subject: 13 July, 2003 ----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------- Copyright, Brian Harmer
Having arrived in the dark of a winter evening, I gained little or no first impression of Te Anau, and the low overcast weather next morning did little to rectify that situation. The motel we had chosen was reasonable enough, though after the delights of the Homestead in Dunedin, it would have been difficult to give it a fair trial. After the epic mileage of the previous day, Mary and I had agreed to abstain from travel on the Sunday, despite the comparatively calm day, and somewhat ominous forecasts for the rest of the week. Nevertheless towards the end of the day we did walk along the rather pleasant path around the Southern edge of the lake. As we walked through the late afternoon, light rain showers forced us to protect our cameras, though truth to tell, I think we were in more need ourselves, of protection from the chill. The path took us through light bush and occasional tussock around the lake shore over to the gates through which the lake flows out through the Waiau River on its way to Manapouri. Judging by the number of cars parked there, the weather was not deterring the hardy types out on the Keppler track. However, looking back across the lake, the lights of Te Anau township were warning us that we had ventured out late in the day, and return along the unlit path was achieved just before total darkness fell. Earlier that same morning, while walking around the town, Mary had found an office selling tickets for Doubtful Sound cruises, so we booked for Monday, notwithstanding those forecasts. Our booking was with the smaller of the two companies (see http://www.fiordland.org.nz/Activities/Cruise/Fiordland- Explorer-Charters.asp) who were offering a winter discount, so it seemed like a good deal. Next morning, around 9 am we were collected from our Motel in a clattery diesel van, with its heater fan roaring loudly but ineffectually against the pervasive winter chill, and squashed in with six or seven others wearing damp rain gear, we were driven the 30 or so kilometres to Manapouri township. There we boarded the boat for the trip across the lake of the same name. It was a smallish vessel, and for whatever reason all twelve paying customers elected to stay out of the main cabin, and under the shelter of the canopy at the stern. Even as the outboards ticked over to back us away from the wharf, the rain was falling fairly steadily, leaving an ever-changing pattern of concentric ripples on the otherwise flat calm and dark brown water. Once clear of the anchorage and out into the open lake, the two outboards came to life, and that boat just got up and flew! It was a narrow catamaran, and it left an arrow straight wake behind us as it skimmed the dark waters of the lake. As we travelled the rain varied in its intensity, sometimes allowing a view of the surrounding mountains, sometimes drawing the curtains. I am unsure if I am making a virtue of necessity, but the low clouds and mist provided a dramatic mood on the lake as various cliffs and peaks emerged and vanished as we passed. Given that Lake Manapouri was the smaller of the two legs of our journey, and given the speed at which the boat was travelling, it was surprising that it took forty minutes to cross to West Arm. Part way there, the vessel suddenly leaned to starboard as the skipper steered to cross the wake of the larger company's rather slower vessel ahead of us. Crashing back to surface of the lake, we resumed the original course, leaving the bigger boat far behind. As we went, the skipper kept up a moderately well informed commentary on the trees and geology of the region. He seemed though, to think that ratas were unique to the South Island (Metrosideros umbellata), and that the only comparable tree in the North was the Pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa). He seemed entirely unaware of the mighty Northern Rata (Metrosideros robusta) but the Cook Strait was very far to the North, marking the boundary to a foreign land, so perhaps he can be forgiven. Eventually, he throttled back on both the commentary and engines as we approached the visitor centre at West Arm, and the only noise was the hissing of the water under the decelerating hull. Once ashore, we milled about examining the various exhibits in the centre while our guide parked his boat and retrieved the bus for the trip to the power station and thereafter to Doubtful Sound. As the other company's boat was arriving with its fifty or so passengers, we boarded our bus in still drizzly conditions, and discovered another of the regional hazards as we drove off. The mountain parrots, Keas (Nestor notabilis), had picked out every shred of rubber sealing strip between various sections of the roof and from around the vents. As a consequence the bus was completely non-waterproof, and all of the soft cloth- covered foam seats in the bus were saturated. As we sat on them, they transferred a fair percentage of their burden to our trousers and lower anatomy. Furthermore, the motion of the bus tended to drive the still arriving water through the superstructure to run dripping along the ceiling and then drop so as to cause maximum discomfort. The only benefit the bus body actually afforded was shelter from the slipstream. Still, it was all an adventure, so with soggy bottoms and dripping upper works, we drove down into the spiral road that burrows for over 2km into the very bowels of the mountain. Caves and tunnels are not really my thing, but there has to be admiration for the engineering involved in the construction of this great enterprise. Edvard Hagerup Grieg would surely have such a place in mind when he wrote "In the Hall of the Mountain King". Deep beneath the surface, we paused in the generation hall. After looking down on the blue-painted tops of the line of generators, I was moved by the plaque to the memory of those killed on the project. We re-boarded our soggy chariot, and set off back up the spiral. Emerging into daylight, once more, our intrepid party set off with wipers slapping, up the surprisingly well made road across tumbling creeks, near feathery waterfalls and over the mist-shrouded Wilmott Pass and thence down to Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound. Another small boat, this time the eleven metre "Ocean Opal" was our next conveyance. This is one of those rather odd welded aluminium boats made in roughly the form of a "Zodiac", or hard-bottomed inflatable. It had a comfortable and spacious cabin, and since the weather outside was still somewhat moist, I chose to begin there, sitting alongside our versatile bus driver/skipper. That landed me with the job of periodically wiping the windscreen since the vessel had no demisters of her own. Though this boat has a planning hull capable of quite a turn of speed, the journey was conducted at a more modest speed than the trip across Lake Manapouri. This was useful in allowing us to see the Sound (despite the cloud), and probably saved us from injury since the sounds, though relatively sheltered are not as flat as the lake. For the next four hours we meandered around the various arms of this magnificent wilderness, looking at the myriad cascading waterfalls that emerge in wet weather. At one stage, the skipper parked the boat under one of the cascades. The water was falling from so far above is that it landed more as rain than as a torrent, but it was an interesting experience. It's hard to believe that in all that massive area, there are just three permanent waterfalls. On this day, we saw literally hundreds. My photographs of the trip don't really convey the splendour of the scenery, perhaps because the weather allowed us to see just bits of it at any one time. The rain stopped, though the clouds remained low and fragmented, and various high peaks drifted in and out of view like those wonderful misty Chinese ink paintings with receding layers of mountains. At one part of the journey we came out to the mouth of the Sound and experienced the steady heaving of metre high swells coming in from the Tasman. We cruised around several of the smaller islands and made the acquaintance of some New Zealand fur seals basking(!)in a very watery sunshine on the rocky ledges at the water's edge. Whether it was the clatter of the six or seven camera shutters at once, or perhaps that the boat was just too close, these sturdy characters just oozed off the rock and with scarcely a ripple, slithered into the water. The only further sign we saw of them after that was a slight disturbance on the otherwise calm water as the perfect shape kept us at a safe distance. A squadron of little blue penguins (Eudyptula minor) was seen near the shore at one stage, so we fell into formation with them. They swim surprisingly high out of the water, looking more like ducks than penguins. For the entire day, we saw just one other boat on the Sound, and it struck me just what danger you would be in, if you were to become lost out here. Literally thousands of square kilometres containing no other living soul. Of course that is also part of the magic of the place, to know that even when we were safely home in a warm dwelling for the night, all that grandeur is still out there. Eventually the day came to an end, and we returned to Deep Cove, where we rejoined our still wet bus for the return trip up over the Wilmott Pass. At the crest, we stopped for a look backward, and though it wasn't entirely clear, the clouds parted to the greatest extent we had seen all day and the whole expanse of Deep Cove was revealed. The trip from there back to West Arm and across the lake was something of an anticlimax, since night was now falling, and the trip back across the lake was rather like commuting home after an extraordinary day at the office. Regardless of the weather, I would commend a trip on Doubtful Sound to anyone. It will have a different aspect in bright weather but is no less spectacular even in the rain. Well, I didn't get as far as I planned in this episode, so the journey North through Queenstown and Okarito will be next. ----- Any text above this point, and all subsequent material in parentheses, and concluded with the initials "BH" is the personal opinion of Brian Harmer as editor of this newsletter, or occasionally "HH" will indicate an opinion from Helen. In all cases they are honest expressions of personal opinion, and are not presented as fact. Welcome back to the indefatigable Brian Dooley who resumes supplying the financial figures as he has done for almost the entire life of WYSIWYG. All news items (except where noted otherwise) are reproduced by kind permission of copyright owner, IRN Ltd. ---- On with the news Monday, 07 July ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CANNABIS OPERATIONS BUSTED IN TAUPO ------------------------------------ Taupo police have uncovered five elaborate cannabis- growing operations, based at homes between Taupo and Wairakei, in the past six weeks. The size of the operations ranges from 40 plants to the latest seizure of 463. Law Enforcement team spokesman Andrew McCullough estimates the value of the latest haul at about $370,000 dollars. There have also been numerous arrests relating to possession of cannabis, oil and smoking utensils. ATTEMPTS TO RESTORE POWER TO GISBORNE-WAIROA -------------------------------------------- Helicopters have been brought in to try to help linesmen restore power to a hundred or so homes in the Gisborne- Wairoa area blacked out during the weekend's snow storm. An Eastland Network spokesman says the choppers are ferrying up to 50 electricity workers into remote areas where snow is still affecting road access. He says they are hoping to get the power back on to most homes today, but some will have to wait until tomorrow. Most of the power outages are in the Matawai and Motu areas inland from Gisborne and around Raupunga near Wairoa. (Snow was sufficiently heavy to have collapsed the roof of at least one wool shed. Snow is not a normal characteristic of the East Cape region, even in winter. - BH) TYPE OF FUEL AVERTS DISASTER ---------------------------- The type of fuel spilled in Wellington Harbour after a fishing boat was struck by an interisland ferry has helped avert an environmental disaster. Huge holes were left in both sides of the San Domenico after the Aratere crushed it against the wharf on Saturday night. The incident resulted in the spillage of 31,000 litres of diesel into the harbour, but it is gradually evaporating. Harbourmaster Mike Pryce says the problem would have been far worse if it had involved heavy black oil. (The Aratere was berthing at the time, in strong winds. An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the accident, but the fact that the ship was back in service the next day tends to preclude mechanical failure as a likely cause - BH) CONCERN AT INCREASE IN PRODUCT RECALLS -------------------------------------- Food producers are being called on to sharpen up their act. The country's biggest supermarket chain that operates Woolworths, Foodtown and Countdown is concerned by the high number of product recalls. Already this year around 130 products have been recalled or withdrawn. That is a 400 percent increase on 10 years ago. Progressive Enterprises merchandise manager Mark Brosnan says many of these recalls are a result of simple mistakes that should have been avoided. He says industry needs to improve its attention to detail and get things right first time. MIXED BLESSING FOR NORTH ISLAND SKIFIELDS ----------------------------------------- The weekend snow storm has been a mixed blessing for the North island skifields. Both Turoa and Whakapapa received more than 40cm of snow, with more snow forecast for tomorrow and Thursday. The extra cold temperatures were also excellent for snowmaking. Mount Ruapehu Marketing Manager Mike Smith says the snow brought by the blast of freezing weather was more spectacular than helpful. He says he is hoping to be able to open the upper mountain later this week, if the snow and snowmaking conditions continue. NZ PERSONNEL HEADING TO AFGHANISTAN ----------------------------------- Around 100 New Zealand defence force staff are due to leave on a 12-month mission to Afghanistan. The personnel will form a provincial reconstruction team based in Bamian. Defence Minister Mark Burton says the New Zealand-led PRT will focus on enhancing security and promoting reconstruction efforts. He says the team will take over an already established mission and will receive logistic support from the coalition forces in Afghanistan. The mission will cost around $26 million. STUDENTS GETTING 'RUBBISH' QUALIFICATIONS ----------------------------------------- An education advocacy group fears New Zealand will be left with an Ivy League secondary school structure. It follows news Cambridge High School granted some Level One NCEA credits for students who collected rubbish. The Quality Public Education Coalition believes that will undermine the qualification and backfire on students at schools in lower income communities. It says employers and tertiary institutions will start to look at schools attended rather than qualifications earned. QPEC says it could be assumed students from lower socio-economic schools received Level One from answering the phone, picking up litter or starting a chainsaw. But it says the opposite would be assumed with those from a school in a higher income community. MADGE LOSES CASE OVER GE ------------------------ Mothers Against Genetic Engineering says a High Court ruling confirms the law is inadequate when it comes to protecting New Zealand's environmental and economic interests. MAdGE has argued the final two stages of experimentation on genetically modified cows at Ruakara were not a "development", but a field test. The High Court has ruled MAdGE's concerns are justified, but Justice Potter could not find fault with the legal process for approving genetic testing and ruled in favour of the Environmental Risk Management Authority. MAdGE spokeswoman Kate Wood says New Zealanders have been let down by the law. Tuesday, 08 July ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AUCKLAND PROPERTY PRICES JUMP AGAIN ----------------------------------- A shortage of good quality listings caused a jump in Auckland property prices for June, according to real estate agency Barfoot and Thompson. Sales figures show the price of the average Auckland house rose by more than $15,000 dollars last month, to around $370,000. Director Peter Thompson says the market is being shaped by two opposing forces - continuing buyer demand and a shortage of quality listings. He says their listings have not been this low since the winter of 1996. TRIBUTES FLOW FOR 'BUCKET MAN' ------------------------------ Hundreds of Wellingtonians, including the city's mayor, have turned out to pay their respects to a local transient. Sixty-one-year-old Bob Jones died on the streets during a storm one week ago, as a result of ill- health. Dubbed "Bucket Man", Bob was a well-known face on the streets of Wellington for about 20 years. A couple of hundred people attended the service, including his mother and sister. He was described as a gentle man who stubbornly refused all offers of help despite worsening health. (At the same time that various politicians uttered pious platitudes about the late Mr Jones - who is not related to Sir Robert Jones - city councils in Wellington and Auckland were exploring legislation to allow them to move the homeless on from where they offend the sensibilities of the affluent. - BH) CYF ISSUES WARNING TO PARENTS ----------------------------- Parents are being told they face a fine if they are caught leaving under-14-year-olds home alone during the holidays. Child Youth and Family says the maximum penalty for leaving a child unattended is $1,000. Chief social worker Shannon Pakura says parents are responsible for ensuring their children are supervised by a responsible adult. She says keeping children safe becomes an issue during the school holidays. POSSIBLE STUDENT LOAN SHAKE-UP ------------------------------ A shake-up of the student loans scheme could be on the cards. The Government has briefed student leaders on possible changes to the student loans and allowances regime. It is understood the annual interest rate on student loans could be cut from seven to three percent. But Education Review editor John Gerritson says the zero interest rate for people still studying would be axed. And he understands the interest write-off for people on very low incomes would end. John Gerritson says another possibility is cancelling loan balances after 20 years. He says there is also been talk about a savings scheme to help families pay for tertiary education. CURRY ROW CAUSES MOTEL STINK ---------------------------- A Morrinsville motelier is denying she is racist. An Auckland family says it was told it would not be welcome at the Morrinsville Motel for fears they would cook curries, leaving a bad stench. Partha Roychoudhury believes the motelier made an assumption based on a racial prejudice against Indians. The motelier says there is another side to the story but she refused to elaborate. She says the staff member who dealt with the family is extremely upset. Meanwhile, Motel Association Chief Executive Theo Simeonidis says this incident is embarrassing for all parties concerned. He says the association is always keen to ensure no misunderstandings arise when dealing with customers. (The staff member is upset? Oh dear! What a shame! I wonder Mr Roychoudhury felt? I have stayed in a motel which had signs prohibiting the cooking of strong smelling foods, but that's a different thing from turning away someone because he is Indian and therefore "might" cook curries. - BH) ROADS OPEN AGAIN - FOR NOW ------------------------- The Napier-Taihape road (State Highway 5) has reopened, but road authorities warn extreme care is needed due to icy conditions. It is also thawing out on the Central Plateau where the Desert Road on State Highway 1 has reopened, however it is not expected to remain open for long as the MetService predicts temperatures will plummet again tonight. Motorists are being advised to take extreme care. FAMILY WANTS MENINGITIS DEATH PROBE ------------------------------------ An independent investigation is being sought into the death of a young Wellington woman from meningitis. Nileema Sharan was misdiagnosed as having a strained neck at a private medical centre. She had earlier waited for more than three hours without being seen at Wellington Hospital. The 25-year-old died at home later the same day. Her mother Radhika Mani says the medical centre has apologised but she is still not satisfied. She is writing to the Health and Disability Commissioner to ask that a full independent investigation be carried out. (The media and various people who see the world in stark black and white terms have been quick to criticise the A&E departments around the country for episodes such as this. The unpalatable facts are that this is a strain of meningococcal disease for which there is, as yet, no vaccine. Further, it is a very difficult disease to diagnose, and is sometimes hard to distinguish from other winter ailments. Thirdly, its progress is sometimes extremely rapid. Bringing all those factors into an overcrowded and understaffed emergency room, where the harried staff must judge priorities among wildly different threats to life must surely be a fertile ground for mistakes. The avoidable loss of a loved one is a monumental tragedy for the family and friends, but it is wrong to leap to judgement and accuse the medical staff of culpable negligence. Humans under enormous pressure are bound to make errors of judgement from time to time. Life is a risk - BH) WHOOPING COUGH HITS HAWKE'S BAY ------------------------------- Babies as young as two weeks old are being hospitalised, as an outbreak of whooping cough spreads across Hawke's Bay. Eleven new cases have been notified this month, bringing the total for the year to 21, compared with 17 for the whole of last year. Hawke's Bay District Health Board Community paediatrician, Dr Russell Wills, believes the board is only seeing the tip of the iceberg as only a small proportion of cases are notified. Dr Wills says young babies are at the highest risk of contracting the very infectious disease and some with the disease simply stop breathing. The first symptoms of whooping cough are similar to those of a common cold, but after a few weeks coughing occurs in spells that can last more than a minute. Children often gasp for air with a characteristic "whooping" sound. In severe cases, they can turn blue in the face or vomit. Infants may stop breathing for a few seconds. The infection is more likely to be misdiagnosed in adults and adolescents, as symptoms are milder. SEARCH FOR MISSING NELSON MAN ----------------------------- Search teams assisted by a helicopter are scouring an area south of Nelson for a man missing since Tuesday morning. The 41-year-old set off for a run around 7am and did not return home. Inspector Hugh Flower says police spent the morning checking roads in the Brightwater area and the search was scaled up this afternoon. He says there is growing concern for the man's wellbeing as he was only lightly clad when he set off from home and is not equipped for a night in the cold. ERMA WELCOMES GE RULING ----------------------- The Environmental Risk Management Authority is welcoming a High Court ruling on its genetic experimentation. The lobby group Mothers Against Genetic Engineering has been arguing that ERMA's GE tests on cows crossed the line from development to field test. The High Court has found that MAdGE's concerns are justified, but it could not find faults with the legal processes of approval for ERMA's test. ERMA boss Baz Walker says the Authority strives to make careful, robust decisions. He plans to thoroughly examine the ruling to see what can be learned from it. (I understand that MAdGE is contemplating further appeals. Should there be the need to post a bond against which costs could be levied if they lose yet again? - BH) ETHICS OF 'DESIGNER BABIES' CONSIDERED -------------------------------------- A medical ethics committee is to consider guidelines for pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. It follows a request from Auckland-based Fertility Associates to the committee on assisted human reproduction. The company wants to use the technique to select embryos without medical defects for in vitro fertilisation. Ethics committee chairwoman Professor Sylvia Rumball says the Minister of Health has asked it to draw up guidelines. She says it raises questions of how far scientists should go in selecting embryos. In some countries, the technique can be used to select the child's sex, and it is also possible to select characteristics such as hair colour. FREE PLUNKET SERVICES NOT AFFECTED ---------------------------------- There are assurances from Plunket that any user pays charges will not affect the free services it currently provides. The organisation is investigating the possibility of charging mothers who want extra services. Chief Executive Paul Baigent says Plunket nurses report many of their clients actually offer to pay for extra services. He says one way of doing that might be to request significant donations from those who can afford it. Mr Baigent says that would mean more services could be made free to those who cannot pay. DOLLAR'S SURGE CONTINUES ------------------------ Overnight trading has pushed the dollar back over the 60 US cent mark, with the kiwi buying 60.09 US cents in early Tuesday trading. The New Zealand currency has not seen such levels for more than five years. Business correspondent Roger Kerr says two factors are behind the dollar's strength. Foreign exchange investors are chasing New Zealand's higher interest rates, and are also favouring commodity-based currencies. Mr Kerr says it could be argued the Reserve Bank should have cut interest rates by half a percent last month rather than by a quarter of a percent. (Needless to say, several cheques in support of the cost of this Newsletter were banked on this day :-( - BH) CHCH HOSPITAL FACING FINANCIAL CHALLENGE ---------------------------------------- Some serious challenges lie ahead for Christchurch Hospital as it seeks to turn around an $11.6 million dollar on its operating expenditure. The costs of blood products, palliative care, staffing and treatment, plus unrealised efficiency projects are being blamed by the DHB for the poor figures. However, it is aiming to make $8 million savings to combat the problem. A DHB report says adjusting clinical service levels, administrative savings, reducing patient stays, and reducing annual leave balances have all been targeted as savings options. Report author Jim Magee says great effort has been demonstrated but it has not come in time to turn around this year's financial results. It is expected to take effect in the next financial year. Wednesday, 09 July ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GM CONTAMINATION REMAINS A MYSTERY ---------------------------------- The Agriculture Ministry says exactly how a crop of Gisborne corn became contaminated with a genetically modified organism may never be known. The corn is contaminated with less than 0.05 percent of Bt11, a GM corn variety approved by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. MAF is now trying to establish whether there is any difference between the four sweet corn fields in question, in the hopes of determining at what stage the contamination happened. However, spokesman Brett Sangster says because the level of contamination was so low, it may not be possible to establish how it happened. ARRESTS AFTER BAY OF PLENTY SHOOT-OUT ------------------------------------- Five Black Power members have been arrested in connection with the gun battle in eastern Bay of Plenty. Up to 20 members of the rival Black Power and Mongrel Mob gangs were involved in yesterday's fight at the settlement of Taneatua. Sergeant Neil Peterson says the five gang members were found after breaking into a building near the scene of the shooting. They are facing trespass charges at this stage. Three Black Power members were treated for gunshot wounds at Whakatane Hospital. Two are due to be released today but one suffering from more serious injuries remains in hospital in a comfortable condition. Sergeant Peterson says the two gangs have so far been uncooperative. He says police do not know the specific reason for the clash but says there is always ongoing tension between gangs. He says while shot guns were involved, police do not have specific information on other types of weapons that may have been used. Forty police officers are working on the case. A road block is in place at the entrance of the Ruatoki Valley. Police will also be monitoring the gangs over the coming days. MURDER VICTIM'S NAME RELEASED ----------------------------- Police have released the name of the 45-year-old man found dead on a Whangarei footpath last night as Shane Rongopai Hoani. A police homicide inquiry was launched after the discovery of the body. A 27-year-old sickness beneficiary has been arrested. He appeared in court today charged with assault and has been remanded in custody under Section 121 of the Mental Health Act charged with assault. He has been granted interim name suppression until his next appearance on July 23. Police say more charges are likely. UNGA GUILTY OF PARTNER'S MURDER ------------------------------- A Gisborne man has been found guilty of the murder of his de facto partner. Patric Unga was convicted of murdering Jessica Pardoe, whose body was found in a flat in the town in December. Ms Pardoe had been beaten about the head with an iron dumb bell. Unga will be sentenced in the High Court in Gisborne on Friday. MENINGITIS KILLS AUCKLAND TEEN ------------------------------ A 15-year-old girl has died in Auckland Hospital of meningococcal disease. Chief Medical Officer David Sage says staff were unable to save her life despite four hours of sustained and determined medical intervention. The girl was brought to hospital by ambulance in the early hours of the morning. She had been seen at 3pm yesterday afternoon at the Western White Cross facility in Henderson. Her family says she had been assessed for the possibility of meningitis, but no evidence was found at that time and she went home. TOLL OFFER TO BE REASSESSED --------------------------- Tranz Rail is asking shareholders to ignore the information it sent to them on Monday. Chairman Wayne Walden says the assessment of Toll Holding's offer is out of date. It has been overtaken by the renewed takeover offer from Toll based on the agreement it has forged with the Government. Under that agreement, the Government will buy back and upgrade the tracks while Toll operates the trains. Mr Walden says that means an entirely new takeover offer and Tranz Rail is again seeking an independent assessment of it. INQUEST COULD BE USEFUL SAYS ASSN --------------------------------- The Police Association believes a resumption of an inquest into Steven Wallace's death could end up being useful. Hamilton Coroner Gordon Matenga has decided to reopen the case into the April 2000 killing in Waitara. Mr Wallace was shot dead by Constable Keith Abbott during a confrontation after Mr Wallace had embarked on a window-smashing spree in the Taranaki town. After a depositions hearing which lasted more than four weeks, two JPs ruled that there was insufficient evidence to proceed in the case against Constable Abbott. However, Chief Justice Sian Elias later overturned that decision and a civil prosecution, brought by Mr Wallace's family, went to the High Court at the end of the last year for a jury to decide whether or not Constable Abbott was guilty of murder. The officer was acquitted last December after the jury deliberated for three hours. Now the Hamilton Coroner has announced he will look into police policy for dealing with violent offenders and at the first aid given to the Waitara man immediately after he was shot. Police Association President Greg O'Connor says public concerns were addressed in last year's trial and much of this inquest will be going over old ground. He says if, however, there are issues to be improved then maybe it is not such a bad thing. He also says he is relieved Constable Keith Abbott will be spared from giving evidence at the inquest. JURY OUT IN WATERHOUSE CASE --------------------------- The jury is considering its verdict in the trial of a Huntly man accused of killing his young foster son. Forty-year-old Michael Waterhouse is charged with murdering three year old Tamati Pokaia. Waterhouse admits punching the child in the stomach as punishment for lying about a bag of popcorn. The judge summed up the case this morning. The defence argues Waterhouse was just trying to punish the child, but the Crown claims it is obvious he had murderous intent. It says Waterhouse admitted that he 'lost the plot', went into a rage and assaulted the three-year-old causing massive internal injuries. NZ PEACEKEEPERS RETURN ---------------------- Fifteen New Zealand Defence Force personnel have returned from peacekeeping duties in Bougainville. The unarmed Bougainville Monitoring Mission ended on 30 June, after nearly six years of operations. The men and women touched down at Ohakea Air Base on Wednesday afternoon after six months in the troubled Pacific island, and friends and family were there to greet them. A small number of personnel who are still in Bougainville will return to New Zealand in August. SALMONELLA SURPRISE FOR LAMB THIEVES ------------------------------------ Someone who recently stole some lambs from a Canterbury farm may end up getting more than the Sunday roast they bargained for. Late last month two lambs were taken from a Dunsandel farm just out of Christchurch - but the thieves would not have known that they had just been vaccinated with a salmonella immunisation injection which remains active for several weeks. Leeston Police Constable Chris Jones warns that the offenders may have bitten off more than they can chew. Constable Jones says he is not so much worried about the thieves themselves, but the unsuspecting people the meat will have been given to. He says Salmonella is a notifiable disease, so if the thieves come down with a tummy-bug it will be just the evidence the police need. HOMELESS BYLAW NO SOLUTION -------------------------- Auckland's City Missioner says a proposed bylaw to ban the homeless from sleeping outside will do nothing to ease the problem. Wellington City Council is drafting a bylaw that would outlaw camping and sleeping outside in public places. Diane Robertson says forcing homeless people from parks and streets casts the problem as a visibility issue, not a social concern. She says that if they are moved from one park, homeless people will simply set up in another. Ms Robertson says it would be better to examine why homelessness happens in the first place. WORST OF BRITOMART DELAYS OVER ------------------------------ Tranz Rail's asking for patience from Aucklanders travelling through the new Britomart train station. Teething problems with the new signalling system are causing occasional delays - some have been up to an hour. Tranz Rail spokeswoman Sue Foley says the company acknowledges the situation is frustrating and apologises to commuters. Ms Foley says teething problems are to be expected with any major new transport operation, and the company has been working hard to fix the problems. She believes the worst is over. AUCKLAND HIT BY INFLUENZA ------------------------- Influenza is sweeping through the City of Sails. Weekly figures from Auckland Regional Public Health Service show the rate of influenza has been on the rise over the past few weeks. Dr Lester Calder says current levels are now as high as they have been in the past four winters, and is higher this year than it was at the same time last year. He says South Auckland has been hit particularly hard, with more than 400 cases per 100,000 patients in the last week. North and West Auckland are reporting between 200 and 300 cases per 100,000, while central Auckland is reporting around 100 cases. Dr Calder says the window for getting free flu vaccines has closed, but people should seriously consider getting immunised against the virus. COUNCIL ACTIONS OVER DEAD DOG 'APPALLING' ----------------------------------------- A animal protection group is calling for a change in Porirua City Council's policy after a family pet was discarded at a rubbish tip before the owner had a chance to claim the body. Jason the Kelpie, well-known in Titahi Bay for protecting his owner Lisa Toa from a herd of angry cattle, was killed after being hit by a vehicle on Monday and brought into the council's animal control unit by a truck driver. Jason's body was brought in at 8am but by the time Ms Toa called in the afternoon, he had been thrown into a landfill. Vivienne Gordon, from the Animal SOS Trust that homed Jason in the first place, says the council needs to give animal owners at least 24 hours to claim their pet. Ms Gordon says Ms Toa still does not have Jason's body and he will be denied his basic right to a decent burial. (A reality check is needed here. The animal did not have a current licence tag, and thus there was no way to contact a registered owner. The carcass of an animal hit by a motor vehicle is likely to pose a health risk, and should be disposed of expeditiously. If the owner can be traced, well and good. If not, then it seems the council did exactly the right thing. - BH) Thursday, 10 July ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UPHILL BATTLE IN GANG INVESTIGATION ----------------------------------- An expert in gang culture believes police face an uphill battle in bringing anyone involved in the Taneatua shoot- out to justice. Several carloads of rival Black Power and Mongrel Mob gang members took part in Tuesday's gunfight near the eastern Bay of Plenty town. Members of the public fled for the lives after getting caught up in the incident. An armed cordon remains in force at the eastern Bay of Plenty town. Canterbury University Sociologist Greg Newbold says police will need substantial independent witness reports or scientific evidence to be in a position to press charges. He says there is no way gang members will 'squeal' to police even if it is against a rival gang. Sergeant Neil Peterson says gang members are being typically unreliable in giving evidence, saying their version of events is constantly changing. However, he says police are making progress, with enough independent witness reports and scientific evidence to build up a good picture. BELLS INVESTIGATED AFTER TRAIN CRASH ------------------------------------ Tranz Rail is investigating claims that warning bells at a fatal level crossing were faulty. A train ploughed into a car at the crossing at Eltham in Taranaki yesterday. The car's driver was killed, and turned out to be the train driver's partner. Tranz Rail says it is aware of reports the warning bells were often set off by shunting further down the line. It is understood many residents knew about the problem and would often drive over the crossing regardless of the bells. But a Tranz Rail spokeswoman says she has not heard of any complaints from locals on this matter. The train driver has been stood down from duty and is receiving counselling. DISPENSING REGIME UPSETS PHARMACISTS ------------------------------------ Pharmac has decided to adopt the controversial three- month dispensing regime. From October, patients will get a three-month supply of medication when they visit their pharmacist. This will apply for 71 percent of prescriptions. The move is likely to raise the ire of pharmacists, who will miss out on two month's worth of dispensing fees. Pharmac says their decision will put back $132 million back into the District Health Board coffers over the next five years. But Pharmacists are furious that Pharmac has opted for three month dispensing. Pharmacists say their incomes will be slashed, on average, by $60,000 a year. Pharmacy Guild President Richard Heslop says it will put many of their members out of business, as some have debt levels which will become impossible to manage. But Pharmac Chief Executive Wayne McNee says pharmacists will benefit from having their workload lessened. He says a lot of the issues raised by Pharmacists have been taken on board, including the impact on patients and any risks around the original proposal. Wayne McNee says prescribers will have flexibility to determine if patients need to have medication dispensed more regularly. Pharmacists says they are worried for the safety of patients who will carry large quantities of drugs. But Pharmac Chief Executive Wayne McNee says dangerous drugs are not among the 71 percent of prescriptions catered for in this policy. (Since I am on two different long term medications I welcome the legislation, since it cuts my dispensing charges by two thirds. On the other hand, I understand that small rural pharmacies my well be hit hard by the drop in revenue. - BH) FIELD TEST FOR GM ONIONS ------------------------ The public is likely to some say on a new Crop and Food Research application to field test genetically modified onions. The Crown Research Institute has applied for permission from the Environmental Risk Management Authority. ERMA Chief Executive Baz Walker says it is the first application for a field trial in about three years. He says the application has been lodged and has to go through due process, which will include the public being given a chance to see it and make comments on it. The GM onions will have a herbicide-resistant gene, and if approved, will be planted on land managed by Crop and Food around Lincoln. ERMA is calling for public submissions, with a deadline of August 20. Any hearing into the application is likely to be held in September or October. ANGRY DRIVER WIELDS MACHETE --------------------------- Police are investigating a case of road rage in Wellington, involving a machete. The incident happened after a man driving a white van and towing another vehicle was overtaken on double yellow lines in Newtown. Both vehicles had to stop a short time later at traffic lights. Police say the driver of the overtaking car got out and began waving a large, rusty machete. After a short struggle, the machete was taken off him and he drove off. He is described as a Caucasian, aged 35 to 45 and of solid build. DRUG 'ALTERNATIVES' CONCERN POLICE ---------------------------------- Wellington Police say they are concerned about the sale of a range of pills billed as offering an alternative to the hard drug high of the dance party scene. The manager of one of Wellington's CityStop convenience stores has defended his sale of the pills saying he has put an R18 restriction on them and staff are instructed to point out side-effects to purchasers. However Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Berry from the Organised Crime Unit says he is concerned about the pills, given the problems experienced locally with methamphetamine. He says the sale of the alternatives sends mixed messages about drugs to young people. COUNCIL DENIES SLUM CLAIM ------------------------- Auckland City Council is rejecting claims it wants to turn a park into high-rise slums. Housing activists say the city's redevelopment plan for Talbot Park in Glen Innes is a recipe for crime-ridden ghettoes. Council Environmental Planning spokeswoman Penny Pirrit says zoning laws in that area mean buildings must not be higher than three storeys. She says the rules ensure visual and acoustic privacy, noise controls and take aesthetics into account. Penny Pirrit says urban design controls have been integrated into the development. HUNG JURY IN WATERHOUSE CASE ---------------------------- The jury was unable to reach a verdict in the trial of a Huntly man charged with murdering his three-year-old foster son. Michael Waterhouse is charged with killing Tamiti Pokaia in April last year. The jury was unable to reach a verdict in the trial of a Huntly man charged with murdering his three-year-old foster son. Michael Waterhouse is charged with killing Tamiti Pokaia in April last year. Jurors had to decide if Waterhouse had murderous intent when he punched the child in the stomach. The defence argued that it was a case of manslaughter rather than murder. A jury in the High Court at Hamilton deliberated for nine-and-a-half hours before being discharged by the judge late last night. Justice Nicholson said there was no realistic prospect of the jury reaching a unanimous verdict. A date for a retrial will be set on July 24. SECURITY GUARD SLAMS POLICE RESPONSE ------------------------------------ Auckland police have confirmed they received repeated calls from a security guard chasing a stolen car last night. They also confirm the car drove along a footpath in Ponsonby Road and another log reports the robbery of an Avondale service station. The security guard is furious he was told there were no police cars available to help as he followed the speeding car for 22 minutes last night. He phoned Newstalk ZB while the incident was underway and spoke to on-air host Willie Lose about what was happening. The guard says he was still being told there were no police available even as they sped past a police booze bus. The stolen car and its five occupants have still not been apprehended. Auckland police spokesman Superintendent John Lyall told Newstalk ZB's Tim Dower programme that two units were pulled from other incidents in order to deal with the chase. However, he says a moving offender is very difficult to catch up with, particularly when they are driving at high speed down a motorway, because of dangers to other road users. He says with the offenders reportedly speeding at 175kmh it would have been touch and go whether the police continued the chase. Superintendent Lyall says police were very busy that night, but he could not comment on whether officers should be pulled off other operations - such as booze buses - to deal with what he termed an 'incident spike'. He says a lot of inquiry work has been carried out by police at Avondale, where security video footage of the offenders has been viewed. He says the security guard is also to be interviewed again. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Police Minister George Hawkins says the Minister would be concerned if the security guard's complaints proved to be correct. She says while the man's first port of call should be Auckland police, he would be welcome to express his concerns in writing to the Minister. George Hawkins is currently overseas. ST JOHN MAY CHANGE SIREN PROTOCOLS ---------------------------------- St John says its protocol regarding ambulance sirens may well be revised following a pedestrian death. A Northland man was killed when an ambulance struck him while racing to an emergency call-out. In keeping with procedure, the vehicle's flashing lights were on, but the siren was not activated. St John Northland manager Donna Austin says it appears the man was walking in the traffic lane. She says at this stage, no procedures appear to have been breached but she says investigation results may led to a review of siren policy. ECONOMY ATTRACTIVE TO TOUR OPERATORS ------------------------------------ Cruise company P&O says the healthy New Zealand economy is a definite attraction for tour operators in the Pacific region. P&O has added a third ship, the Jubilee, to its Australasian fleet. The Jubilee, from the US-based Carnival fleet, will join the Pacific Sky and Pacific Princess to offer South Pacific cruises. One of the company's flagship vessels, the Star Princess, will also do a summer season around New Zealand. P&O spokesman Gavin Smith says stable economic and political conditions in New Zealand are helping travel industry growth. The strengthening kiwi dollar and interest rate levels are also factors. He says New Zealand remains one of the world's most popular destinations and the company expects to more than double the number of New Zealanders sailing the Pacific to 10,000 annually. The Jubilee, which will be the largest cruise ship to be based in Australasia, will be renamed and will undergo a multi-million dollar refit before commencing cruises from Australasia in October 2004. The 47,262-ton vessel can carry 1,900 passengers. TRIAL DATE SET FOR BLACKADDER CASE ---------------------------------- A trial date has been set for the father of former All Black captain Todd Blackadder who has entered not guilty pleas to charges arising from a domestic dispute in Christchurch earlier this year. Fifty-five-year-old Ross Thomas Blackadder was originally charged with assaulting Geoffrey Hern in March. He has since been charged with threatening to kill and assaulting a female after a complaint made by his wife. The trial is scheduled to take place in November. Friday, 11 July ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHARGES OVER FINANCIAL DISCREPANCIES ------------------------------------ A man has appeared in the Christchurch District Court on six charges relating to financial discrepancies in the accounts of the Air New Zealand Staff Welfare Society. Ken Smythe has been remanded on bail pending further police inquiries. He is a former member of Air New Zealand's staff in Christchurch and an officer of the welfare society. Discrepancies in the accounts came to light during a recent audit and police were called in. Society chairman John Mounce says discrepancies in the accounts go back several years. He says the society is entirely separate from Air New Zealand. COUNCIL TO MEET OVER CITY'S HOMELESS ------------------------------------ Wellington's mayor hopes a meeting next week will come up with ways of dealing with the capital's homeless. The council has been working on a bylaw for the last nine months to deal with problems of vagrants, including substance and alcohol abusers. It has nothing to do with the death on the streets of the 'bucket man' Robert Jones, a familiar personality to many Wellingtonians. The 61-year-old lived rough on Tinakori Hill and died near his bush campsite close to the intersection of Grant and Park streets earlier this month. Kerry Prendergast says the council does not want a solution that penalises a lot more people than just the few problem cases. She says it is a small problem, replicated in all cities, but one the council wants to work on with other agencies. The project involves the city council, police, and a number of social agencies and Ms Prendergast says the council wants them to work together to deal with what she sees as a shared problem. (I believe that the council backed away from their plans after it became apparent that they were not in tune with the city's thinking - BH) DIFFICULTIES OF MENINGITIS ACKNOWLEDGED --------------------------------------- The Health Ministry is defending doctors having difficulty recognising the symptoms of meningococcal disease. Four people have died from the illness in the past fortnight. At least two of those visited a doctor with flu-like symptoms and were sent home. Director- General of Public Health Colin Tukuitonga says it is virtually impossible to tell the difference between the poisoning of the blood which happens in the early stages of the disease and the flu. He says even the best-trained medical professionals are going to miss the odd case. WINTER POWER TASKFORCE DISBANDS ------------------------------- In proof that the power crisis is truly over, the Winter Power Taskforce is no more. The body formed in late March and headed by Dr Patrick Strange has been disbanded. Dr Strange is praising the public response to the Taskforce's 10 percent savings campaign. He says that, coupled with timely rain and improved thermal fuel stocks, means the possibility of power shortages this winter is extremely small. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING DAY CELEBRATED --------------------------------- Too busy to read to this news story? Well perhaps it is time to slow down. Today is Absolutely Nothing Day. People are being encouraged to take 15 minutes out of their day to relax and give their minds a break. Mental Health Foundation chief executive Alison Taylor says if possible take longer, but a quarter of an hour is most likely to be seen as reasonable by bosses. She says it is long enough to put one's mind at ease and do something relaxing. CANCER NEEDS SHOWN IN MORTALITY STUDY ------------------------------------- The Cancer Society is renewing its call for a cancer control programme. The report carried out by the Ministry of Health, Otago and Victoria universities, shows European New Zealanders live longer and are in better health than Maori and Pacific Islanders. Dr Peter Dady says it is disturbing to see rates of some cancers skyrocketing among non-European groups. He believes lifestyle issues such as poor diet and smoking are part of the reason. He says Maori women smoke more than Pakeha and Pacific Islanders, which explains why their lung cancer rate is five times greater than female Europeans. Dr Dady believes link between obesity and cancer may also explain high rates of bowel cancer. The Cancer Society believes the study highlights the need for a national screening programme that is reliable, affordable and easy to access. MAN RELEASED ON ASSAULT CHARGE ------------------------------ A man accused of hitting a work mate in the head with the butt of a rifle has been released. Police were called to a farm on the Wairarapa Coast on Thursday morning, after reports a man had fired a .22 rifle during a dispute. The Armed Offenders Squad cordoned off the area, but the man gave himself up after allegedly stashing the gun. Police say the man has been charged with assault using a weapon, but has not yet been charged with firing the gun. The man will appear in the Masterton District Court on Wednesday. WOMAN FALLS FROM APARTMENT BALCONY ---------------------------------- Police are investigating how a woman fell from an apartment building on the Auckland waterfront. Officers were called by ambulance staff to the apartment complex on Princes Wharf, where the woman had fallen from a balcony late last night. She has been taken to Auckland Hospital with serious injuries. RADIOTHERAPY BREAKTHROUGH WITH BREAST CANCER -------------------------------------------- A breast cancer trial has revealed radiotherapy can stop the recurrence of pre-cancer cells. The trial, involving 1700 women from New Zealand, Australia and the UK, focuses on ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS. It is a pre- cancerous cell, and if extensive can warrant a mastectomy. DCIS is the most common type of non-invasive breast cancer in women, and accounts for nearly 25 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses. Roughly 20 to 30 percent of breast cancers detected by mammography are carcinoma in situ. With DCIS, the cancer cells are confined to milk ducts in the breast and have not spread into the fatty breast tissue or to any other part of the body (such as the lymph nodes). In the trial, radiotherapy prevented a recurrence of DCIS by 60 percent. Breast Cancer Foundation spokeswoman Belinda Scott says until now, many doctors have been reluctant to use radiotherapy. She says the treatment is prolonged, tiring and causes skin irritations on the breast, but Dr Scott hopes specialists will now see the benefits. THE FINANCIAL PAGE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Date: 10 July 2003 Brian Dooley Wellington New Zealand CURRENCIES ~~~~~~~~~~ The currency codes given below conform to ISO 4217, which can be found at http://www.xe.net/currency/iso_4217.htm. The rates given are for telegraphic transfer. To Buy NZD 1.00 USD 0.5942 AUD 0.9006 GBP 0.3629 JPY 70.17 CAD 0.8117 EUR 0.5248 HKD 4.6456 SGD 1.0404 ZAR 4.5511 CHF 0.8110 INTEREST RATES (%) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Call : 5.25 90 Day: 5.14 HOW TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian Harmer does NOT administer the mailing list. Please do not send subscription related messages to him. 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