Copyright © 1998 Brian Harmer
As Dad may well of mentioned, He has gone to Hershey, Pennsylvania for a conference. So unfortunately for all of you avid WYSIWYG readers out there, Dad has left me to bungle my way through to sending out the weekly news. As you will all be able to tell in due course, computers are not my particular cup of tea. Hence the reason why two of the news captions on Thursday and Friday have funny little boxes around them that I could not get rid of. But I'm sure you will all bare with me until Dad gets back. At least my ineptitude with computers will give you all a good laugh, Thanks for your patience.
P.S. There will be no news posted on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as I am also going away. A slightly shorter distance though, Only to Nelson to spend a couple of days with my brother Drew. But you can take comfort in the fact that I will be keeping a close eye on the news over this period as I will be flying down on the little plane that delivers the morning and evening paper to the folk at the top of the South Island.( To all the Foreign readers, Yes that is the island with all the sheep on it!. Oh, alright it has some very nice people too.)
P.P.S. Although Dad did leave a very comprehensive set of instructions for me to follow to get the news out to all of cyberspace, He has forgotten to leave me his password to access his incoming email. In short this means that either for the next little while or until I hear from my Travelling Matt of a father I will not be able to post the Financial news submitted by Brian Dooley. I am sorry if this diminishes your appetite to read WYSIWYG, but if it does you can all start the eager count-down of Dad's return on the 25th of this month.
Yours truly until the Big Guy gets back. Ants. On with the news:
Contact Energy is now 58 percent foreign owned - following the final share allocation of the electricity giant.40 percent of Contact was sold to American company Edison Mission earlier this year - and the final allocation of shares announced today sees a further 18 percent go offshore. Treasurer Bill Birch says that is the right balance to help protect the value of the shares. 225 thousand New Zealanders have been allocated shares - at a price of 3-dollars-10. The maximum allocation was set at two thousand, five hundred dollars-worth for those who pre-registered - two thousand dollars worth for those who did not.
The government says concerns over the Health Funding Authority expressed by a Parliamentary select committee are being addressed. The Health Select Committee has reported that the management of the waiting times fund was 'poor' while it was surprised at the high restructuring cost of almost eleven million dollars. But Health Minister Wyatt Creech has said an investigation by the Health Ministry has seen improvements in the management of the fund. And last month he sent a strong message to the HFA about the restructuring costs and claims in the long-term there will be a forty million dollar saving in administration.
The fate of the INCIS computer system is likely to wind up in the hands of cabinet when it meets in a fortnight. An ad hoc committee of senior ministers is meeting with Police Commissioner Peter Doone this afternoon to discuss the delays and cost over-runs which have dogged the controversial police computer system. Police Minister Clem Simich admits the government is considering cancelling future increments which would add more functions to INCIS. However any such spending decisions would require cabinet approval.
The Coalition for Public Health is cautiously optimistic about the new 250 million dollar hospital redevelopment in Auckland. The government announced yesterday the approval of the project which will see Auckland, Green Lane and National Womens' Hospitals integrate in one building. It includes an eight storey hospital with 710 beds, which is fewer than the current level provided. Coalition for Public Health spokesman Lyndon Keene says that is highly questionable, given the population is increasing, especially in Auckland. He says healthcare needs are already failing to be met.
The Department of Corrections has slammed newspaper reports which claimed the killer of Wellington teenager Karla Cardno was being released on weekend leave. Paul Joseph Dally has served almost ten years of a life sentence for killing the 13 year old in 1989. Corrections spokesman Tim Bannatyne says reports claiming Dally has had weekend leave are inaccurate, as he has not had any kind of temporary release. Mr Bannatyne says he has only ever been out of the prison on three occasions, with two officers present, so he could attend treatment sessions and enrol in an education programme.
Parliament's Internal Affairs Select Committee has delayed the release of a damning report on the Fire Service Commission. It is understood the report - as it stands - recommends the jobs of two Commission members be reviewed... citing incompetent financial management in the year to June 1998. The report - in that form - would put the jobs of Fire Service Commission chairman Roger Estall and fellow commissioner Brian Stanley on the line. That was to have been tabled tomorrow. However it is understood one of the select committee members is having second thoughts - and has requested another meeting before the report can be signed off.
Police are baffled by the death of a 14 year old schoolboy found on a Wellington street with serious head injuries. Jeff Whittington was found on the side of the round in the early hours of Saturday morning in the suburb of Te Aro. He was rushed to hospital but later died. Detective Sergeant John Rongen says a post mortem examination is continuing today on the boy's body to try to determine the cause of death. He says they are still not sure if his death is a result of foul play or whether he was injured in a fall or accident.
Name suppression has been lifted in the case of the Gisborne pathologist found to have mis-read or mis-reported cervical cancer smear tests. In a written decision, Justice Young has agreed to lift the suppression order from five o'clock on Friday. Justice Young says he is deferring the order to allow Dr B an appropriate opportunity to mitigate the effects of the expected publicity, and to appeal to the Court of Appeal if he chooses. In his findings, Justice Young says sensible public debate will be impeded if a constraint on mentioning Dr B's name continues.
Shares in Contact Energy are now trading around the three dollar 45 mark, after debuting on the stock exchange this morning at a 66 cent premium. It has been a busy few hours for traders, with more than 30 million shares in the power company changing hands in the first hour alone. The float has raised more than 2.3 billion dollars for the government, with the money being used to retire overseas debt.
The end is in sight for an investigation into allegations of racism against the top police officer in the Diplomatic Protection Squad. In March this year a Wellington woman lodged a complaint after the officer allegedly called her "a black bitch" - during a road rage incident in a carpark. The Police Complaints Authority has now received a report prepared by police over the past two months - and he hopes to release his findings next week. The officer concerned is the senior bodyguard for Prime Minister Jenny Shipley.
Police are still trying to confirm whether five people have been killed in a light plane crash near Taumarunui. The plane went down in dense bush about 16 kilometres south of the town shortly before 11.30 this morning. Police say there are no survivors, and they are still trying to confirm how many people were on board. The principal of Kirikau School Paul Armstrong says he saw the plane fly very low over the school, then plunge into rugged bush. He says he and a friend joined police in trying to extinguish the flames, however it was clear no-one had survived the impact. Police say the plane was en route from Omaka near Blenheim, to Tauranga.
Police have released the identity of a farm worker shot dead on a farm at Hukerenui, north of Whangarei. Police believe 34 year old Steven Douglas Mitchell died from a single shotgun wound to his head. A 16 year old youth has been charged with Mr. Mitchell's murder and he is due to appear in the Youth Court this afternoon. The teenager was located by police after the dead man's car was caught speeding in Whangarei last night. Two other teenage occupants of the car, aged 13 and 15, have been charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery. Inquiry Head, Detective Senior Sergeant Graham MacDonald says the victim and the alleged offender were known to each other and had spent time together over the past day.
The mother of convicted child molester Peter Ellis says she is pleased with the outcome of his petition to the Governor General. Ellis has not been given a pardon but the terms on which he could take his case back to the Appeal Court have been widened. He is currently serving 10 years jail for abusing children at the Christchurch Civic Creche. Lesley Ellis says she did not expect her son to get a pardon - but to widen the appeal court hearing gives his lawyer, Judith Ablett-Kerr, the chance to present new evidence. The case will again be heard on May the 31st.
Police investigating the killing of a Wellington teenager have confirmed the boy was high on the drug datura on the night he died. 14-year-old Jeff Whittington was beaten early on Saturday morning in a central Wellington lane - he died on Sunday. Inquiry head Detective Inspector Brett Kane says earlier in the evening - Jeff had taken datura together with a friend. He appeared high when he was stopped by a police officer, about 20 minutes before he was beaten. Brett Kane says the officer checked to see that he was alright before heading to another job
Oamaru has been spared major job losses with Mainland Products opting to consolidate all its South Island meat production at the Frasers plant in the town. Mainland chief executive Baird McConnon says it has chosen Oamaru because the plant has recently been modernised and it can cope better with single site production. The decision means the closure of the company's Christchurch factory, with the loss of up to 60 jobs. Mr McConnon says Mainland will offer about 15 jobs to staff in five other centres, including Dunedin.
A lukewarm response from the primary teachers' union to a 1.3 million dollar funding injection to stamp out bullying. The Education Ministry is targeting 24 primary and 16 secondary schools for a new programme called Eliminating Violence. NZEI secretary Joanna Beresford says the Ministry should be commended for addressing the problem. But funding could have come much earlier. She says two-and-a-half thousand primary and secondary students were suspended for assault last year - a figure which should be much lower. Joanna Beresford says it could be argued that bullying has become so bad, because the Government failed to nip the problem in the bud. Funding will be spread over three years.
Thursday,13 May
Staff at an Auckland Intermediate are trying to keep school as normal as possible for pupils waiting to hear news of their missing classmate, Chong Liu. 12 year old Chong was last seen by a friend on Tuesday afternoon playing in a Mt Roskill Park near her home. Principal of Waikowhai Intermediate, Keith Dowdle, says they are having regular staff meetings and assemblies to keep teachers and students informed. He says it is a tough time for all pupils. Keith Dowdle says the school has a Stranger Danger programme and children are aware that they should not approach strangers.
Debt collector Baycorp is refusing to discuss allegations that it is getting unfairly heavy handed over old debts Its subsidiary, Nationwide Credit Services, which buys up old debts, is currently chasing what is thought to be thousands of people around the country for money allegedly owed to Telecom during the eighties. But some of those receiving letters say there have been given no evidence they owe the money....and one woman says she was told her credit rating would be affected if she did not pay up. Wellington man, Billy Humphries says Baycorp offered to cut his almost three thousand dollar debt to just over eight hundred, and he could pay it by instalment. But the Consumer's Institute warns that is a fatal mistake.... if you acknowledge an old debt by paying even a small part, you are liable for the whole amount.
A protest outside the US consulate in Auckland against NATO's bombing of China's Embassy in Belgrade is now over. About five hundred mostly Chinese people gathered outside the consulate holding placards. Several members of the group, escorted by police, then presented a list of demands to the consulate. Qiong [chong] Zeng [zong], says the demands include an apology to Chinese people and a trial for those responsible for the attack in an international criminal court. The protest did not go without incident, eggs were thrown at the Consulate and US flags set on fire.
The Government is to establish a new biotechnology watchdog which will investigate areas such as genetic engineering. Science and Technology Minister Maurice Williamson has announced the formation of the Independent Biotechnology Advisory Council. Mr Williamson says the council will investigate and inform the public about matters relating to new biotechnology.
The Police Complaints Authority's investigation into the death of a man who plunged through a window of a home in Auckland while being pursued by officers is on hold at this stage. Forty one year old Stanley Williams died at his Manukau home on Tuesday. Police had been called to the property to deal with a domestic disturbance and when they attempted to force their way into a first floor room to talk to Mr Williams, he allegedly leapt out the window. The fall was witnessed by other family members, who are now in Gisborne, attending Mr Williams' tangi. An officer compiling the Police Complaints Authority report wants to interview family members, and a final report to the PCA is on hold until then.
High winds and heavy rain are forecast for the lower part of the South Island over the next twelve hours. Winds gusts of up to one hundred and twenty kilometres an hour are expected to hit inland areas of Otago from about five o'clock tonight. Heavy rain is likely to spill over the Southern Alps from about three o'clock this afternoon. Up to fifty millimetres could fall from about twenty to twenty five kilometres east of the main divide.
Capital Coast Health has confirmed an investigation will be held into security at Porirua Hospital's psychiatric unit. A man, who is described by police as extremely dangerous, got a key and let himself out of a secure mental health rehabilitation unit. It is the third escape from Porirua in two months. Capital Coast Health spokesman Nikitin Sallee says they do regard this as serious, but before they respond to questions, they want the answers themselves and they will come after a proper investigation. Police say they fear someone will be seriously hurt or killed by an escaped patient.
Police and counselling agencies are reporting an increase in the number of so-called drug rape cases in New Zealand. Toni Shepherd of Auckland Sexual Abuse Help says in one instance a seven year old boy was lured into a fast food outlet where his drink was spiked. He was then abducted and sexually abused. Toni Shepherd says this kind of attack is all the more frightening because they must be well planned. She says drugs used in such attacks are often obtainable over the counter and cause victims to suffer from amnesia after their attack.
The government is considering a legislative change to ensure health officials can raise the alarm over potential health scares pre-dating 1997. In the Gisborne cancer scare officials were aware for over five years of problems with a pathologist is incorrect reading of cancer smears. However the Ministry of Health was not alerted until March this year - three years after the pathologist had retired. A spokeswoman for Health Minister Wyatt Creech says the delay is tied to tight privacy provisions before 1997 - which meant there was no mechanism in place to alert the ministry. A law change to fix that problem is being considered.
The New Zealand government is this morning openly critical of the role the United Nations has played in East Timor. Foreign Affairs Minister Don McKinnon has confirmed this morning New Zealand will send police officers to East Timor ahead of the vote on possible independence from Indonesia in August. He says New Zealand is acting on a request from the UN. Mr McKinnon says East Timor has a 24 year long history of violence and bloodshed, and he has voiced concerns at a lack of UN action. He says the UN has been slow to show any leadership in the East Timor crisis, and New Zealand has been forcing the issue requiring the United Nations to take a far more active role.
A researcher for Nuclear Test Veterans is aghast over the Government decision to renege on funding for legal action against Britain. The War Pensions Minister says the case stands little chance of success. That has been condemned by opposition parties and the Nuclear Test Veterans Association. Researcher Ruth McKenzie says of the five hundred Kiwis who watched the Christmas Island tests of the 50's fewer than 30 can say their health has been unaffected. She wonders what sort of message the decision sends to the current crop of service men and women.
A plea from ACC Minister Murray McCully - for Labour to leave the government's ACC reforms in place. The government today stepped up a publicity campaign encouraging employers to start getting quotes before ACC is opened up to competition on July the First. Labour's election policies include a vow to reverse those reforms - and return the entire workplace insurance sector to government control. But Mr McCully is convinced the new competitive system will be less costly to business - and deliver better results for workers. Murray McCully says he earnestly hopes Labour will not dismantle the new system if it wins the election.
A number of immigration consultants are being accused of acting as pseudo marriage brokers so foreigners can win residency. The Association of Migration and Investment claims a number of consultants are carrying out the practice at a cost of up to 30 thousand dollars. Spokesman David Besley says the problem stems from there being no regulations on becoming an immigration consultant. He says even visitors to the country can carry out the practice.
The Consumers' Institute says a man who received an 11 year old bill from Telecom does not have to pay it. Telecom has sold its bad debt disc to collections company Baycorp which sent the Otago man a bill dating back to 1988. The man, who has all his old telephone accounts, disputes the debt. Consumers' Institute chief executive David Russel says the law says you can safely ignore a bill more than six years old.
Christchurch Boys' High School says it is treating an incident at the city's Court Theatre this week very seriously. More than two hundred students and teachers were thrown out after boys yelled and threw things at the stage during a performance of Macbeth. The show was cancelled at half time as the actors expressed fears for their safety. Acting principal Colin Donald says they have already punished the students involved... and the school has also reviewed some of its policies to ensure a similar event does not happen again.
Labour's Geoff Braybrooke is expressing disgust over the government's apparent turnaround in relation to veterans of Operation Grapple. A group of New Zealand soldiers who were exposed to British Nuclear tests in 1957 - are now fighting a legal battle for compensation. The coalition agreement allocated 200 thousand dollars to that legal action - but Foreign Affairs Minister Don McKinnon says that now will not happen. Geoff Braybrooke says the government made a promise in 1997 - and is betraying veterans by using weasel- words to back out of that vow.
Friday,14 May
Britain's government claims a list of alleged secret agents which has been published on the Internet is riddled with inaccuracies. The list of more than a hundred serving officers, has been provided by New Zealand-born former spy Richard Tomlinson. Tomlinson has already served a 12 month prison sentence for breaching the Official Secrets Act after he attempted to publish a book about his work as a British agent. Britain's Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, says Mr Tomlinson is nursing an irrational, deep-seated grievance. He says his actions are irresponsible, illegal and potentially dangerous to the people who worked with him
A bitter dispute over manning levels will see part of Auckland's North Shore without a fire crew this morning. A firefighter at Albany Fire Station says they do not have the staff to cover today's shift. He says firefighters have been doing so much over- time that there is no-one to come to work. The firefighter, who did not want to be named, says a similar incident happened a few weeks ago, but on that occasion staff were brought in from other stations.
The frigate Te Kaha will miss an international naval exercise after being sidelined with a mechanical problem. The warship will go into dry-dock tomorrow at the Devonport base for urgent repairs to its bracket bearings. The Navy says that will add two weeks to a previously scheduled maintenance period. That will mean the Te Kaha will not be able to join two other New Zealand ships heading to an exercise off Darwin July. Opposition parties are demanding answers to why the half-billion dollar frigate again needs repairs.
Police are continuing to class the disappearance of Auckland schoolgirl Chong Liu as a missing persons inquiry as they head into day four of their search. The 12 year old was last seen shortly after leaving a park near her Mt Roskill home on Tuesday afternoon. Extensive inquiries and searches of bush and coastal areas have failed to find any trace of her. Inquiry head Detective Sergeant John Sutton says he has serious concerns for the 12 year old's safety, but the investigation will remain a missing person's inquiry, although that status will be reviewed regularly. Meanwhile, council workers are this morning helping police check drains in the area for clues.
Womens' health activists are again accusing officials of dragging their heels over Gisborne's cervical smear scandal. Pathologist Michael Bottrill is at the centre of a storm after reading smear tests incorrectly. The Alliance says if measures had been taken when the first cases came to light three years ago, at least five people might have been saved from invasive cancer. And Sandra Coney, one of those behind the Cartwright Inquiry ten years ago agrees. The HFA is reviewing about 30 thousand smears taken in Gisborne between 1991 and February 1996.
One of New Zealand's leading trauma surgeons believes ambulances should be parked at roadsides around the country, waiting for an accident to happen. The head of the trauma programme for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, says in most communities ambulances are based at hospitals. However, Ian Civil suggests it might be more efficient for ambulances to patrol areas where there is a high risk of accidents. Mr Civil says the scheme is already used in Seattle, where emergency response times have dropped dramatically.
A woman is seriously injured in hospital after being struck on the head by a golf club in an incident at Lower Hutt this morning. Police are puzzled about a motive for the attack. They say a man and a woman visited a home in Lower Hutt at about two this morning, and when a man opened the door to them he struck the woman with the golf club. Police and ambulance were called and the woman was rushed to hospital where she is undergoing neuro- surgical procedures. The man who allegedly wielded the club is charged with multiple offences, but police say he is refusing to talk about the motive for the attack.
A Southland couple were last night named the 1999 Sharemilker of the Year at a function in Hamilton. Dylan and Sharee Ditchfield from Wendonside in Southland beat off competition from 11 other regional finalists competing for the 60 thousand dollars in prizes. The Ditchfields milk 500 cows and have been sharemilking for two years. Runners up were a Northland couple, David and Pip Howard from Kamo.
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