Copyright © 1995 Brian Harmer
Despite living in the Lower North Island since 1980, I had never been to Castlepoint before. Situated on the Wairarapa coast some 60km or so North East of Masterton, it is reached by a narrow and winding road through some fairly rugged landscape. Mary and I drove there from Lake Ferry a week or so ago, taking the pretty pastoral back road from Martinborough through Gladstone. There are some rather magnificent homesteads in the area, as well as some more ordinary ones, but the overwhelming impression of that area is of gently rolling well farmed land. It is noteworthy at this time of year that the grass is green in the hollows and white on the hilltops. Occasionally a meandering patch of green grass marks out the residue of a creek. Some paddocks are blessed with irrigation systems, and others seem to be just blowing away on the breeze. Anyway, heading back to Castlepoint, the road winds through steep-sided gullies amid much bush and forestry, and as is often the case on roads I have not travelled before, I wondered if we would ever get there. We paused at Tinui, and had a coffee. While we were there, several locals dropped in for a Sunday morning breakfast consisting of a meat pie and a bag of chips with liberal coatings of tomato sauce. I hope never to be afflicted with any problem to which that is the cure! On the road again, until at last we emerged on the coast at Whakataki. This looked pretty enough, but was not yet our destination. The road turns immediately Southward and loops back inland, and after a few kilometres we were surprised to see what looked like a new suburb on a distant hill. It seems that remote Castlepoint is becoming urbanised. Sure enough there is significant development taking place on the hills above the little township. The principal features at Castlepoint must be its lighthouse, and the sheltered harbour from which fishing boats are launched. Great ocean swells come thundering up to the spit which shelters the seaward side of the harbour, yet inside, the water seems entirely disconnected. There is a fleet of six or seven massive rubber-tyred steel trailers with exaggeratedly long tow bars. Large 4WD tractors are used to push them down the shallow beach into the water to allow the launching of the big boats used for charter fishing. You can get an idea of the layout of the place by visiting http://kiwipic3.orcon.net.nz/thursa2b.htm We climbed the walkway to the lighthouse which is currently being repainted, and walked around the pathway over the fascinating rock formations at the Northern end of the spit and returned once more to the beach. Just offshore, on the inner side of the spit is a rock which appears to be home to a colony of Caspian terns. Somehow, the little terns are faster and more delicate in their flight than the common grey gulls.
Any text above this point, and all subsequent 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.
In all cases they are honest expressions of personal opinion, and are not presented as fact. This week's formatting is sponsored by http://www.moneyonline.co.nz On with the news:
Cathay Pacific has ordered airline staff to be on the look out for sick people, as concern over a deadly form of pneumonia increases. So far more than 100 cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome have been confirmed in seven countries, with the death toll currently standing at nine. Cathay Pacific says passengers who show signs of the disease will be referred to an airport medical adviser for clearance before they are allowed to board their plane. New Zealand Marketing Service Manager Ian Herald says at this stage he does not anticipate difficulties here. He says it is normal company policy to turn away people with actively infectious diseases. Air New Zealand has also ordered staff to take steps to prevent the spread of the condition and ordered airport staff to ensure passengers with flu-like symptoms are not checked through. Cabin crew are being reminded about procedures for the management of passengers who fall sick mid-flight, and pilots are required to contact health authorities at the destination airport. The World Health Organisation says the signs and symptoms of the disease include initial flu-like illness, with the rapid onset of high fever followed by muscle aches, headache and sore throat. Blood tests may reveal low platelet and white blood cell counts, and in some, but not all cases, this is followed by bilateral pneumonia. This sometimes progresses to acute respiratory distress requiring assisted breathing on a respirator. Doctors say all the suspected and confirmed cases so far are people who have either travelled recently to Southeast Asia, where the virus apparently originated, or who have been in close contact with people who got sick after travelling to that region. Patients are being treated with heavy doses of broad-spectrum antibiotics and anti-viral drugs, which appear to be working.
(Two people have ended up in isolation wards this week, as a precaution. It is yet to be confirmed that either of them actually have SARS - BH)
A financial settlement is being offered to victims of alleged sexual abuse who attended a former Catholic residential school in Christchurch. The Brothers of the Order of Saint John of God are offering a total of around $4 million to 56 of the 70 complainants from Marylands School. For the past nine months, the order has held several meetings in order to identify those affected and offer counselling. Retired High Court judge Sir Rodney Gallen, was appointed to overlook how the order dealt with the process. Ken Clearwater of the Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse who has been helping many of the men is welcoming the offer, but says there is no guarantee the settlement will be accepted. He says if the men are not happy with the offer they will be consulting lawyers to ascertain what action they can take. The head of the Saint John of God order, Brother Peter Burke, says the payments are roughly equivalent but have been adjusted depending on circumstances as separate cases of abuse have different effects on the victims. He says further work is being done in regard to the other 14 complainants not covered by this settlement offer. Br Burke says if the offers are accepted, it will not be the end of the order's involvement in the men's lives. He says they have let the men down in the past and have no intention of doing so ever again.
P&O Cruises says it expects the Pacific Sky will be ready to depart for its next cruise on March 23. The ship turned back to Auckland at the weekend for repairs to its ducting system, just days after repairs to a small crack in the hull were made prior to leaving. The vessel is now berthed at the Devonport Naval Base where it is undergoing repairs. Managing Director Gavin Smith says P&O is fully cooperating with the Maritime Safety Authority. All but 100 of the 1400 passengers on the abandoned cruise were New Zealanders. More than 1000 of them have accepted offers from the P&O Line for their inconvenience, including hotel accommodation and transfers, as well as discounts off another cruise. The Maritime Safety Authority says their preliminary investigations have revealed significant corrosion of several internal ducting systems of the ship. Spokesman Russell Kilvington says their officials are now looking at the rest of the ship to determine whether this is an isolated problem or if there are other areas which will require repair. The MSA says Pacific Sky will not return to its cruise schedule until repairs are carried out to the agency's satisfaction.
A dog which bit a toddler in Featherston over the weekend remains with its owners as police do not believe it is a danger to the public. Two-and-a-half-year-old Jacob Rapira- Davies was outside a small rural church where he had attended a wedding when he was bitten by the golden retriever. He needed 65 stitches to repair the damage to his left cheek. Sergeant Ben Offner from Featherston says no decision has yet been made on laying charges in relation to the attack. He says the attack was not at the worst end of the scale as far as dog attacks go, and that witnesses say there appeared to be only one bite from the dog which was unfortunately in the boy's cheek. He says there was no sign of a full scale attack or savaging and no decision has yet been made on whether or not charges will be laid in relation to the attack. Meanwhile, Auckland police will not comment on claims new evidence could clear two men who admitted their dog mauled a young Auckland girl. Thomas Henry Owen and Brian Hill were sentenced to two months jail earlier this month for being the owners of the dog that seriously injured Carolina Anderson. At the time, police said the attack took place in Cox's Bay Park in Westmere between 9.30 and 10pm. A friend of the Andersons pulled the dog away before it was retrieved by a man police believed was the owner. New video evidence reportedly places the dog's owners at a nearby supermarket about the time of the attack. The two men told TVNZ's Sunday programme that they did not witness the attack themselves, and accepted the accounts of eyewitnesses who told them it had been their dog which attacked Carolina. They say it was dark at the time, and there were several dogs around. Neither the men, their lawyer nor the police are commenting this morning.
A man is in Auckland's North Shore Hospital after being attacked and stabbed at his home in Birkdale this morning. The man is in a stable condition with moderate injuries to his chest and arms. Police say he was in his carport when he noticed a male Polynesian or Maori dressed in a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark trousers. He was also carrying a school type backpack. Spokeswoman Rebekah Holt says after a struggle the offender ran off up Verrans Road. She says it is disturbing someone could be attacked on their property while getting ready to go to work.
A missing American woman used a cellphone to guide rescuers to her after becoming lost near Dunedin last night. The woman rang police around 9.30 to say she was lost on Silver Peaks. Police contacted Dunedin search and rescue which was able to pinpoint her location. Because it was dark and the tourist was not equipped for a night in the hills, a helicopter was sent out. The woman used her cellphone to guide it to her and she was returned to Dunedin safe and well.
An early morning call out for emergency services when a person fell down a cliff at Bucklands Beach in Auckland early today, breaking an ankle. It happened at Musick Point shortly before 2am. Firefighters with a rescue basket were lowered down the cliff to bring the victim back to the top. The person was then taken to Middlemore Hospital by ambulance.
(Musick Point is named for Captain Edwin Musick, who piloted a Sikorsky S-42 flying boat in the first of the long range passenger services from the US to New Zealand in 1937 - BH)
A deal which is expected to be signed off today between Central North Island Maori and the Government, is causing jitters within the forestry industry. Ngati Awa gets a 64 hectare stake in a lucrative central North Island forest, including a slice of the Kaingaroa forest, as part of a final Treaty settlement with the iwi. Private roads run through the estate, which the industry fears will be subject to huge user charges under iwi ownership. National MP Brian Connell says investors are already running scared. He says the deeper concern is that a whole industry can be held to ransom, because the tribe has refused to declare what it will charge for use of the roads. Mr Connell claims the industry has been kept out of the loop and that Ngati Awa and the Crown should have determined the charges earlier, so something could have been written into the settlement document.
The gymnasium at a Hastings school has been extensively damaged by fire this afternoon. Rudolph Steiner School in Nelson Street was evacuated shortly before 1pm after the blaze broke out. At least three fire appliances took more than an hour to put out the blaze. A school spokeswoman says the ceiling in the gymnasium has been extensively damaged by the fire, and has also suffered water damage. Fire officials remain at the scene. It is unclear how the blaze started.
The Presbyterian Church is calling on New Zealanders to support an alternative to war in Iraq. The Moderator of the church, the Right Reverend Michael Thawley admits the world faces a moral dilemma as the world chooses between the horror of war and a failure to disarm Saddam Hussein's brutal regime. He says there is a strong alternative. Mr Thawley says Saddam should be charged with crimes against humanity, and that the UN should prepare to administer Iraq following Saddam's detention. He says the UN should launch a humanitarian effort in Iraq. He says instead of waging war, the world should be working for reconciliation based on peace with justice.
New Zealand consumers are being told to save electricity now or face blackouts this winter. Trustpower says the energy industry is grappling with the possibility of a dry winter and low hydro lakes - a similar experience to two years ago. The Grid Emergencies Forum is studying the implications of blackouts of whole districts down to those of a local loss of power. Trustpower says planning is essential but not enough. Spokesman Graeme Purches says all New Zealanders must start saving power now so they can have hot showers and the lights on this winter. He is suggesting people avoid power-hungry activities such as long showers and allowing hot water taps to run down the sink.
TVNZ's programming choice for tonight's Documentary New Zealand slot is under fire from National's broadcasting spokeswoman Katherine Rich. This week's programme is a feature on pop singer Michael Jackson's face. According to TVNZ's own publicity material, the show "looks at the effect of the media, the gossip about his whitened skin, his bad relationship with his father, the paedophilia accusations, strange animal pets and his bizarre marriages to Lisa Marie Presley and nurse Debbie Roe". It also promises to look at "how the different stages in his career often marked a step up in his serious advancement with plastic surgery". Ms Rich is questioning how the programme qualifies as a New Zealand documentary. And she says she wants to know how it relates to Documentary New Zealand's goal of telling New Zealand stories.
(I don't often agree with Ms Rich, but I really also want to know who in the programming area of New Zealand thinks so little of New Zealanders that they believe any of us are even remotely interested in this person's surgery. - BH)
Federated Farmers says biosecurity is uppermost in members' minds, as the country battles a range of pests. National has labelled the Government's biosecurity controls "woefully inadequate" citing examples like the varroa bee mite and painted apple moth. In the latest breach, a foreign aphid is infesting lettuces, causing one grower to withdraw lettuce types with hearts, such as the iceberg lettuce, from the market. But Federated Farmers President Tom Lambie says it is pleasing to see biosecurity has been tightened since the UK foot and mouth outbreak two years ago. He says they are continuing to work with officials to ensure any gaps are identified and quickly filled.
The advice to New Zealanders still in the Middle East is - leave now, while commercial air services are still running. The Foreign Affairs Ministry has told kiwis in countries it terms "extreme risk", such as Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Jordan and Israel, to leave. It says those in a second tier of countries, including Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, should leave unless they have a compelling reason to stay. Ministry spokesman Brad Tattersfield says if they stay they should avoid places where Westerners congregate. British Airways is suspending its services from Kuwait, and Mr Tattersfield says airline seats are becoming hard to get. He says once the war starts it will become even more difficult to leave. Meanwhile, the New Zealanders attached to the UN weapons inspection team have been evacuated from Baghdad and are now in Cyprus. The twelve defence force personnel could, however, be called on to return to post- war Iraq. They are due home in about a week. Foreign Minister Phil Goff says they were doing a very important job in Iraq and it is not out of the question that they will return. Mr Goff says UNMOVIC may have further roles to play in the post-conflict period. The US-led coalition preparing to invade Iraq is being warned to think past the looming conflict. Former British Prime Minister John Major led his country into the first Gulf War, and says this time around, winning the war will be much easier than winning the peace. Mr Major says there will be a great need for humanitarian assistance and a possible civil war. John Major says there is also the danger a cornered and desperate Saddam Hussein will lash out with chemical weapons.
Auckland's Middlemore Hospital says two of three suspected cases of a deadly form of pneumonia have turned out to be a false alarm. The hospital says tests carried out on two people have come back negative for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. SARS has yet to be discounted in the third case, but it is expected that it will be. The virus causes an atypical pneumonia which can be fatal. The syndrome has so far killed 10 people around the world. Meanwhile Australia is also expecting to get the all clear from the deadly pneumonia scare. Twenty people across Australia are under investigation for the virus, but it is believed none will be confirmed as having SARS. Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer Richard Smallwood says most of the cases are likely to be unrelated respiratory infections.
The mother of a six-year-old rape and murder victim says DNA testing should be made compulsory for every person arrested. Kelly Pigott has addressed the parliamentary select committee considering a proposal to give police more power to obtain DNA samples. The killer of her daughter Teresa Cormack was caught 15 years after his crime, when modern DNA technology was able to identify him from a blood sample he had given at the time. Ms Pigott says DNA sampling should be compulsory in the same way fingerprinting is.
Officials will meet this afternoon to determine whether Pacific Sky will be water-ready by the weekend. The liner is tied up in Auckland while authorities inspect the faulty ducting system that forced the ship to return here on Saturday. Maritime Safety Authority spokesman Russell Kilvington says representatives from the New Zealand and Australia MSAs will meet this evening with officials from P & O Cruises and Lloyds Classification Society. He says given the extent of the damage, a Sunday departure seems unlikely.
The man who crashed into a service station killing a four year old girl has pleaded guilty today in the Hamilton District Court. Eighteen-year-old Ding Yan Zhao pleaded guilty to two charges of dangerous driving with intent to injure and one charge of dangerous driving causing death. He lost control of his vehicle while being followed by police last month at the Rangiriri service station. He crashed into a vehicle which had parked at the service station while the driver checked the tyre pressures with his young daughter. The girl was killed, while her father and a young woman inside the station were also injured in the crash. Zhao will return to court for sentencing on May 15.
Another Tauranga nurse has been charged with making a false complaint to police. The 35-year-old claimed she had been the victim of an attack by three knife-wielding robbers at the intersection of 13th Avenue and Devonport Road. Detective Sergeant Todd Pearce says three women have been arrested for making false complaints in as many weeks. He hopes this latest arrest will not discourage legitimate complainants from coming forward.
Police have confirmed that charges will be laid against the owners of a dog which bit a toddler in Featherston over the weekend. Two-and-a-half-year-old Jacob Rapira-Davies needed 65 stitches to repair the damage to his left cheek after being bitten by a golden retriever outside a small rural church where he had attended a wedding. Sergeant Ben Offner from Featherston says the dog's owners will be charged under the Dog Control Act with owning a dog which bites a person. He says they were very upset about the whole incident and surprised by what their dog had done.
Four witnesses have come forward with information on a fatal crash on Haywards Hill just over a week ago. A 30- year-old Porirua woman was killed after she and a 46-year- old man got out of a car and were hit by a vehicle while walking along the road just before midnight on March 10. Detective Brent Murray says there was a good public response to the case and interviews with four passing motorists and the remaining passengers of the car the pair had been travelling in are continuing. Detective Murray says the 46-year-old, who received severe internal and leg injuries, is still in a serious but stable condition and has been released from intensive care into a general ward.
One of the country's top ten stocks has shown a dramatic slump as a result of proposals to ban smoking in many public places. The ban has been recommended by Parliament's Health Select Committee to stop smoking in bars, restaurants, casinos and workplaces. Shares in Sky City Entertainment plummeted more than 8 percent, dropping 71 cents to $8.05 at midday. An hour later, the shares had recovered slightly by 21 cents to $8.26. Investors are thought to be concerned that the ban on smoking would put visitors off going to casinos. Sky City runs establishments in Auckland, Queenstown and Hamilton.
(I don't understand the logic. Smoking is banned in Californian bars and restaurants, and to the best of my knowledge, they still thrive. - BH)
A financial analyst believes New Zealand has lost any hope of a trade deal with the US in the future because of the Government's decision to stay out of any war with Iraq, unless it is authorised by the UN. Correspondent Roger Kerr says war would have no huge direct impact on New Zealand's economy, but he says any trade agreement with the US is probably off. He doubts New Zealand's chances were high on America's list in the first place, but says the Government's stance has not helped. Markets have soared around the world following President Bush's 48 hour ultimatum to Saddam Hussein to stand down by 1pm on Thursday, or face attack. Oil prices have also continued to fall, dropping a further $2-3 overnight. There were massive gains in Australian share prices, with the exchange having a huge day. The S and P index was up 3.5 percent, the biggest one day rise since it started in April 2000. In the latest developments on the Iraqi crisis, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer has warned Saddam Hussein that the clock is ticking, as the Iraqi leader rejects President Bush's ultimatum. Mr Fleischer says Saddam is making an error in judgement. Meanwhile a key US ally is engaged in a bitter internal dispute. British MPs are debating a motion in support of the war. Prime Minister Tony Blair has made an impassioned plea to fellow MPs to back him. However there is plenty of opposition, much of it coming from three ministers who have quit over the issue. British MPs vote on the war motion today. Tony Blair is expected to get a majority, but attention is focused on just how many of his Labour party vote against him. In Paris, President Jacques Chirac says the ultimatum to Saddam is unjustified. However France has indicated it might join a war against Iraq, if Baghdad uses chemical or biological weapons. In Russia, President Vladmir Putin has spoken by phone with his American counterpart. He has told President Bush he regrets the Saddam ultimatum, but is determined to maintain good relations between Russia and the US. In Baghdad, thousands have taken part in anti-US demonstrations and residents are stocking up on food and other essentials.
Employment experts are warning New Zealand is in danger of losing its top talent to Australia. The consultancy agency Sheffield's annual survey of more than 500 bosses reveals that New Zealand CEOs are receiving 46 percent less than their Australian counterparts. Sheffield managing director Ian Taylor warns the lure of the New Zealand lifestyle is not enough on its own to retain top managerial talent, and top chief executive talent will be attracted across the Tasman. He says New Zealand chief executives are among the poorest paid of the peers in the OECD. The survey also reveals that few chief executives have performance-based pay packages, compared to the United States where CEOs often receive up to 60 percent of their total package in performance-related pay. The researchers say this results in many chief executives with very poor records for enhancing shareholder wealth being paid as much as those who run similar-sized businesses where significant shareholder wealth has been created. The survey shows the country's bosses are paid from $162,813 to $314,058 with a median of approximately $215,000. The median increase in base salary during 2002 for chief executives was 4.8 percent, which was ahead of the CPI at 2.7 percent. Sheffield says New Zealand needs to become more sophisticated and competitive in how it rewards its chief executives in the future if it is to compete internationally.
Five scouts and their leader have been rescued by police after becoming trapped by the incoming tide south of Auckland. The group was caught near a cliff on the Awhitu Peninsula just after eight o'clock last night. They were trapped on a sandbar. Emergency services called in the Westpac Rescue Helicopter to find and rescue the group about 9.30. Police say they are all safe and well.
Kiwi journalist icon Peter Arnett is back in Baghdad. The Southlander says he will remain in the Iraqi capital even in the event of a direct attack. He was one of the only journalists to remain in Iraq during the last Gulf War, when he was working for CNN. Today, he is working for an organisation called CameraPlanet making programmes for the National Geographic channel, and on America's NBC network. The organisation says Arnett is now in great demand by other broadcasters who want to take advantage of his experience of the Middle East. CameraPlanet says it has fielded nearly 20 inquiries from international news organisations looking to include Arnett in their coverage of the unfolding Iraqi situation.
Air New Zealand and the Flight Attendants' union FARSA have finally settled their differences. The announcement has averted court proceedings between Air New Zealand and FARSA due to be heard by a full bench of the Employment Court today. The dispute about rostering and rest periods in Los Angeles for cabin crew remained unresolved when negotiations broke down at the end of last year. Roughly 1000 flight attendants were affected. Air New Zealand Senior Vice President Customer Services Brendan Fitzgerald and FARSA Executive Officer Billy Boreham say they are confident of fully resolving matters between them. The parties are due to meet on Friday to formalise Thurday's agreement.
The man mauled by a tiger after he climbed into an enclosure at Wellington Zoo is recovering well. It was revealed after the attack last month that the man was in psychiatric care at Wellington Hospital and had wandered off from the hospital grounds. A Capital and Coast Health Care spokeswoman says interviews for an independent investigation are complete. She expects the report is expected in a few weeks.
A patient suspected of carrying the deadly pneumonia form SARS has been transferred from Auckland Hospital to Greenlane. Two other cases who were also tested for the infection were cleared. The person was transferred this afternoon to be held in isolation at a negative pressure room at Greenlane. Doctors are yet to confirm whether the patient has the deadly SARS virus and are carrying out a process of elimination to find out.
Iraq's top diplomat to Australia appears to want refuge in New Zealand. Foreign Minister Phil Goff says charge d'affaires Saad Alsamarai is being expelled from Australia and has expressed a desire to come to New Zealand rather than return to Baghdad. Mr Goff says there has been no formal approach to the Government yet, but any such request would more than likely be rejected. He says New Zealand has not had a representative of the Saddam Hussein regime for several years and it is unlikely the situation would change.
Around 80 New Zealanders remain in Kuwait, despite strong warnings from the New Zealand Embassy in Saudi Arabia. Kuwait is one of six countries in the region labelled by the New Zealand Government as an area of extreme risk. Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian authorities are also on the list. New Zealand's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Jim Howell, says every New Zealander in Kuwait has been warned but those remaining are keen to stay. Mr Howell says there is a feeling it is safer than during the 1991 war, as the West is on the front foot.
(I was fascinated by the TV coverage of the screaming to get on an aircraft out of Kuwait when the missiles started flying. To defy advice until the last minute and then to demand immediate attention at the eleventh hour is beyond comprehension - BH)
The father of the man convicted of raping and murdering Napier schoolgirl Teresa Cormack will face trial later this year on 13 sexual abuse charges against young girls. Seventy-four-year-old Jules Mikus appeared in the Lower Hutt District Court yesterday. He is charged with rape and sodomy, incidents which are alleged to have occurred between 1964 and 1974. Mikus has been remanded on bail to reappear in the High Court at Wellington next month. His son, Jules Pierre Mikus, was sentenced to preventive detention last year for raping and murdering six-year-old Teresa Cormack in 1987.
A 55 year-old West Auckland man has been arrested and charged with assault after the discovery of a man's body. Ambulance staff were called to an address in Henderson just after midday where they found the body of a 28- year-old Thai national. More serious charges are likely to follow.
Police are investigating three suspicious fires in Christchurch. The first was lit in bushes along Ashgrove Terrace, while the second was outside the entrance to Hanson's Park on Fifield Terrace. The third and most dangerous was lit outside a two storey wooden house on Buckley's Road. Detective Craig Farrant says there were two people in the house at the time of the fire. He says luckily one of the occupants had not gone to sleep and was able to raise the alarm. All the fires occurred between midnight and 1 in the morning. Detective Farrant says these were stupid acts and potentially could have been very dangerous.
Trouble appears to be brewing for the proposed Maori Village in Christchurch's Heathcote Valley. The multi- million dollar project has being proposed by North Island developers the Tamaki brothers. The City Council has already allocated over $600,000 in decontaminating the site, which is located on an old landfill. However, it is the landfill that has thrown a spanner in the works as the Tamakis apply for resource consent to start the project. The City Council confirms Crown Public Health is opposing the project because it wants more information about the developer's plans to locate the village on a former landfill site.
Auckland police are rallying again this weekend, claiming that not enough is being done to address the region's staffing shortage. Auckland is 108 officers short of its full quota. The Commissioner is promising the gap will be filled by June when British recruits arrive and an influx of police college graduates join the force. But the Police Association says that will not stop the retention problem, with officers continuing to leave at an average of around 11 a month in Auckland and 13 in Counties-Manukau. Vice- president Richard Middleton says holes need to be filled when resources are draining out. He says Sunday's rally is a follow up to one held in December.
Police are asking the media to help in their investigation into three threatening letters. Letters warning of cyanide attacks were addressed to the British and Australian High Commissions, the United States Embassy and a national newspaper. One contained cyanide. Police are asking media organisations to notify them of any "troublesome, vexatious or obsessive correspondents" in the past two years. They say it is an effort to determine if the letters are real or a hoax. Police say our security level remains at its lowest colour, white.
More than 4,000 Kapiti Coasters have expressed their opposition to the war in Iraq. Kapiti Mayor, Alan Milne presented a 4,500 strong petition to Kapiti MP's Winnie Laban, Darren Hughes and Roger Sowry at a ceremony outside the Paraparaumu Library. He says the message to the Government is that war will not solve the problems in Iraq and will only increase the suffering of the ordinary people.
(There was some backlash from drought plagued ratepayers who suggest that the local body politicians should be getting on with solving their water shortage rather than engaging in ineffectual grandstanding about world affairs beyond their influence. - BH)
It is looking increasingly unlikely a deadly form of pneumonia has reached New Zealand. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome has killed up to 14 people and infected hundreds worldwide. The virus causes an atypical pneumonia which can result in death. The illness is thought to have originated in China. Auckland Medical Officer of Health Craig Thornley says two people are in isolation wards in Auckland hospitals, after presenting with SARS-like symptoms. He says early test findings from one patient shows it is not likely to be SARS. He says the second patient's test results are still pending. Both patients have been in Asia in the last 10 days. Craig Thornley says they cannot rule out the illness, but it is too early to jump to any conclusions.
A Henderson man has been charged with murder after the discovery of a man's body in his home. The 55-year-old was due to appear in the Waitakere District Court on Friday. He also faces a charge of assaulting a female. The body of a 28-year-old man was found on Thursday.
Heavy industry claims there is no reasonable explanation for power prices rising almost a thousand percent since January. Large electricity users such as the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter and the Fletcher-owned Pacific Steel mill in south Auckland are cutting production, because they cannot afford to operate at current spot electricity prices. General Manager of Tiwai Point Tom Campbell is questioning the soaring prices as he says hydro lake levels are only down 10 percent. He says it is starting to look like a market out of control. Mr Campbell fears irreparable damage is being done to export relationships. Tiwai Point exports specialty aluminium products and he says its customers cannot easily find another suppler. Meanwhile, unions are preparing themselves to deal with nervous workers as a possible power crisis looms. Representatives of the Engineers Union are going to Auckland's Pacific steel mill today, wanting assurances jobs will not be lost. Engineers National secretary Andrew Little says meetings will be held with the company to ensure it is doing all it can to keep the plant running. He believes the company is not considering lay-offs at this stage, but says there are no guarantees it will not in the future.
National carrier Air New Zealand said today that forward bookings on its key international routes were softening due to looming war in Iraq and the outbreak of a deadly respiratory disease in Asia. Air NZ said the decline in bookings for the period to the end of June 2003 was "very modest" but that some key routes had been hit harder. "In addition, the profile of bookings is changing. Higher than usual levels of late cancellations are being experienced and the booking period is also shortening," the company said in a statement. Air NZ shares, majority owned by the New Zealand government, last traded down a cent at NZ$0.50 compared to a high of NZ$0.76 and low of NZ$0.32 over the past 12 months. Air NZ said routes most affected were on the Los Angeles to London routes and on flights between New Zealand and Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. Forward bookings on those routes were down five to 10 percent after adjusting for Easter occurring in April rather than March, it said. "The impact on these routes is considered to be driven by the impending war in Iraq, compounded by the impact of the SARS outbreaks in Asia," Air NZ said in a statement. Tensions surrounding North Korea were also cited as a factor causing weaker demand out of Japan and North Asia. The World Health Organisation has issued its first global warning in a decade about Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which has been blamed for the deaths of around 14 people, mainly in Asia. Airlines around the world have been bracing for the impact of a war in Iraq, cutting jobs and services to reduce costs ahead of an expected travel and cargo slump. Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd , which is seeking regulatory approval to buy a 22.5 percent stake in Air New Zealand, announced plans on Tuesday to temporarily axe the equivalent of 1,000 jobs. Air NZ said it was too early to determine the effects on its bottom line or whether services would be altered. "The impact of changes in forward booking profiles on profitability and schedules is still being considered."
Date: 20March 2003 Brian Dooley
Wellington New Zealand
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