Copyright © 1998 Brian Harmer
Last weekend it was time for one of our periodic trips to visit parents at Wanganui and Waverley, respectively. A favourite part of the journey for me has always been the lovely rolling pastoral land between Bulls and Wanganui. Wide valleys, handsome trees and meandering rivers near Fordell and Turakina cry out for an easel and a brush, or if the light is right, a good camera. This time, things were not as green as they usually are in this part of the country. Much of the normally lush roadside growth is parched white, and the indicator on the fire risk warning boards have spun rapidly round to "extreme". In many jurisdictions, total fire bans are in force and water restrictions are applied. Domestic users may not use sprinklers, and must hand hold the hoses to water their gardens. Farmers are losing the right to take irrigation water from rivers and bores, and people who are still struggling to recover from the fiscal consequences of the last drought are staring despairingly down the barrel of another one in quick succession. A visible rift seems to be developing between farmers and the banking industry, as a few highly publicised mortgage foreclosures hint at a hardening of attitudes, and a degree of risk aversion on the part of the banks.
It seems that Canterbury, the Wairarapa, and Hawkes Bay and Poverty Bay will have a very hard summer indeed, with forecasters suggesting it may be May or June before any significant rainfall arrives. We city dwellers flock to the beaches and talk about the "wonderful weather" and grumble about being allowed to hose our gardens only every second day. Sometimes we should get out into the country and see what's happening to the pastoral sector, still by far the greatest single source of New Zealand's wealth.
The place is not yet a desert, and roadside blooms are still plentiful. Those mauve/purple daisies which somehow arrived here from South Africa are everywhere, especially on untended roadside verges. Another prolific plant (which I personally dislike) is the agapanthus ... it may have been disseminated as the last revenge of the old Ministry of Works who seem to have decided that if enough of them were planted on median strips and road edges, we see the state of the roads themselves. It's not so bad when they are in bloom. The rest of the year they look like an unshaven drunkard. In coastal towns, the pohutukawa season is still in full flight, though already, stormwater systems seem clogged with the red debris as steady winds hasten the fall of the flowers. Perhaps it's as well there is little rain.
Thanks to all who have sent kind words about the continuation of WYSIWYG in recent weeks. I am sorry I have not answered you all personally. I have a number of projects to which I must attend, and the state of my abstraction is such that, when I booked to travel to Hershey PA in May, I booked to go to Pittsburgh instead of the more obvious Philadelphia. Now that businesses are open again after the holiday, I have managed to rectify that, though I still hope to get to Pittsburgh.
On with the news:
Labour's Trevor Mallard is calling on the Ministry of Education to look into the fee structure of integrated schools. Mr Mallard claims some integrated schools may be charging higher fees than they are legally allowed to. The schools receive taxpayer money, but are allowed to levy a separate fee on parents for building work. They are normally a few hundred dollars, but Mr Mallard says some elite schools are charging more than $4,000 a year. Trevor Mallard says there is no way that money is solely for buildings, and he wants the Ministry to check whether schools are ripping off the system.
(I hope if Mr Mallard is proved wrong, he will have the grace to apologise. Having been associated with an integrated school, I know that mortgages and building programmes cost a whole lot. He may well be right in his allegation that schools do not adequately explain the structure of the requested donation - BH)
The Firefighters Union says a shortage of personnel in Hamilton has been highlighted by an overnight fire. Police are investigating the cause of the fire at an electronic shop in Liverpool Street. Hamilton union secretary Peter Hallett says they struggled to cope with the blaze and protect the surrounding buildings with the number of staff they had on duty. And he says personnel numbers are due to be cut in February. Mr Hallett says there are also proposals to replace on-duty staff with volunteers.
A re-run for Canterbury farmers as drought conditions hit the region for the second summer in a row. Canterbury are experiencing drought after recording less than fifty percent of normal rainfall in December. North Canterbury Federated Farmers President Noel Dally says the harsh weather follows almost a year and a half of little rain. He says dairy farmers are often the hardest hit, but most put measures in place to avoid last year's crop and stock losses.
The Anglican Church has come under sharp attack from MP Mike Moore, who describes their proposed separate parliament for Maori as bordering on apartheid. Church leaders met with the government late last year, and the majority of that meeting was consumed by the church's calls for separate Maori governance. Mr Moore describes that proposal as "loaded with menace". He says a separate Maori parliament would divide, rather than unite, New Zealand. Mr Moore says countries such as Fiji and South Africa have adopted written constitutions to prevent that sort of division, and he says we should follow suit.
(I thought the Anglican Church had distanced itself somewhat from Professor Whiniata's proposals - BH)
136 people drowned in New Zealand last year, the same number as 1997. Water Safety New Zealand says that is lower than the 1990s average of 143. But executive director Alan Muir says we still have one of the highest drowning rates in the developed world, and twice that of Australia. 84% of the victims last year were male. Alan Muir says one area of major concern is deaths during swimming, which totalled 26 last year. He says most were the result of people not weighing up their skills and acknowledging their own limitations.
He has already got five ministerial postings, but Youth Affairs Minister Tony Ryall may be in line for a sixth-"Minister of Boogie Boarding". Mr Ryall has confessed to being a keen boogie-boarder, and he is giving advice to others who take to the waves. He says many boogie-boarders have been surprised this year by unusually strong rips and currents on the country's beaches. Mr Ryall says wearing fins makes it easier to get back to shore if you get caught in a strong current. He says using a boogie board without fins is like riding a bicycle without a helmet: it is just not safe.
(We should give more of our ministers hobbies to occupy themselves - it might prevent there fiddling in the serious business of governance :-) - BH)
The man who believes he is the main suspect in the Kirsty Bentley case says he was probably the only person who was in the area who had spoken to her. The 15 year old Ashburton girl hasn't been seen since New Years eve when she went out walking her dog along the river. 71 year old Pat Hannan, who is a retired school bus driver, says he had spoken to Kirsty last November. He says he walks his dog in that area regularly and spoke to Kirsty last year to warn her against going near a drain where his dog had picked up an infection.
The Health Funding Authority is already taking steps to address the chronic shortage of mental health beds in the Auckland region. A 31 year old mentally ill man has been voluntarily sent to Mount Eden Prison, because it was the only way he could get treatment. He allegedly kicked in a police station door in a bid to get help. The HFA is addressing the lack of mental health facilities in Auckland, by funding an additional ten beds. But Waitemata Health's Mental Health Manager Derek Wright says the solution is not as simple as providing more and more beds. He says the community also has a role to play.
Student Job Search says there has been a 20% drop in jobs available for students in Auckland and Hamilton - and it doesn't bode well for students financial welfare in the New Year. Auckland Student Job Search manager Sina Aiolupotea says a number of students are having to use the food banks to survive. She says Christchurch and Dunedin fared better with a sharp jump in the number of jobs available in December.
Alliance leader Jim Anderton says the Governor of the Reserve Bank should get OUT of the public service... and IN to parliament if he wants to push specific policies. Mr Anderton claims Don Brash crossed the line during a speech in the Philippines yesterday... when he declared that unemployment should be kept high to control inflation. The Alliance leader says that is inappropriate for a public servant... and that if Dr Brash wants to practise political advocacy he should run for parliament. Dr Brash ran for parliament as a National candidate twice... and was defeated both times by Social Credit MP Garry Knapp.
The Customs Service is keeping a close eye on a shipment of personal protection sprays which is due to arrive in the country later this month. The sprays are being imported by the Government Accountability League which has already pre-sold 10 thousand of the sprays. Spokesman John Lehman acknowledges disabling sprays are illegal, and the government reinforced that by throwing out a bill which proposed legalising them. But Mr Lehman is challenging authorities to try and stop their arrival. Customs spokesman Kevin Loughlin says they are aware of the shipment... and will inspect it on its arrival to determine its legality.
(I sincerely hope the authorities accept Mr Lehman's challenge. His attitude to other races and cultures scare me. His reported utterances make him the nearest person we have in New Zealand to Pauline Hanson - BH)
Hot, dry, weather in sunny Hawkes Bay is forcing the local district Councils to enforce a total fire ban on the area. As of 5pm tonight only gas BBQs and cookers will be allowed to light up. Hastings Fire Chief Ray Brown says they have tried to take a sensible approach and rely on people's judgement, but conditions are now too risky not to take proper precautions. Fire staff say the ban will last until the weather breaks, and with no immediate sign of rain on the horizon it is unclear just how long that will be.
Firefighters are battling a large plantation blaze west of Napier. It is burning along a one kilometre front in a forest of four year old pines. Fire crews from all over the Hawkes Bay region have been called in to deal with the blaze, as well as a helicopter from Palmerston North. There are also reports of a forest fire in the upper Papamoa Hills in the Bay of Plenty. Much of the country has been sweltering today, with temperatures in some areas reaching near-record levels. In the Hawkes Bay the mercury has hit 43 degrees, while in Gisborne unofficial readings put the temperature at nearly 38 degrees. A ban on open air fires in the Wellington region came into force an hour ago. The National Rural Fire Authority says the risk of forest fire is extreme in Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Palmerston North, Wairarapa, Wellington, Marlborough, and much of Canterbury.
(Scouts at the Jamboree in the Wairarapa have had their programmes severely curtailed by the heat. Many of them were treated in the camp hospital for heat exhaustion. They even had to shut down their computers which were overheating. - BH)
Forensic tests done at the home of missing teenager Kirsty Bentley yesterday afternoon have failed to shed any light on the mystery. The 15 year old hasn't been seen since New Years Eve. Police spokeswoman Maggie Leask says tests were done for blood on various points around the property, but found nothing helpful. She says the search of her bedroom didn't find any clothes missing, but its thought she may be wearing some jewellery. Ms Leask says they are also trying to confirm several contradicting sightings of Kirsty the day she went missing.
Labour has come clean over the whereabouts of leader Helen Clark. Earlier today the party's parliamentary offices refused to reveal Ms Clark's whereabouts... or the reason she will be absent from the funeral of Michael Hirschfeld tomorrow. Mr Hirschfeld - Labour party president since 1995 -died suddenly on Tuesday, aged 54. Ms Clark has made no comment about the death...although it is known she will not attend the funeral. A spokesman has now confirmed that Ms Clark is on holiday in Africa. Labour's deputy leader Michael Cullen will attend the funeral as her representative.
The government is looking at giving more power to local councils to deal with drunken New Year's eve revellers. Local Government Minister Tony Ryall is looking to a law change proposed by Hamilton West MP Bob Simcock. It would give councils extra powers, including extending the periods of liquor bans beyond the current 12 hour maximum. Mr Ryall says the out-of-control-behaviour seen in some areas at New Year is nothing to what could happen at the end of this Millennium year. He says he doesn't want the world seeing television images of drunken louts throughout New Zealand.
The Governor General has approved the appointment of the first 16 Community Magistrates. From February the Government is conducting a pilot programme which will give the magistrates jurisdiction over cases involving low level crime. The Community Magistrates will have the power to impose fines... sentence law-breakers to community service or periodic detention... or disqualify them from driving. However they will not be able to sentence offenders to imprisonment. The 16 community magistrates will sit in Hamilton, Tauranga, Huntly and Whakatane.
(I am seriously puzzled by this initiative, and wonder how it is different to merely providing better training to our existing JPs. I listened to a rather gushy radio interview with a lady who is one of the new Community Magistrates. I thought she did herself little credit. If I understood her well, her justification as to why she was an appropriate candidate seemed to be that it would allow her to make most use of her wide variety of life experiences. Her utterances in the interview seemed focused entirely on her own excitement and gratification. I really hope there was something deeper there. - BH)
Les Miserables star Rob Guest will be on stage at the musical's opening night in New Zealand tonight....despite an unscheduled trip to hospital. The expatriate New Zealander fell during a preview performance late last night, injuring an ankle. An x-ray at Auckland Hospital has revealed that Guest didn't break any bones, however the ankle is badly sprained. The show's producers say Guest has had other mishaps on stage, injuring an ankle and a knee and once knocking himself out, but has always managed to continue performing.
Some of the impetus for a Government crackdown on home invasion-type crime is coming from National MPs representing rural electorates. The government is looking at a law change to introduce much tougher sentences for people convicted of crimes involving home invasion. Justice Minister Sir Douglas Graham says many home invasions occur in rural areas or small towns...where National has strong voter support. He says he is getting feedback from National MPs, who are hearing of their constituents concerns. Sir Douglas has asked his officials for a report and hopes to have something to present to Cabinet later this month.
DOC, the Fire Service and forestry owners will meet today to discuss a total fire ban around the country. Fires broke out in both islands yesterday; one in Hawkes Bay and a scrub fire in North Canterbury which took most of the day to put out. National Rural Fire Officer Murray Dudfield says hot temperatures are set to continue - and this is putting all Areas at risk.
Hundreds have gathered in the Wellington Town Hall today for the funeral of Labour Party president Michael Hirschfeld. The 54 year old died suddenly this week. His involvement in the Labour party dates back to the 1960s... and culminated in his role as the party's president since 1995. Michael Hirschfeld was also one of this richest men in the country... with a personal worth estimated at $20 million. Mr Hirschfeld was a member of the progressive Jewish movement... and his funeral will reflect that with traditional prayers in both Hebrew and English. He is survived by a wife and three children.
(Mr Hirschfeld was also the Pro-chancellor of Victoria University, and would be familiar to many recent graduates as the man who shared with the Chancellor, the role of congratulating them as they received their diplomas - BH)
Vehicle Testing New Zealand says safety issues will be its primary concern when it considers changes to the Warrant of Fitness system. It is thinking of recommending a yearly warrant of fitness check rather than the standard six months. The Land Transport Safety Authority is calling for submissions on the proposal. Vehicle Testing spokesman David Ballantyne says currently one third of vehicles need repairs to meet warrant standards However he says shifting to yearly inspections pose too much of a safety risk as the problems are usually minor - such as faulty windscreen wiper blades. Mr Ballantyne says the risks involving steering and brakes will be part of their safety analysis.
Scientists have confirmed this morning that Bay of Plenty's White Island is building up to an eruption. A new vent has formed this week in the middle of the main crater, and is spewing out steam and wet ash. Seismologist Carol Bryan says volcanic tremors shaking the island are up to 15 times above the regular activity from the volcano. She says there can be no guarantee of an eruption, but the possibility is looking more and more likely given the level of activity on the island. Carol Bryan says an eruption is unlikely to be any more spectacular than others in recent decades.
Wellingtonians and Aucklanders are in for a sun-burning scorcher of a month, according to latest statistics. A Ministry of Health report shows January recorded the highest levels of ultraviolet radiation in the past two years - and consequently, the highest rate of sunburn. Spokesman Dr Douglas Lush says ultraviolet radiation levels have soared in the capital by about 6% and levels in Auckland are up 4%. He is urging people to stay out of the sun during the hottest time of the day, especially around 1 to 1.30 pm.
The country's most valuable documents are to get better protection from earthquakes, as part of a refurbishment programme at the National Archives building in Wellington. The $2 million revamp includes replacing a leaking roof and seismic strengthening, and begins today. Chief archivist Chris Hurley says the work will help preserve some of New Zealand's most important documents, including the Treaty of Waitangi, and the 1893 Women's suffrage petition. The work is expected to be finished by the end of March.
Featherston residents have pulled together in the search for a man following complaints from an 80 year old woman. Police say a man burst into the Wairarapa woman's home and allegedly assaulted her. The search and subsequent arrest involved Featherston Volunteer Fire Service and the Featherston Community Patrol, along with 20 police staff and a helicopter. The woman was treated for minor injuries and a 26 year old Featherston man will appear in the Masterton District Court this morning.
Date: 7 January 1999 Brian Dooley Wellington New Zealand CURRENCIES The currency codes given below conform to ISO 4217, which can be found at http://www.xe.net/currency/iso_4217.htm. The rates given are for telegraphic transfer and are as given in the Wellington Evening Post today. To Buy NZD 1.00 USD 0.5433 AUD 0.8600 GBP 0.3286 JPY 61.60 CAD 0.8198 FRF 3.0793 DEM 0.9180 HKD 4.2201 SGD 0.9147 ZAR 3.1029 CHF 0.7592 INTEREST RATES (%) Call : 3.70 90 Day: 4.69SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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