news
Sun, 10 Oct 2004 15:05:09 -0700
subject: 10 October, 2004
----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------
Copyright, Brian Harmer
With our (then) young family, before Helen was born, we
moved to our home on the Western Hills of Lower Hutt in
1980. Throughout all the long intervening period, with
all its highs and lows, one constant feature of the
landscape to the South has been the sweeping curve of the
Hutt River from the Ewen Bridge, to the Moera railway
bridge, and beyond to the estuary. Until now the only
significant change in our view has been the creation of
the marina at Point Howard. Even that is visible only in
terms of the small forest of masts just outside the line
of the fuel depot. I suppose there has also been some
increase in the density of housing on the Eastern Hills
and above Point Howard itself. Willow trees have always
lined the river's banks on either side, stark brown and
bare in winter, glorious green gold as the spring sap
rises, leafy green during summer, and home to thousands
of small birds most of the time. During the periodic
floods, their tops were the only depiction of the true
curve of the river in the great expanse of brown silt-
laden water spreading from one stop bank to the other.
Suddenly, all is changed. The willows have gone, sawn
down, cut up, crushed and mangled under the pitiless
steel treads of heavy crawler tractors. Disposed of,
gone! Thirty ton diggers now wade into the river each
day. Their long arms flex and fold, stretch and scrape in
the shallows on the Eastern bank, transferring gravel,
rocks and dirt into great yellow six wheeled tip trucks.
These rubber tyred monsters then treat the river as a
highway, heading diagonally upstream to deposit the
material on the Western side. They create a tremendous
splash and flurry in the water, leaving a creamy white
wake as if a boat had passed. In all probability, the
water is not deep enough to reach their hubs. Squeal of
brakes, suppressed bellow of the engine, great heave of
the tray and the rock clatters onto the newly forming
curve. Other diggers push, prod, poke, and beat the
dumped rock into its new shape. Strand Park will be
reduced to approximately half of its old width, and
nature's own lovely curve will be straightened. The green
expanse of strand park has a row of marker sticks,
splitting it more or less in half, showing the new
contour. The undoubtedly worthy objective is to ease the
pressure on the Western stop banks, and thereby to lessen
flood risk in Alicetown. It will also straighten the flow
through the rail bridge. About 6,000 tonnes of rock is
migrating from one side of the river to the other, and
groynes are being built to ensure that the river stays in
its new course. According to the information board
overlooking the site, native tree plantings will
"eventually" replace the willows. I am unaware of any
tree so well suited as the willow to stabilising river
banks. It certainly is an odd sensation to watch these
monster trucks scuttling across the water, from first
light to dusk. The headlights on the tracked diggers
swing around crazily as the big machines perform their
stork-like dance, shifting the gravel into the trucks.
Even during the day the illusion of walking on water is
maintained, and it brings home the fact that, floods
excepted, this is a shallow river. But one way or
another, it has been "our" river, and I have some
disquiet over human attempts to change it. I shall have
to reserve judgement until the works are complete,
towards the end of next year.
As an aside, I have had two interesting emails recently.
One asked whether I should not consider omitting some of
the murder and mayhem items. I have canvassed this with
readers before, and it was the majority view that this
newsletter should provide a realistic view of happenings
in New Zealand.
The other was a somewhat distressed mail from a person
who had discovered via a web search, an old article in
which the death of his parents was recorded. He was
incensed that this newsletter had published their names
without his consent. My position on this, although I am
sensitive to his grief, is that the news is the news, and
that no-one's permission is needed to report the facts,
which in this case had been made public by the police. Of
course, I pass on news only as provided through the
generosity of Newstalk ZB anyway.
----
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.
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.
----
Formatting this week is generously sponsored by Kim
Prisk. Many thanks Kim.
On with the news:
Monday, 04 October
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNION STILL WAITING ON MEDIATION
--------------------------------
The Service and Food workers union says it is a volatile
time in the airline industry. The union is still waiting
to hear whether it is going to mediation to resolve a
dispute involving 500 ground staff. They have voted to
strike at Auckland and Christchurch on Friday next week
in protest at a lack of progress in pay talks. Union
advocate Alastair Duncan says other workers are also
involved in negotiations. He says contracted outworkers
for LSG Skychef have been taking strike and picket action
around the country.
ROW ENDS IN FATAL CRASH
-----------------------
A domestic incident has ended in a car crash which
claimed the life of man and critically injured his baby
daughter. Auckland police say they were called to a Glen
Innes address late on Monday morning, where a mother and
father were arguing. They say before they could get to
the house, the father took his one-year-old daughter and
drove off. Police say he crashed into a tree on Riverside
Avenue, just round the corner from the house, and was
killed on impact. The baby girl is in Starship Hospital.
(The child was reportedly unrestrained in the front seat.
I can't guess at his motives, but I think that if he had
lived, he should have been prosecuted for that. - BH)
METER-MINDERS WANT 'RESPECT'
----------------------------
Parking officers want the public to treat them better.
Five hundred meter-minders are holding their annual
conference in Nelson. Parking Association chairman Colin
Waite says they are concerned about the aggression they
face from the public. A number of parking enforcement
staff have been injured and Mr Waite says verbal abuse is
also a problem. He says it is time parking officers were
treated with respect. Awards will be presented to
recognise wardens' struggles and achievements.
(I would never be deliberately rude to a parking warden,
but their employers seem to have declared war on the
motoring public. In Wellington, meters don't move off
zero for less than a dollar, and $4 per hour is now
standard. People are beginning to avoid the city, and
that is not the outcome the shopkeepers want at all.
Sadly, the wardens are the public face of the local body,
and as a consequence get the backlash against unpopular
policies. I recommend a change of employment. - BH)
LINK BETWEEN DRUGS AND CRIME
----------------------------
A police-commissioned report has confirmed a link between
violent crime and amphetamine-type drugs. Massey
University surveyed frequent users of methamphetamine,
drug enforcement officers and treatment workers and
analysed statistics. It found frequent P users are more
likely to be involved in criminal and violent activity
and shows users are mainly males aged 18 to 29.
Use by 15 to 19-year-olds may also be higher here than in
Australia. Superintendent Ted Cox says any serious drug
use for the younger age group is a concern because of the
flow-on effects. He says the level of violence associated
with methamphetamine is a real worry The Massey study
also says amphetamines are serious drugs of abuse and the
trade equals cannabis in dollar terms. Mr Cox says the
study will help police develop strategies against the
drug and its makers. He says it will help managing the
custodial process and also gives good guidance.
Superintendent Cox says police will continue to target
drug-makers. He says there have been three explosions and
fires in the last week associated with meth labs.
COMMISSIONER WELCOMES RESIGNATION
---------------------------------
Cambridge High School has had its third resignation.
Assistant Principal Martin Blackburn has formally
resigned, having been on stress leave for some months.
The Principal, Alison Annan and Deputy Principal Warren
Purdy have also left the school. School Commissioner
Dennis Finn says the resignation paves the way for
positive changes for Cambridge High. He says the school
is now in a position of certainty. And he says they can
now move forward with the appointment of senior positions
and a new principal. Dennis Finn says teacher morale will
improve because of the increased stability.
SOME CHARGES WITHDRAWN AGAINST GANGS
------------------------------------
The Crown has withdrawn the major charge against 33 Black
Power and 14 Mongrel Mob gang members arrested in the
wake of a brawl outside the Wairoa courthouse last year.
The rival gang members were originally committed to trial
on one joint charge of participating in a criminal group,
and a second joint charge of unlawful assembly. The Crown
is now offering no evidence on the more serious, first
charge. Many of the Black Power gang members have today
pleaded guilty to unlawful assembly and will be sentenced
in the Gisborne District Court this afternoon. The
Mongrel Mob members will be dealt with on the unlawful
assembly charge tomorrow.
Tuesday, 05 October
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MATERNITY HOSPITAL PREPARES FOR MOVE
------------------------------------
>From next week Auckland's babies will be born into plush
new surroundings. National Women's Hospital is moving to
the ninth floor of Auckland City Hospital. Clinical
Leader Dr David Knight says the rooms at National Women's
are old and in a poor state of repair and the brilliant
new wards will be good for both patients and staff. But
he says there is a tinge of sadness associated with the
move, however. He says National Women's has been through
its ups and downs but has achieved a lot and many people
are proud of what has been done there.
SPORT SCHEME TO CUT CHILD OBESITY
--------------------------------
A scheme to get more kids exercising at school could be
worth its weight in gold - Olympic Gold that is. The
Education Minister has unveiled a scheme to get school
children doing an hour of physical activity every week.
Sport and Recreation New Zealand CEO Nick Hill says there
are the obvious health benefits. And he says from a sport
point of view, New Zealand needs to start living up to
our potential and create more Olympians like Hamish
Carter and Sarah Ulmer.
(My own far from sylph-like figure is a testimony to my
loathing of the physical education systems of the 50s and
60s. I hope that the schools can make it more attractive
than I found it. - BH)
RESERVE BANK BLOWS OWN BUDGET
-----------------------------
The Reserve Bank, responsible for keeping a tight rein on
inflation, has blown its own staffing budget by a million
dollars last year. The Bank has just released its annual
report for the year ending June and it shows almost $18
million dollars was spent on personnel. The Bank says
that was $1 million more than was budgeted mainly because
of restructuring costs, the recruitment of additional
staff and higher than expected accrued leave. Forty four
of the bank's 216 staff earned more than a $100,000 last
year, with Bank Governor Alan Bollard's pay packet
nudging $460,000
CASTLE-HUGHES VIDEO OUT OF CONTEXT
----------------------------------
It is claimed that Keisha Castle-Hughes' role in a
controversial music video have been taken out of context.
The Whale Rider star is portrayed as a suicide bomber in
Prince's new music video. Ms Castle-Hughes' agent Graham
Dunster says he and Keisha looked carefully at how it was
going to be recorded. He says she is an internationally
acclaimed actress whom Prince decided to use to help
illuminate the lyrics to his song "Cinnamon Girl". He
says Prince's people wanted something that would
stimulate discussion and be enjoyed by the fans. Mr
Dunster says if people were able to see the whole video
they would understand better. He says it is the story of
a girl imagining a lot of different possibilities for
dealing with racial discrimination. He says the person
ends up with a balanced view of how to deal with the
problem, rather than just lashing out and causing damage.
Graham Dunster says there are no future music videos in
the pipeline at the moment. The New Zealand Jewish
Council has denounced it as totally inappropriate. But
Mike Chunn, the head of the Australasian Performing
Rights Association (APRA,) says Castle-Hughes is just
playing a role in a popular video. He does not see the
video as being anything abominable.
SEARCH FOR CRASH TOOK 7 HOURS
-----------------------------
The air traffic control supervisor on duty at the time of
the fatal Air Adventures plane crash near Christchurch
says he was surprised by the time taken to find the
wreckage. Jeremy Sharp is giving evidence in the inquest
into the deaths of seven passengers and the pilot in the
crash in June last year. The passengers were all top
scientists with Crop and Food Research. Mr Sharp told the
court it took several hours to find the Piper Chieftain
after it disappeared off the radar. He says no emergency
beacon was activated and there were no reports of a plane
crash from members of the public. Jeremy Sharp says air
traffic controllers had no way of knowing that the plane
was flying several hundred metres below the glide slope
as it was descending. Air Adventures has said in the past
that the flight path would strongly suggest an equipment
malfunction.
FERTILITY DOCTOR WELCOMES GENE RULES
------------------------------------
New rules allowing for the genetic testing of embryos
should be comforting, according to a top fertility
doctor. Dr Richard Fisher of Fertility Associates says
the guidelines issued by the National Ethics Committee do
not allow testing for social reasons such as choosing the
sex of a child. He says some people are anxious about the
prospect of pre-implantation genetics, and this structure
will reassure them. Dr Fisher says he would also like to
see sex selection allowed, but parents who really want
that done can go to Australia, where it is
RADIO STATION HITS THE CATWALK
------------------------------
Not so much haute couture as haute cou-chur-chur.
Auckland radio station Mai FM is launching its own range
of high-fashion "bro-style" t-shirts, under the brand
name Chur-Chur. The garments will be put on show for the
first time at South Auckland's well-known Otara market,
which station spokesman Robert Rakete says has always
been "the place to see and be seen". Rakete says the
Otara stall is the first stage in their plan for world
domination, ahead of London, Milan and Paris. The cat-
walk launch of the Chur-Chur t-shirts takes place this
Sunday morning at Otara. It is a new departure for Mai,
which as well as its radio station and programming
interests also runs its own record label, music copyright
administration, publishing and PR arms.
(For those of you who don't know, Chur Chur is New
Zealand colloquialism almost pronounced "chair-chair"
typically meaning "That is correct" or a way of showing
appreciation or approval. It can also be used in place of
cheers or salut when making a toast. – HH)
FAIRFAX DISPUTES SUNDAY HERALD CLAIMS
-------------------------------------
Fairfax New Zealand, publishers of the Sunday Star-Times
and Sunday News, is angrily refuting claims the new
Herald on Sunday sold 100,000 copies at the weekend.
Herald publishers APN made the claim today. Fairfax chief
executive Brian Evans says the Sunday Herald gave away at
least 50,000 copies.
FATAL CRASH CAME AFTER DOMESTIC INCIDENT
----------------------------------------
Police are shocked by the tragic circumstances that have
led to the death of a man and left his baby daughter
fighting for her life. Twenty-year-old Tairia Raveora was
driving away from his Glen Innes home with his 10-month-
old daughter yesterday morning when police received a
call from his partner telling of a domestic incident. Six
minutes later, the car crashed into a tree, killing Mr
Raveora instantly and leaving his daughter in a critical
condition. The baby girl's mother was treated for minor
injuries and is at her daughter's bedside at Starship
Hospital. Detective Simon Scott says the incident is a
difficult one for police to deal with. A post-mortem
examination will be carried out on Mr Raveora's body
today, while investigators examine the car.
Friday, 08 October
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TELECOM GETS UNBUNDLING TICK
----------------------------
The competition watchdog has given Telecom a big tick.
The Commerce Commission is satisfied the company is
offering cost-price circuit access to competitors wanting
to provide data service. It says Telecom is meeting its
commitment to offer its Unbundled Partial Circuits
consistent with internationally benchmarked cost based
pricing. It says it therefore does not consider it
necessary at this time to launch a further investigation
into unbundling the fixed Public Data Network The
decision follows a commitment made by Telecom in June to
introduce cost-based pricing for the UPC service by 30
September, with reference to an international
benchmarking exercise carried out by the Commission.
COOK STRAIGHT CABLE REPAIRS COSTLY
----------------------------------
Capacity on the Cook Strait power connection is down 15
percent following a fault with one of the three cables
linking the two islands. The problem occurred on Tuesday
morning and Transpower warns it will take at least six
months to carry out repairs. It has traced the fault to
shallow water in Oteranga Bay, close to the North Island
end. Further investigations, including diving
inspections, will now be carried out. Transpower is
assuring the electricity industry it will have no effect
on consumers or wholesale prices although maximum
capacity will be lowered by about 15 percent. Spokesman
Chris Roberts says it is fortunate the fault is in
shallow water at the northern end of the cable, because
that will make repairs easier. He says the bill is likely
to be millions of dollars, but if it was in the middle of
Cook Strait it could run into tens of millions. The cable
was laid in 1991 and should have a life of 30 to 40
years. Investigations over the next few days will try to
determine the cause of the problem.
CONJOINED TWINS RECOVERING AFTER SURGERY
----------------------------------------
Hopes remain high for the recovery of conjoined twins
separated at Waikato Hospital. The twins, were joined at
the lower spinal cord and pelvis, a disorder known as
pygopagus. They were separated in a 22-hour operation
which began on Tuesday morning. Dr Stewart Brown says
several techniques were used in the marathon surgery.
Twins have only ever been separated once in New Zealand
before, at Waikato Hospital in 1987. In 2000, conjoined
twins Faith and Hope Emberson died at National Women's
Hospital from heart problems within three days of being
born. Figures show that worldwide, one in every 200,000
live births are conjoined. Girls are more likely to be
conjoined by a ratio of three to one.
CONCERN GROWS FOR MISSING WOMAN
-------------------------------
Police searching Arthur's Pass for a Christchurch woman
say they are concerned for her safety. Carla Scott has
been missing since Tuesday. The 26-year-old's car has
been found in the Punchbowl car-park near Arthur's Pass
township. Search and rescue teams are combing the area
for the second day. Police want to hear from anyone who
may have seen Ms Scott since Tuesday, either driving to
Arthur's Pass or on one of the walking tracks in the
area. She is a European, of thin build with brown eyes
and long straight hair. She wears glasses.
POSSUM BOURNE TRIAL BEGINS NEXT WEEK
------------------------------------
The trial of the man involved in the death of Possum
Bourne begins in Invercargill next week. Thirty-eight-
year-old Michael Barltrop denies causing the rally
driver's death through dangerous driving. Barltrop's
vehicle collided with Bourne's in April last year, during
a practice for the Race To The Sky at Cardrona, near
Wanaka. Bourne died from head injuries 12 days later.
The trial has been set down for seven days. The Crown
will call 30 witnesses, including crash analysts, police
and mechanical engineers.
JUST ANOTHER FIT AUCKLANDER
---------------------------
A state of the region report shows Aucklanders live
longer and earn more. The Auckland Regional Council's
report shows that the typical Aucklander is a 33-year-old
European woman who exercises at least 2.5 hours a week
and whose last leisure outing was to a shopping centre.
The population grew three percent in the year to June
compared with 1.8 percent nationally. Incomes also grew,
with the median household income in the Auckland region
just over $58,000 a year, $9,000 better than the national
average. There are more women than men aged 19 or over
and the average lifespan is 77.7 years. The report
covered the region from Rodney to Franklin.
EXPANDING ECONOMIES HURT BLUFF PORT
-----------------------------------
Booming economies such as China have had an impact on the
bottom line of the company that runs the Port of Bluff.
Southport New Zealand company chairman, John Harrington
told Thursday's annual meeting that international
shipping charter rates have soared in response to strong
demand from expanding economies. Mr Harrington says the
major Chinese regional ports of Shenzhen handled 10.6
million containers in 2003 and expect to increase the
figure by 2.4 million this year. The total handled in New
Zealand by all ports is about 1.75 million Southport's
annual net surplus was down from $2.62 million for 2003
to $2.04 in 2004. Return on equity fell from 11.3 percent
in 2003 to 8.6 percent for 2004.
POLICE OFFICER FACES SEX CHARGES
--------------------------------
A former police officer has been charged in the Auckland
District Court with rape and other sex offences dating
back 16 years. The 45-year-old, who has name suppression,
faces seven indictable charges relating to allegations
made by a Northland woman. The complainant alleges she
was raped at a Northland police station in March 1988.
She complained at the time, but a police sergeant failed
to take a statement or notes. Her alleged attacker was
never charged, but was later discharged from the force.
The woman unsuccessfully sued the Attorney General in
1994. The case was reopened as part of the Commission of
Inquiry into sex allegations against several police
officers. The accused was remanded on bail until March
for a depositions hearing.
UNION WEIGHS LEGAL ACTION AGAINST AIR NZ
----------------------------------------
The Service and Food Workers' Union may take legal action
to break the deadlock over pay negotiations for Air New
Zealand ground staff. Four hundred workers are due to
stage a one day strike at Auckland and Christchurch next
Friday. Their union has accepted a Labour Department
offer of mediation but the airline has reportedly told
the Labour Department it is not available for mediation
until Thursday. Advocate Alastair Duncan says a strike is
the last resort and the union may seek government
intervention. Service and Food Workers Union advocate
Alastair Duncan says it is only talking to the mediator.
He says the airline claims to be too busy to meet this
week and apparently does not want to meet until the day
before the strike. Mr Duncan says that if the parties
reach agreement at midnight the strike is due to start at
2am. He questions how everyone could be informed in time.
He says the airline has got a charter which talks about
being a fair employer and says it may be time to talk to
the owners.
NAME AND SHAME FOR FINE DODGERS
-------------------------------
The Departments of Courts is threatening to publicly name
people who do not pay their fines. The technique was used
last year when more than 2000 people had their names
published in papers for fine dodging. The so-called name
and shame campaign resulted in more than $2 million in
overdue fines collected. This time, the guilty parties
are being given a fortnight to pay up, or face the
consequences. Letters are being sent out this week. Only
those who owe fines of more than $500 are being targeted.
NZ TROOPS SUPERVISE AFGHAN ELECTION
-----------------------------------
New Zealanders are not the only ones involved in
elections today. Afghanistan is also holding them, the
first in the country's history for the election of a new
president. New Zealand's 107-strong defence force
contingent in the northern province of Bamiyan is helping
train local police to guard polling stations and
providing escorts for completed votes. The commander of
the Provincial Reconstruction Team, Colonel Mick
Alexander, says they have also helped facilitate a public
education campaign on the ins and outs of voting. He says
the people are very keen to vote, with up to 500 turning
up to some of the meetings held to explain elections.
Colonel Alexander says that unlike much of the country,
the security situation in Bamiyan is reasonably stable
and this has helped them achieve the highest voter
registration level of any province in the country. He
says his troops will only intervene if there is a problem
that cannot be dealt with by the local police.
ANTI-DRINK-DRIVE CAMPAIGN STEPS UP
----------------------------------
A push to get communities involved in the battle against
drunk drivers. The Land Transport Safety Authority says
drink-driving kills or injures more than 2000 people
every year. It points out that although many drivers die
themselves, a lot of other innocent road users get caught
up as well. LTSA General Manager of Education Liz Taylor-
Read says most people now accept drink-driving is wrong.
However, she says too many see it as someone else's
problem. She says it is up to communities to take more
responsibility in ensuring drunk people do not get behind
the wheel. The campaign's message is, "they drink, they
drive, WE die".
BOTOX STILL TO BE USED ON CHILDREN
----------------------------------
Botox injections will still be given to children at
Auckland's Starship Hospital, despite three being left
unable to swallow as a result. All had cerebral palsy or
suffered from developmental problems. The injection was
intended to stop their excessive drooling. Instead three
ended up in hospital for nearly three months, being fed
through tubes, while doctors waited for the botox to wear
off. An independent report said the complications arose
from too much botox being used. However it also cleared
the surgeon involved of being at fault, with no
disciplinary action planned. Starship's Clinical Leader,
Dr David Knight, says there was no way for the surgeon
involved to know what the consequences of his actions
might be. He says the treatment will still be used, but
with strict guidelines imposed. The treatment is common
for children overseas, but has only been used nine times
so far in New Zealand.
26-YEAR-OLD MISSING NEAR ARTHUR'S PASS
--------------------------------------
Police are set to resume the search for a Christchurch
woman, missing since Tuesday. They say they do not know
if it is a case of a missing tramper, or someone who does
not want to be found. Twenty-six year old Carla Scott's
car was found in the Punchbowl car park near Arthur's
Pass. However, there has been no sign of her since she
left Christchurch on Tuesday. A helicopter and police dog
teams will join search and rescue personnel to scan the
immediate area. Police say they will also be making
inquiries further afield and are appealing to the public
for information. Anyone who knows Ms Scott is asked to
contact the Arthur's Pass police station.
ANNAN "TAKES ON BOARD" ERO REPORT
---------------------------------
The former principal of Cambridge High is taking on board
a damning Education Review Office report which has
slammed the way the school has operated. The report found
a substantial number of governance practices in the
school either did not comply with legislation, were
unacceptable or of poor quality. Alison Annan's lawyer
Nicki Rice says while there are issues at the school the
commissioner is dealing with, Mrs Annan still considers
that the school is a safe, happy, thriving place that
provides good opportunities for students. The ERO report
says the now-sacked board of trustees was not managing
Mrs Annan, and describes a "climate of fear" at Cambridge
High, labelling senior management's style as
"confrontational". ERO says that has led to a number of
personal grievances, ending in mediated settlements.
It says a staff member who left last year was paid a
significant sum when they resigned. The report praises
some aspects of the school, saying the students respond
positively to the high expectations set for them and are
generally well-behaved and focused on lessons. It found
the teachers are generally effective practitioners with
sound curriculum knowledge and there were examples of
high quality teaching. However, it points out that
teaching and learning resources were limited for most
departments which has a negative impact on student
learning. It says Mrs Annan delegated the responsibility
for some key areas of school management to senior staff
members but failed to maintain sufficient oversight of
what went on. It also says she failed to prepare an
annual management plan to give effect to the board's
strategic goals. The report lists nine key findings: The
board was not managing the principal, as is its statutory
responsibility, Professional leadership and management
systems were low quality, There was not a safe working
environment for staff, The staff were deeply divided,
with low morale, negatively affecting the operation of
the school, Quality assurance systems for curriculum and
assessment were poor, The closure of the school library
means students had little or no quality information and
resources to support them, The school's information and
communication technologies were inadequate, The school
did not adequately analyse Maori student achievement, The
school's physical environment was unsatisfactory for
students and staff. ERO says it will return to the school
within 12 months to evaluate the progress the school has
made in addressing the issues raised in the report.
Cambridge High School Commissioner Dennis Finn points out
that the report acknowledges that the students and
teachers are doing well at the school. Mr Finn says the
school is doing its best to separate the school's issues
from the students so their school work is not affected.
("Taking things aboard" is an interesting metaphor. It
generally lowers your freeboard and means you are more
likely to go aground, or to sink in a storm. The pity of
it is that any compensation awarded to those who were
bullied will come from the purse of the taxpayer, and not
from whoever did the alleged bullying. - BH)
NZ JOINS MUSIC DOWNLOAD CRACKDOWN
---------------------------------
New Zealand is joining a worldwide crackdown on the
downloading of music from the Internet. United States
authorities are taking court action against thousands of
music down-loaders and have been joined this week by the
United Kingdom's British Phonographic Industry. New
Zealand's own Recording Industry Association has been
involved in a covert operation for the past three weeks
against three super nodes, or high volume down-loaders.
Association head Terence O'Neill-Joyce says his work has
been made difficult because of a lack of resources.
He says he should be in a position to take New Zealand's
first court action against song-swappers within the next
month.
(It seems to me that any company that makes money by
selling MP3 players should be disqualified from suing for
breach of the intellectual property rights of its other
divisions. - BH)
MURDER CHARGE FOLLOWS FATAL FIRE
--------------------------------
A Greymouth man has appeared in court charged with murder
after last Saturday's fatal house fire in the town. The
man has been granted interim name suppression and been
remanded in custody until he appears in the Westport
District Court on October 22. Eighteen-year-old Karl
Watson died in the fire.
Saturday, 9 October
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BANKS CONCEDES TO HUBBARD
-------------------------
An emotional John Banks has officially conceded
Auckland's mayoralty. After three years in power, the
incumbent has been beaten by at least 17,000 votes by
cereal king Dick Hubbard. John Banks says he has spoken
to Mr Hubbard and congratulated him on his victory. He
says the election was always going to be a vote between
the centre left, and the centre right. Mr Banks is
looking philosophically at the result, saying it has been
a great privilege to serve, and he respects the decision
by Aucklanders to elect a new mayor. John Banks will
officially hand over the reins of power to Dick Hubbard
on Wednesday night. Meanwhile Mr Hubbard is describing
his landslide victory in the race for the Auckland
mayoralty as a swing to the left. The millionaire
businessman says he is surprised by the extent of the
victory. As far as what this means for New Zealand's
largest city, Dick Hubbard is promising extra spending to
help improve local infrastructure. He says this has been
run down by the previous administration which was more
interested in budget cuts. Dick Hubbard says this will
not be a priority for his council. He says he also does
not mind borrowing money as long as it is spent on
improving the city. Asked about the controversial expos
article in the National Business Review, Mr Hubbard told
Newstalk ZB he was not sure whether it had backfired on
John Banks supporters. The article was reprinted by Mr
Banks' campaign manager - without Mr Banks' knowledge -
and distributed to hundreds of Auckland voters. The
incident sat at the heart of a heated campaign which saw
Mr Banks' campaign manager stand down. Mr Hubbard says
there were so many issues at play in the election it is
hard to tell what swung it. He says he was confident of
victory but is delighted with the size of his majority.
Meanwhile, it could still go either way in Manukau. With
95 percent of the votes counted Sir Barry Curtis was six
hundred votes ahead of Len Brown, with Olympian Dick Quax
fading in at third. The final result was expected to be
out at 5 o'clock.
(This decision heartens me enormously. It shows me that
Aucklanders have more heart than I had previously given
them credit for:-) - Well done! - BH)
OTHER LOCAL BODY ELECTION RESULTS
---------------------------------
A list of mayors as far as they are known at the time of
posting:
Auckland: Dick Hubbard
Banks Peninsula: Bob Parker
Buller District: Martin Symes
Central Hawkes Bay: Tim Gilbertson
Central Otago: Malcolm McPherson
Christchurch City: Garry Moore
Far North District: Yvonne Sharp
Franklin District: Mark Ball
Gisborne District: Meng Foon
Gore District: Joshua Hicks
Grey District: Tony Kokshoorn
Hamilton City: Michael Redmond
Hastings District: Lawrence Yule
Hauraki District: John Tregidga
Horizons Regional: Ian McKelvie
Horowhenua District: Brendan Duffy
Hutt City: David Ogden
Invercargill City: Tim Shadbolt
Manawatu District: Ian McKelvie
Manukau City: Barry Curtiss
Masterton District: Bob Francis
Napier City: Barbara Arnott
Nelson City: Paul Matheson
New Plymouth: Peter Tennent
North Shore City: George Wood
Opotiki Regional: John Forbes
Otorohanga District: Dale Williams
Palmerston North City: Heather Tanguay
Queenstown Lakes District: Clive Geddes
Rangitikei: Bob Buchanan
Rodney District: John Law
Rotorua District: Kevin Winters
South Taranaki District: Mary Bourke
South Waikato District: Neil Sinclair
South Wairarapa District: Adrienne Staple
Southland District: Frana Cardno
Stratford District: Brian Jeffares
Tararua District: Maureen Reynolds
Tasman District: John Hurley
Taupo District: Clayton Stent
Tauranga City: Stuart Crosby
Upper Hutt City: Wayne Guppy
Waikato District: Peter Harris
Wairoa District: Les Probert
Waitakere City: Bob Harvey
Waitaki District: Alan McLay
Wanganui District: Michael Laws
Wellington City: Kerry Prendergast
Western Bay of Plenty District: Graeme Weld
Westland District: Maureen Pugh
Whakatane District: Colin Holmes
Whangarei District: Pamela Peters
(Based on a list in the Sunday Star Times)
(If any of you expats know, or went to school with, these
people, please don't blame me! I didn't vote for a single
one of them :-). The surprises for me include the
overthrow of Hutt's former mayor, John Terris, Wanganui's
decision to go with Michael Laws, and to some extent that
Banks was so soundly beaten in Auckland. - BH)
THE FINANCIAL PAGE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Date: 9 October 2004 Brian Dooley
Wellington New Zealand
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