WYSIWYG New Zealand News

Copyright © 1995 Brian Harmer

First, some news about the news:  
--------------------------------
                                  Matt Thompson of Contec Data Systems 
in Singapore has set up a mailing list for the distribution of WYSIWYG 
News. If you want to receive the news by e-mail:

Send a message to:            contecds@technet.sg
The subject line should be:   NZ NEWS
The text should be:           your own e-mail address

Subscribers whose mail bounces three times will be automatically
removed from the list, and will need to re-join to resume the service.
Matt says anyone who wilfully fails to follow these simple instructions
will be referred to the Singapore authorities for caning :-)

Unless it becomes obvious that the service will no longer be required,
WYSIWYG NEWS will still be posted weekly in soc.culture.new-zealand (If
nothing else,  it seems to provoke some tenacious threads). The news 
will continue to be sent to Michael Witbrock for inclusion in his
NZ web site /afs/cs.cmu.edu/Web/People/mjw/NZ/NZNewsArchive/
and I presume the person who on-posts to the Compuserve Pacific Forum
will continue to do so.

Next an editorial comment. 
--------------------------
                                I got a couple of reasonably lighthearted
posts from people who felt that there was too much (ferries) or too 
little (Auckland!) on one topic or another.   My aim is to select from 
available news sources, a distillation of what is happening in New 
Zealand. I have presumed that the newsgroup soc.culture.new-zealand is 
representative of the readership, so I attempt to match the topics 
accordingly. 

I confess to being unable to relate in any depth to sports news. I will 
try to take notice of civil requests for balance, but in the end, I 
reserve the right to exercise my own judgement. WYSIWYG is an acronym, 
after all.

On with the News:

******************

INFLATION LEAP
--------------

Increased mortgage rates combined with higher activity in the building 
sector are the main influences on a 1.2% increase in the Consumer Price
Index (CPI) for the December quarter. This has brought the annual 
inflation rate to 2.8% which is well above the 2% parameter which the
Reserve Bank is required to achieve. A press release from minister of
Finance, Bill Birch plays down the significance of the nominal figure:

"Underlying  inflation  as  used  by  the Reserve Bank is the
 appropriate measure of  inflationary  pressure  for  monetary
 policy purposes.It excludes interest rate effects and one-off
 influences  such  as  Government  charges, and external trade
 shocks as referred to in the Policy Targets Agreement."
         
"The increase  in  headline  inflation  was  largely  due  to
 mortgage  rate  increases and distorts the picture on overall
 inflationary pressures."

The Government statistician, Len Cook, appears to take an opposite
view, saying that the very high level of home ownership in NZ makes
it vital that the cost of financial services be included in any measure
of inflation. Commentators predict that much debate will centre on the 
difference between "headline" and "underlying" inflation rates in the 
next few days.
(I can't help wondering why the reserve bank increased interest rates
as a policy instrument to control inflation  - it appears to have the
reverse effect? - BH)

CHE BOSSES REWARDED / PUNISHED
------------------------------

The chief executives of the country's 23 CHEs were goaded or rewarded 
according to their performance in reducing the administrative costs of
running their businesses. Four CEOs had their pay cut by amounts up to 
15%. The best performance (by this financial measure) was achieved by
the Hutt Valley Health CHE. Reductions of $750,000 gained a 60% bonus
for its boss, Graeme Nahkies. Base salaries for CEOs range between
$90,000 and $160,000. Some portion of the base salary is "at risk", and 
any bonus is paid on top of this.

TB RUNAWAYS
-----------

Two teenage youths from the Wellington Region are infected with 
tuberculosis, and have wilfully absconded from the clinic in which 
they were being treated, putting at risk all those they come
in contact with. A court order has been obtained to require them to 
comply with the treatment. One was found, and is being treated in the 
hospital wing of Wellington Prison. The other is still at large. There is
anxiety that the youth, by quitting halfway through the treatment, will
be infected with drug-resistant strains of the deadly disease.

EASTBOURNE BUSHFIRE - ARSON
---------------------------

A spectacular bush fire above Eastbourne caused evacuations yesterday.
Two helicopters with monsoon buckets assisted firefighters in bringing
the blaze under control. Helicopter pilots saw people re-lighting 
sections of parched bush after firefighters had extinguished it. Police
have not yet caught up with the culprits.

EPIC RUN
--------

(Well it seems impressive to me - BH) A Paraparaumu truck driver ran the
entire 112 km length of the Tararua Ranges in 22 hours and 59 minutes. He
is said to have climbed a total of 6,800 metres (Not sure how that works -
I know for sure the Tararuas aren't that high - must be the sum of all the 
ascents he had to make ? - BH). Colin Rolfe entered the range near 
Ekatahuna and emerged at the Kaitoke car park. He travelled very light,
using a torch strapped to his head for night travel.


TELECOM DROPS 0900 SEX LINES
----------------------------

Telecom New Zealand Ltd have given the required six months notice to
terminate the 0900 (pay-per-use) sex-talk services in New Zealand. They
cite their operating charter which requires them to behave in an ethical 
and moral way. Sexually explicit material may be transmitted to inform, 
but not as entertainment. The enraged entrepreneurs claim Telecom is 
exercising its monopoly powers to enhance its own revenue, by forcing
customers for these services to make international tolls to Moldava.
Women against Pornography (WAP) and the conservative politicians are 
delighted by the move.

CONCERN OVER JAPANESE PLUTONIUM SHIPMENT
----------------------------------------

Considerable concern is being expressed over rumours that Japan is
planning a second shipment of plutonium from France to Japan through the 
Tasman Sea. Cited as the most dangerous substance on earth, plutonium
requires extreme measures to ensure that it does not pollute the 
environment in the event of any accident to the ship. 

ALLIANCE / KEN MAIR PART COMPANY
--------------------------------

Activist, Ken Mair was the chairperson of a part of the Alliance 
responsible for the drafting of its social policy. In the light of his
recent activities, the Alliance became aware that he might not be 
acceptable in this role. Mair resigned. The committee which he chaired
had produced no output during the year in which it existed.

FERRIES STILL IN HEADLINES
--------------------------

"My scientist is better than your scientist" is the game currently 
being played between NZ Rail and residents of the Marlborough Sounds.
Debate continues to rage as various reports are commissioned to determine
whether the fast ferries are doing as much damage as residents claim.
Injunctions and compliance orders are being sought. Maori tribes from
the North of the South Island are seeking enforcement of the Resource
Management Act on the grounds that the excessive wake is damaging 
ancient burial grounds. 

Ferry operators argue that to slow down the ferries would be counter-
productive as they generate more wake at slow speed since they sit 
deeper in the water and thus displace more.  They are also arguing that 
the reduction in speed would make the service pointless.

The monohull is nearing the end of its emergency overhaul in Nelson,
where it has had a new gearbox fitted to one of its engines, its 
stabiliser system and bow thruster repaired, and other minor problems 
rectified.  Maritime Safety Authority permitting, it is hoped that
the Albayzin will be back in service next week.

HOWARTH RESIGNS AS NZ CRICKET COACH
-----------------------------------

After a week of intense media speculation that the NZ Cricket Council 
would fire him, Geoff Howarth has resigned as coach, saying that the 
continued media pressure made it impossible for him to do his job.


PRIVY COUNCIL APPEAL COULD SET BACK MMP IMPLEMENTATION
------------------------------------------------------

An appeal by Maori to the Privy Council about the running of the Maori
Electoral Roll option, may set back the implementation of MMP by at 
least three years. It is further suggested that the appeal may cover
ground which could give the Treaty of Waitangi ascendency over parliament.

This matter was discussed in an earlier Privy Council case in 1941, which
hen held that the Treaty had no force in law except as ratified by 
statute. It is considered possible that in the light of 1995 values this 
position could conceivably be reversed.


AUCKLAND SCHOOL ATTEMPTS TO EXCLUDE IMMIGRANTS
----------------------------------------------

Epsom Normal School in Auckland has announced that it will redraft its 
enrolment policy to require a basic competence in the English Language.
This has been provoked by a high number of Asian immigrants in the area.
The school board argues that it is having to meet the cost of the 
government's immigration policy without being funded to meet the costs.

Other schools have fiercely attacked the proposal as racist, and illegal.
The ministry of Education is seeking legal opinion. The other schools
in South Auckland argue that the ethnic diversity is enriching, and does
not put excessive demands on the school.

*****

Enough. Thanks to all who sent messages of sympathy with respect to my
wife and daughter in hospital. My Daughter's operation appears to have 
been 100% successful, and she's at home recovering. My wife is still in
Hutt Hospital, recovering very slowly, but recovering nevertheless. 

Have a great week unless you have other plans :-)