Subject: 12 November, 2006 ----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------ Copyright, Brian Harmer.
Home again, and prematurely thrust back into the hustle of work, faced with all the tasks that didn't get done during my month-long absence (but grateful for those that did), I find it's as if I had never been away. Meetings in my calendar sit waiting patiently with no regard for fuddled brain. Adding to the sense of dislocation, after a month of fine warm weather on the other side, is the wild weird weather we have experienced this week, with more to come. I hung four sheets on the clothesline this morning. We could only find three to bring in. And there is snow on the Tararuas. In November! Electric blankets ought to be away for the summer by now. I was glad of mine this week. And then, there are the grandchildren. Here in Lower Hutt, lovely Maggie (who is almost two) is suddenly much more active and impish, now that she has a month old brother demanding attention. It all seems distantly familiar. Little Cooper is cute, but too young to have any conversation with people who are not directly involved In his food supply. I had to collect Mary from the airport yesterday. Notwithstanding that we are just back, she had a longstanding commitment to a conference in Hamilton. On the way back from the airport, I noticed that while we were in Australia, the Wellington City Council has made significant progress on what it calls "the greening of Jervois Quay". This amounts to a widening of the central barrier between North and Southbound traffic, and extensive plantings in the middle. Pohutukawa seem to be the main theme, and I imagine that they will be spectacular at the end of each year. For the rest of the year, they adopt a somewhat military shade of green, so the plantings between trees may have to provide more colour. Amazingly a whole month has elapsed since David's operation and he is doing well. ---- A reminder: Brian Harmer does NOT administer the mailing list. Please do not send subscription related messages to him. Go to the bottom Of this post for a link to where you can unsubscribe. Any text above this point, and all subsequent material in parentheses, and concluded with the initials "BH" is the personal opinion of Brian Harmer as editor of this newsletter, or occasionally "GS" will indicate an opinion from our editorial assistant. In all cases they are honest expressions of personal opinion, and are not presented as fact. All news items (except where noted otherwise) are reproduced by kind permission of copyright owner, Newstalk ZB News. All copyright in the news items reproduced remains the property of The Radio Network Limited. This edition of the news is sponsored by Terry Peters from the University of Western Ontario. Many thanks Terry. ---- On with the News. Monday, 6 November 2006 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DRIVE FOR FLEXIBLE HOURS ------------------------ A massive drive is underway to convince the Government to legislate for flexible working hours. Twenty-six business and community groups have launched the campaign under the banner of the Quality Flexible Working Hours Coalition. They are supporting Green MP Sue Kedgley's private member's bill on the issue. Ms Kedgley says New Zealand has one of the longest working hours cultures in the OECD and it is time to address that. She says the 40-hour working week has become a straitjacket in New Zealand, clogging our cities with congestion as we all race to work at the same time. (Things that seem like a good idea for the individual are not always feasible in the business context. My own job offers remarkable flexibility, and sometimes asks it in return. I dislike the lectures that end at 9:30 pm, for example. However, if a business is open from 9 to 5, it is foolish to pretend that there is much room for variation. - BH) CONCERN GROWS OVER RADIOGRAPHERS' STRIKE ---------------------------------------- There are fears the impact of a threatened ten day strike by hospital radiographers will be much more severe than the two previous walkouts. The strike is due to begin on Friday. Bay of Plenty DHB contingency planner Andrew Keenan says although they have an agreement that guarantees all life preserving services, the ten day walkout is unprecedented in the risk it is going to pose for patients. Mr Keenan says they are looking to refer patients to Auckland and Waikato DHBs, and to private hospitals. Last ditch mediated talks between the union and the DHBs are scheduled for Wednesday. HOUSING MARKET REBOUNDS ----------------------- Confidence in the housing market has rebounded, with people feeling positive about buying across two quarters, for the first time in three years. Despite the prospect of higher interest rates, the ASB Housing Confidence Survey has found that attitudes improved by five percent in the past three months, the first time they have remained positive for two consecutive quarters since 2003. There has also been a 13 percent jump in sellers' price expectations, with 20 percent of respondents expecting them to increase. The fresh optimism is reflected in figures for October from real estate agent Barfoot and Thompson. It says the average house sale price in Auckland broke the $500,000 mark for the first time in the company's 83 year history. The company also signed up nearly 1800 new listings, compared with just under 1400 in September. MIGRANTS' SPECIAL NEEDS WHEN GIVING BIRTH ----------------------------------------- New research reveals more resources need to be put towards meeting the cultural needs of migrants who give birth in New Zealand hospitals. The Families Commission-funded study says with Korean women, for example, there are issues about keeping warm after birth and eating only warm food. Muslim women have concerns about male members of staff entering their room unannounced, as they do not have a chance to cover up. Report author Ruth DeSouza from the Auckland University of Technology says American, South African and British migrants also encounter problems because they have often lost their peer groups and family network. She says on a more positive side, the partners of migrants are more likely to be involved in births than they would be in their country of origin. GROUP WANTS PARTY PILLS MADE ILLEGAL ------------------------------------ A group concerned about the party pill industry has started a petition to have the tablets made illegal. About 70 people attended a public meeting in the Christchurch suburb of Linwood over the weekend to talk about the concerning impacts of herbal pills on young people in the area. Organiser Cheryl Mitchell says each person who attended the meeting took away a petition form to collect signatures. The petition will be presented to Parliament. Ms Mitchell believes the main issue with the pills is that the marketing targets young people. She says some of the shops selling them have toys in the windows and offer cash loans. (In general, this is not an industry that I would support. However, the list of substances that people use to get high, but which are not presently illegal is quite extensive. You can't ban everything. - BH) Tuesday, 7 November 2006 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CLAIMS DHBS CONSIDER FOREIGN TREATMENT -------------------------------------- A union claims a number of District Health Boards are considering sending cancer patients overseas for radiation treatment. It follows Auckland DHB's decision to send 30 breast cancer patients to Australia last week, because of worsening workforce shortages in their region. The Association of Professionals and Executive Employees says Wellington's Capital and Coast DHB is still considering its options and will look to refer patients to Australia on the advice of its clinicians. It says radiation therapists are in short supply because of favourable employment conditions and better pay in Australia. GOVERNMENT PUSH OVER FUEL EFFICIENCY LABELS ------------------------------------------- The Government wants to make it compulsory for every car sold in New Zealand to have fuel efficiency labelling. Energy Minister David Parker says it is an attempt to ensure people start buying cars that produce less greenhouse gases. He says labelling will mean buyers can compare the fuel consumption of cars they are interested in purchasing. Mr Parker says some of the other measures being looked at include setting targets for average fuel efficiency on new car imports. (The kinds of car bought by government for ministerial transport are an embarrassment in this context. - BH) RENEWED HOPE FOR EDEN PARK -------------------------- There is renewed hope Eden Park may still get a multi-million dollar makeover to host the rugby world cup. Ports of Auckland general manager Geoff Vazey says a stadium on Bledisloe Wharf cannot be built by 2011 Eden Park Development Committee Chairman Rob Fisher says that is the advice they have been given as well. He says it is now up to the Government make a decision. FEDERATED FARMERS LAUNCHES NEW PLAN ----------------------------------- Federated Farmers has jumped on board the environmental sustainability bandwagon with a bold new plan. President Charlie Pedersen has launched a "10 in 10" plan aimed at helping farmers reduce their farm's environmental impact through nutrient loss. He wants every farmer to commit to reducing nutrient loss by 10 percent over the next 10 years. Mr Pedersen says it is no doubt, a big challenge, but it represents the direction farmers are heading and believes farmers are confident that they have, they are and will continue to do their share to improve the environment. He believes Federated Farmers has never paid lip service to the environment. The plan was released at Fed Farmers national council meeting in Wellington. Prime Minister Helen Clark says the new environmental push is great a start and she fully welcomes the statements being made by Federated Farmer president Charlie Pedersen. She says she is not surprised at their stance, believing the farming industry is well aware of the environmental barriers that are possible to New Zealand trade. REGULATIONS TO CUT GREENHOUSE GAS --------------------------------- The Government is looking at new regulations targeting vehicles and oil companies in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Among measures up for discussion is the introduction of a mandatory vehicle fuel efficiency labelling, to be available at the point of sale for every vehicle. This will allow buyers to compare fuel consumption of cars they are interested in purchasing. Oil companies will be required to also sell biofuels to encourage the importation of biofuel- compatible vehicles. DO YOUR BIT, BUSINESSES TOLD ---------------------------- Businesses are being encouraged to play their part in transforming the economy. Economic Development Minister Trevor Mallard has released a 50-point strategy aimed at securing the country's future prosperity and forging a unique national economic identity. He says the aim of the economic transformation agenda is to raise living standards for all New Zealanders. Mr Mallard says the end goal is simple: to develop an economy which is high wage, high skills, high knowledge and producing the sorts of things which kiwis are better at producing than other economies in a way which is environmentally sustainable. MUMS OFFERED INCENTIVE TO WASHABLE NAPPIES ------------------------------------------ Christchurch mums and mums to be are being urged to get in quick if they want to access a discount to use an alternative to disposable nappies. Simon Collin of the Christchurch City Council says depending on which scientist you speak to, disposables can take between two and 500 years to decompose and the human waste in them contributes to greenhouse gasses. He says in a bid to reduce the amount going to the rubbish dump, they have decided to subsidise washable nappies, as the cost of them is thought to be prohibitive to many families. Mr Collin says they have put aside ten thousand dollars to subsidise 500 starter packs. NEW STUDY IN FAVOUR OF CIRCUMCISION ----------------------------------- New Zealand research has found circumcised males are less likely to acquire a sexually transmitted infection, than non- circumcised. Doctors at the Christchurch School of Medicine say the procedure may reduce the risk of catching and spreading such infections by up to 50 percent. The findings of their 25-year study have been published in the November issue of Pediatrics. The researchers conclude there could be substantial benefits for routine circumcision of male babies. WELLINGTON BUSES TO BE RE-BRANDED --------------------------------- Wellington's buses are getting a new name and a new colour. More than 200 Stagecoach buses are being re-branded GO Wellington, and from next year will be bright yellow with a black logo. The changes are being made by the new owners Infratil, who bought Stagecoach from its former Scottish owner last year. GO Wellington boss Ross Martin says they felt they needed more of a Wellington flavour, and new identities for their buses in Hutt Valley will be revealed in the next few months. NEW STUDY TO GET PAKEHA VIEW ON LIFE IN NZ ------------------------------------------ The hunt is on for 18 to 29-year-olds of European descent to find out what it means to be a Pakeha in New Zealand. Massey University sociologist Avril Bell wants to find out their views on culture and identity. Dr Bell says many studies have been done on migrant communities, but few have focused on the majority culture for their views and experiences. She wants to focus on what they think about immigration, treaty issues and other government policies. NZ ONE OF LEAST CORRUPT NATIONS IN THE WORLD -------------------------------------------- New Zealand is one of the least-corrupt nations in a new survey. In fact we are in a three-way tie with Finland and Iceland at the top of the table, scoring 9.6 out of a possible 10. Australia is ninth equal with the Netherlands. The annual survey by Berlin-based anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International rates Haiti as the most corrupt country out of the 163 surveyed. (Whereas it's always nice to score well on these international surveys, there are still many aspects of public and political life that cause disquiet. However, on the whole there were many aspects of what I saw in the Australian media that I though "that just would not be tolerated in New Zealand". - BH) Wednesday, 8 November 2006 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEGAL DRINKING AGE TO STAY AT 18 -------------------------------- An impassioned plea to change the law on the purchase of alcohol has fallen on deaf ears. In a conscience vote in Wellington tonight, MPs have voted 72 to 49 to reject Labour MP Martin Gallagher's Private Member's Bill, which had aimed to raise the legal purchase age for alcohol to 20. Given the result of opinion polls, which showed 65 to 70 percent of respondents supported the Bill, its sponsor Martin Gallagher had argued MPs had a duty to support it. He said the warnings of the dangers of lowering the drinking age in 1999 have come to a sad fruition, so action was necessary. (I respect the sincerity and motives of most who pushed for this change. My position remains that there is no right or privilege of citizenship that should be denied to anyone who is old enough to be asked to vote, or to fight and die for the country. Conversely, there ought to be some sense that those who have the privileges should have some corresponding obligations - not necessarily to fight and die. - BH) $2M TO BOOST WAIRARAPA FOOD AND WINE ------------------------------------ The government is injecting close to $2 million into a regional initiative to strengthen Wairarapa's international food and wine reputation. The cuisine and fine wine initiative is made up of two complementary projects, an international school of cuisine and a heightened focus on the Wairarapa wine industry's global competitiveness. Economic development minister Trevor Mallard says it is a coup for Wairarapa to have attracted world class culinary experts Le Cordon Bleu to run the cuisine school with UCOL. He says it is a credit to the region's leadership the project has gone ahead in Wairarapa. 4.15 MILLION NOW LIVE IN NEW ZEALAND ------------------------------------ The population has hit the 4.15 million mark. Statistics New Zealand says the population increased 1.1 percent in the year ending September. Last year's increase was 0.9 percent. The sharp increase is due to the doubling of permanent arrivals exceeding departures and natural increase. WATERFRONT "COULD EXCEED $1 BILLION" ------------------------------------ A new report commissioned by Eden Park claims the cost of a waterfront stadium could exceed a billion dollars. The cost that has been bandied around so far has been $700 million. A report from quantity surveyors WT Partnership, just released by Eden Park, puts the cost at between $923 million and $1.08 billion. The base construction cost is estimated at $550 million, based on a study of 7 other 50,000-plus seat stadiums. The remaining cost is attributed to special foundation conditions and land acquisition. Eden Park compares the billion dollar estimate with its $320 million dollar revamp proposal. UNITED FUTURE OPPOSE FIREWORKS BAN ---------------------------------- United Future leader Peter Dunne will not support a total ban on fireworks sales to the public. He says an outright ban will not work and will simply encourage people to make their own. Mr Dunne says that would be far more dangerous to public safety and only the naive or killjoys in the community could seriously imagine a total ban would work. He says the vast majority of Kiwi families enjoy their backyard fireworks fun without any danger or risk. BUY KIWI MADE PROGRAMME KICKS OFF TODAY --------------------------------------- A showcase of New Zealand-made products at Parliament later today, is expected to be tinged with sadness as it coincides with the first anniversary of the death of Rod Donald. The invitation-only event is the first of six regional showcases and kicks off the Government's Buy Kiwi Made programme. It marks the achievements of the Greens in promoting the campaign, particularly former leader Rod Donald who was the champion of Buy Kiwi Made and ensured it became a key cooperation agreement with Labour. His work will be acknowledged at the event. Mr Donald's wife Nicola Shirlaw will this afternoon plant a kowhai tree on a site in Parliament's grounds. (These kinds of jingoistic programmes are understandable at one level, but are not logically sustainable in a country whose economic lifeblood is exporting products to other countries. How would we react to our products being shunned as a result of similar programmes in those countries. Protectionism like this will bite us in the posterior sooner or later. - BH) MORE CANCER PATIENTS HEAD TO AUSTRALIA -------------------------------------- It is being claimed that more cancer patients may be forced across the Tasman for care as problems continue with the local workforce. Radiation Therapists Union spokeswoman Deborah Powell says a number of District Health Boards are considering sending cancer patients to Australia to get their radiation treatment. She says Auckland DHB has already announced 30 of its breast cancer patients are headed across the ditch. Dr Powell says Wellington's Capital and Coast DHB is considering similar action. She says the DHBs are exacerbating the shortage problem by refusing workers a salary increase above the rate of inflation. Capital and Coast has confirmed that it is preparing to send at least one patient to Australia for radiation treatment, as waiting times at Wellington Hospital's cancer centre look set to rise. Chief Operating Officer Meng Cheong says the time some patients have to wait to start treatment had improved from close to 12 weeks in August to just over nine weeks last month. However, he says on-going industrial action by radiotherapists is likely to see it increase back up to 11 weeks by the end of this month. TELECOM ACCUSED OF TARGETING VOIP --------------------------------- Telecom is being accused again of trying to stifle competition with the introduction of "traffic management" on its Xtra broadband Go Large plan. A University of Otago computer scientist says this time the offensive is against Internet- based competitors in the calling market. Simon McCallum says Telecom is limiting bandwidth available to Voice Over Internet Provider programmes such as Skype, preventing users from taking advantage of free international calling. He says it is the first step down a path which leads to a fairly nasty control network. Simon McCallum says Telecom is crossing the line by discriminating against certain types of internet usage. SURVEY INTO MENTAL ILLNESS -------------------------- A new study has found New Zealanders are sympathetic if their next door neighbour, workmate or friend has experience of a mental illness. It reveals a different story when it is closer to home, however. Massey University's marketing department has found people are less willing to have personal relationships with people who have experienced mental illness. Some of those surveyed even believe people with schizophrenia or depression should not be able to hold public office or have children. Department head Professor Phil Gendall says the Government's Like Minds Like Mine campaign is helping. He says it is important to change attitudes as stigma affects the ability of sufferers to recover. STATS SHOW FEWER TEENAGERS DRINKING ----------------------------------- One group campaigning for the drinking age to remain at 18 has provided statistics which suggest fewer teenagers are drinking. Parliament is set to vote on the matter for the second time today. The 'Keep it 18' campaigners deny teenage drinking is out of control, and have data from the Alcohol Liquor Advisory Council to show 34 percent of 14 to 17-year- olds did not drink in 2003, compared with 16 percent in 2000. Spokesman Christopher Bishop says there has also been a decline in heavy drinkers in the same age group, which he says is due to successful advertising. He thinks a rise in the drinking age would be a knee-jerk reaction to society's drinking problems. However, Alcohol Healthwatch Director Rebecca Williams says the figures quoted are nothing to be proud of, as they still mean 66 percent of 14-17 year olds are drinking. She says this is only one survey, and does not represent the bigger picture. Ms Williams denies education will work with the current drinking age, asking how people can be educated when they are using what is effectively a drug. She says education may work - once the age is raised. MILLION DOLLAR GRANT FOR HEALTH RESEARCHERS ------------------------------------------- Researchers in this country have been a given a grant by the United States' National Institutes of Health. Lincoln University has been awarded more than a million dollars to continue 25 years of research into Batten disease. The disease is an inherited disorder of the nervous system which causes severe brain atrophy through childhood, blindness and seizures, leading to death. Researcher Dr David Palmer from Lincoln has been studying the disease for the past 25 years by looking at sheep diagnosed with the disease. He says a handful of New Zealand families will be affected by Batten disease at any one time. The funding will allow therapeutic advances such as anti-inflammatory drug trials and will pay for research for another three years. Dr Palmer says the funding will allow more precision in determining the development of Batten disease. Thursday, 9 November 2006 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GOVT SPENDING ON HEALTH UNDER FIRE ---------------------------------- Government spending on health is again under fire. An Auditor General's report released this week is critical of an extra $3 billion that was pumped into the health system as there are no clear lines to see how it has been spent. National Health spokesman Tony Ryall is using the finding to savage the Government saying how can the Government know if the health system is working if it does not know where money is being spent. Associate Health Minister Damien O'Connor admits he has not read the report and says it would not be the first time the Government has disagreed with findings made by the Auditor General. (For my part, I think the half billion dollars that Trevor Mallard wants to spend on a so-called "national" stadium in Auckland would take a lot of pressure off the health system. - BH) RESERVE BANK ISSUES WARNING OVER HOMES -------------------------------------- The Kiwi love affair with owning property has the Reserve Bank issuing another stern warning. Speaking at a tax conference in Auckland Reserve Bank Governor Allan Bollard says New Zealanders' preoccupation with housing assets has been at the expense of others, such as equities investment. He warns our holdings are low by OECD standards and it leaves the economy vulnerable to shocks, as well as constraining growth prospects. Dr Bollard says with the average household committing 13 percent of its disposable income to servicing debt, they are more vulnerable to adverse events such as rising unemployment and rising interest rates. UNEMPLOYMENT UP --------------- Latest labour market figures show unemployment is on the rise. The Department of Statistics has released data for the September quarter which shows the unemployment rate rose 0.2 percent to 3.8 percent. The rise is blamed on an increase in male unemployment. However the Department still regards the labour market as tight with the number of people in employment, at over 2.1 million, the second highest ever recorded. MORE TAX ON BOOZE? ------------------ Higher tax on alcohol is being cited as a way to reduce out- of-control youth drinking, now the drinking age will remain at 18. MPs last night rejected a Private Members Bill to raise the age, voting 72-49 against it. Alcohol Healthwatch Director Rebecca Williams is very disappointed and says there is one more solution - taxation. She says hiking the tax on alcohol is the sharpest tool in the shed. She says there is a major youth drinking problem in the community and something drastic needs to be done. U CN TXT BUT MST NO WOT U MEAN ------------------------------ Teenagers will not be penalised if they slip into text language in some exams - as long as they can show they understand the question. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority has decided that students will be able to use text abbreviations such as "2moro" (for tomorrow) in this year's exams but it is warning that will not apply to any subject that requires the proper use of the English language. NZQA's Bali Haque says it has always been the case in New Zealand that students get full credits for explaining something correctly, even if there are grammar and punctuation errors - as long as it can be understood. The exception is if correct English usage is part of the examination schedule. He says the NZQA "strongly discourages" students from using anything other than correct English. (This is appalling brainless stupidity.- BH) FLU PLAN TESTED --------------- New Zealand's freshly completed Influenza Pandemic Action Plan is being tested today. Ministry staff together with the country's 21 DHBs and ESR will today stage the first of two exercises to test whether the plan is up to scratch. National Coordinator of Pandemic Planning, Steve Brazier, says today's test, dubbed "Exercise Makgill" will simulate an outbreak which officials have to ring fence and prevent spreading. Steve Brazier says were that to happen in real life, several measures would have to be taken, such as bringing in anti- viral drugs, isolating those affected and perhaps closing schools. He says another larger exercise will be undertaken in May. BILLION DOLLAR BILL RINGS ALARM BELLS ------------------------------------- A report suggesting Auckland's proposed waterfront stadium could cost up to a $1 billion, has alarm bells ringing within an anti-rates group. The report was commissioned by the project's arch rival, the Eden Park Trust Board, and estimates the cost of a waterfront option would be far more than the $700 million currently being suggested. The report puts the cost at between $920 million and just over $1 billion. Organiser of NoMoreRates.com David Thornton says the Eden Park option - which would involve a $320 million upgrade, is bad enough for ratepayers. He finds it very difficult to think a $1 billion stadium could be built without the help of ratepayers. David Thornton thinks developing North Harbour Stadium is the best option, as it only requires a $200 million upgrade which could be covered by the government. North Harbour Stadium continues to press its case and while CEO Brendon O'Connor says he knows the Government favours the waterfront option, he says they will not be giving up in case it falls through. He says North Harbour Stadium still has the same revenue opportunities as the others, but will cost less and has the appropriate zoning already. Meanwhile the silence continues from Sports Minister Trevor Mallard on the latest developments in the Auckland Sport Stadium debate. Mr Mallard is not commenting on the Eden Park Trust Board report, its findings, and the apparent price disparities. However Government sources indicate the $700 million figure is accurate and say the Eden Park Trust Board is acting out of a vested interest Labour's behaviour on the 2011 Rugby World Cup stadium plans, however, is not sitting well with one of its confidence and supply supporters. United Future Leader Peter Dunne says if the Government has not made up its mind it is very close to doing so, and there is a suspicion there is a secret agenda and the chance that a favoured option will be rushed through. He says that is not the way to get the support of either the people of Auckland, or New Zealanders in general. There are fears a waterfront stadium in Auckland could have an impact on some of the region's infrastructures. Auckland Regional Holdings, the Port's owner, gives a certain amount of the Port's profits to the Auckland Regional Council. ARH chair Judith Bassett says that money is predominately spent on public transport and stormwater systems. She says any risk to ARH's earnings means the region will get less for such vital public projects. Judith Bassett says the biggest issue they have is the Government has not provided any information on the details of the proposed stadium, meaning they cannot even analyse the risks. Ms Bassett says the Port is the biggest in New Zealand, and worries a development of this scale will seriously impact its business operations. She says it is vital to Auckland and many parts of the upper North Island. Friday, 10 November 2006 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PROCEEDINGS AGAINST VISA, MASTERCARD ------------------------------------ The Commerce Commission has issued civil proceedings against Visa, MasterCard and 11 financial institutions for alleged price-fixing. The allegations relate to interchange fees, which are charged by credit card companies and paid by retailers as part of their fees to banks. The fee is up to 1.8 percent of each credit card transaction. The Commission says fixing the interchange fees is anti-competitive. It says there is no collusion between Visa and Mastercard - but between the companies and other financial institutions. They are Cards NZ, ASB, BNZ, Westpac, ANZ, TSB, Kiwibank, HSBC, NZ Post, The Warehouse Financial Services and GE Finance and Insurance. Both Visa and Mastercard say they will contest the claims - and are disappointed with the move. (Apparently, the 1.8% fee is almost double the equivalent fees in Australia. - BH) WATERFRONT STADIUM IS PREFERENCE -------------------------------- The Government has finally declared a preference for a waterfront stadium in Auckland to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup. At a presentation in downtown Auckland this afternoon, Sports Minister Trevor Mallard confirmed a waterfront stadium and a revamped Eden Park are in the running. However, he says a waterfront option offers much more. Mr Mallard has asked the Auckland City and Regional Councils to report back to him in two weeks on what they want. (Not my preference, and I don't believe that the government has any business having a preference. - BH) TAX CUTS CALL ONCE AGAIN ------------------------ The clamour for tax cuts is being heard once again on the back of the Government's latest financial figures. Treasury has released the Government's financial statements for the September quarter and they show the Government's operating balance is $400 million ahead of predictions. With tax revenues also $400 million ahead of forecast National Party Finance spokesman John Key says the Finance Minister's credibility is shot. He says Michael Cullen has been utterly humiliated with his tired argument that tax cuts are unaffordable and that the figures show they are. CONTINGENCY WORKING WELL AS STRIKE BEGINS ----------------------------------------- Contingency plans are running smoothly in the south as the first of the striking radiographers walk out. Last ditch efforts to call off the strike failed last night with radiographers rejecting a new pay offer. At this stage, only workers at Canterbury DHB have started their industrial action which will run for nine days. Strike Coordinator for Canterbury, Jock Muir, says it is so far so good, but he says pressure is expected to build as time goes on. Southland, Otago, Hutt Valley, Lakes and Bay of Plenty DHBs will start their 10 day strike this afternoon. Tairawhiti workers will strike for five days. CHRISTCHURCH GETS FASTER BROADBAND ---------------------------------- Some leading Christchurch businesses are about to get a jump on the rest of the country in terms of broadband speeds. Later this afternoon mayor Garry Moore will announce the city has a new broadband network with speeds up to a thousand times faster than is currently available. Canterbury Development Corporation science and technology manager Larry Podmore says they have been working on developing the world-class infrastructure for a year and a half. He says it is a great outcome for Christchurch, which he says is leading the country in terms of broadband speeds. Mr Podmore says it will bring great benefit to the city's broadband enabled industries - for example it will enable Christchurch Hospital to do 3-D colour x-rays in the future. THOUSANDS AFFECTED BY STRIKE ---------------------------- A major radiographers strike will affect hospital operations across seven District Health Boards for more than a week as of today. Their unions and DHBs have failed to find a common ground over pay parity. The strike will last five days in Tairawhiti, nine days in Canterbury and 10 days in Bay of Plenty, Lakes, Hutt Valley, Otago and Southland. DHB spokesman and Chief Executive of Hutt Valley DHB Chai Chuah says it is disappointing they were unable to meet halfway. He says services will be reduced, with elective surgery cancelled at many hospitals, which will be activating contingency plans. The Canterbury DHB thinks about 750 elective surgeries will be impacted by strike action starting today. This is bad news for the DHB which is already almost 200 surgeries behind budget this year. Strike coordinator Jock Muir says thousands of patients will be affected by the strike with electives taking a big hit. He says it is the length of the strike that is the biggest cause for concern. The radiographers went out on strike for four days in September impacting on the care of up to 3000 patients in Canterbury including about 500 whose elective surgeries were cancelled. Meanwhile there are moves within the Canterbury District Health Board to make such action by health professionals illegal. Board member Alister James has given notice of a motion on the subject at this morning's meeting. He wants the board to approach the Minister Health Pete Hodgson and Labour Minister Ruth Dyson to change existing laws making strikes and lockouts by health workers illegal. At a media conference yesterday, DHB general manager Jock Muir would not be drawn on whether he would support the move. SOME WORK NEEDED ON PANDEMIC PLAN --------------------------------- Some valuable lessons have been learned from a nationwide pandemic exercise. As many as 400 participants from the Ministry of Health, the country's 21 DHBs and ESR took part in the exercise which simulated an influenza outbreak. National Coordinator of Pandemic Planning, Steve Brazier, says the aim was to ring-fence the outbreak and prevent it spreading, which he says was achieved. However he says the exercise uncovered process issues in Wellington and communication issues with DHBs which will now be dealt with. Mr Brazier says planners now know a lot more about containing an outbreak than they did before the exercise. Mr Brazier says given the exercise was the first of its kind, he is pleased with the way things were handled. SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian Harmer does NOT administer the mailing list. Please do not send subscription related messages to him. Instead, visit the website listed below, where you can make changes as required. If you want to send a personal message to Brian, change the country code to nz and send a message [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you do choose to comment on something in these posts, please don't send the whole newsletter with your message. Just trim it back to the relevant bits. Thanks. 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