPROVEMENT IN HOME AFFORDABILITY NOT LIKELY TO LAST ---------------------------------------------------- A report finding home affordability has improved also shows the trend is likely to be short lived. The Massey University report finds affordability improved around 20 percent last year, on the back of lower interest rates and a 0.3 percent increase in the average weekly wage in November. However, Professor Bob Hargreaves, who compiled the report, says with rising house prices and static wages, affordability is likely to decline. He says New Zealanders' expectation of capital gains is not helping the situation. Professor Hargreaves says, if the Government removes tax break benefits, it may at least stabilise the housing market. SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian Harmer does NOT administer the mailing list. Please do not send subscription related messages to him. Instead, visit the website listed below, where you can make changes as required. If you want to send a personal message to Brian, change the country code to nz and send a message brian.harmer@vuw.ac.xx If you do choose to comment on something in these posts, please don't send the whole newsletter with your message. Just trim it back to the relevant bits. Thanks. Brian. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://wysiwygnews.com/archives/news/attachments/20100111/71865ac2/attachment.html From news at wysiwygnews.com Sun Jan 17 10:40:17 2010 From: news at wysiwygnews.com (news@wysiwygnews.com) Date: Sun Jan 17 10:40:25 2010 Subject: WYSIWYG NEWS - 17 January, 2010 Message-ID: <3F185A541960DB4B9FBBBB4104820BBCE77E756887@STAWINCOEXMAIL1.staff.vuw.ac.nz> Subject: 17 January, 2009 ----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------ Copyright, Brian Harmer. First, my heartfelt thanks to those kind readers who sent condolences on the death of my mother. Your thoughtfulness was greatly appreciated. In what I hope was my last mandatory visit to Whanganui we went up for the funeral on Wednesday, and in company with a good crowd of family and friends, said farewell to Mum, and came home again. Visits to Whanganui, in the next few years anyway, are likely to be because I am passing through on the way to somewhere else. The city has many good features and lots of nice people live there. Just too many unfortunate memories up there for me at present. One of the things I removed from my mother's room at the Home of Compassion was a massive and somewhat dog-eared loose bound printout of the cumulative collection of every piece of "purple prose" to appear in WYSIWYG news since it became a regular feature in December 1995. Mum used to love reading and re-reading them. Scarily this lump amounts to 540 A4 pages, or 345,000 words. Perhaps I might have achieved my doctorate a year or two earlier if I hadn't done this. Occasionally I toy with the notion of seeing if there is a book buried in there. I don't want to go the vanity- publishing route. Anyone out there with expertise or advice about editing and/or publishing? Meanwhile, here in Wellington, even as other towns around the country are basking in the sun, or in some regions suffering drought conditions, we are shuddering in yet another Southerly gale with gusts of near horizontal rain. That tree in the back yard of which I wrote last week is still hanging grimly onto its leaves, though it is now writhing to the right rather than the left. The temperature at Kelburn is listed as a mere 12 degrees. It feels colder, and we have the gas heater working to offset the chill. Across the valley ... well, there is no "across the valley". Visibility is blocked by great curtains of rain about half way across. On the radio, there are police warnings to the effect that children in the Porirua district should be kept indoors to protect them from flying debris. Reports of trampolines smashing into houses suggest that the wind was even worse than the forecast suggested, and that people were unprepared for weather this rough. I really feel for the couple whose wedding my daughter Catherine and her husband, Mark are attending in Roseneath this afternoon (Saturday). Still, the warmth of weddings is not derived from solar power, so I really hope it is a joyful occasion regardless of the inconvenience. I guess the photographs will be taken indoors. ---- 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 "GS" will indicate an opinion from our editorial assistant. In all cases they are honest expressions of personal opinion, and are not presented as fact. All news items (except where noted otherwise) are reproduced by kind permission of copyright owner, Newstalk ZB News. All copyright in the news items reproduced remains the property of The Radio Network Limited. *Sponsorship this week is courtesy of a benefactor who prefers to remain anonymous. Many thanks. ---- On with the News. Monday, 11 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INFRATIL SELLS SHARES IN AUSSIE COMPANY --------------------------------------- Infrastructure company Infratil has made a $94 million gain through the sale of its 32 percent shares in the Australian company Energy Development. The $140 million sale went ahead after a takeover offer by Greenspark Power Holding went unconditional on Friday. Chief executive Mark Bogoievski says the sale has strengthened Infratil's capital structure and balance sheet. He says the company intends to increase its investment in the Australian energy sector and is actively looking for new investment opportunities. Since March last year, Infratil has divested more than $391 million of non-core assets and raised over $98 million of new capital. $27.5M BOOST FOR SOUTH CANTERBURY FINANCE ----------------------------------------- Timaru millionaire Allan Hubbard has given his troubled finance company South Canterbury Finance a $27.5 million boost, through money raised by private placement of convertible notes. It is part of a two stage capital raising process. He has also restructured South Canterbury Finance and two of his other companies Helicopters New Zealand and Scales Corporation under a new parent holding company Southbury Corporation, ahead of a potential public offering of shares. The notes convert into shares in Southbury Corporation if there is an IPO. Mr Hubbard says its a major step in the restructure and a totally fresh approach to the future. NORTH CANTERBURY FARMERS HOPE FOR MORE RAIN ------------------------------------------- Drought conditions in North Canterbury could make things difficult for farmers if they do not ease up soon. Federated Farmers North Canterbury president Chris Sundstrum says despite good Spring rainfalls, it has been considerably dry in the past month. He says some rain last night and today is encouraging, but they are not out of the danger zone yet. Mr Sundstrum says although things are looking a bit grim, there has been some rain last night and today, which may help allay some fears. He says most farmers should be able to survive on their feed reserves for now - and can only hope for more regular rainfall from now on. (Most discussion of weather in the Dominion post is about a consistently cold and wet summer. How odd that parts of the country are simultaneously suffering drought conditions - BH) RETAILERS CONSIDERING OPTIONS ----------------------------- More retailers may decide to charge customers for using credit cards after the move by some BP stations in Wellington. The petrol stations are taking advantage of an agreement struck between the Commerce Commission and the credit card companies in August, which cleared the way for a surcharge to be imposed. The fee is usually between one or two percent of the amount purchased. Retailers Association chief executive John Albertson says until now that has had to be covered by the company. "Particularly where there are low transaction values and therefore higher fees, we could possibly see some retailers charging. It's going to be a matter of each retailer looking at their own business model and deciding whether they want to charge it or not." Mr Albertson says charging for credit card use is similar to the cheque clearing fee some companies used to charge. (I can't help wondering how important all this is. Ultimately, it seems to me, a business sets its prices in such a way as to recover costs and achieve a return on investment. Anyone who thinks that the commission has not been passed on in the prices until now is dreaming. They may have been hidden, but the customer always ends up paying. Same applies to the holiday surcharges in the hospitality sector - BH) AKL INT'L AIRPORT SPREADING ITS WINGS ------------------------------------- Auckland International Airport is going on a 166 million dollar spending spree. The company is buying a 24 percent stake in Cairns and Mackay airports in Queensland. Chairman, Tony Frankham says it is a significant milestone in the company's strategy to grow beyond its core business in Auckland. He says it also opens up exciting new opportunities to grow air service connections with Cairns, which is Australia's seventh busiest airport and a stepping stone to high-growth tourism markets in Asia. HEFTY BILL POSSIBLE FOR GOVT AFTER TRIBUNAL DECISION ---------------------------------------------------- The flow on effects of a controversial ruling may cost the government big bucks. The Human Rights Tribunal has ruled it is wrong that the government has not been paying parents who care for their severely disabled adult children. Those parents now want the government to start paying them immediately. Health Economist Dr Pim Borren says there are many other examples, such as family looking after elderly relatives, where a similar case may be argued. He says there is not only the cost of caring for these people now, but there may even be a case of back-dating some of those payments. (Not sure if I heard correctly, but I think I heard that the government intends to appeal. - BH) BETTER ECONOMIC TIMES AHEAD IN 2010 ----------------------------------- People heading back to work today should maybe have a little spring in their step as it is expected to be a positive, though tough, year. Business New Zealand Chief Executive Phil O'Reilly says things are definitely on the up, although employers and workers will need to cooperate to make jobs more secure and make their company grow. He says we are still facing relatively difficult economic time but doubts it will be as bad as last year. "(The economy) will continue to do better if we all work together to try to take advantage of any upswing that occurs - that's the big message I think for 2010". But Phil O'Reilly warns there will be some job losses occurring into the middle half of this year. HOUSING MARKET CONTINUES TO IMPROVE ----------------------------------- Yet more confirmation of a dramatic turnaround in property values. It comes with the latest house price trends from Quotable Value. They show house values around the country rose 2.8 percent last year, taking the average sale price to $404,671. Quotable Value describes the rise as unexpected and says prices are almost back to their 2007 peak. Tuesday, 12 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "INCREASING CONCERN" AT TELECOM BREACHES ---------------------------------------- Telecom is under fire for repeatedly breaching the Fair Trading Act. It follows an admission by the telecommunications giant that it overcharged customers and has agreed to pay back $9.5 million. It relates to Telecom's introduction of broadband services in 1999. Customers were encouraged to migrate to broadband, but continued to have a dial-up connection with a promise there would be no charge. But Telecom says due to administrative errors around 130,000 customers continued to be billed. The Commerce Commission says it is becoming increasingly concerned at the number of occasions Telecom has breached the act, resulting in convictions, settlements or warnings on at least eight occasions. Spokesman Graham Gill says it is a trust issue for customers and the message is that businesses need to get it right. MORE FLIGHTS FROM AUSSIE TO QUEENSTOWN -------------------------------------- Hoping for a bumper ski season, Air New Zealand is increasing its flights between Queenstown and Australia. For July and August return services from Sydney will increase from five to six trips per week and Melbourne will also gain one more. Flights between Auckland and Queenstown will also increase, with four direct return services per day. GM of Tasman Pacific Airline Glen Sowry says the increase in capacity reflects the ever-increasing interest in the region as a holiday destination. (I can't help wondering about the impact of local weather on all this. Queenstown is notoriously fickle, and an aircraft that gets diverted to a different place raises interesting problems. Travelling by bus from Christchurch or Dunedin to Queenstown can take a large chunk out of the holiday-maker's available time, even assuming that there is a fleet of suitable buses lying around with nothing better to do. Passengers already disgruntled at being in the wrong place get even more hostile if some old suburban bus is pressed into service for a five or six hour drive, no matter how beautiful the scenery. Add to all of that, the impact of the aircraft being out of place and all the flow on effects in terms of its subsequent scheduling. No easy solutions. - BH) ASSURANCES FOR PARENTS OVER LIQUIDATION --------------------------------------- It is business as usual for an early childcare service which has gone into liquidation. Parents who have their children cared for by Easy Mind staff will be able to go back to work knowing the home-based service is available. Based in 15 centres, it employs 30 early childhood teachers and 287 home-based educators. Joint liquidator Tom Rodewald says parents should not notice any difference as future options for the company are looked at. "We have advertised it for sale, we have a number of interested parties we are currently in discussion with. And we are working towards trying to get a change of ownership as soon as possible." Mr Rodewald says they are still getting to grips with the financial situation and more information on why the company collapsed may be released in the next week. He says there is a reasonably flexible time frame as to when Easy Mind has to be sold. ECONOMIC RECOVERY SLOWER THAN EXPECTED -------------------------------------- The country's economic recovery is slower than businesses had been expecting. NZIER's Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion shows business confidence stabilised in the December quarter, increasing one percent to a net 23 percent of firms now expecting conditions to improve over the next six months, compared with 22 percent in the September quarter. Principal economist Shamubeel Eaqub says the flatlining of confidence shows firms are optimistic about the economic outlook and their recent performance has been improving gradually. However, he says businesses are waiting for reality to catch up with expectations. "For example, actual hiring is lagging behind hiring intentions and merchants aren't restocking their shelves despite anticipating a surge in sales. Until firms act on their expectations, the recovery will be shallow and gradual." The NZIER says job-shedding has slowed but wage growth is likely to be subdued for some time yet. Profitability is improving, as costs have fallen more rapidly than selling prices. Manufacturers led the way in profitability with the highest turnaround on record. Mr Eaqub says the outlook is improving with only a net two percent of firms expecting profits to decline in the March 2010 quarter. Investment intentions are lifting in sync with improving sales and profitability. Mr Eaqub says the survey indicates that interest rates will need to be lifted around mid 2010 as the Reserve Bank recently indicated. "However, a still shallow economic recovery and still weak labour market suggest little urgency to raise interest rates sooner." PORN MORE ACCEPTABLE THAN DOWNLOADS ----------------------------------- Downloading music and videos is considered less acceptable than watching online porn. A UMR Research poll shows three times more New Zealanders think it is morally okay for a single person to view pornography on the Internet, than those who agree with downloading copyrighted videos. Thirteen percent of those surveyed see downloading copyrighted video as acceptable, while 18 percent consider downloading copyrighted music acceptable. However many who believe illegal downloading is morally wrong still admitted doing so. Although 69 percent think that it is acceptable for someone who is single to flirt with another Internet user, just six percent think it is fine for a married person to flirt without their spouse's knowledge. The survey shows up substantial gender differences, with more men than women accepting online porn. It is based upon questions asked of 1,000 New Zealanders from November 20 to 26. (O tempora! O mores! - BH) I AM DUNEDIN NO MORE -------------------- Dunedin is set to re-brand itself, with the council getting rid of its 'I am Dunedin' slogan. The Dunedin City Council is looking to ad agencies to come up with a new promotional strategy. The current slogan dates back to 2001. The council's marketing team leader Jennifer Hooker says the old slogan has "aged gracefully" and it is time for a new one. She says the council is joining forces with other agencies to come up with a new plan to promote the city's commerce and tourism. Expressions of interest in developing the new tourism strategy are being invited from around the country. QUEENS WHARF UPGRADE COULD NOW COST $100M ----------------------------------------- Rugby World Cup minister Murray McCully is pressing Auckland leaders to adopt a bigger and more expensive revamp for Queens Wharf. City mayor John Banks and Regional Council chairman Mike Lee dumped a design contest for the site, after they were unimpressed with the quality of entries. Mr McCully says the Government is now considering all options for Queens Wharf, including improving the winning design competition entry to build a cruise ship terminal. He also wants to ensure the wharf becomes "party central" for the cup tournament next year. That would push the cost of redeveloping the wharf from $47 million to around a $100 million. (If I had my way, central government would not be involve in this at all. This should be a private, unsubsidised venture - BH) Wednesday, 13 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NELSON NZ'S SUNNIEST TOWN - OR IS IT? ------------------------------------- While Nelson gloats about being the sunniest place in New Zealand - Whakatane can feel hard done by. NIWA has released its climate summary for 2009, which shows Nelson clocked up nearly 2,600 hours of sunshine over the year. Climate Scientist Dr James Renwick says due to technical problems, NIWA was unable to properly calculate Whakatane's sunshine. He says for the first four months they could not record Whakatane's hours in the sun, but in the last eight months it was neck and neck with Nelson. Dr Renwick says Tauranga was the second sunniest destination in 2009, followed by Blenheim. I support Whakatane's claim. Sooner or later the bureaucrats will run out of clever tricks. - BH) PETROL PRICE RISE SEEN AS PREMATURE ----------------------------------- A ten cent increase in petrol prices in the past two weeks is being described as premature by the Automobile Association. Most fuel companies have increased prices by six cents this week, following on from a four cent rise last week. AA spokesman Mark Stockdale is expressing disappointment at the increase, which he says is more than the association expected. He says it more than reflects the rise in commodity prices. "We wouldn't expect any other increases at the moment. And in fact if our exchange rate continues to rise maybe we should be seeing a decrease at some point." (A ten cent rise in a week came as a bit of a shock. Currently, 91 octane pump prices are billed as $1.795/l - BH) COSTLY QUEENS WHARF PLAN SCUTTLED --------------------------------- The Government's call to spend $100 million upgrading Auckland's Queens Wharf has been shot down for a second time. Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully wants to rush through a more expansive revamp of the wharf in time for the 2011 event, for about double the cost. Auckland City mayor John Banks believes ratepayers will be left out of pocket. Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee says the cost is over the top, and a cruise ship terminal could be built on the site for much less. "Doing nothing, which is an easy way out, is not an option. The ARC and the Government bought Queens Wharf and one of the reasons was to put a cruise ship terminal there and I haven't backed off from that objective." Mr Lee says progress is being made, and he hopes the final decision on design is made by early February. (Good! - BH) CRITICS PAN AIR NZ'S NEW UNIFORMS --------------------------------- Air New Zealand is making international headlines with its new uniforms, with critics saying they make the cabin crew look like drag queens. The new hot pink, lime green and aqua blue outfits were designed by Trelise Cooper. They will be introduced next year to coincide with the introduction of a new fleet of 777-300 aircraft. The UK's Daily Mail newspaper asks whether Air New Zealand's 'twilight pink' dress with a black floral design is the world's worst flight uniform, while www.stylelist.com says the outfits have got Kiwis reaching for their barf bags. (There are many very good uniforms around the world. I think the one designed by Trelise Cooper is grotesquely ugly, despite attempts by the airline's CEO to persuade us otherwise. As in the case of architects and public building design, fashion designers seem so eager to demonstrate their cleverness that they simply lose it. Given that these uniforms are intended to impress the travelling public, perhaps the best way to get an acceptable design is to get the public to judge the entries. Or is it true that the airline holds its customers in contempt and doesn't believe they know anything about fashion? - BH) KIWIS WANT POLICE TO REMAIN UNARMED ----------------------------------- Almost two thirds of people do not want police carrying guns on general duties, saying it is enough to have the armed offenders squad. In a New Zealand Herald survey of 2,296 people, 31 percent of respondents support allowing all police to carry firearms at all times. However, 65 per cent believe only the armed offenders squad should carry guns, showing strong support for current police practice. Only 1.2 per cent of those polled believe police should not be armed in any circumstances, and three per cent are unsure. BUSINESSES HOLDING OFF ON INVESTMENT DECISIONS ---------------------------------------------- Businesses are still cautious despite being optimistic about the economy improving. The latest NZIER Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion shows the country's economic recovery is slower than businesses had been expecting. Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett says that is one of the reasons businesses are holding off on their investments decisions. He says until businesses see an improvement in profit, they won't be making employment and other big purchase decisions. "They will wait until the market lifts and there's a reality in their balance sheets before they make any big commitments". Mr Barnett says it is likely to be a wait and see game for business during the first half of this year. RETAILERS GIVEN REMINDER OVER NEW CREDIT CARD FEES -------------------------------------------------- Retailers are being reminded that they have to disclose any transaction fees. The warning comes from the Commerce Commission, which is keeping a keen eye on the introduction of credit card transaction fees by some retailers. The fee has come about after the Commission investigated anti- competitive arrangements between credit card companies and banks. Spokesman, Peter Taylor says the settlement required credit card-issuers to set their own transaction fees in competition with one another. Retailers can now pass the surcharge onto users, instead of footing the bill themselves. Mr Taylor hopes pressure can be put on credit card issuers which forces them to reduce their transaction fees. He says if everyone plays ball, the fees will eventually be driven down. Thursday, 14 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ REVIVAL IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY -------------------------------- The number of new homes being built is now at its highest level since May 2008. Permits for just over 1,450 new homes were issued in November. That is an increase of just over three percent and follows an 11 percent rise in October. The total value of the building consents is $537 million. GOVERNMENT PLEDGES $1 MILLION FOR HAITI --------------------------------------- The New Zealand Government is making an immediate $1 million contribution to the international relief efforts following the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Foreign Minister Murray McCully says as more details of the damage emerge, New Zealand may look at contributing more money. The Government is also putting in place plans to provide consular assistance to New Zealanders in Haiti once the airport there has reopened. Mr McCully says anyone concerned about the welfare of family in the region should telephone the Ministry of Foreign affairs and trade. LEAD FOOTED DRIVERS KEEP SPEED CAMERAS BUSY ------------------------------------------- The country's speed cameras have issued more the 340,000 tickets in 12 months and collected more than $30 million. Auckland's two busiest fixed speed cameras alone generate 1,300 tickets a month between them. The cameras, on Mahia Road in Manurewa, and Great North Rd in Glendene, are responsible for more than 15,000 in the year ending October. The cameras are the second and third busiest in the country - only slightly behind a camera on State Highway 1 in the Ngauranga Gorge near Wellington which on its own produced 8,179 tickets. Friday, 15 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FUEL RISE UNJUSTIFIED ACCORDING TO COMPETITOR --------------------------------------------- Gull claims the latest petrol price increase by its rivals is unjustified. The big four oil companies yesterday bumped up petrol by six cents a litre and diesel by four cents after international oil prices peaked this week. Gull's General Manager, Dave Bodger, says since then prices have dropped again. "When it's rising and falling you want to see it get to a new level consistently before you actually extract that cash from the public, so, yah know diesel's come back four bucks a barrel since it peaked, there's no need to pass on the increase that we've seen others do at this point and time." Mr Bodger says Gull reviews the situation every day, and sees no need for a rise now. However BP is defending its latest price in the face of criticism from Gull. BP spokeswoman Diana Stretch says BP will not make comment on the thoughts of a competitor but defends the price rise. She says there were steady and significant increases on the international market in the lead up to Christmas, and this was a cost BP tried not to pass onto the customer at that time. "HIGH-TOUCH" STAFF HELP AIR NZ NAB AWARD ---------------------------------------- Air New Zealand has been named airline of the year by Air Transport World Magazine. The monthly airline industry magazine says the national carrier is being honoured for its "superb commitment to safety and operational excellence." It says Air New Zealand has groundbreaking customer service that combines high-tech, passenger-friendly IT systems with "high-touch" and caring staff. The magazine's editors have praised the airline for its financial performance during one of the most turbulent periods in aviation history and for addressing environmental challenges facing the industry, including conducting the world's first sustainable biofuel flight. Sydney-based Regional Express was named Regional Airline of the Year. Honeywell Aerospace and Rockwell Collins were selected for the Aviation Technology Achievement Award to recognize their advanced cockpit weather radars. Latvia-based airBaltic won the Phoenix Award, for airlines that have gone through a life-changing transformation. Florida.-based AirTran Airways received the Airline Market Leadership Award. (Well, congratulations! It's a while since I did a long haul flight with Air New Zealand, but I confess I am surprised. - BH) SO FAR SO GOOD FOR CRIMESTOPPERS -------------------------------- New Zealanders have been actively using anonymous phone service Crimestoppers since its inception, with good results. In the past three months over 1,700 calls have been taken, over 670 of which have led to police action. CEO Lou Gardiner says almost half of the calls are drug related. He says tip-offs from callers have directly led to P-lab busts in the Auckland area. Mr Gardiner believes the anonymous line is successful for drug cases, because there is a huge fear of intimidation with drug criminals and Crimestoppers gives people a safe outlet. COOL COWS THE KEY TO GOOD MILK PRODUCTION ----------------------------------------- Farmers are being asked to consider doing more to keep their cows cool this summer. DairyNZ is concerned about cows overheating, which can stop them from eating and impact on milk production. Animal Welfare Developer Dr Adele Arnold says farmers could consider milking early in the evening, instead of in the afternoon. She says cows would then be moving in from the pasture at a cooler time, and will generate less heat as they walk. Dr Arnold says cows feel sometimes feel the heat even more than humans. She says when they get really hot they'll start to pant like a dog, which indicates they're heat stressed. Farmers are also advised to make sure cows have plenty of clean water to drink. SHOP OWNERS URGED NOT TO ADD SURCHARGE -------------------------------------- Shop owners are being urged to think twice about charging extra for people to use credit cards. MasterCard New Zealand country manager Stuart McKinlay says merchants benefit if consumers use credit cards. Mr McKinlay says there have been studies which show the cost of cash is sometimes more expensive than the cost of accepting credit cards. He believes many merchants already have the cost of accepting credit cards built into their prices. Mr McKinlay believes excessive surcharging is anti-consumer and says people should shop with businesses that do not charge extra for credit card purchases. SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian Harmer does NOT administer the mailing list. Please do not send subscription related messages to him. Instead, visit the website listed below, where you can make changes as required. If you want to send a personal message to Brian, change the country code to nz and send a message brian.harmer@vuw.ac.xx If you do choose to comment on something in these posts, please don't send the whole newsletter with your message. Just trim it back to the relevant bits. Thanks. Brian. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://wysiwygnews.com/archives/news/attachments/20100117/b1d21aca/attachment.html From news at wysiwygnews.com Mon Jan 25 10:27:17 2010 From: news at wysiwygnews.com (news@wysiwygnews.com) Date: Mon Jan 25 10:27:27 2010 Subject: WYSIWYG NEWS - 25 January, 2010 Message-ID: <3F185A541960DB4B9FBBBB4104820BBCE77ED43FB7@STAWINCOEXMAIL1.staff.vuw.ac.nz> Subject: 25 January, 2009 ----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------ Copyright, Brian Harmer. There must be something to talk about apart from the lousy weather surely? Even though it continues to be cool, grey, drizzly, and has been dirty enough to close the airport at times this week, surely there must be something else to discuss? I haven't really been anywhere this week, so I have no descriptions of new places, and few new experiences to offer. My world for the present, seems to revolve around the work and the commute to and from Wellington, with occasional diversions to Eastbourne. Walking for exercise might have provided some material to share with you, save that the weather has not made it an attractive proposition in recent days. Nevertheless, Mary and I have "done" the riverbank a few times lately, starting from the Eastern side of Ewen bridge, walking briskly to the South. down the well-formed path on the crest of the stopbank past the shrinking playing fields of Hutt Valley High School. We follow the track under the railway bridge, and along the lower reaches of the river to the road bridge across the estuary at Waione St., Petone. A cunningly contrived walkway allows us to walk around the end and back under the bridge to emerge on the pathway up the Western bank. Our round trip takes us beneath the railway bridge at Moera again, and past the other side of the Ewen bridge up to the Melling bridge, back across the river, and southward again to the start point. This circuit is approximately 7.5 km and takes just over an hour. Depending on the state of the wind, and perhaps the state of mind, this can be either a definite workout, or a pleasant and scenic walk. And if passing under the steel girders of the Moera rail bridge coincides with the clamorous passage of an electric train overhead, there is the risk of severe pain in the ear. The pohutukawa season has almost reached its end, and parts of the walkway and nearby gutters are strewn with the dusty crimson stamens of exhausted flowers. It is ironical really, how much they symbolise a the ending of a summer that never eventuated. They can be untidy, even clog drains, but are infinitely preferable to the mindless defacement of property carried out by taggers on walls and footpaths all the way round. Tagging is a grotesque blight on urban landscapes. The loons even see fit to tag the black asphalt surface of the walkway. It has the same artistic merit as the territorial markings left by dogs on lampposts! And in my opinion, they are done with almost as much thought. Often there are people fishing from narrow pedestrian part of the Waione St bridge, and usually walkers, runners and cyclists have to squeeze past morose anglers with tell-tale empty buckets at their feet. On our most recent circuit, one lucky fisherman had two large eels and a good sized kahawai. I don't think he was fishing for sport, but rather, for food. Much as I enjoy the beauty of the river, I would not wish to eat anything that came from its industrially contaminated waters. After walking the pathway through the Shandon golf course, keeping a wary eye out for people who hook or slice as they drive eighth hole, we come to tree- lined Sladden Park. As always, a colony of geese drift around on the gloomy waters of the bend known locally as the dead arm. At Sladden Park, on a fine evening, it is not uncommon to see members of the local Indian or Sri Lankan communities out indulging their passion for cricket on a well cared for ground. Some of them even wear whites, as befits a real cricket team. Perhaps if more of the youngsters from our wider community joined in, and had as much fun doing so, our national team, the Black Caps, would not be languishing as far down the championship tables as they have been in recent years. Changing the subject, and still avoiding the weather, time marches on, and a new academic year approaches. Having taken on the administrative role as programme director for a master's degree, I now find myself in a seemingly never- ending series of interviews, assessing the suitability of candidates to undertake the degree. Contrary to some public and media perceptions, we do more than check to see if they consume oxygen. At the level of a masters degree, I want people who are interested in the subject matter, will challenge what they are told, critique what they read, debate with their teachers, and communicate their own points of view in a persuasive manner. The qualification concerned is designed as a post experience degree, and the majority of our applicants are at a stage that might be termed "mid-career". Many of them feel they have reached a plateau. Sadly, some ascribe their lack of advancement corporate ladder to the absence of an advanced qualification nicely framed on their wall. I indulged in that kind of thinking myself, when I signed up for the MBA programme way back in 1989. The sad news is that, even after you get the diploma, management still don't beat a path to your door. My preferred candidates are not motivated by the mere completion of a process to acquire a new parchment. Rather, they have the vision and imagination to value knowledge for its own sake, and treat its acquisition as part of a profound personal transformation. If they value that transformative opportunity, rather than merely enduring the process, then they are my kind of people, and I want them in my programme. I want people who will not only learn from their peers, but whose search for trustworthy knowledge, and whose critical thinking and reasoning power actually make a serious contribution to the rest of the class. And, as I try to tell those already in the programme, if you aren't having fun while you do it, you are doing it wrong. Of course, the start of a new academic year is signalled by more than an increase in the administrative burden. It also means that soon, our presently quiet corridors will be busy with thousands of young people. They will bring with them, all their different values, motivations and world-views. There will be new expressions of idiosyncratic fashion preferences. If the weather is warm when the term starts, some of the younger guys will spend their time getting an eyeful of what the young women are wearing. Staff will be engaged in serious preparation for classes, assessments by the score, and giving guidance to those who have strayed from the paths of academic righteousness. Hopefully, it will also mean sharing the excitement of discovery with people engaged in research projects, and celebrating positive outcomes wherever they occur. Even in my rose tinted world of properly motivated students, not everyone succeeds at every paper they undertake. There is always the sombre task of discovering the path back to success when a failing grade does occur. Sometimes there are tears, anger, blame and bitterness, and there are those perpetual victims for whom every failure is someone else's fault. Every class seems to contain at least one "crisis-magnet" - the kind of person to whom bad things always seem to happen. Usually, such things happen just as a major assessment task is due. Illness, accidents, bereavements, burglaries, business failures all seem to happen in clusters to this kind of person. I think if I ever found myself at an airport with such a person, I would change my booking and wait for the next plane. Still, we do our utmost to be flexible, understanding and supportive, and to recognise that a run of misfortune does not mean they are unable to attain their academic goals. A few more weeks to run and it all begins, and today, Monday is a public holiday in the Wellington region. Did I tell you we have been having rotten weather lately? ---- 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 "GS" will indicate an opinion from our editorial assistant. In all cases they are honest expressions of personal opinion, and are not presented as fact. All news items (except where noted otherwise) are reproduced by kind permission of copyright owner, Newstalk ZB News. All copyright in the news items reproduced remains the property of The Radio Network Limited. *Sponsorship this week is courtesy of Chip Chenoweth, president of Prater Foods Inc. Many thanks, Chip. ---- On with the News. Monday, 18 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAR NORTH LOCALS ASKED TO USE WATER WISELY ------------------------------------------ Home owners in the Far North are being asked to consider putting in an extra tank if they rely on rainwater, as it is possible Northland's record dry summer could become the norm. District council chief executive David Edmunds says the council's water supply systems are holding well. There is some pressure in the Bay of Islands where water tankers have access to council supplies for up to six hours a day. That has been restricted, as tankers were taking water at Paihia and Kerikeri for up to 16 hours a day. The council then provided access points at Moerewa and Kaikohe to meet demand. Mr Edmunds says it is likely water restrictions will be imposed soon, but right now people are just being asked to use water wisely. (Despite periodic explorations of the idea to install water metering in the Wellington region, there have been very few seasons in my thirty years in Wellington when we have come even close to needing real water restrictions. This year, I suspect we have had a surfeit of it. - BH) NINETY MILE BEACH MAY BE RENAMED -------------------------------- Ninety Mile Beach could be getting a name change. The beach, which is actually 55 miles long, could be officially renamed Te Oneroa a Tohe under a tentative Treaty of Waitangi deal granting co-governance. Far North Mayor Wayne Brown does think many locals will be overly concerned with the name change, but it would have been nice to have been part of the process. He says he has not heard anything official about the change and the Government has not bothered to involve the council or locals. Destination Northland chief executive Brian Roberts says the name change could be a boost for tourism. He says the name Te Rerenga Wairua is already commonly used alongside Cape Reinga - and using the Maori name for Ninety Mile Beach fits in well with Tourism New Zealand's focus. JOBS GO AT CHILDCARE SERVICE ---------------------------- More than 75 people have lost their jobs after liquidators closed part of a home-based childcare service. The South Island operations of Easy Mind have been shut down, because liquidators could not secure the short-term cash required to pay staff and educators. Southern development manager Sharon Castle says in Dunedin about eight staff and 56 educators have been shown the door. She says 12 educators in Southland have also been affected. Ms Castle says she feels gutted, disappointed and betrayed. HOUSE PRICES RISE TWO PERCENT ----------------------------- Real Estate Institute figures show house prices rose in 11 of the country's 12 districts in the year to December. The national median is now $360,000, which is $5,000 higher than November and an increase of almost two percent on December 2008. Northland was the only district to see a drop, with its median price is down just over two percent to $306,000 over the 12 month period. The biggest rises were in Nelson- Marlborough, Southland and Hawke's Bay. METSERVICE MAKES BBC BID ------------------------ The Minister of State-Owned Enterprises has confirmed MetService has put in a bid to supply weather forecasts to the BBC. The Times Online has reported the BBC is considering severing its ties with Britain's Met Office due to poor performance and accuracy. The Met Office had forecast a "barbecue summer" last year, and a mild winter this year - neither of which was even remotely the case. MetService is saying little on the matter, but SOE Minister Simon Power has confirmed the agency has put in a bid for the new contract. (Naturally this has triggered several media outlets to stir up local cynicism about forecast accuracy here. For my part I am always amazed at the mechanisms behind the production of forecasts, and think that, on the whole, they do pretty well. As I read somewhere, if we could actually calculate what the weather will do, we would not need to make forecasts. - BH) MILESTONE SHIPMENT FROM KUPE ---------------------------- The first shipment of light crude oil from the Kupe project in the Taranaki Basin is due to leave Port Taranaki this week. Tanker ship, the British Chivalry arrived in Port Taranaki yesterday, to begin loading an initial 120,000- 180,000 barrel shipment for BP's Refinery in Australia. Origin Energy General Manager Chris Bush says production of gas and light crude has been proceeding as expected since early December and the first shipment is a significant milestone for the project. MINISTER NOT LISTENING CLAIM MAORI ---------------------------------- Northland Maori are hitting back at claims by a Labour MP that a land occupation in the Far North is merely trouble making. Local Labour MP Shane Jones has slammed a group of Maori for taking over a former campground in Taipa that is up for private sale. He claims the protesters are confused about the treaty claim issue and have no local support. Mr Jones argues that private land has never been included in treaty settlements. However, Prof Margaret Mutu, chief negotiator for Ngati Kahu, says it is Mr Jones who has the wrong end of the stick. She says Maori are very angry that the Crown is turning a blind eye to their wahi tapu (sacred location), which includes Taipa. She believes the Crown hopes Maori will forget about wahi tapu and not insist that such sites are returned. Prof Mutu claims Mr Jones is not listening to Maori when they tell him they want their land back, including private land. MINIMUM WAGE SHOULD GO UP ------------------------- Most people who responded to a new survey want the minimum wage lifted to $15 an hour. The results from a Herald Summer Survey of over 2,000 people comes only weeks before Cabinet sets the minimum wage for this year. It is currently $12.50 an hour. Asked what the minimum wage should be, 61 per cent of respondents opted for $15. More women than men were generally more in favour of a raise of that size. Prime Minister John Key is giving little indication of what the 100,000 workers on the minimum wage can expect, and would not comment on the issue. Business groups say any increase should be a modest 25-50 cents an hour. Ignite Union head Matt McCarten feels a rise of 50 cents to $1 is realistic. Labour Party spokesman Trevor mallard thinks the minimum wage should rise to $15 an hour by next year, and feels a rise to $13.75 this year would be "a good step". Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia supports a rise to $15 an hour, saying it is necessary to cut poverty. Cabinet's decision on the issue will be announced in about a fortnight. (My forecast - and I chose that word with care - is "no change" - BH) MINISTER SAYS PHYSIO DROP INEVITABLE ------------------------------------ Physiotherapists believe a sharp drop in the number of patients seeking treatment is a result of confusion over the recent Accident Compensation Corporation law change but the ACC Minister says a decline was inevitable. The New Zealand Society of Physiotherapists reports that visits to physiotherapists have dropped by between 30 and 50 percent after ACC subsidies were removed in November. ACC no longer covers the full amount of treatments and patients on ACC must pay between $10 and $30 per session. ACC Minister Nick Smith says there was abuse and over-use when physiotherapy services were free and he always expected the number of people seeking treatment to drop once ACC tightened up. "We are satisfied to date that the people who really need physiotherapy are able to pay the $10 to $30 part charge and the reports that I have received are that people that are injured are getting the physiotherapy that they need." Dr Smith says the partial charge policy will be reviewed in May. Tuesday, 19 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PIG RESEARCH MAY HELP FORENSIC SCIENTISTS ----------------------------------------- A Victoria University graduate thinks pig carcasses could hold the key for helping forensic scientists determine times of death. A study into decomposing pig carcasses aimed to find a link between bacterial species and stages of decomposition. Researcher Rachel Parkinson says the research is fairly new. "There's two main things that decompose a body. There's the insects, which we know quite a lot about, and then there's also the bacteria, which we sort of know pretty much nothing about. But we've found that there's definitely a succession of bacteria going on." Ms Parkinson says the succession of bacteria means forensic scientists could work out how long a body's been dead by the type of bacteria present. "It would be another tool in the toolbox for forensic scientists. We're always looking for new ways to do things. Realistically it's still a little way off, we just need a whole lot of students now to come onboard and do a bit more research - add to the body of knowledge." Ms Parkinson says it will allow forensic investigators to be much more accurate when interpreting death scenes, making police investigations easier and bring down the costs. SPIKE IN CONSUMER CONFIDENCE ---------------------------- New Zealanders are approaching the next six months with more optimism than at any time during the past two years. The latest MasterCard Worldwide Index of Consumer Confidence has the nation up from a rating of 21.5 six months ago - to 69.7 today. Thirty eight percent of New Zealand respondents believe the employment situation will get better in the next six months - and 48 percent believe the economy will improve in the same time frame. New Zealand men are more optimistic than women about the coming six months - while Aucklanders are more confident than Wellingtonians. Respondents aged below 30 are the most confident age group. CABINET APPROVES THREE-STRIKES LAW ---------------------------------- Repeat violent offenders will in the future get no clemency from the courts. Cabinet has today signed off a law change that will see serious violent offenders jailed without parole for the maximum time allowed if they are convicted for the third time. The three-strikes law is currently before a select committee. Today's decision reflects an agreement between National and ACT, which has promoted the law as part of its coalition deal. ACT leader Rodney Hide says it deliberately escalates the punishment for repeat offenders and the result will be a safer New Zealand. Repeat murderers and rapists, armed robbers and those who commit serious assaults are the targets of the, law which was originally promoted by Winston Peters more than a decade ago. (Interesting. I have mixed feelings. I want deterrence, and perhaps even some element of punishment, yet I see no evidence that crime rates are lower under regimes such as this. I am also aware that every dollar spent on prisons is not available for hospitals, schools or other essential works. We are already big spenders in this area. - BH) $1 MILLION HONEY SHIPMENT SEIZED -------------------------------- A large order of honey about to be exported overseas has been seized. The New Zealand Food Safety Authority detained the product in Timaru. Director of Compliance and Investigation Geoff Allen says it was labelled as honey, but they are now gathering information to determine whether the product complies with the Animal Products Act and the Food Act. He says there will be no further comment until the investigation is complete. It is understood the shipment was worth around $1 million. FIRST CABINET MEETING OF 2010 ----------------------------- Now Prince William has left the country for Sydney, it is straight back to business for John Key. The Prime Minister is holding the first Cabinet meeting of 2010. Ahead of the meeting, Cabinet members were all in good spirits and looking forward to the busy year ahead. The media was allowed in for the start of the meeting, before being asked to leave so the politicians could get down to business. FRANKLIN TO BE SPLIT INTO PIECES -------------------------------- The district of Franklin will be split in the creation of the super city. Local Government Minister Rodney Hide has rejected the Franklin District Council's final request to become an independent unitary authority. Franklin District Council chief executive Sally Davis says the only option left is to have a petition signed by 10 percent of electors in each region, something she says is not feasible. "We would need to get 186,000 signatures. Frankly we don't believe that we would achieve that in the time that's available. And we don't believe we should be using ratepayers' money to do something like that." Ms Davis says although the council must accept this decision, she knows Franklin residents will be bitterly disappointed. "Franklin doesn't belong as part of metropolitan Auckland. We're a rural area. So the issues and the reasons why Auckland is being reorganised simply don't apply." TRUCKIES TAKE NOTE ------------------ The Cancer Society wants motorists to slip, slop, slap and wrap their hands and arms when driving this summer. Although windscreens and windows in newer cars are laminated to protect against UV rays, older cars are not. Plain, clear vehicle glass only blocks 37 percent of harmful, skin cancer causing UV-A rays. Cancer Society spokeswoman Judith Galtry says the request is not that far fetched for people who are constantly on the road. "People have to be sensible about it. It's really those people who are on the road a lot that we're offering this advice to. If you're driving for a living, if you're a truck driver, it would be a good idea to wear a shirt and gloves." Dr Galtry says the alternative is to apply sunscreen regularly. POSITIVE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FOR NZ -------------------------------- Australia is expected to recover from the recession faster than New Zealand. The 2010 Economic Risk Outlook Report by credit reporting firm Dun & Bradstreet finds that 60 countries around the world are likely to record lower output in real terms this year than they did prior to the crisis, despite the healthy pace of expansion occurring in the global economy. The report says Australia and New Zealand's GDP growth should hit 1.8 percent this year. It predicts Australia's GDP growth in 2011 will top 2.6 percent, ahead of New Zealand's 2.2 percent. Last year it was estimated New Zealand's economy shrunk by one percent. Major emerging markets such as China and India continue to experience rapid economic expansion and America and Europe have pulled out of recession. However, the easing back of stimulus programmes, high unemployment and subdued bank lending are likely to lead to a slowdown this year. Despite that, the report forecasts a positive outlook for New Zealand with its key partners expected to record economic growth this year, except for Japan. It says the Government and firms need to be aware of the risks which could significantly disrupt the return to solid economic growth and manage them effectively. It suggests maximising medium term growth prospects with a solid focus on pro-business policies. Generally high business confidence levels in New Zealand are in line with the largely positive data flow since the June Quarter 2009 which bodes well. However, John Scott, Dun & Bradstreet general manager, has a warning. "Business managers are expecting higher average annual inflation in 2010 and accordingly, the Reserve Bank is expected to begin raising the official cash rate during the year. These costs are likely to flow on to households and firms and as such, there is still room for caution in this relatively optimistic scenario." New Zealand officially came out of recession in the June quarter of 2009. SERVICE STATIONS FAVOUR CREDIT SURCHARGE ---------------------------------------- Filling up at a petrol station could soon become more expensive for credit card users as a survey by the Motor Trade Association finds 86 percent of service stations have either introduced a surcharge or are in the process of doing so. The MTA says it is likely to become harder to find a service station that does not charge extra for credit. Spokesman Ian Stronach says a low margin on fuel is forcing retailers to recover the cost. "Card transaction fees are around 1.25 percent and at the moment, fuel margins for most independents is around 2.5 percent, so he's giving up half his margin." The surcharge will amount to around $1 for every $50 of fuel. A number of independent service stations in Wellington were the first to introduce the credit fee. ECONOMY AT TOP OF CABINET'S AGENDA ---------------------------------- Cabinet sits for the first time this year with the economy at the top of the agenda. Tax reform will be an issue but the Government has already made it clear any changes will be revenue neutral, which means it may give with the one hand but take with the other. Finance Minister Bill English's Budget, which is delivered midway through the year, will be critical, but given the Government continues to borrow $1 billion dollars a month to keep the country afloat, there will not be much room to move. Wednesday, 20 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LANDLORDS "SINGLED OUT" IN TAX PROPOSALS ---------------------------------------- Accountants say owners of residential rental properties have been singled out in the Tax Working Group report. The report recommends raising GST to 15 percent, introducing an across- the-board land tax and even taxing people on the value of the their house after they have paid it off. New Zealand Institute of Accountants tax director Craig Macalister says the group believes rental property owners are under-taxed as they can make a capital gain. But he says you cannot just pick on rental property owners. "If you're going to do it for them you need to think about doing it for everything else as well. You shouldn't be just singling out rental properties - we've seen successive Governments in the past who have tried to single out those sorts of things and it's all fallen flat on their face." Mr Macalister says overall, the report has not gone far enough in indicating the best tax option to the Government. He says while it is comprehensive, he does not think it gives a best way forward for the country. Mr Macalister says it assumes the Government will make the right choice. "The report's said 'well look on one hand you can do this and on the other hand you can do that'. It would have been good if they'd indicated what they think the preferred approach for the Government might have been." CALLING CARD MARKET INVESTIGATED -------------------------------- The Commerce Commission is looking into the pre-paid calling card market. The inquiry has been sparked by a flood of complaints over the cards, and concerns some may be breaching the fair trading laws. A spokeswoman for the commission says it will not be commenting on the investigation until it has been completed. She would not say which companies are being looked at, or how many complaints have been received. MOORE CONFIRMED AS AMBASSADOR TO US ----------------------------------- Former Prime Minister Mike Moore will be New Zealand's next ambassador to the United States. Foreign Minister Murray McCully says as a former Prime Minister and Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Mr Moore is the best possible candidate for the important role. Mr McCully says Mr Moore will take up his appointment in the middle of the year, succeeding Roy Ferguson, who is returning to Wellington. (Politicians appointed to the plum posts are a real slap in the face for career diplomats. It has been a practice on all sides of the political spectrum. I don't like it. - BH) COMPLETE OVERHAUL OF TAX SYSTEM MOOTED -------------------------------------- A comprehensive overhaul of the tax system is being recommended by the task force set up by the Government to look at how it can be improved. It has recommended raising GST from 12.5 to 15 percent, introducing an across-the-board land tax and even taxing people on the value of the their house after they have paid it off. The task force believes income tax should be reduced along with company tax and that some of the recommendations should be in this year's Budget. Task force head Professor Bob Buckle says the current system is not working. "The current system, in our view, is incoherent, it is unfair, it lacks integrity, it unduly discourages work participation and it biases investment decisions." Professor Buckle says the nation has a once in a generation opportunity to put the system right. (Professor Buckle is the Pro-Vice Chancellor, and Dean of the faculty in which I work. He is thus, my boss. With that disclose out of the way, my opinion is that the whole taxation area is full of extremely complex interactions. There is a vast number of experts each with an opinion on one or more components of the system. If we allow each of them to second-guess the expert panel, no change will ever happen. In my view, having commissioned a truly expert panel such as this, we must now try what they suggest, and see if it works. Adjustments to correct any sectoral injustices can be made as and when they actually arise. Do it! - BH) DROUGHT ZONE DECLARED IN NORTHLAND ---------------------------------- The government has declared Northland a drought zone. All three of Northland's districts; the Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara, are affected by what is considered a medium-level drought. A record dry November and challenging spring conditions have led to poor pasture in many areas, which has dried out further with the recent low rainfall, high winds and temperatures. Agriculture Minister David Carter says the Government will come to the aid of affected farmers. He says a drought recovery package is now in place. Mr Carter will be in Northland on Friday to see conditions and meet with the Northland Rural Support Trust and farmers dealing with the drought. "The situation in Northland is grim and if there is low rainfall through to March, as predicted, there won't be enough grass to feed livestock in many areas." LOWER FOOD PRICES DRIVE DOWN CPI -------------------------------- The 0.2 percent fall in the Consumer Price Index for the December quarter was partly driven by lower food prices, which dropped 2.4 percent in the last three months of 2009, and weaker increases in other goods and services. The CPI measures changes in the price of the basket of goods bought by an average household and is a measure of inflation. Statistics New Zealand says vegetables were down 17.6 percent on the winter peak; prices for the meat, poultry and fish and groceries subgroup were also down for the quarter but were up 1.4 percent for the year and are 10.9 percent higher than two years ago. The latest annual rise in food prices included reductions in some package sizes which are shown as price increases in the CPI. A 1.5 percent rise in the transport group partially offset the fall in food prices. It was influenced by a 13.9 percent seasonal increase in international air transport. While international airfares were up strongly in the quarter, they were still 9.6 percent lower than in the corresponding period the previous year. Annually, the transport group recorded an increase of 3.7 percent. Prices for second-hand cars were up 13.3 percent and petrol rose 3.3 percent from relatively low levels in late 2008. Non-tradeable goods and services (which do not face foreign competition) rose 2.3 percent and tradeables (imported or in competition with imported goods) rose 1.5 percent. It was the lowest annual increase in the non-tradeables component since the December 2001 quarter, reflecting relatively low annual increases for electricity, rents and the purchase of new housing. Electricity prices were up 2.1 percent for the year, which is the lowest annual rise for more than seven years. COLLINS SAYS THREE STRIKES POLICY JUSTIFIED ------------------------------------------- Police Minister Judith Collins admits the proposed three strikes policy is harsh, but believes it is warranted. Under the deal between the National Party and Act, the judge will have to impose the maximum sentence for the crime when an offender is convicted of a third serious offence. Parole will not be an option when a person is convicted of a second or third serious offence. Ms Collins says by keeping the worst repeat offenders behind bars for longer and deterring criminals from committing further crimes, New Zealand will be a better and safer place. "The regime will be harsh, but only for the small number of people in our community that show continued and complete disregard for the law and contempt of society." Garth McVicar from the Sensible Sentencing Trust welcomes the tougher stance. "They commit an offence, they get sentenced to a minimum sentence, they get out and they reoffend and they go back in again, so they're just being recycled time and time again. This is going to ensure that they don't get out as quickly and there will be fewer victims as a consequence. 'I realize the naysayers and liberals will be highly critical of this law but in reality this is self inflicted, they have no-one else to blame, they are simply getting their just desserts'. But Labour's Phil Goff claims the policy will not work. "This will result in about 12 people a year being locked up. Compare that with 8,500 people already in prison. This isn't going to make a great deal of difference, if any, to public security and safety." Mr Goff says the existing law already provides judges with the ability to refuse recidivist criminals parole and give them longer sentences. ANOTHER CONTENDER FOR SUPER CITY LEADER --------------------------------------- A third contender has put up his hand to be the leader of Auckland's super city. Erik Taylor describes himself as a 56-year-old Christian who has worked as a teacher and in sales and marketing. He is working full time on his independent election campaign and has branded his car with "da boss for da mayor." Mr Taylor says the term 'boss' is short for 'believer of our superior saviour'. "Auckland really needs an honest mayor and for the life of me, I can't figure out where the $1.2 billion that we're in debt has gone to." Mr Taylor accuses Auckland Mayor John Banks of being a wolf in sheep's clothing and says he will do everything possible to boot him out. Manukau Mayor Len Brown is the other candidate for the leadership of the merged city. (So far, if the fate of Auckland were not so important to the rest of the country, I would laugh out loud. I could not in all conscience vote for any one of the presently announced candidates. What an awful choice for Aucklanders. What a tragic comedy! Maybe Stephen Tindall will make himself available. - BH) Thursday, 21 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ANOTHER $1 MILLION PLEDGED FOR HAITI ------------------------------------ New Zealand is pledging an extra million dollars to relief and recovery efforts in Haiti. Today's announcement follows the million dollars already committed to the earthquake ravaged Caribbean island to provide emergency food aid. Foreign Minister Murray McCully says it is important New Zealand is part of the international response aimed at getting food, water, fuel and medical supplies to those who most need them. MOTHS PEEKING OUT OF WALLETS ---------------------------- Consumers appear to be letting the moths out of their wallets. Statistics New Zealand says retail sales figures rose 0.8 percent in November ($46 million), after a flat September and October. The increase was led by sales of automotive fuel, which was up $20 million. Other groups to improve were antique and used goods retailing, flowers, garden supplies, watches and jewellery (up $17 million). Core retail sales (which exclude the four vehicle-related industries) were also up 0.8 percent ($34 million), following a 0.5 percent increase in October 2009. Motor vehicle retailing took a hit and was down $17 million. Statistics New Zealand says the total retail sales trend has been rising since February 2009 (up 2.5 percent), at an average rate of 0.3 percent per month. Since February 2009, the core retail trend has also increased at an average rate of 0.3 percent per month, compared with an average increase of 0.1 percent between April 2007 and February 2009. The value of seasonally adjusted sales was flat in the North Island (up just 0.2 percent) and rose in the South Island (up 1.8 percent). The only region with a sales decrease was Auckland, down 0.5 percent. The sales trend has been rising in the North Island since February 2009 (up 2.6 percent), and in the South Island since June 2009 (up 1.9 percent). In the South Island the rate of increase appears to be strengthening. (Interesting juxtaposition with the preceding item - BH) "SINGLE LARGEST OFFERING" OF FARM LAND EVER ------------------------------------------- Twenty nine farms on converted Waikato forestry land are being put on the market by Carter Holt Harvey for $224.5 million. Bayleys Real Estate says it is the single largest offering of farming land ever seen in New Zealand. The 29 farms are near Tokoroa and total nearly 11,000 hectares. They range in size from 218 hectares to 726 hectares, and range in price from $5.1 million to $10.4 million. The conversion was carried out ahead of Kyoto Protocol rules that came into effect in 2008, which state forests must be replanted when they are cleared and not converted for another use. (My first job after I dropped out of university as a young person in the mid sixties was at the Kinleith pulp and paper mill, near Tokoroa. The Pine forests around the mill were second in size only to Kaingaroa in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. I learned to drive in a Land Rover in the forest tracks - this explains a lot, I am told - but there was a grandeur and a splendid solitariness to these forests, even if they were man-made. I am sorry to see them diminished. - BH) NATIONAL CARRIER NOT FORCING EXTRA SEAT --------------------------------------- Air New Zealand is leaving it up to passengers to decide whether they need an extra seat. Air France is charging obese passengers who cannot fit into one seat 75 percent of the cost of a second seat. Air New Zealand spokeswoman Tracy Mills says if a customer knows they require additional room for whatever reason they should purchase another seat to ensure they get the space they require. However if there are spare seats on the flight, Air New Zealand always tries to accommodate passengers requiring extra room. Ms Mills says the requests for extra seats could include people travelling with children or passengers with medical issues. AIRLINE FAT TAX THE WAY OF THE FUTURE? -------------------------------------- Aviation commentator Peter Clark believes a 'fat tax' on airlines is the way of the future. Air France passengers who struggle to fit into just one seat will be charged 75 percent of the cost of a second seat. Mr Clark says the concept was initiated by airlines in America and is slowly being introduced by other airlines around the world. "We're seeing a trend now that airlines are saying, hold on, we're carrying extra weight with more people. We have safety issues with larger people. It impedes smaller people in the plane and costs more in fuel to carry heavier people." Mr Clark says airlines may have to consider widening seats, but that would push up the cost of flying. RENTS WOULD RISE IF RENTAL PROPERTY TAXED ----------------------------------------- Landlords claim they are being unfairly targeted by the Tax Working Group report's recommendation on taxing investment properties. The report suggests an overhaul of the tax system by reducing income tax and company rates through introducing taxes on land and rental property and increasing GST to 15 percent. However Federation President Martin Evans says that would only hurt low income earners by forcing up rents. He says it is a fallacy that a rental property has a tax advantage over other businesses or investments. "It's unfair to single out one group when we're running our business like anyone else. They seem to put the message out that property investors are greedy and they're buying properties just so that they can claim losses. Well, to claim $3,000 tax you have to have a $10,000 loss and who on earth would be buying an investment to purposely have a $10,000 loss?" Mr Evans says any tax applied solely to rental property would not level the playing field, it would distort it. "We agree with tax coming down to 30 percent but they shouldn't pick on one sector to help pay for that and any increase in the cost of the land, well, they'll have to pass on to the tenant by way of increased rent, so it hits poor people again." NEW OIL BASIN PROMISING SAYS BROWNLEE ------------------------------------- Six new petroleum exploration blocks off the northwest coast of New Zealand are now on offer to the highest bidder. The Reinga Basin covers 105,230 square kilometres and neighbours the Northland Basin which is also currently open for bidding. The area is geologically contiguous with the hydrocarbon producing Taranaki Basin. Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee says the Reinga Basin is an exciting opportunity for New Zealand and explorers alike. "It is one of the most prospective frontier basins in the New Zealand region with all the elements required for an active petroleum system present over a large area." Mr Brownlee says in coming months Crown Minerals will be promoting the Reinga Basin bidding rounds to companies in Australia, North America, Europe and Asia. SUGGESTED GST HIKE "TOO HIGH" ----------------------------- A report into the tax system has the support of tax service provider KPMG but a tax lawyer from another company is criticising the suggested hike in GST. The Government says it will carefully consider the Tax Working Group's report which also includes a land tax of 0.5 percent, tax returns on residential property, removing tax depreciation on buildings if they do not depreciate in value, and a rise in GST to 15 percent. Other recommendations include lowering the top personal tax rate of 38 percent. The report says the 33 percent company tax rate is not competitive with other countries, especially Australia which has a rate of 30 percent. KPMG spokesman Paul Dunne says a change in the mix of taxes from income tax to consumption taxes such as GST should be a good thing. He says economists believe income and corporate taxes are the most harmful deterrents to economic growth and consumption taxes have less of an impact. Mr Dunne says a system which enables competitive advantage is vital to help New Zealand compete internationally. Neil Russ, from law firm Buddle Findlay, says the suggested rise in GST to 15 percent is too much. He says it is not likely to be politically palatable as it will hurt lower income earners and would mean New Zealand's GST rate will be 50 percent higher than Australia's, which is just too big a gap. Mr Russ says New Zealand already has very broad based GST system which has very few exceptions, while the Australian system is at a lower rate, of around ten percent and is riddled with exceptions. Finance Minister Bill English says the Government's focus in 2010 is increasing New Zealand's economic growth and productivity and there is no doubt that good tax policy can play a role. "For ordinary New Zealanders, we're particularly keen to ensure that our tax system rewards effort, encourages savings and helps families to get ahead. "At a broader economic level, we also want a tax system that helps move us away from our recent preoccupation with borrowing and consumption, at the same time recognising that any changes must be broadly fiscally neutral given that we face several years of budget deficits." Mr English says any changes would have to meet tests of equity and fairness. Revenue Minister Peter Dunne welcomes the group's attempt to address tax rate issues. "I note the Working Group's concerns regarding the misalignment of tax rates which encourages the use of trusts and companies, with a tax rate of 33 percent and 30 percent respectively, to shelter income that would otherwise be taxed at the higher personal tax rate of 38 percent. "This is inherently unfair to the wage and salary earner who is then left to bear a disproportionate share of the personal tax burden." Mr Dunne says there is also growing evidence that trusts and companies and highly geared residential rental properties, are being used to reduce taxable income and so qualify for Working for Families. He says such abuse potentially places an unfair burden on the 60 percent of families which do not receive Working for Families tax credits. The group's recommendations will be considered in coming months as part of Budget decision making. (I suspect that the recommendations make most sense as an integrated package. I fear that, allowing special interest groups to pick off bits and pieces of it will undermine its integrity and result in its failure. The group will be blamed even though their design has not been adopted. I think it was US President Andrew Jackson, or maybe General George S Patton who said "take not counsel of your fears" - BH) DROUGHT-STRICKEN FARMERS URGED TO SEEK HELP ------------------------------------------- Agriculture Minister David Carter is urging drought-stricken Northland farmers finding conditions tough to seek help. The Government has declared Northland a medium level drought zone and a drought recovery package has been put in place to help affected farmers. Mr Carter says as a farmer himself, he has real sympathy for the pain Northland farmers are feeling and he wants to remind them local rural support trusts exist to help communities. In addition, a toll free number has been set up. The Minister is heading to the region tomorrow to see the situation for himself. Denis Anderson, Federated Farmers Northland president, says farmers are pleased the Government has acknowledged their plight, in a region known more for its floods than its dry spells. He says the main benefit of the drought declaration is that it provides access to relief measures such as giving Inland Revenue flexibility in treating farmers? taxation commitments. He says the Ministry of Social Development further helps families whose income and essential living needs have been badly affected. ?This declaration also offers grants to the Northland Rural Support Trust so that it can offer practical support such as financial advice and welfare support. At times like this, there is a fair degree of psychological and social stress, so counselling services would be very welcome." Mr Anderson says the free phone number, 0800 DROUGHT (0800 376 844) is primarily a feed line that matches farmers with surplus feed to those in need. "I'm also contacting Federated Farmers Grain and Seed industry group to ascertain feed stock availability. This provides a further touch point with the Northland Rural Support Trust. "It would be great to see water storage come to the top of the Government's infrastructure list as climate variation will likely cause an erratic weather pattern. Storing the ample rainfall we normally get would future proof our region and the wider economy." Mr Anderson says farmers need to pull together to cope with the drought. Friday, 22 January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RISKS OF REDUCTIL BEING REVIEWED -------------------------------- Medsafe is reviewing risks associated with the weight-loss medication Sibutramine which is marketed in New Zealand as Reductil. It is advising healthcare professionals to avoid using the medication on patients with a history of heart disease. Medsafe says it is aware the European Medicines Agency has recommended the suspension of the marketing Sibutramine, concluding the risk of the medication is greater than its benefits. It says the United States Food and Drug Administration has also put additional restriction on the use of the drug. PART PAY OPTION FOR PUBLIC PATIENTS CRITICISED ---------------------------------------------- The Medical Association is criticising a proposal from the Otago and Southland District Health Boards to allow some patients pay for treatment. The boards are considering letting some patients pay for additional treatments that are not publicly funded. Medical Association chairman Dr Peter Foley says that could negatively affect patients who cannot afford the treatment. He says it is important decisions are made on health need and not on ability to fund. Dr Foley says any decision on whether to introduce part-charges needs to be made at a national level. However the Otago and Southland District Health Boards are defending the proposal. DHB spokesman Dr Chris Jackson says the proposal is for patients who are already getting treatment in the public system. He says if they would benefit from a drug which is not Government funded, they should be able to buy that. Dr Jackson says it is for patients who have cancer, life threatening and serious illnesses. Submissions on the document are due by February 2. CAMPAIGN TO CLEAN UP ORETI BEACH UNDERWAY ----------------------------------------- A campaign to protect Invercargill's vast Oreti Beach area is rapidly gaining momentum. The campaign was launched last year by Invercargill City Councillor Allan Dennis after he spoke out about the sand dunes being ruined by people on motor bikes and four wheel drives. Also of concern is the amount of rubbish being dumped there after a beach clean up yesterday saw over three tonnes of rubbish taken away from the sand dunes, which included old tyres, an old double bed, concrete foundations and an old car body. Invercargill City Council communications manager Eirwyn Tullet says the amount of rubbish was disappointing. "It's a real shame because it just pollutes and you wouldn't believe what's there in the sand dunes, we got a lot out and there is still some more to go, and we're hoping to get that out as well." Ms Tullet says over a 100 volunteers from a dozen clubs and groups covered about nine kilometres of the vast beach. BARTLETT'S CRITICISMS "WRONG" - NZOA ------------------------------------ New Zealand on Air has slammed claims from a musician and producer that it does not do enough to find and fund new talent. Gray Bartlett, who discovered musicians such as Hayley Westenra, Yulia and Elizabeth Marvelly, believes the agency needs a massive overhaul. Bartlett says he carried out an independent investigation after becoming suspicious of NZOA's activities. He claims most of the $5.4 million that is allocated to New Zealand On Air is being thrown away. Bartlett says leading artists such as Ladyhawke should not have to go through a lengthy paperwork process to get Government funding. He also says the amount of radio airplay an artist receives determines whether they are successful in the eyes of New Zealand On Air, which is outdated. NZOA chief executive Jane Wrightson says Bartlett's criticisms are wrong. "My music team approaches artists all the time. They're the people that are out most nights of the week at concerts looking for new talent. There's no doubt about that. Which is how we get involved in funding new artists." Ms Wrightson says the agency's focus is on getting musicians exposure in the New Zealand environment. "I'm a bit concerned that he's alleging enormous wastage of funds. And so I'd quite like to know what that's all about. His problem may simply be that we focus on commercial radio. It may be that he wants other kinds of music funded that doesn't necessary appeal to commercial radio that much." Ms Wrightson says the agency's focus on commercial radio has worked, airtime of New Zealand music rising from two percent when it started to 20 percent now. She is happy to talk to Bartlett about his concerns. GOVT TO APPEAL DISABLED CARER DECISION -------------------------------------- The Government has confirmed it will appeal the ruling by the Human Rights Tribunal that those caring for severely disabled family members should be paid. Solicitor General David Collins says an appeal is in the public interest given the significant implications of the decision, including its likely fiscal impact. Until now, parents who care for their disabled adult child at home have not been allowed to receive payments for the work they do - even though a stranger who did the same thing would be paid. A group of nine families took the Ministry of Health to the Human Rights Review Tribunal arguing that they were being discriminated against. Earlier this month the tribunal agreed with them. Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan said the Government should begin payments immediately. (I find this decision repugnant. The fact that it is expensive or inexpedient is not a good reason not to do the right thing. If it were otherwise, no court case would ever succeed against a government. - BH) JOBLESS PEAK NOT YET REACHED ---------------------------- The number of people on the unemployment benefit rose by 13 percent last month, taking the total to 66,328 up from 58,541 in November. The rise comes as hundreds of people queue for a second day hoping to land a job at a new Countdown supermarket in South Auckland. Social Welfare Minister Paula Bennett says the jobless rise in December was expected with the usual end-of-year influx of job-seekers leaving secondary schools and tertiary institutions and competing for work. "Many employers also tend to not hire over the Christmas period, shutting down for the break, which further tightens the labour market." Ms Bennett says that while the economic outlook is improving, the peak in unemployment has not yet been reached and the number of people out of work is expected to rise further. She says this time last year 1,772 people come off the benefit. Last month that number more than doubled with 3,810 people getting off the benefit and into work. LOW PATRONAGE COULD DOUBLE TOLL ------------------------------- Tauranga motorists could face a doubling in the $1 toll on Route K as the current take falls well short of the revenue raising forecasts, with traffic volumes less than half of what was expected. Mayor Stuart Crosby says the toll road, which has debts of nearly $52 million, will be discussed at the council's first meeting of the year next week. "We've got to look at Route K, the tolling, the funding of it, the level of revenue and our long-term proposal to transfer that to the New Zealand Transport Agency. I think there'll be some discussion around that." Mr Crosby says if it does not become a state highway, Route K's debts could lead to a rates increase. SOME PSYCH PATIENTS NOT GETTING IMMEDIATE CARE ---------------------------------------------- The Mental Health Commission says too many psychiatric patients are not getting immediate care when it is urgently needed. A 40-year-old patient of the Henry Bennett Centre in Hamilton absconded on Tuesday. She is now charged with murdering Diane White at her home in the Hamilton suburb of Frankton. Before the attack, a neighbour had apparently phoned police and the psychiatric unit to warn them that she thought the woman was dangerous. Commission chairman, Peter McGeorge, says the exact details of the case are unclear but he understands the staff did everything they could in the circumstances. However, he says it is unacceptable if someone concerned about the mental health of a patient cannot get hold of authorities for help. "Too often we hear examples of people who have phoned into mental health services and have not been able to get the help they need because they don't meet the criteria or there is too much else going on. It doesn't happen in all cases, but it certainly happens in too many." Dr McGeorge believes a call centre with specially trained triage mental health workers should be available at all times. The Commission's website displays the details of who to contact in a situation where urgent psychiatric help is needed. JOB QUEUE SHOWS RECESSION ENDING A MYTH --------------------------------------- A South Auckland budget support group says it is no surprise that thousands of people are lining up to apply for jobs at supermarkets. Two thousand people turned up when Countdown supermarket called for applicants for 150 jobs at its new Manukau store. Darryl Evans, from Mangere Budgeting Services, says it highlights the fact that South Aucklanders are desperate for work. "The reality is there have been so many redundancies over the last 12 months that people are desperate to enter the workforce. This just shows that they're happy to enter the workforce at whatever level, even if it's supermarket level." Mr Evans says there has been a 64 percent increase over the past year in the number of people coming to his group for budget advice and food parcels. He says the notion that the recession is ending is a myth. FARMERS NOT LOOKING FOR MAGIC BULLET ------------------------------------ Northland farmers want to reassure the public they are not after a taxpayer-funded handout as the government declares the region a drought zone. Agriculture Minister David Carter is visiting Northland today and has offered farmers a relief package. His first stop is Alec Jack's beef farm south of Kerikeri. Mr Jack says farmers have been really struggling and he would like the minister to consider the human, animal and economic welfare of the dry conditions. However he says while the government's assistance will be well-received, farmers are not looking for a magic bullet. "The number one thing I guess, is that farmers are not looking for handouts. We're not looking for our fellow taxpayer to dig into their pockets and help us out. I think you'd find that most farmers would be very uncomfortable with that sort of scenario." The relief package includes access to certain tax breaks and to counselling to cope with the stress of the situation. Mr Carter is warning that even when Northland's pastures become green again, the impact of the drought will be very long lasting. He estimates it will take farmers three to four years to recover from the financial impact. SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian Harmer does NOT administer the mailing list. Please do not send subscription related messages to him. Instead, visit the website listed below, where you can make changes as required. If you want to send a personal message to Brian, change the country code to nz and send a message brian.harmer@vuw.ac.xx If you do choose to comment on something in these posts, please don't send the whole newsletter with your message. Just trim it back to the relevant bits. Thanks. Brian. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://wysiwygnews.com/archives/news/attachments/20100125/7be42332/attachment.html