Copyright © 1995 Brian Harmer
Autumn is upon us with changeable weather this week. Some days of rain and strong wind have given way to a bright clear, but breezy day today.
The week's news was dominated by the smell of petrol, with occasional bursts of Jonah Lomu to change the pace.
I meant to mention that, last week, I was privileged to rub shoulders with a number of eminent citizens at a function in the Beehive banquet hall. At the function, the Minister of Technology, the Rt. Hon Maurice Williamson launched a report written DR Graham Butler of the New Zealand Futures Trust on behalf of The Information Technology Advisory Group and the Information Technology Association of New Zealand.
While I am not altogether comfortable with every point in the glossy document, I have found it to contain some useful insights into likely technology outcomes in New Zealand, and was fortunate to be able to get a copy for members of my class. The web version of the document can be found at: http://www.netlink.co.nz/~itag/impact/impact.htm
On with the news:
Whales beaching themselves in any of New Zealand's sandy bays is not unusual, but three sperm whales chose the rocky coast of Paekakariki to the North Of Wellington as their last resting place. Crowds watched distressed as the three 10 meter mammals thrashed in the pounding surf. The usual refloating efforts could not be mounted as the sea state was far too rough for safety. After about six hours, the last of the three died.
The Department of Conservation intended to bulldoze a pit to bury the 25 Tonne creatures, but were saved some work when the sea reclaimed the corpse of one of them.
Local Maori tribes, Ngati Toa, Ngati Raukawa, and Te Ata Iwi cooperated later in the week, to claim treaty rights on the jaw bones of the dead whales. The bone is much prized for traditional carving, and tribal elders were delighted that this unusual gift of the sea enabled them to pass on ancient recovery rituals, as well as to supervise some new carving.
The Police Complaints Authority has received a formal complaint from a person Blenheim suspected of having made malicious telephone calls. A police constable called the complainant and pretended to be from the Department of Statistics. While the constable did not directly assert any connection with the census, the Department is concerned about the deception. Decisions on disciplinary action are on hold pending the findings of the Authority.
Yesterday's Round the Bays winner was later stripped of the title and the prize went to the second across the line. The apparent winner had started 10 minutes ahead of the crowd with the relay runners, apparently in the genuine belief that the real race had started. Organisers were suspicious because he did not appear to be fit enough for the recorded 22 minute time for the 8.4 Km course.
As usual several entrants were hospitalised suffering from heart or asthma problems. About 75,000 runners participated. It is believed that the 5,000 fall in numbers on last year's entry was due to conflicts with St. Patrick's day celebrations.
A service station owner in the Wellington area alleges that do-it-yourself repairs and poor home maintenance cause more fires than the new petrol is likely to. He was responding to considerable public alarm over a rash of car fires caused by the destruction of rubber components in the fuel system by the new 96 unleaded petrol with its high level of aromatics.
(By the end of this week, some 1,200 motorists had complained of leaking fuel systems, some of which had resulted in fires and vehicles destroyed - BH)
The Road Nights and Black Power have been engaged in an escalating cycle of attacks on each other culminating in gunshots being fired. Outraged citizens have led to the police banning the wearing of gang patches in the city. The gangs have been keeping a lower profile since the publicity surrounding the shooting.
In a One Network News-Colmar Brunton poll released yesterday, National retained a lead with 42% support. Labour and NZ First tied for second with 17% each. The Alliance dropped 6 points to 16%. The survey was conducted over 1,000 people and is said to have a 3.2% margin of error. According to analysts, this would have resulted in an MMP parliament which gave seats to National (55), Labour (22), NZ First (22), Alliance (21). ACT with Richard Prebble as its new leader has climbed to 3.8%. United NZ which currently has 7 members including Peter Dunne, has only 1.3%.
(A political commentator on National Radio's Morning Report attributed the rise in NZ First to the "Archie Bunker" response to Winston Peter's anti-immigration speeches. - BH)
The man the British press described during the last Rugby World Cup as "a potting shed on wheels" has married the 19 year old South African he met while touring that country.
The 20 year old concealed his wedding plans from his Tongan born parents for fear that they would prohibit the match. All Black team mate Michael Jones made all the arrangements for the wedding which took place before a registrar on the lawn of a private residence in South Auckland.
Interviewed that night on the Holmes Show, the huge winger broke down in tears as he attempted to explain why he had not told or invited his parents. A reconciliation between Jonah and his obviously distressed parents took place later in the week, as various highly positioned authorities attempted to shield the young man from further press intrusions.
WHANGANUI MAORI TO SUPPORT IMMIGRATION APPLICATION FOR $$
The Ngati Kura sub tribe of the Whanganui people are so desperate for cash to restore Pipiriki House that they have offered to support immigration applications in return for the investment of $1.5 million at 5.25% interest.
(This action causes concern for several reasons. It destroys the credibility of those who offer the deal. It raises the question as to whether the immigration department act on the instructions of a sub-tribe who wink and say "it's OK, he's with us" - BH)
A fire engine overturned near Taupo last year, and four of its occupants were injured. The accident report just obtained from Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) unit of Internal Affairs was fiercely critical of the Fire Service, alleging that the constant cost cutting meant that tired crews were being sent out. The appliance had unsecured equipment in the cab which rocketed around the in the crash adding to the injuries sustained. It alleged that the bronze hinges on the cab doors fractured in the crash and allowed one door to rip off, further increasing the injuries. It alleged also that the tyres on the rear of the vehicle were close to the minimum permitted tread depth. The Fire Service has reacted angrily.
Despite a savage verdict from the court of appeal which hoped for an end to such tricks, the former employees of European Pacific International are appealing to the Privy Council in London against being compelled to give evidence to the Royal Commission. They argue that they are bound to respect the secrecy laws of the Cook Islands.
(In the same week, the near bankrupt state of the Cook Islands saw its premier asking for a bail out from New Zealand. Not surprisingly, some M.P.s balked saying that the Cook Islands had permitted itself to be used to defraud the NZ taxpayer, and that no money ought to go to the Cooks until they cooperated with the inquiry. - BH)
Wellington's new mayor Mark Blumsky set up a jury of 12 citizens in a bid to gain a civic response to the proposal that the city should sell Capital Power (formerly the M.E.D) and merge it with Hutt Valley's Energy Direct. After hearing the evidence presented to them by council officers, the verdict from the representative citizens was "don't sell". This has antagonised business interests who say the council was elected to govern and should get on with it.
(In my opinion, business interests are not citizens - except in their individual capacity where they get one vote each like the rest of us, and should shut up - BH)
The multi-part accord on superannuation which was intended to provide stability and take it out of the political arena is falling apart. Opposition parties allege that the government is running the accord as its own empire in which it sets the agenda, and the rest should just agree.
Despite considerable public concern over the issue, the cultural safety component of the nurse's training syllabus has remained more or less unchanged after a lengthy investigation by the Nursing Council.
The little airline which usually serves the Chathams remains grounded after an appeal failed. The airline is accused of having failed to keep proper records of training procedures. It will remain grounded until systems are in place to regain proper record keeping which verifies that safety issues are being dealt with according to regulations.
A front page article in the Evening Post records the bitterness of a Hutt man who says his wife left him for a man she met on the Internet.
(This is not to belittle the man's pain, but to question the editorial judgement which makes this Front Page news in what I normally think is the best daily newspaper in the country - BH)
Despite a meeting with newly appointed race relations conciliator, Rajen Prasad, NZ First Leader Winston Peters says he has no intention of toning down his anti-immigrant rhetoric.
(Mr. Peters was angered by a claim from PM, Jim Bolger in Parliament this week that he was using tactics which were first used in Germany in the late 1930s. I detest what I see as the racism being expounded by Mr. Peters - BH)
Sir Michael Hardie Boys began his five year term of office this week, with an inauguration ceremony on the steps of parliament. This weekend, he performed his first civic function when he officially opened the new bridge and floodworks at the Southern end of Lower Hutt City.
(How do you open something with no moving parts anyway? The handsome new Ewen bridge has been in use for nearly a year, and the stop banks have been tidied up, but otherwise do what they always did. - BH)
The Karori Sanctuary Trust which has recently opened a huge wildlife sanctuary in the area surrounding the Karori reservoir (Attention Katherine Mansfield fans!) has asked the Department of conservation to transfer 50 of the wekas which were going to be poisoned on Kapiti Island into the newly fenced sanctuary.
The Pilot of a Beech Queen Air which crashed near Hamilton almost exactly a year ago, killing all six occupants, apparently selected the near empty inner tanks on his aircraft before takeoff. The recently released air accident report does not answer questions about why the dead pilot John Gainsford did not select the outer tanks when the engines began to starve, nor why he didn't glide to what should have been a safe landing on rolling farm country. (For the original crash news, see http://www.nz.com/NZ/NZNewsArchive/1995_News/1995March31.html
The Government last year sold off for development, a piece of land which overlooks the Pipitea Marae on Thorndon Quay. Occupying as it does, a space so near to parliament, the Pipitea marae is something of a national treasure to Maoridom, and the thought of townhouses looking down into the marae itself was regarded as deeply offensive. The circumstances in which the land was acquired are subject to controversy, as the crown appeared for a while to be arguing in court that the title of the land was passed before the New Zealand Company actions in the very early years of settlement in the new colony. After three days of argument, the crown suddenly backed down, and bought the land back from the developer, and added it to the land-bank. Land-banked properties are used in settlement of grievances arising from treaty claims.
(sorry - this item is a few weeks old - I overlooked it -BH)
Stuart Murray Wilson was convicted in the Wellington High Court of a range of offences including rape, assault and stupefaction of as many as 16 women. He had a long history of picking on vulnerable women and exerting almost hypnotic power over them. Many of his victims were drugged to get them to a zombie like state in which they would not resist his repeated attacks. He was sentenced to 21 years. Critics assert he should have received the more rigorous preventive detention, but the judge was precluded from this sentence because the representative charges on which he was tried were committed before that sentence became available.
The Canterbury University student newspaper became national news when it published an allegedly humorous entitled "the importance of being furnaced" which talked about a cast of 6 million. The New Zealand Jewish council were greatly offended and complained vigorously. After seeking legal advice, the Canterbury Students Association fired Creon Upton and Steven Fleming. The next issue of Canta will contain a full page apology for the offensive article.
According to a report from Nelson, a burglar made off with a briefcase containing among other things, jewelry worth many thousands of dollars. Later in the week, an alarmed thief who says he was scared of the magnitude of the allegations contacted the media to say the suitcase contained nothing but some papers and a sex aid. He threw them down a shaft in panic.
Telecom have introduced a new service which provides access from NZ to American 1-800 numbers. For years, New Zealanders have been unable to buy from companies advertising only 1-800 numbers. Now by dialing 168 and then the 1-800 number, kiwi shopaholics can be connected. The service is NOT free, however, and the caller will pay normal NZ-US toll rates.
The Health ministry has released a report which has heightened tensions over the oil industry's new petrol formulation. The report details danger to foetal development, and asserts that people exposed to aromatics may suffer damage to the nervous system, respiratory, cardiac, renal and hepatic systems.
The Ministry of Commerce has revealed that the 40% average aromatic content in a number of batches of petrol contains 3.11% benzene, 11.96% toluene, 2.24% ethyl benzene, 11.02% xylenes, and 12.37% of other aromatics.
A later uproar started over the revelation by the chief executive of the Health ministry, DR Karen Poutasi, that the ministry intended to monitor only the benzene levels, and was not checking environmental levels of the other aromatics.
Prime Minister, Jim Bolger became the first government leader to be received by the new Australian Prime Minister, John Howard. There was much mutual back-slapping, and a promise to re-open the issue of a unified aviation market - an issue that was abruptly terminated by former aviation minister, Laurie Brereton in the Keating government.
A woman who has been annoying Sir Robert Jones for some eight years was the victor in a suit brought by Sir Robert, who alleged that she was committing a nuisance.
Sir Robert reacted in the style which has made him famous, saying that he had been harassed by mad women all his life. "They are all bloody mad" he said, referring to women in general. The women whose name was suppressed has been sending 20 page letters, and items of knitted clothing to Sir Robert through the mail throughout the period complained of. In response to Judge Margaret Lee's finding that they did not constitute a nuisance, Sir Robert vowed to forward them all to the judge from now on, to see if she still felt that way. Costs of $3,300 were awarded against Sir Robert. He is considering an appeal.
The extent to which the perceived danger from Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or "Mad Cow Disease" in Britain depresses the world wide market for beef and all its by-products is being closely monitored by the NZ meat industry. It is feared that there may be a worldwide backlash against all red meats.
Staff at a school in the Hastings area were threatened with assault, and promised that the school would be burnt down when a Mongrel Mob member got angry after his child was punished by being kept in after school.
The school board met, and closed the school, a move which apparently met the approval of new education minister, Wyatt Creech.
Some in the community have questioned why the police were not involved and charges laid, but the school chairperson argued that the issue was properly resolved by mediation.
(As a parent with a child at school, I think the guy committed an offence, and ought to have been charged with it. - BH)
Date: March 21 1996 Brian Dooley - Wellington CURRENCIES To Buy NZD 1.00 US 0.6914 UK 0.4493 AU 0.8879 CD 0.9400 JP 73.71 DM 1.0210 FR 3.4992 INTEREST RATES Call : 8.95 90 Day: 8.90 To buy NZ Investment Trust: 21 June 1993 $4.09 Today $5.55
That's my lot for the week. I'm looking forward to a break at Easter, but I should last out till then :-)
Have a happy week unless you have other plans.
Brian M Harmer - Department of Communication Studies
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
email brian.harmer@vuw.ac.nz http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~bharmer
How can I be sure I succeeded
if I can't remember what I was trying to do? - Ashleigh Brilliant
To subscribe to, or unsubscribe from the WYSIWYG News E-mail list visit: WYSIWYG Subscriptions
To find it on the WWW go to the WYSIWYG Archives