Copyright © 1998 Brian Harmer
Count your blessings, they said. So I did, and sure enough, some of them were missing! On the whole however, it was a good week. By courtesy of a very generous colleague, Mary was permitted the loan of a delightful beach house at Raumati Beach, just on the South side of Paraparaumu. We both needed to get away from a variety of other pressures to get some study done, and this was a perfect opportunity. We had never been to this house before, and to our great delight it was to all intents and purposes on the foreshore, looking across to Kapiti Island in the West, and Southwards, the long sweep past Raumati South and Paekakariki to Pukerua Bay. When we arrived, the sky was overcast after some slight rain, but the sea was calm, and wavelets were flopping rhythmically onto the black sand of the beach. The first night was quite odd, as the steady sound of the sea sounded as if there was constant rain. We woke to a lovely day, with the distant hills of the Marlborough Sounds on the horizon, and Mana and Kapiti Islands clean and clear in the morning light. Norfolk pines, flax, leucodendrons, all provided roosts for the abundant bird life. Mary was quick to put out food for the delightful little waxeyes, though the sparrows and starlings were not at all bashful in sharing this unexpected bounty. Down on the beach, oystercatchers, both the black and the pied variety performed their hilarious head down scuttling dance to keep intruders off their territory. Black backed gulls swooped on the mud crabs which are prolific in the region.
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, AH for "Ants" Harmer).
Defence lawyers have told the Scott Watson murder trial that the Crown's own witnesses prove that the accused was not the man who boarded a yacht with Ben Smart and Olivia Hope when they were last seen. In his opening address, lawyer Mike Antunovic told the jury five crucial crown witnesses disprove the case against Watson. He says they include a water taxi driver who is described dropping Watson off alone at a yacht in the early hours of New Year's Day last year. Mr Antunovic also says three other witnesses have given evidence that the Blenheim friends boarded a double- masted ketch, and not the accused's sloop. The last of 25 defence witnesses should complete their evidence by Wednesday.
The chairman of parliament's defence select committee says that is the aim of a two year review of our military, which has been released this afternoon. Derek Quigley says most of the committee wants to see our defence priorities reordered, with greater importance given to protecting our economic and south pacific interests. Mr Quigley says at the moment, we are trying to do too much. The committee is also recommending we put aside differences over nuclear testing and the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior - and form a close defence relationship with the French military. The report is the result of two years of hearings - and recommends the trimming of staff numbers at defence headquarters, a two frigate navy and abandoning plans to upgrade the navy vessel Charles Upham. Committee chairman Derek Quigley says we have a Closer Defence Relations agreement with Australia - and should consider a similar alignment with French military in the Pacific. Mr Quigley says that would not have gone down well with the public a few years ago - but times have changed.
A deterioration in the industrial relations wrangle between Ansett New Zealand and its pilots. The company has issued its one hundred and 40 pilots with a lock-out notice, after being served with 14 days' notice of a strike on Friday. Ansett members of the Airline Pilots Association staged two one day strikes earlier this month and spokesman Adam Nicholson says all the pilots want is to retain their contract as is. The lock-out notice takes affect from September the16th, but Ansett says it is confident it will still have planes in the air on that day.
A university study into parallel importing has found what academics say are serious loopholes in the enforcement of product safety legislation. Massey University says not enough is being done to monitor brand-name goods brought into the country under the scheme. Two problem areas are alcohol and electrical goods. Study spokeswoman Lynne Eagles says some imported liquor has been found to be past its best-by date. And she says some electrical appliances are not being checked to make sure they comply with New Zealand safety standards.
(Consumers' Institute disputed the report, saying that many of the problems referred to predated the advent of parallel importing. - BH)
Housing New Zealand is about to start legal proceedings against another partial rent striker. Auckland man Jimmy O'Dea has been on a partial rent strike for more than six years. Housing New Zealand says it is going to the Tenancy Tribunal, which can serve an eviction order. Mr O'Dea's supporters say he is an elderly man with cancer and does not believe he should have to pay the full amount of his rent. The case follows the eviction of Auckland man Len Parker, who barricaded himself in his house and had to be forcibly removed by police. He reappears in court tomorrow on a charge of trespass.
Two policemen are nursing head injuries after being attacked in Porirua this morning. Senior Sergeant Steve Whitehead says the officers were called to a residential address after reports someone had been assaulted. They arrived at the scene and the alleged offender turned on them, attacking them with a fence palling. One officer suffered a cut to the eye and had to have stitches, the other has bruising to his head and legs. Senior Sergeant Whitehead says a man is being held in the Porirua Police cells. He says the man was under the influence of an unknown substance and will be interviewed by police once he has slept it off.
Canterbury police investigating the murder of Kirsty Bentley have received more than 100 calls from the public following new revelations about a green Commer van linked to the investigation. More information about the van has been released, after a third witness claimed to have seen the vehicle parked two-hundred metres from where the teenager's underwear and dog were found. Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Williams says the new information will be followed up over the next few days.
(Apparently there were only three green series I Commer vans of the type described in New Zealand - BH)
Clear Communications has announced plans to shed 150 jobs as it restructures itself into an Internet company. The company which broke Telecom's toll call monopoly, says it now sees its future as being an online services provider. Clear Chief Executive Tim Cullinane says they will still be a toll call provider, but they need to turn around that part of the business. Tim Cullinane says Clear will do everything possible to help staff through the restructuring.
A Government study has revealed Pacific Islanders are at the bottom of the heap in New Zealand when it comes to housing. Less than half of Pacific people own their own homes compared to more than seventy percent for all New Zealand. The average number of occupants in a house is four point three compared to the national average of two point eight. Pacific Island Affairs Minister, Tuariki John Delamere says low incomes and poor education achievement by Pacific people are factors in their housing situation. He says now the problems have been confirmed his Ministry will begin working on initiatives to try to improve the situation.
More Government disapproval over the Lotteries boss Dave
Bale's salary of up to $420,000 but he will get to keep
his money. Associate Maurice Williamson has met with
State Services Commissioner Michael Wintringham, telling
him he is extremely disappointed he did not keep the
Government informed. However he is also critical of the
Lotteries Commission for taking 18 months to relay
information to Mr Wintringham. Under new rules the
appropriate Minister will have to be informed about
employment conditions which are outside set guidelines.
(I must tread carefully here as I know both Mr Bale and
Mr Wintringham. I listened to the chairman of the
Lotteries Commission tell Kim Hill this morning, that he
had on file a letter from the State Services commission
thanking them for the quality and speed of their
consultation. One of them must be wrong.
(On the point of broader principle, I am unmoved by all
the crocodile tears over David Bale's salary. The
puritanical claptrap surrounding public employees annoys
the heck out of me. We want them to be as sharp, as well
educated, as effective as the best in the private sector.
Yet we still want them to operate with the same frugal
oily rag mentality that existed when civil servants wore
sleeveless v-neck pullovers and walk-shorts. If someone
is capable of footing it with the best in the world - and
David Bale is - why would he stay with a parsimonious
civil service? Mr Bale is consulted widely by countries
seeking to emulate the success of the NZ Lotteries
commission. He is a world expert in this field. His
contract has been in place for 12 years, and it seems
that is only the fact that it has been publicised just
before an election which causes discomfiture. In
addition, if we are going to get sniffy about extremes of
public service salaries, why do we not start with the
highest paid of all, Paul Holmes at $750,000 for a part-
time job? - BH)
Alliance leader Jim Anderton has alleged the Stock Exchange has been evading paying tax. Mr Anderton has said in Parliament today that he has documentation which shows the Exchange has not paid withholding tax on contracts ranging in value from 10 thousand to 812 thousand dollars. He says these related to non-resident contractors. Revenue Minister Sir William Birch says any such evidence should be referred to the Inland Revenue Commissioner.
Safety concerns about the effects of tomorrow's planned mass walkout by nurses in Tauranga. 500 nursing staff will strike for 48-hours at Tauranga hospital, starting at seven tomorrow morning. Plans call for picketers to enter the hospital and escort night shift colleagues from the building. Hospital general manager Alan Wilson fears the action could block elevators, stairwells and exit ways for an extended period...and thereby pose a health a safety risk. But Nurses Organisation spokesman Grant Wharry says it will only involve about a hundred staff, and they expect to be out of the hospital within ten minutes. Grant Wharry says nurses are professional and would not do anything that would jeopardise patient safety.
NZ Post releases enrolment research by New Zealand Post has found a number of people have no idea that a general election is due. It carried out research to find out about "enrolment behaviour", and found 400 thousand people are yet to enrol to vote. Electoral Enrolment Centre manager Murray Wicks says most people have the attitude that they will do it, but just have not got around to it. He says what was shocking was many people did not even know an election was looming.
(It is bizarre that in this media age, people can so bury themselves in pure escapism that they have no idea what's going on around them - BH)
Eleven Ansett flights have been cancelled today, as pilots continue to report in sick. Pilots are complaining of stress, which they say is related to the company's threat of a lockout on September 16. The Airline Pilots Association is involved in a dispute with Ansett over a contract, which the pilots claim is unfair and is causing stress. Ansett says the number of pilots reporting that they are ill appears to be dropping, as the number of flights being cancelled is declining. The Airline Pilots Association says the pilots may be getting used to the idea of a lockout, and are feeling better about it.
Teachers who knowingly work without being registered - and the boards which employ them - are likely to be prosecuted, if the Teacher Registration Board has its way. Since 1997, it has been illegal to work as a teacher without registration or a limited authority to teach. The only exceptions are schools designated as Kura Kaupapa Maori. The Teacher Registration Board says a Ministry of Education report has indicated that as many as a thousand teachers may not be appropriately registered. Spokesman, Dr John Langley says it is up to principals and boards of trustees to ensure all teachers are registered.
An assortment of drugs and weapons was found at Auckland Prison over the weekend - including cocaine and machetes. A visitor and vehicle checkpoint was carried out as part of a joint exercise with local police and a Corrections narcotics detection dog team. Department of Corrections spokesman Bret Bestic says other finds included knives, cannabis utensils and syringes. Fifty-three vehicles were searched and one person was arrested. Three vehicles turned and fled when they discovered the checkpoint was being carried out. Some cocaine was later found discarded on the roadside in the approach to the checkpoint.
The death of Tauranga multi-millionaire Sir Bob Owens is being described as a huge loss this morning. Sir Bob died in Auckland yesterday after a battle with cancer. He managed to build up a major international transport and shipping business, and contributed substantially to the area as well. The former mayor of both Tauranga and Mount Maunganui was a moving force behind development at the Port of Tauranga. One of those paying tribute to Sir Bob is Tauranga's current mayor, Noel Pope who says it is a sad loss.
(Sir Bob was a former chairman of Air New Zealand, as well as the founder of the Owens Transport group. I remember seeing Owens trucks hauling logs from Tokoroa to Mt Maunganui over the winding road through Putaruru and Tirau and over the Kaimais in the mid late sixties. - BH)
The father of the Auckland co-pilot, killed in a Silk Air plane crash over Indonesia, says he can not understand why a police investigation has taken so long. Singapore police have confirmed they will investigate the crash which, killed 104 people as a murder-suicide. That follows reports that the flight may have been deliberately crashed by the pilot. Derek Ward, whose 23- year-old son Duncan was co-pilot, says that insinuation has been bandied around for some time, and yet it has taken until now for officials to do something about it.
New statistics show the number of jobs available in the main centres have increased significantly. In Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch there have been strong increases in job ads. ANZ chief economist Bernard Hodgetts says recent signs were that maybe things had lost momentum but he says the latest statistics show the economy is growing again - particularly in Auckland.
Ansett New Zealand has its fingers crossed that the worst is over for now. After a week's worth of pilot "sickies", the company hopes its schedule might be getting back to normal. By late last night the company had not cancelled any of its flights for today, however a lock-out notice remains in force for pilots who do not sign a new employment contract by Friday night. That action's been attacked by the International Federation of Airline Pilots based in England. Executive director Cathy Bill says a recruiting ban has been slapped on Ansett, to hamper any attempt to employ foreign pilots during the lock-out.
A leaked memo indicates the relationship between ACT and National may turn icy in the run-up to the election. The two parties are possible post-election coalition partners - with National expected to announce this week it will not stand a candidate against ACT leader Richard Prebble in Wellington Central. However in a secret memo written last Friday, ACT's chief of staff says his party needs to change its strategy toward National to one of "See you at the finish line". The memo cites National's refusal to rule out working with New Zealand First - which it appears to blame for New Zealand First now level-pegging with ACT in some polls.
A new survey of company directors finds many gave themselves hefty pay increases last year. The poll by Price Waterhouse Coopers shows some company chairmen received a 10.5 per cent fee rise, while directors got just under nine and a half per cent. Price Waterhouse Coopers spokesman Kevin McCaffrey says despite the increases, there is still an acute shortage of good company directors. He says legislative changes mean there is an increased risk factor, and greater demands placed on directors, particularly in their responsibilities for enhancing shareholder value.
The Employers Federation is challenging the Labour Party to say how many new jobs its industrial relations policy will provide. Labour is due to release details of its package this afternoon, but it has already been slammed by Act leader Richard Prebble as compulsory unionism by the back door. He claims it will strip away the rights of New Zealanders who do not want to be part of a union. Employers Federation CEO Steve Marshall is echoing Mr Prebble's concerns, and challenging Labour to explain how a repeal of the Employment Contracts Act will create more jobs.
Security is extremely tight, ahead of the arrival by some world leaders for this week's APEC summit in Auckland. The American delegation has lowered a veil of secrecy around the arrival of its representatives. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright is arriving in New Zealand later today on a flight from Vietnam. However, a spokesman for the American delegation, which includes President Clinton, says he can not confirm her arrival time, or that she is arriving at all. He says he can not comment on anything to do with President Clinton's entourage. Madeleine Albright and Britain's Robin Cook are to attend a crisis meeting on Timor, which begins tonight or tomorrow morning.
(Well the veil of secrecy was doing fine until the CIA or the FBI or whoever included the fax number of a South Auckland chicken farmer on their distribution list for security bulletins. Amazing! - BH)
A three day inquest into the death of Tauranga boy Ben Thorne begins today. The 13-year-old died in November 1996 following routine knee surgery at Tauranga hospital. The anaesthetist for the operation, Doctor Margaret Hugel, was charged with manslaughter, but was acquitted at a High Court trial in Rotorua last year. The inquest had been the focus of a court battle as lawyers for Doctor Hugel fought to prevent it from going ahead. Gisborne judge, Allan McLean, will conduct the inquest in Tauranga, which will also include an international video link for testimony from a witness in Switzerland.
(The coroner has today released the finding which is that Dr Hugel's failure to adopt aggressive resuscitation measures was a contributory cause of Ben's death. She was also criticised for not being at the inquest. She is currently in Canada according to one news report. - BH)
New Zealand is right on track with its suicide prevention initiatives, according to the Government. Health Minister Wyatt Creech met with the President of the International Society of Suicide Prevention last night, and says he is supportive of our efforts to cut the youth suicide rate in particular. Mr Creech says new programmes and initiatives are coming on stream all the time, including the new Ministry of Health on-line information site. He says they will shortly be releasing guidelines for General Practitioners.
Ansett pilots are filing two interim injunctions against the airline, as they stare down the barrel of a threatened lock-out. Pilots have been calling in sick for a week, after the airline said it would lock them out from next Friday, the day before school holidays start. That follows three days of pilot strike action last month. Pilot advocate Adam Nicholson says one injunction over contracts is being heard today. The second, seeking to declare the lock-out illegal and invalid, will go ahead as soon as the court sets a date. Ansett says it is giving "due consideration" to a compromise proposal put to it yesterday by the Airline Pilots Association.
ACC Minister Murray McCully has full confidence in ACC boss David Caygill despite the chairman's failure to consult adequately with the State Services Commission over the salary of the CEO Garry Wilson. The matter was revealed as the Government investigated the saga over the Lotteries Commission CEO's salary. The ACC board did not fulfil its obligation to inform the SSC of Mr Wilson's salary which is up to $460,000. But Mr McCully is not going on a witch hunt over the matter and that he has full confidence in Mr Caygill and the rest of the board which he says is doing a fine job.
Police in Auckland are warning motorists to expect delays over the next couple of days as foreign ministers make their way to meetings around the central city. Senior Sergeant Dave Pearson says around 20 motorcades will be passing through the central city today - which is likely to cause disruptions. He says with key international figures in town the police responsibility is to ensure their safety - and unfortunately motorists will have to cope with the fallout.
(Delays in Auckland traffic, so what's new?-AH)
A King Country township devastated by floods last year is to receive more money for stop banks. Taranaki-King Country MP, Shane Ardern, says Ohura will get almost $88,000 from the government to help fund a stop bank project being worked on by the district and regional councils. He says the latest payment takes government spending on Ohura's flood damage to over $1 million.
Pilots have won their battle for information on cockpit voice recorders not to be allowed to be used as evidence against them in a criminal prosecution. Parliament has passed legislation making the recorders mandatory in New Zealand aircraft, but exempting the information contained on them from being used as evidence. Transport Minister Maurice Williamson says this is international practice. Police have been trying for four years to get cockpit recorder information from the Ansett Dash aircraft crash which killed four people to be used as evidence.
Auckland's mayor is urging people not to abandon the central city completely during APEC. Police are trying to cut central city traffic by 50 per cent next Monday and Tuesday, the last two days of the world leaders' summit. Christine Fletcher says Aucklanders should change their normal travel patterns, but they need not avoid downtown altogether. She says the key message is to use public transport and other alternatives such as car pooling and biking to get into the city.
Labour MP Trevor Mallard has rejected accusations by Mauri Pacific's Tuku Morgan in Parliament that he conspired to table a fake tape smearing Mr Morgan. Mr Morgan says a tape tabled by Mr Mallard in 1997, implicating him in wrongdoing concerned with Aotearoa television, was in fact, several conversations spliced together. The Labour MP says he was part of no conspiracy but because the matter is now before the courts as part of a civil action by Mr Morgan, he can not make any further comment.
Ansett claims the pilots at the centre of a contract row do not know how lucky they are. The dispute is intensifying with pilots continuing to refuse to accept the contract, and the airline standing firm on its intention to lock out pilots next week. Ansett chief executive Kevin Doddrell says the pilots' refusal to accept the new contract is ridiculous. He says the deal is hardly aggressive by world standards, and the company's preserved pilots' pay structures and key terms including superannuation benefits. Kevin Doddrell says the airline hopes pilots come to their senses soon.
The top six salaries at TVNZ account for three million dollars. In SOE salaries released by the Government, top of the table is a Television New Zealand employee who gets up to $760,000. Three of the top four pay packets go to TVNZ. The second highest individual salary is the chief executive of New Zealand Post who earns up to $620,000.
The country's major oil companies are adopting a wait and see approach this morning, following Mobil's gasoline price hike. Mobil raised its wholesale gasoline prices by 2.67 cents a litre from midnight. BP, Shell, Challenge and Caltex all say they will be keeping a close eye on the market place today before making a decision on whether to follow Mobil's lead. Challenge was the only company not to hike its prices the last time petrol prices went up. Spokesman Nick Hannan says they may have to think again this time round, as they can not absorb costs from crude oil price rises indefinitely.
The jury in the High Court murder trial of Scott Watson will resume its deliberations at nine o'clock this morning. Trial judge Justice Heron sent the jury out at three o'clock yesterday afternoon. He had told them in his summing up that the central issue to the case is whether Scott Watson was the man seen boarding a yacht with Ben Smart and Olivia Hope when they disappeared. The jury deliberated until 9.30 last night, and did not return to the courtroom to clarify any points of evidence presented in the 13 week trial. The victims' families waited at the courtroom until the jury was dismissed for the night. Scott Watson's family passed the time at another venue.
All eyes on Auckland today as several world leaders fly into New Zealand's largest city in the lead-up to this weekend's APEC leaders summit. Among them, Mexico's President, the Sultan of Brunei, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea and Chile's President. Australian Prime Minister John Howard and the President of the Philippines Joseph Estrada are also scheduled to arrive today.
An economic forecasting organisation says the Reserve Bank has got the mix wrong. Business and Economic Research Limited says it is deeply concerned by the Reserve Bank's August Monetary Statement, saying the time is not right for any tightening of policy. BERL economist Ganesh Nana has condemned the Reserve Bank for changing its tune from earlier in the year and he is urging a rapid re-appraisal of its economic prescription. Mr Nana says the agriculture and manufacturing sectors are still not yet strong enough to sustain any rise in interest or foreign exchange rates.
Queenstown first casino has opened today at eleven o'clock and Otago Casinos Managing Director Mike Stone says he is hoping people will want to wander in and take look. He says the 81 staff are excited, although a little nervous, but he is sure it will go well. Mike Stone says there will be no grand opening.
Date: 9 September 1999 Brian Dooley
Wellington New Zealand
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The rates given are for telegraphic transfer and are
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To Buy NZD 1.00
USD 0.5327
AUD 0.8196
GBP 0.3289
JPY 59.33
CAD 0.7929
EURO 0.5038
FRF 3.3039
DEM 0.9852
HKD 4.1471
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ZAR 3.2475
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INTEREST RATES (%)
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