Copyright © 1998 Brian Harmer
In a gross breach of Net etiquette for which I make NO apology, I would like to share with you, verbatim, an unsolicited email I received this week.
To: "'Brian M. Harmer'" <brian.harmer@vuw.ac.nz> Subject: RE: WYSIWYG-NZNEWS 15 October, 1999 From: "Burridge, Brett" <burb@essex.ac.uk> Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 09:04:35 +0100
I don't want this any more. It's crap.
Brett Burridge (Systems Programmer) Room 5.502, Computing Service, University of Essex, UK. E.mail: brettb@essex.ac.uk Phone: +44(0)1206 873628
And of course, this "systems programmer" had neither the wit nor the courtesy to trim off the entire 500 plus lines of the issue of WYSIWYG which caused him to reach this conclusion. I have no quarrel with his right to such a conclusion, nor with his wish to cease subscribing.
However, I have never previously corresponded with, or even heard of this "gentleman", so this message, this piece of gratuitous rudeness coming out of the blue really made my day. To him and to any other person who does not wish to read this newsletter, may I point out the instructions on how to unsubscribe which have been at the bottom of every issue for the last six years. I have occasionally helped people who had difficulty in unsubscribing. This mannerless person presumably got himself on the list. He can get himself off...
When the numbers start going down as a consequence of people unsubscribing I will know this newsletter is indeed crap. For now, with 4,085 other subscribers, I will assume there is some residual demand.
To really improve my mood I had to have an ingrowing toenail dealt with (ouch!) and have suffered the indignity of an outbreak of shingles (grrr!), so I hope those of you who I count as my friends will forgive me if I don't wax lyrical this week.
On with the news:
All news items (except where noted otherwise) are reproduced by kind permission of copyright owner, IRN Ltd whose current news listing can be found at http://www.xtramsn.co.nz/news/
All material in parentheses, and concluded with the initials "BH" is the personal opinion of Brian Harmer as editor of this newsletter, or occasionally "HH" will indicate an opinion from Helen.
Urban Maori spokesman John Tamihere says the fight for fisheries assets will now have to be fought politically, after a ruling by the Court of Appeal today that only traditional iwi can receive allocations from the Waitangi Fisheries Commission. Urban Maori authorities, such as Mr Tamihere's Waipareira Trust in West Auckland, argue that they operate in the same way as traditional iwi, and should be entitled to a share of the Commission's cash and fishing assets. John Tamihere says he is not surprised by the ruling but feels urban Maori have made real progress with two of the five Appeal Court judges dissenting in the decision. He says the legal battles have gone on long enough and now it is time to take the battle to the Beehive. He says the amount spent on litigation over the issue has reached a "disgraceful" level. Today's ruling has prompted Maori Affairs Minister Tau Henare to renew his call for changes to the makeup of the Waitangi Fisheries Commission. Mr Henare, who has accused the Commission of being biased towards traditional tribes, says the dissenting judgements back him up. The Mauri Pacific leader says whoever is the next Maori Affairs Minister following the election needs to make it a priority to make changes to the Commission.
Alliance leader Jim Anderton has given the big thumbs down to a New Zealand First policy which would re-introduce National Service. New Zealand First would require all 18 year old men to undergo 12 weeks of military or community training - in a move designed to put direction and purpose into their lives. But Jim Anderton says that would be a waste of money - as it wouldn't create any new jobs - and would in fact make it harder for 18 year olds to get jobs. Mr Anderton says employers would think twice about hiring an 18 year old if they knew that person would almost immediately have to take three months off work.
(Whatever the merits of youth being required to do some form of disciplined service for the country, I don't agree that the armed forces should be cast in the role of baby-sitters or jailers for a reluctant or captive body of young people. We ought to have more respect for people who are serving members of our armed forces. - BH)
Twizel Police have identified body parts belonging to two climbers on Mount Cook, some 30 years after the duo disappeared. Police say the names of the deceased can't be released until at least later today, as next of kin have yet to be informed. The remains were found by two climbers at the weekend. Constable Mike Stephens says the find follows a shift in the Hooker Glacier. He says the remains of two males have now been identified by a pathologist and identification has been possible by a name scratched on the inside on one of the men's climbing helmets.
There has been no disruption to the normal service of cutprice airline Cityjet despite still having three of its planes on the ground. The Civil Aviation Authority grounded Cityjet's fleet of four planes last Friday after concerns over the under-recording of flight times. Cityjet spokesman Paul Webb says the leasing of extra aircraft has meant it has been business as usual for the airline today. Mr Webb says his major concern is getting his own planes safe and off the ground, and he will count up the financial cost to the company later. He says he is optimistic his entire fleet will be back in the air tomorrow.
(These reports raise all kinds of questions. It seems that at least one aircraft owner has alleged that Cityjet disconnected the meter which records air time, and which was the basis of its lease charges. I think I shall choose to cross the Strait with companies whose procedures are more transparent - BH)
Labour is vowing to increase the number of Pacific Islanders teaching in New Zealand schools. That is one of the key promises in Labour's Pacific Island policy, which has been released today. On a population basis there should be 1,300 Islanders in the teaching profession - but the actual number is just 350. Labour MP Taito Phillip Field says Labour would create teacher training scholarships for Pacific Islanders - which would bind them to teach for a set number of years after they graduate.
Six boys at Auckland's Remuera intermediate school are under investigation for allegedly adding a poisonous substance to a woman teacher's drink. Principal Kevin Gooch has confirmed the teacher was unhurt, after spitting out water laced with what is believed to be silica gel, a moisture absorber. Mr Gooch says all six boys have been spoken to, one has confessed, and the police youth aid section is also investigating. The school's board of trustees will meet tomorrow night to discuss disciplinary action.
An estimated 150 spectator boats have turned out to watch the first of the America's Cup challenger races being held in almost perfect conditions off Auckland's East Coast Bays. Around 20 official patrol boats, police craft and two coastguard vessels are helping ensure spectators obey the rules and stay out of the way. Coastguard spokesman, Bruce Smith, says they have another eight vessels on standby in case of any trouble, but so far it has been plain sailing. Eleven teams representing seven countries will take the start line over the next four months in the Louis Vuitton Cup elimination series. That is more than any other challenger series except for when 13 syndicates fought it out in Fremantle in 1987. The winner of the match racing competition takes on Team New - Zealand for the ultimate race in a best-of-nine series starting in February next year.
The number of complaints to the Race Relations Office has increased by 47 per cent during the 1998/1999 year. Race Relations Conciliator Dr Rajen Prasad says a total of 658 new complaints were received during the year -up from 449 from the year before. He attributes the rise to the changing nature of New Zealand society, saying immigration has resulted in people coming into more direct contact with other ethnicities. Dr Prasad says there is also more questioning of the Treaty of Waitangi in terms of what people see as inverse racism. He says there are no indications of the trend abating in the future.
Did You See The Size Of That Thing? Young Australia skipper James Spithill talks over the problem with Ed Baird of Young America. Water-borne police, deployed to monitor spectator boats during America's Cup racing off Auckland, say they are concerned that too many spectators are relieving themselves straight into the ocean. The challenger series has begun off Auckland, and police say their Operation Marlin staff have encountered no major problems so far. But they say the age-old tradition of yachties urinating off the back of boats has been adopted by some of the passengers aboard charter spectator boats. Police say many of the boats have toilet facilities aboard. Operation Marlin staff say urinating in a public place is offensive behaviour - even on a boat.
(Good grief! Given that our admirable constabulary are so under- resourced that they can't even get to some burglaries, why have they time to worry about this? The fact is that many of the smaller boats do not have toilets on board, and the sharp edges on used tinnies present a threat to personal safety :-) But hey, I'm not a boatie, so what do I care? - BH)
An expert in policing law says the select committee report into the failed INCIS computer system gives only one side of the story. The report looks at the role of the police in managing the collapsed project. Because of impending legal action between INCIS developer IBM and the Crown, the select committee only studied the police role in the saga. Professor Warren Young from Victoria University, says as a result, the report doesn't give the full picture. He says the INCIS project was overly ambitious, and that could have been recognised earlier. The government and IBM are engaged in legal action following the computer giant's decision to pull out of the contract to further develop INCIS. Frontline police are waiting until they have all the evidence before drawing conclusions from yesterday's Select Committee report. Police Association spokesman Greg O'Connor says if all the facts don't come out in the court case between IBM and the Crown, an inquiry should be called for. He hopes the report won't be used as an excuse to bring the police directly under government control.
The three men who have pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Beverly Bouma in Reporoa will be sentenced next month. Twenty three year old Dillon Hitaua, 17 year old Mark Reihana, and 16 year old Luke Reihana, changed their plea to guilty on the lesser charge today, as the Crown closed its case in their murder trial at the High Court in Rotorua. They have been remanded in custody to reappear for sentencing on November 19. A fourth man, 25 year old David Poumako, has already pleaded guilty to the murder of Mrs Bouma, and has been sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment. The lawyer for Mark Reihana, Marie Dhyrberg, says the trio played a lesser part in the crime, which was the reason for their guilty plea to the manslaughter charge. She says they admit they have some responsibility for the killing, but held out for the manslaughter plea because Poumaka's actions went way beyond what they had planned in the lead-up to the home invasion of the Bouma property.
OECD figures show New Zealand is one of the worst performing countries as a knowledge economy. We rank a lowly 17th out of 22 economies as far as the proportion of the value-added production coming from knowledge-based industries is concerned. New Zealand lags behind the likes of Mexico, Greece and Portugal. Labour finance spokesman Michael Cullen says the OECD figures back up concerns that our economy continues to focus on primary production rather than going hi-tech.
(The interpretation of these figures makes me despair. What it says is that a good performance from our primary sector damages our performance as a knowledge economy. The fact is that a very large percentage of New Zealand's export earnings does come from primary production. The country is, after all, a giant farm. To take the _proportion_ of knowledge based earnings to primary produce based earnings and then call that some kind of performance measure is naivete bordering on stupidity. Our primary sector earnings continue to grow, year on year, despite small downturns in some sectors. Consult the statistics if you think otherwise, I know it is so. It further ignores the basic fact that our primary industries, and especially the dairy industry, have a very high uptake of knowledge based technology for the purposes of producing wealth from grass. I am astonished that Dr Cullen should regard success in our excellent primary industries as an indicator of a badly performing economy. - BH)
In a rare move a leading politician has made an unreserved apology in the High Court in Wellington. Labour leader Helen Clark has said "sorry" to Auckland orthopaedic surgeon Joe Brownlee. Ms Clark says she unreservedly apologises to Mr Brownlee and regrets any embarrassment and loss of professional reputation he has suffered as a result of her statements. The apology follows a complaint she received from a constituent in August over the outcome of a hip replacement. Ms Clark issued a press statement and publicly criticised Mr Brownlee. Today she admitted through her lawyer that the criticism was unjustified in that the complication suffered by her constituent was rare, unforeseen and unavoidable.
Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ)is taking action against immigration consultants accused of collecting benefits destined for refugees. WINZ says the consultants have filed benefit applications in the names of their clients, who say they have never seen any money. National benefit crime manager Joan McQuay says the investigation has been running ten months and so far more than 40 benefits have been cancelled. She admits the extent of the problem is still a mystery, but her department hopes to use the information it has gathered over the past 10 months in future investigations.
A computer worker who was sacked for downloading internet pornography at Raglan Area School has been arrested. The 37 year old man - a non teaching computer technician - has been charged with two offences under the Films, Videos and Publications Classifications Act. He appears in the Tauranga District Court today. Raglan Area School staff checked the man's computer in June, after becoming worried about his internet use outside school hours. An audit found pornography had been downloaded onto the technician's computer only - no students had been exposed to the material.
There has been an angry political response to news that the Fire Service Commission levy is to be restored to its former level. The Commission is increasing the levy from 4.5 cents per $100 of insured value to 6.2 cents. The levy was cut in April 1998, when the Commission was running a sizeable surplus. Chairwoman Dame Margaret Bazley says an increase is needed because the Fire Service has not been able to realise savings from efficiency gains following on from restructuring. United leader Peter Dunne says the increase is an _outrageous insult_ to property owners. Mr Dunne is a former minister of Internal Affairs, the portfolio responsible for the Fire Service. He says the Commission has wasted millions of dollars on a failed restructuring programme and legal advice designed to keep it in office. Mr Dunne says it is homeowners who will, as usual, bear the burden. His comments are echoed by Labour's Trevor Mallard. However Mr Mallard says the levy increase is in some ways a good thing as it recognises the need for four-person crews on fire engines.
A positive economic outlook has today been painted by Treasury as it opened the Government's books for public scrutiny. It is looking at an economic growth rate of two and a half per cent this financial year with three and a half per cent for the following two years. Treasurer Bill English says a steady hand on spending and good revenue flows auger well for the future, providing there is no spending blowout. The surplus has gone from $1.8 billion last year to a prediction of just 14 million this year but that is after the Government's election promises of close to $2 billion have been factored in. Labour deputy Leader Michael Cullen has welcomed the figures, but says he is confident his party can produce stronger economic results than are forecast in the update. "Basically National is relying upon a rising international tide to lift all ships, including National's economic dinghy," Dr Cullen said.
The Land Transport Safety Authority is defending its use of gory road accident advertisements on television. Labour says it will ditch the ads if it becomes the Government. Transport spokesman Harry Duynhoven questions the effectiveness of the explicit ads currently being used. He says rather than having images to shock, the advertising campaign should show practical instruction on how to drive better. But an LTSA spokeswoman says the shock ads are based on huge amounts of research into what works - and they do save lives.
(This has the look of someone searching desperately for something to criticise. Despite Mr Duynhoven's long interest in the transport portfolio, I think he is flat out wrong. If he wants to reform the land transport, he should campaign to stop the blatant theft from motorists in the form of petrol tax siphoned off to the consolidated fund. Petrol taxes should be used for road safety and roads. Nothing else. - BH)
Transport minister Maurice Williamson says graphic drink-driving television commercials should be retained. His opposition counterpart, Harry Duynhoven, says Labour would ditch the advertisements if it forms the next government. He says rather than having images to shock, the advertising campaign should show practical instruction on how to drive better. Labour's suggestion has been knocked back by the Land Transport Safety Authority, and now Maurice Williamson has stepped into the debate. "I can't believe that Labour would scrap the ads as we have independent research to prove they are a success story," the minister says. "Harry Duynhoven says he wants to bring the road toll down, and then says he will scrap these ads that have already been a major contributor to saving lives on our roads." Mr Williamson says research show that measures introduced in 1995 to combat alcohol and speed, of which the ads were a major part, have saved a large number of lives. "During 1996 and 1997, the reviewers estimated that the campaign had saved more than 100 lives and over 1000 serious injuries. They also estimated that the alcohol campaign had led to more than a 30 percent reduction in alcohol related serious casualty crashes in 1997," he says.
The Green Party says if there's to be full labelling of genetically modified food products, restaurants and takeaway bars should also be held accountable. Health Minister Wyatt Creech is in Canberra today attending a meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Food Council, to resolve whether genetic food products will have full labelling. Green Party Health spokeswoman Sue Kedgley says mandatory labelling shouldn't apply just to food products but to restaurants and takeaway bars. Ms Kedgley says in England it's required by law for eateries to say whether their foods contain genetically modified products and the same laws should apply here.
The government is toying with the concept of local content quotas for broadcasters. Labour has led the charge on the issue, with an election policy that would force all radio stations to play 10 per cent local content, increasing over time to 20 per cent. Now Cultural Affairs minister Marie Hasler is surveying broadcasters on ways to increase local content on both radio and television. Ms Hasler says she's very keen to see the level of local production increase, and is considering whether measures used in other countries, such as quotas, would work here.
A tutor and five students are missing on the Waimakariri River in Canterbury. They were on a rafting expedition. Christchurch police say the group was unable to stop their raft when they got to the end of their planned route. An emergency helicopter is now carrying out a sweep of the river.
(Stop worrying. They found 'em - BH)
Date: 21 October 1999 Brian Dooley
Wellington New Zealand
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