From sam@onesquared.net Mon Jun 23 13:52:29 2003 Received: from hitler.wn.onesquared.net ([10.1.1.125] helo=localhost) by tangent.onesquared.net with esmtp id 19UGVR-0006wM-00 for ; Mon, 23 Jun 2003 13:52:29 +1200 Received: from sam by localhost with local id 19UGVQ-00056G-00 for ; Mon, 23 Jun 2003 13:52:28 +1200 Resent-From: sam@hitler Resent-Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 13:52:28 +1200 Resent-Message-ID: <20030623015228.GC19331@hitler> Resent-To: news@wysiwygnews.com Received: from helka.vuw.ac.nz ([130.195.86.29] helo=terror.vuw.ac.nz) by tangent.onesquared.net with esmtp id 19UGIQ-0006ff-00 for ; Mon, 23 Jun 2003 13:39:02 +1200 Received: from [130.195.85.188] (HELO coso.staff.vuw.ac.nz) by terror.vuw.ac.nz (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 3.5.9) with ESMTP id 782343 for sam@onesquared.net; Mon, 23 Jun 2003 13:42:30 +1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft Exchange V6.0.6249.0 content-class: urn:content-classes:message MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 13:39:01 +1200 Message-ID: X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: Thread-Topic: WYSIWYG News Thread-Index: AcMdlBfGo+asQL/uTaCB0TbY4Z2cfQZNAijw To: From: news-admin@wysiwygnews.com Subject: [WYSIWYG]RE: WYSIWYG News Sender: news-admin@wysiwygnews.com Errors-To: news-admin@wysiwygnews.com X-BeenThere: news@wysiwygnews.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.11 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: brian@wysiwygnews.com X-Reply-To: news@wysiwygnews.com List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Subject: 23 June, 2003 Hello people. WYSIWYG returns from the dead, with mailing=20 list management and archiving handled by the good people=20 at Onesquared (see http://onesquared.net) . The=20 resurrected WYSIWYG will in due course have its own=20 domain name, and the archives from 1994 to the present=20 day will be on its website. As before, these weekly=20 bulletins will go out weekly on USENET (soc.culture.new- zealand), via its own mailing list, and on the web site=20 (URL to be announced soon).=20 And so to the first burst of purple prose of the new era: On one of those days when the bright sun tells lies about=20 the chilly air temperature, Mary and I boarded the=20 Interisland ferry "Arahura" en route to Picton and places=20 further South. A silky grey oily smooth harbour promised=20 a tranquil crossing, and despite the low air temperature,=20 we were tempted to sit outside in the open. The breeze=20 generated by the ship's passage soon altered that idea,=20 and we found a comfortable indoor location in one of the=20 many lounges. There we passed the time in conversation,=20 refreshed with occasional cups of tea or coffee. It seems=20 that the silky harbour lied too. From the moment we=20 cleared the heads, the bows began to lift and plunge with=20 the seemingly modest swells. Somehow, the interval=20 between swells was at odds with the rhythm of the rise=20 and fall of the bows. Thus the passage across the exposed=20 waters between Seatoun and the sounds was marked by a=20 mildly unsettling lurching and shuddering motion. It was=20 something of a relief to swing at last into the sheltered=20 waters of Tory channel. It was still too chilly for=20 comfort on the outside, so our view of the marvellous=20 Queen Charlotte sound was through the salt-crusted=20 windows of the lounge. Soon enough the pretty town of=20 Picton was in view and we were required to report to the=20 cavernous echoing vehicle deck, made more hideous by the=20 roar of the ventilation fans, there to wait the signal to=20 drive off into the other island.=20 Since it was mid-day, and we wanted to avoid the=20 inevitable herd of wandering trucks and campervans that=20 would be bunched up on the narrow road South from Picton,=20 we paused for lunch. Outdoor tables at the Dog and Toad=20 caf=E9 in Picton's main street made a pleasant and sunny=20 venue. Replete, refreshed, and being in all respects=20 ready for the road, we ventured out onto SH1 in the=20 direction of Christchurch, through the pastoral=20 Marlborough landscape with its ever-expanding=20 viticulture. (I read this week that there is some concern=20 that the six million or so treated posts supporting the=20 wires on which the vines grow, will soon increase to nine=20 million, and there is some concern as to their effect on=20 groundwater). Driving along enjoying the spectacular=20 coastal journey towards Kaikoura. I swear I saw the=20 flukes of a whale sounding just offshore at one point,=20 but no one looked quickly enough to where I was pointing,=20 so I have no independent verification. We journeyed=20 through North Canterbury in the gathering gloom and=20 indifferent weather conditions until at last we arrived=20 in a very cold Christchurch in the early evening.=20 Since I had no decent map, I navigated my way towards the=20 house of my son and daughter-in-law on the basis of=20 imperfect memory. Finally conceding I was lost, I=20 acquired a map at a friendly dairy, and found the house=20 just a few blocks away. Happily there was a fire blazing=20 to match the warmth of our welcome, and an excellent meal=20 and much conversation followed.=20 On day two, I visited the fine folks who were the heart=20 and soul of nz.com in recent years, and who for so long=20 managed the mailing list and web archive of WYSIWYG news.=20 It was really nice to meet Tim and his crew after so many=20 years of cyber-collaboration. Mary and I then visited Christchurch's splendid new art=20 gallery (see http://www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz/).=20 My first impression of this controversial building is of=20 great curved walls of glass and stainless steel,=20 organised in an very imposing way. Inside, the scale is=20 more human, and the various exhibition spaces are quite=20 conventional. A collection of old masters on loan from=20 the Victorian Art Gallery in Australia was delightful,=20 and to be face to face with the genius of Constable,=20 Turner, C=E9zanne, Monet, Manet, and the like is always a=20 worthwhile experience. My own favourite exhibition of the=20 six concurrently display was that of the Canterbury=20 artist, W.A. Sutton whose magnificent summer landscapes=20 captured perfectly the great golden expanses of the=20 region. Te Pu=E4wai o Ng=E4i Tahu was an interesting=20 exhibition of work by Ng=E4i Tahu artists. Some pieces were=20 very powerful and moving. Other exhibits I thought=20 trivial, while a few pieces, especially the video works,=20 I found just plain baffling . Some curatorial decisions=20 were irritating in that particular display, such as=20 having the explanatory labels in clusters, sometimes far=20 from the work described. Yes, I know the purists might=20 say you shouldn't depend on the explanation, but that's=20 how I cope with art that I don't understand. I also noted=20 with some displeasure, the marking of white lines on the=20 floor to keep viewers at a distance from the works on=20 display. Visitors were not permitted to put so much as a=20 toe over those lines on pain of being accosted quite=20 sharply by zealous security people. While in the US some=20 years ago, I noted in the National Gallery in Washington,=20 and in the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Art, that no such=20 picky practices were in force. A Michelangelo was there=20 with no barrier whatsoever, provided you did not make any=20 move to touch. I think that, in general, if you give=20 trust, people will live up to it. Overall, however, I=20 think the new gallery is a wonderful building and I hope=20 people from Canterbury and elsewhere will enjoy the=20 experiences of great art on display in these handsome=20 surroundings.=20 We took family to dinner that night at Tiffany's=20 Restaurant on Oxford Terrace, where the food and service=20 were splendid and the atmosphere convivial. I recommend=20 it to anyone passing through Christchurch. Afterwards we=20 went to Bailies Bar where our niece Sophia was playing as=20 a member of "Dublin Street", a self described Celtic Rock=20 band. The fire was blazing, the beer was suitably cold,=20 and the welcome and the music were warm. The musicians=20 played with skill and enthusiasm even when over-played=20 ballads such as "Dirty old Town" were requested. =20 Next morning, as we resumed our journey down SH1, the=20 temperature was still in the "bleak" range, despite a=20 valiant winter sun. We were bound for the lighthouse=20 keeper's cottage owned by Mary's cousin Rosalie at Katiki=20 Pt., just south of Moeraki. Among other things, Rosalie=20 is the honorary ranger for the yellow-eyed penguin=20 reserve just below the lighthouse. The turnoff at Moeraki=20 led us up over a winding and dusty gravel road through=20 rolling farmland for several kilometres until at last=20 there was a view of the lighthouse and the nearby cottage=20 in the distance. After welcomes, greetings and unpacking,=20 it was now nearing four in the afternoon. Rosalie got us=20 to wrap up well against the chill wind, then led us down=20 the fenced path into the hide overlooking the beach. And=20 even as we arrived, the penguins began their afternoon=20 parade ashore. One after the other, the birds came=20 bobbing over the foaming waves, through the slipper surge=20 of broad brown fronds of kelp and onto the curiously=20 localised red sand of the beach. The yellow eyed penguin=20 (Megadyptes antipodes) is know to the Maori variously as=20 Tauora or Hoiho or which is a reference to its noisy=20 call. It is an endangered species and is amongst the=20 rarest of the world's penguins.=20 Clusters of these quite large penguins stood, seemingly=20 talking to each other like villagers discussing the=20 weather or the fish catch in the market place. Thirteen=20 birds were eventually gathered on the beach.=20 Occasionally, a pair of them would rush towards each=20 other with chests outthrust, and a vigorous collision=20 seemed inevitable. Amazingly the charging pair always=20 missed, and a brief confusion seemed to follow. After a=20 while the birds began to make their way up the steep hill=20 into the scrubby bush behind the beach, presumably=20 towards their nesting sites. Watching a penguin climb a=20 steep face is an astonishing. Imagine, if you will,=20 having both feet tied together, your hands tied behind=20 your back, and then being required to hop up the steeple=20 stairs of Christchurch's cathedral! Their fat pink feet=20 seem to be attached to the base of their body without any=20 intervening legs. When they walk, they lean forward, and=20 they stretch their flippers backwards to maintain=20 balance, and then they just waddle up the hill, hopping=20 from one precarious place to another. They were a joy and=20 delight to watch, until at last the evening fell and they=20 were no longer visible. That evening, after dinner and much family talk, we went=20 out into the darkest coldest night I can recall, and=20 through steaming breath, looked up at the glittering and=20 most vivid night sky I have ever seen. Every star in the=20 universe seemed to be gleaming down at us, out of=20 absolute blackness. Far to the North, the lights of=20 Oamaru could be seen, and to the south, a few lights from=20 the settlements at Shag Point, and to the West, the=20 nothing but the occasional headlights of a vehicle on the=20 distant highway, but otherwise, the blackness was=20 absolute.=20 The next day was bright, clear, and cold. Masefield would=20 have felt right at home here in "the gull's way, and the=20 whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife".=20 Wrapped in as much clothing as I could manage, I joined=20 the others in a visit to the famed Moeraki boulders.=20 These massive concretions, up to a metre and a half in=20 diameter, sit on the beach, partially immersed, like=20 glistening dark armoured vehicles emerging from the sea=20 at the commencement of some monstrous invasion. If you=20 have ever read John Wyndham's "The Kraken Wakes" you will=20 have a sense of their appearance. The fact is, they are=20 going the other way, and the cliff is presently giving=20 birth to a previously hidden boulder which should see the=20 full light of day in about Across the bay to the South,=20 Moeraki port sparkled in the sun, and the little fleet of=20 fishing vessels anchored in its sheltered bay added to=20 the charm of the view. We chose to drive over there to=20 experience it at close quarters. It is a pretty little=20 place, well suited to anyone who does not need the=20 amenities of a town or city. The necessities are at hand=20 in the form of a store and a pub. What more could you=20 need? We went back over the peninsula to the cottage on=20 Katiki point once more. When the sun was low in the sky=20 and with the temperature dropping sharply (!!!) we made=20 our final visit to the hide above the penguin colony, and=20 were rewarded once more with a steady procession. Truth=20 to tell, it had the appearance of a convocation of the=20 great high committee of penguins considering the=20 strategic plan to rid the beach of intruders. They=20 gathered in important little clusters, forming and re- forming in intricate patterns. They were just a delight=20 to watch. If you are tempted to see them for yourself,=20 either at Moeraki or elsewhere, make sure you go in the=20 early morning or late afternoon, and please leave your=20 dog at home as they are absolutely prohibited on the=20 reserve.=20 Next week, our grand tour will resume in Dunedin and=20 travel to some of the wild and wet places of the South.=20 --- Support Request ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In order to sustain the labour of formatting the news, I=20 need to seek reader contributions once more. I last did=20 this in March of 2001. I invite readers who find value in=20 receiving WYSIWYG to consider sponsoring one or more=20 issues. Each issue now costs NZD$40. Last time I appealed=20 for funding, a number of readers sponsored a single=20 issue, and a small number of very generous readers gave=20 lump sums which is why I have been able to keep going for=20 so long without seeking further support. If you would=20 like to sponsor one or more issues, please email me=20 direct at brian.harmer@vuw.ac.nz to discuss how to go=20 about this (I should add that this newsletter has no=20 connection whatsoever with Victoria University of=20 Wellington).=20 ----- Any text above this point, and all subsequent material in=20 parentheses, and concluded with the initials "BH" is the=20 personal opinion of Brian Harmer as editor of this=20 newsletter, or occasionally "HH" will indicate an opinion=20 from Helen. In all cases they are honest expressions of=20 personal opinion, and are not presented as fact.=20 All news items (except where noted otherwise) are=20 reproduced by kind permission of copyright owner, IRN=20 Ltd. =20 ----=20 On with the news Monday, June 9 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TAPU LIFTING CEREMONY AT CRASH SITE=20 ----------------------------------- =20 A blessing and tapu-lifting has taken place at the site=20 of Friday night's fatal air-crash near Christchurch.=20 Seven scientists from Crop and Food Research and pilot=20 Michael Bannerman were killed when their plane crashed=20 near Christchurch Airport. Two people survived the crash.=20 A local kaumatua led about 40 family and close friends of=20 the victims in a private prayer and blessing ceremony.=20 Crop and Food Research said the tragedy is a huge loss,=20 on both personal and professional levels. Executive=20 director of the Association of Crown Research Institutes,=20 Antony Scott says it is like a huge family at Crop and=20 Food Research in Lincoln, where seven of them worked. =20 He describes them as a "terrific bunch" of people, who=20 were dedicated to work and passionate about life. Antony=20 Scott says he is buoyed by the offers of support he is=20 getting from New Zealand's scientific community. The=20 family of one of the survivors, Richard Barton, say they=20 have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of public=20 support. Barton and Tim Lindley were rushed to=20 Christchurch Hospital after being found alive amongst the=20 plane's wreckage. Mr Barton's mother, Ida, says her son's=20 family has been overwhelmed by the support and kindness=20 offered by the public. Richard Barton was put into a=20 drug-induced coma when he first arrived at hospital in a=20 bid to help a chest injury heal. This morning Dr Andrew=20 Vincent says that while he remains in a serious=20 condition, things have improved. Dr Vincent says Mr=20 Barton will require further surgery on an open leg=20 fracture and then further chest and shoulder surgery in=20 the next week. He says Mr Lindley, is doing well and the=20 injury to his eye will be reviewed later today.=20 Meanwhile, Air accident inspectors, investigating Friday=20 night's crash, are cautioning against jumping to=20 conclusions about what may have caused the tragedy. =20 Inspectors say it will be at least six months before=20 their report is finalised. The Transport Accident=20 Investigation Commission will not speculate as to why the=20 plane came down, and says that until all information is=20 assembled and interpreted, it would be dangerous to jump=20 to conclusions. It is now believed that fog, which was=20 originally thought to be a major factor, did not descend=20 until after the crash, although it did hamper rescue=20 efforts. There has been some thought that text messages=20 being sent to the passengers or the passengers making=20 cellphone calls may have interfered with the plane's=20 navigational equipment. However, the TAIC says that even=20 if it is proven that a non-aircraft phone or electronic=20 device was used during the flight, it might not have=20 necessarily contributed to the crash. CONDEMNATION FOLLOWS SENTENCE HALVING=20 ------------------------------------- =20 There is condemnation of the decision to halve the=20 sentence of a driver who killed a four-year-old girl.=20 Ding Yan Zhao has had his two-year sentence for dangerous=20 driving causing death cut after his family paid $40,000=20 in reparations. Zhao was sent to prison for the death of=20 Georgia McCarten-Graham. She died when Zhao lost control=20 of his car and ploughed into a service station at=20 Rangiriri in Waikato. New Zealand First's law and order=20 spokesman Ron Mark says someone who has committed a crime=20 causing death should not have the right to pay their way=20 out of jail. He says the court's decision sends an=20 unwelcome signal to the criminal fraternity that the=20 higher the reparation, the lighter the sentence. (Mr Mark overlooks the other factors taken into account=20 in altering the sentence. Nevertheless, given that the=20 child was killed as a consequence of an unlicensed driver=20 losing control, the sentence is appallingly light. - BH) MAN MAULED BY TIGER FAILED BY CARERS=20 ------------------------------------ =20 The Mental Health Service is defending its course of=20 action concerning a mental patient who escaped from a=20 ward, and ended up being mauled by a tiger at Wellington=20 Zoo. The independent review commissioned by the Capital=20 and Coast District Health Board has been released today.=20 The man scaled a 4.5 metre fence surrounding the tiger=20 enclosure, suffering serious injuries when he was mauled=20 by Rokan - a six-year-old male tiger. Clinical Director,=20 Peter McGeorge, says they delayed contacting police when=20 they discovered the 29-year-old had gone. He says the=20 patient was not deemed to be a major risk - either to=20 himself or others. Dr McGeorge says the report states the=20 patient had left the ward the previous day, and returned.=20 He says they believed this would be the case on the day=20 he was attacked by the tiger. Dr McGeorge says the Mental=20 Health Service accepts the man was in their care and they=20 failed to protect him. He says it is very difficult to=20 balance the patients' rights, against their need for safe=20 care and treatment. (Happily, the foolish suggestion that the tiger should be=20 put down was ignored - BH) LEGIONNAIRE'S ACTION TAKEN TOO LATE=20 ----------------------------------- =20 The Police Association says action to prevent=20 Legionnaire's Disease has come too little, too late. Six=20 staff at Counties Manukau police headquarters have been=20 diagnosed with the potentially fatal disease - two of=20 them in the past few days. The disease is caused by=20 Legionella bacteria, which have been found in water=20 delivery systems and are able survive in the warm, moist,=20 air conditioning systems of large buildings. The bacteria=20 can cause anything from a mild cough to a serious=20 pneumonia, with an overall death rate of around 15=20 percent. Police Association spokesman Richard Middleton=20 says he is relieved staff at Harlech House are now being=20 moved out of the building. He says it is unfortunate more=20 staff now have the disease. WARM START TO WINTER=20 -------------------- =20 The MetService has confirmed New Zealand is having an=20 abnormally warm spell for the month of June. Eleven of=20 its monitoring stations have recorded 20 degrees or more=20 at some stage during the past nine days. They include=20 Whangarei, Auckland, Whitianga, Hamilton, Tauranga,=20 Gisborne, Napier, Oamaru and Dunedin. However, MetService=20 spokesman Bob McDavitt warns the figures do not give any=20 clues as to what is in store for the rest of the winter.=20 He warns the coldest days are usually in late July or=20 early August. (HA! No sign of an abnormally warm winter in our drive=20 around the South! - BH) NAME SUPPRESSION LIFTED=20 ----------------------- =20 Name suppression has been lifted for the man accused of=20 last month's Hamilton double homicide. Twenty-two-year- old Jun Jie Ying reappeared in court today and was=20 remanded in custody until July 17. He is accused of=20 murdering Wenbin Sun and Jia Ye on the 18th of May. Ying=20 was arrested when police found Ms Ye's body in the boot=20 of his car, four days after the slayings. They had been=20 looking for him since the discovery of Mr Sun's body, in=20 a Hamilton flat, two days earlier. BULLY TAG FOR US=20 ---------------- =20 A former US ambassador to New Zealand is critical of=20 America's decision to attack Iraq. Carol Moseley Braun is=20 now a Democratic Party presidential hopeful. She says=20 America should be focusing on the war on terror, by going=20 after Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda instead of invading=20 Iraq. She says the war in Iraq was an unfocused=20 misadventure, which puts the US on a path which could=20 lead to further war against Pakistan and Iran. Ms Moseley=20 Braun claims America is bullying its way around the=20 world, without getting much justice for the September 11=20 tragedy. She believes Iraq should not have been used as a=20 scapegoat for the attacks. Ms Braun has had a later start=20 than most of her opponents in the nine-way race for the=20 Democratic nomination and is not considered a front=20 runner. TRANZ RAIL SHARES RISE=20 ---------------------- =20 Shares in Tranz Rail have risen 24 percent in early=20 trade, following news of the Government's bailout. On=20 Friday, the Government announced it was injecting $44=20 million into the rail operator to stop it going bankrupt.=20 It will gain a 35 percent stake at a cost of $76 million.=20 Improving the network over the next few years will cost=20 another $100 million. Tranz Rail shares were put on a=20 trading halt prior to Friday's announcement. They leapt=20 19 cents to 99 cents at the start of this morning's=20 session, before settling back. Tranz Rail shares are also=20 the subject of a takeover bid at 75 cents a share from=20 Australian company Toll Holdings, which already owns 10.1=20 percent of the company. Tranz Rail shares are currently=20 up 14 cents to 94 cents. The Government sold off the=20 network 10 years ago. Under the current deal, it will buy=20 back the track for a nominal $1 and pay $50 million for=20 the company's assets. =20 =20 WEATHER WARNING FOR MUCH OF NZ=20 ------------------------------ =20 Bad weather is on the way for much of the country. The=20 MetService says a band of rain moving south over the=20 North Island is likely to stall near Cook Strait tonight.=20 Heavy falls are expected between Wairarapa and Kaikoura.=20 Rain in eastern Bay of Plenty and north of Gisborne is=20 expected to ease this morning, but with another shorter=20 burst of heavy downpours forecast for tonight. Farmers=20 and trampers in the area are being warned to be prepared. (They were right - BH) HEART TREATMENT SHORTCOMINGS REVEALED=20 ------------------------------------- =20 Heart patients are not being examined as carefully as=20 they should be, according to a national audit of=20 hospitals. The New Zealand Acute Coronary Syndrome Audit=20 Group has studied the level of service provided in our=20 hospitals. It has surveyed the 36 hospitals that admit=20 acute coronary syndrome patients. Chairman Dr Chris Ellis=20 says the use of investigative techniques such as heart=20 scans, treadmill tests and angiograms is lower than=20 recommended by international guidelines. He says this low=20 level of investigation could have fatal consequences. The=20 survey also reveals that heart patients in rural areas=20 are failing to get the same treatment as people in=20 metropolitan centres. Dr Ellis says that whether they=20 live in a city or in the country, patients must have=20 confidence in their hospitals. Ministry of Health=20 spokesman Dr Colin Feek says the results are in line with=20 international studies. He says a working party is looking=20 into the findings. Tuesday, 10 June ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ US VISA CHANGES MEAN NEW EXPENSE=20 -------------------------------- =20 New Zealanders applying for an American visa will first=20 have to get to Auckland for an in-person interview. From=20 August 1, most people between 16 and 60-years-old who=20 need a non-immigrant visa must first be vetted by a=20 consular officer in Auckland. US Consul Doug Berry says=20 he expects some negative feedback from people spending=20 time and money on an interview that does not guarantee=20 them a visa. He says the new procedures are in line with=20 international changes and a tightening of security=20 worldwide. Mr Berry says a face-to-face chat can help=20 officials assess a visa application. (I understand that most Kiwis heading to the US for a=20 tourism or brief business trips benefit from the visa=20 waiver scheme. Those who do need a visa will be=20 significantly inconvenienced. Perhaps we should=20 reciprocate. All tourists coming to NZ must fly to=20 Seattle, or some other out-of-the-way place to have their=20 face to face interview? - BH)=20 =20 ASIAN POPULATION WILL DOUBLE BY 2021=20 ------------------------------------ =20 New Zealand's Asian population is predicted to reach=20 604,000 by 2021. Statistics New Zealand says that is more=20 than double the estimated population in 2001. Last year=20 the Asian population grew 13 percent, but that is=20 expected to tail off in coming years because of an=20 assumption that immigration from that region will=20 decline. The number of Asian children will double from=20 61,000 two years ago to 118,000 in 2021. (It would be fairer to say that the number of children=20 with an Asian heritage will double. Many of them are more=20 Kiwi than their detractors, and a darned sight more=20 useful - BH) GENESIS LAUNCHES NEW GENERATION PROJECT=20 --------------------------------------- =20 Genesis Power plans to build a 40 megawatt open cycle gas=20 turbine at its Huntly Power Station in the Waikato in=20 time for next winter. It is the latest power company to=20 announce new generation projects in recent weeks. Genesis=20 says national electricity demand is growing at the rate=20 of 120 megawatts a year and the new turbine will meet a=20 third of that. Chief executive Murray Jackson says this=20 year's crisis is only part of the reason for seeking=20 extra generation. He says New Zealand's growth rate is=20 such that more investment in large high-efficiency plants=20 is needed to cope with demand. GRIM NEWS FOR TOURISM OPERATORS=20 ------------------------------- =20 Tourism operators meeting in Auckland have been given=20 some grim news about Asian visitors. Numbers are expected=20 to drop up to 70 percent because of SARS. Tourism New=20 Zealand Chief Executive George Hickton has told the TRENZ=20 tourism expo that visitor numbers overall for the next=20 quarter will be down eight percent overall. He says that=20 while the Australian and UK markets are not likely to be=20 affected, the Asian markets will be down significantly.=20 Mr Hickton says numbers from South Asia will fall 20 to=20 40 per cent, with North Asian tourists down 60 to 70=20 percent. However the news is not all bad. Mr Hickton says=20 that if the SARS crisis is confined, we should not suffer=20 a drop in annual figures. He says at least two airlines=20 have just announced additional capacity to New Zealand. Wednesday, 11 June ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PLANE CRASH VICTIM FAREWELLED=20 ----------------------------- =20 Funerals are being held today for three of the eight=20 victims of last Friday's fatal plane crash. Private=20 services will be held for Howard Bezar, Richard Finch and=20 Margaret Viles in Christchurch this afternoon. The=20 families have issued a statement through police asking=20 the media to stay away. Christchurch police are also=20 cautioning the media to tone down their pursuit for=20 information into the investigation into the tragedy.=20 Inspector Derek Erasmus says he has received a number of=20 media requests for information about the two hours it=20 took emergency services to locate the plane after it=20 crashed. He says the search for the aircraft was=20 initiated promptly when police were notified, and there=20 is no question of any delay. HORSES CAUSE MOTORWAY ACCIDENT=20 ------------------------------ =20 Two people have been hurt after their car collided with a=20 horse on an Auckland motorway. Police say five horses got=20 onto the north-western motorway after escaping from a Te=20 Atatu paddock, at around four o'clock this morning. The=20 horses were heading towards Auckland city when one was=20 hit and killed by the car. St John Ambulance says the=20 people in the car received minor injuries, which did not=20 require hospital attention. Police arrived shortly after=20 the accident, and within ten minutes had rounded up the=20 four remaining horses and put them into a nearby paddock. RETIRING JUDGE HAS HER FINAL SAY=20 -------------------------------- =20 A retiring judge has suggested the adversarial court=20 system may not be the best way to deal with sex crimes.=20 Retiring Auckland District Court judge Celia Rushton's=20 comments, made from the bench at her final sitting, are=20 reported in the Law News. Judge Rushton suggests that=20 putting the accused, complainants and their families=20 through a trial does more harm than good. She says a=20 different system might produce a clearer result. She=20 believes it may be that in less serious cases, a=20 complainant might want nothing more than an=20 acknowledgment of the harm done, a genuine apology and an=20 offer to make amends. FIRST MEDICINE-PRESCRIBING NURSE APPROVED=20 ----------------------------------------- =20 The Nursing Council has approved New Zealand's first=20 nurse to prescribe drugs. Paula Renouf specialises in=20 child and adolescent health. She will now be able to=20 prescribe medicines to children and teens without them=20 having to see a doctor. The Nursing Council describes it=20 as a significant milestone. Ms Renouf has completed a=20 Master of Science in Nursing in the United States and=20 worked there for 10 years as a paediatric nurse with=20 prescribing rights. She has completed further prescribing=20 training in Auckland under close scrutiny of doctors. She=20 says she has not had any negative reactions from doctors=20 to the idea of nurses prescribing. The new rules now=20 allow suitably qualified nurses to prescribe medicines,=20 but only in two areas, child family health and aged care. THOUSANDS EXPECTED FOR FIELDAYS=20 ------------------------------- =20 Motels are fully booked and farmers are out in force as=20 the Southern Hemisphere's biggest agricultural trade show=20 gets underway. The 35th annual Field days show opens at=20 Mystery Creek in Hamilton Wednesday and runs until=20 Saturday. The event attracts about 120,000 visitors from=20 throughout New Zealand and overseas. Field days=20 spokeswoman Nicola Boland says delegations from Australia=20 and the United States will visit this year's event, keen=20 to look at importing New Zealand products. Tuesday, 17 June ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BREAKTHROUGH IN MANUREWA ROBBERY=20 -------------------------------- =20 There has been a breakthrough for police investigating=20 the South Auckland liquor store shooting. The prime=20 suspect in the May 31 incident has been identified and=20 two vehicles seized. Police today issued a warrant for=20 the arrest of 44-year-old Gustavis William Job.=20 Meanwhile, forensics experts are examining two vans=20 located at a south Auckland address, yesterday. Enquiry=20 head Detective Sergeant Albie Alexander says Job is=20 considered armed and dangerous. He says Job is one of the=20 most wanted men in the country. Detective Sergeant=20 Alexander says a $10,000 reward is still in place. ISLAND NOT AN ALTERNATIVE TO MEMORIAL=20 ------------------------------------- =20 The Government is not interested in buying Kaikoura=20 Island as a memorial to Sir Peter Blake. The Hauraki Gulf=20 island has emerged as an alternative to the glass-encased=20 yacht memorial at Auckland's Maritime Harbour. The Blake=20 family is now having second thoughts, after initially=20 supporting the original proposal. But America's Cup=20 Minister Trevor Mallard says the Government does not like=20 the Kaikoura Island idea. Mr Mallard says he has spoken=20 to Sir Peter's brother about the issue. He says it could=20 be a question of reviewing the design of the interactive=20 display, dubbed the glass case, which has prompted=20 criticism from several quarters who think buying Kaikoura=20 Island is more appropriate. Both proposals are expected=20 to cost up to $10 million. SEARCH FOR DIVER CALLED OFF=20 --------------------------- =20 The search for a diver who disappeared while trying to=20 rescue a whale has been called off. Department of=20 Conservation diver Tom Smith was trying to free a=20 humpback caught in crayfish lines off the Kaikoura coast=20 yesterday. The whale has broken free but Mr Smith has not=20 been seen since and is presumed drowned. Police sergeant=20 Tony Yardley says the official sea and aerial search has=20 ended. He says police have reset nets in the hope of=20 recovering the body. Sergeant Yardley says the 38-year- old may be on the sea bed, which is too deep for police=20 divers. Local Mayor Jim Abernethy says the Kaikoura=20 community is reeling at the loss of a respected local=20 diver. He says Mr Smith understood the danger of what he=20 was doing. Mr Abernethy says the diver had freed another=20 whale from lines in 2001 - and shook for two days=20 afterwards. A woman who worked with Mr Smith has praised=20 his efforts to help the trapped animal. The woman, who=20 wants to be known only as Fiona, says Mr Smith was the=20 sort of man who would have won a 'greatest New Zealander'=20 competition hands-down. =20 Meanwhile, Wellington's Westpac Rescue chopper has=20 plucked a diver in trouble from Cook Strait. The rescued=20 diver's brother swam to shore to alert police just before=20 five this evening. =20 The tired and slightly distressed diver was found about a=20 kilometre from the Island Bay beach. He was winched from=20 the water. Chopper pilot Brian Taylor says the diver was=20 lucky they found him when they did, as a few more minutes=20 and it would have been dark, making locating him much=20 more difficult. ANOTHER PLANE CRASH IN CANTERBURY=20 --------------------------------- =20 On a day when Christchurch farewelled the victims of one=20 plane crash, Canterbury has been hit by another. Two=20 people are dead after a light aircraft crashed in the=20 Loburn - Rangiora area. The plane, believed to be a=20 Cessna, went down in a paddock. It is understood the two=20 were the sole occupants of the aircraft. A memorial=20 service was held in the Christchurch Cathedral today for=20 the eight people who died when their Piper Chieftain=20 crashed 11 days ago. VIRGIN CLOSER TO TRANS-TASMAN FLIGHTS=20 ------------------------------------- =20 Australian cut-price airline Virgin Blue has inched a=20 step closer to flying the Tasman. It has applied to=20 Australia's International Air Services Commission for=20 permission to fly to Fiji, Vanuatu and New Zealand from=20 October. Spokeswoman Amanda Bulger says it is a step in=20 the process to becoming an international carrier. Ms=20 Bulger says they are aiming at October as a start date=20 because it is the start of the new tourist season, the=20 airline has got new aircraft coming in then, and it is=20 the lead up to Christmas. Virgin Blue has not specified=20 what capacity it wants on the trans-Tasman route yet,=20 because it depends on the outcome of the proposed Air New=20 Zealand/Qantas alliance. EXPERT INVESTIGATES NORTH OTAGO RESCUE=20 -------------------------------------- =20 An Australian expert has arrived in the country to probe=20 a rescue criticised by some as taking too long. Three of=20 five men on a fishing trip drowned after their small boat=20 was swamped off the North Otago coast last month. The=20 boat's emergency beacon was activated just after 10am.=20 But it was after midday before a Dunedin based rescue=20 chopper was sent to search the area, finding just two=20 survivors. The time-line and sequence of events is now=20 being investigated by John Bowdler, a former Deputy=20 Secretary for Transport in Australia. GEORGIA REPORT DETAILS 10 CONCERNS=20 ---------------------------------- =20 The family whose four-year-old was killed by a speeding,=20 unlicensed driver has been told it does not have any=20 legal right to take the matter further. But Georgia=20 McCarten's family has commissioned a report detailing 10=20 areas of concern. It will be forwarded to the Solicitor=20 General in the hope he will take action. The family's=20 concerns include the driver's one year prison sentence, a=20 $40,000 payment from his parents to Georgia's=20 kindergarten, the quality of advice given to victims and=20 media responsibility. The family says it is also uneasy=20 to hear a "junior staff member" has already been singled=20 out for blame within the judicial system. Wednesday, 18 June ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AUTHORITIES COPING WITH AIR CRASHES=20 ------------------------------------ =20 The two men who died in Tuesday's microlight crash in=20 North Canterbury were 22-year-old Richard Jones and 21- year-old Andrew McIlraith. Both men are described as=20 aircraft engineers and were from Christchurch. The men=20 died when their microlight nose-dived into a paddock near=20 Loburn. Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority says its=20 resources are coping with the string of air crashes in=20 the South Island. Eleven people have perished in three=20 fatal accidents in the past 12 days. In addition to the=20 Loburn crash, eight people, including the pilot died when=20 an Air Adventures plane crashed near Christchurch Airport=20 on June 6. A man also died in a single engine plane crash=20 near Blenheim on June 9. CAA spokesman Bill Sommer says=20 the spate of crashes is not creating problems for them.=20 He says the CAA is investigating the microlight crashes=20 while the Adventures accident is being handled by the=20 Transport Accident Investigation Commission. SAFE LANDING AFTER FUEL EMERGENCY=20 --------------------------------- =20 A plane which was reported to be running out of fuel has=20 landed safely in Gisborne. Late in the afternoon, the=20 twin engined plane radioed that it was in trouble on its=20 way to New Zealand from American Samoa. The AirFreight=20 New Zealand plane touched down at Gisborne Airport=20 shortly after five o'clock. Fire, ambulance, coastguard=20 and police services were all in attendance at Gisborne=20 airport. The Convair plane had three people on board. (A USAF C141 that was in the neighbourhood had sufficient=20 fuel to fly out and escort the lost plane home. As I=20 understand it, the problem boiled down to incorrect=20 coordinates entered in the Nav computers after crossing=20 the International date line. - BH) CHARGES WITHDRAWN AGAINST TEENAGER=20 ---------------------------------- =20 Porirua police have withdrawn charges against a teenager=20 who received head injuries after police were called to a=20 noisy party in Cannons Creek last year. Tamati Selave=20 spent some time in hospital. Inspector John Spence says=20 the decision to withdraw the charges of assault, escaping=20 custody and resisting police follows advice from senior=20 officers, including from the Commissioner's office. He=20 says the offending is relatively minor in nature and they=20 feel Mr Selave has suffered enough from the incident.=20 Earlier, a police officer charged with causing grievous=20 bodily harm to Mr Selave was acquitted in the Wellington=20 District Court. The officer had been accused of causing=20 injury to Mr Selave by hitting him over the head with a=20 torch as he was chased from the party. The officer's=20 lawyer successfully argued that it was an accident and=20 that Mr Selave had spun around after being grabbed and=20 fell to the ground. =20 MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER AND ARSON=20 --------------------------------- =20 A Tauranga man accused of killing his de facto partner in=20 a house fire is to stand trial later this year. Eddie=20 Tapsell has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and=20 arson. Edwina Graham died in the fire at their Papamoa=20 home last October. Tapsell is still receiving treatment=20 for injuries he suffered in the blaze. The week long=20 trial has been set down for the Rotorua High Court,=20 beginning on October 6. OWEN, TOLL BATTLE FOR TRANZ LINK=20 -------------------------------- =20 A bidder for Tranz Rail's trucking operation Tranz Link=20 says there is a good fit between the two businesses.=20 Owens Group has put its hand up as one of two bidders for=20 Tranz Link. The other is understood to be Toll Holdings,=20 which is currently battling the Government for control of=20 Tranz Rail and has been vehemently opposed to selling off=20 Tranz Link. Owens Group chief executive David Ritchie=20 says there are good synergies between his company and=20 Tranz Link, because they are both in the domestic freight=20 business. He says the benefits of a tie up would flow=20 both ways. Mr Ritchie says it is hard to know how this=20 battle will affect its bid. He says he recognises Toll is=20 a strong competitor in Australia, with a great desire to=20 get into New Zealand in a larger way. INMATE IN COURT OVER OWEN ATTACK=20 -------------------------------- =20 A prison inmate has appeared in the Auckland District=20 Court over an attack in Mt Eden Prison on one of the=20 owners of the dog that savaged Carolina Anderson. Joseph=20 Pere is charged with assault with intent to cause=20 grievous bodily harm. He is alleged to have attacked=20 Thomas Owen on Saturday morning as he began his two month=20 jail term. Owen was taken to hospital with serious=20 injuries. Pere entered no plea and has been remanded in=20 custody until the June 25. Meanwhile, the second man=20 charged with owning the dog that attacked Carolina=20 Anderson, Brian Hill, has been let out of prison after=20 completing his sentence. AUCKLAND'S MOST WANTED MAN CAPTURED=20 ----------------------------------- =20 A tip-off from the public has led police to the capture=20 of Auckland's most wanted man. On Tuesday police issued a=20 warrant for Gustavis Job in connection with the Manurewa=20 liquor store shooting on May 31 which left shop employee=20 Paul Taueli in hospital with serious injuries. Job, aged=20 44, was described as extremely dangerous and the public=20 was advised not to approach him. A photo of the wanted=20 man was also released, and a $10,000 reward had already=20 been offered for information leading to his arrest. Early=20 on Wednesday morning police raided a rural property at=20 Wainui north of Auckland and took away three people for=20 questioning. Police say they doubt they will be paying=20 out any of the reward offered for information leading to=20 Job's capture. Detective Senior Sergeant Albie Alexander=20 doesn't think anyone has earned the $10,000 dollar=20 reward. He says while the public helped, his inquiry team=20 deserves most of the credit. Job is in court this=20 afternoon, charged with aggravated robbery. Thursday, 19 June ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DEFENCE BOSS FEARS FOR TROOPS IN IRAQ=20 -------------------------------------- =20 The Chief of the Defence Force has told Parliament's=20 Defence Select Committee of his concern for the welfare=20 of the New Zealand troops going to Iraq. Around 80=20 engineers will work with British troops on reconstruction=20 projects. Air Marshal Bruce Ferguson acknowledges US=20 troops are being killed almost every day by Iraqi=20 resistance forces. He says he is, and will always be,=20 concerned about the security for his troops as it is a=20 dangerous place. Air Marshal Ferguson says the New=20 Zealand troops will be armed and have the authority to=20 defend themselves on show shortly at the National=20 Maritime Museum in Auckland. TEEN KILLED IN HUNTING ACCIDENT=20 ------------------------------- =20 A Timaru teenager is dead after another hunting accident=20 in south Canterbury. The 19-year-old and three other=20 young men were hunting wallabies at the Hunter Hills near=20 Waimate at the time. The body has been flown out of the=20 area by a rescue helicopter and taken to Timaru Hospital.=20 The name of the teenager will not be released until the=20 family are notified. MAN NOT GUILTY OF INCITING SUICIDE=20 ---------------------------------- =20 A High Court judge has instructed an Auckland jury to=20 find a man not guilty of inciting his partner to commit=20 suicide. Twenty-year-old Rochelle Thompson hanged herself=20 in the garage of the home she shared with her 53-year-old=20 partner William Tamatea last year. The tragedy followed a=20 heated argument, in which Tamatea is reported to have=20 said to Miss Thompson, "go find the rope...I'll help you=20 get up there". However Justice Salmon says there is no=20 evidence Tamatea intended to deliberately encourage his=20 partner to take her own life. He says the evidence=20 suggests the words were said in the heat of the moment.=20 Tamatea still faces charges of assaulting a female and a=20 child. APPEAL COURT DECISION ON FORESHORES=20 ----------------------------------- =20 The Court of Appeal has paved the way to allow Maori with=20 claims to the country's seabeds and foreshores to seek=20 redress. The court's decision gives the Maori Land Court=20 jurisdiction to preside over these matters. South Island=20 Maori already have claims in for ownership of seabeds and=20 foreshores in the Marlborough Sounds. In previous=20 submissions, the Waitangi Tribunal has said that the=20 tidal zone was important to Maori because it was a source=20 of food; not only sea food but also birds; and also as=20 walkways for coastal Maori to travel from one area to=20 another. Although in the past, there were occasions when=20 titles were granted on foreshores, the Harbours Act 1878=20 (revised 1950) put into law the statue that no part of=20 the foreshore was to be granted or given away other than=20 with the authority of a special Act of Parliament. MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO PORNOGRAPHY CHARGE=20 --------------------------------------- =20 A Christchurch man has pleaded guilty to 16 charges of=20 possessing graphic child pornography. Clinton Gooch=20 admitted the charges in the Christchurch District Court=20 on Thursday morning. The Court heard how Internal Affairs=20 investigators found Gooch exchanging child pornography=20 over the internet. Some of them were of four to seven=20 year old children from a Russian orphanage. Prosecutor=20 Pip Curry told how Gooch's partner found the material and=20 confronted him about it. He has been remanded on bail=20 with the judge reminding him to return missing CD ROMs=20 containing child pornography if he wants his sentence=20 mitigated. AIR NZ MOURNS DEATH OF COLLEAGUES=20 ---------------------------------=20 =20 Condolences and support are being given by Air New=20 Zealand to families, friends, and work colleagues of two=20 young trainee engineers killed in a microlight crash on=20 Tuesday. Twenty-two-year-old Richard John Jones and 21- year-old Andrew Douglas Kenneth McIlraith died when their=20 microlight crashed in a paddock near the north Canterbury=20 town of Loburn. Air New Zealand spokeswoman Valerie Hayes=20 says the pair worked for Air New Zealand at its=20 Christchurch engineering base and the company is deeply=20 saddened about the accident. HOUSING COSTS HIT LOW-INCOME EARNERS=20 ------------------------------------ =20 Increased housing costs are leaving the country's lowest=20 income earners in a worse situation. The finding comes in=20 the Council of Christian Social Services' latest Poverty=20 Indicator Report. Foodbank clients report spending from=20 $4 to $18 a week more on housing than last year.=20 Spokesman Campbell Roberts says those paying state house=20 rents are better off, but there is still a huge waiting=20 list for state houses. And he says as home ownership=20 becomes increasingly unaffordable, people are not moving=20 on and creating vacancies as they used to. However=20 Campbell Roberts says slightly fewer people are using=20 foodbanks, a sign that lower state house rents are making=20 a difference. DOC DISCUSSING RESPITE FOR FLIPPER=20 ---------------------------------- =20 The Department of Conservation is meeting today with tour=20 operators to discuss plans to restrict dolphin watching=20 in the Bay of Islands. Twenty submissions have been=20 received on the plans which seek to limit the number of=20 tour operators and the times at which dolphins can be=20 viewed. The moves follow a study which found too much=20 contact with humans was having a detrimental impact on=20 the dolphins' behaviour. JOB SCHEME PLACES 1200=20 ---------------------- =20 The Government is claiming success for an employment=20 scheme that is slightly outside the square. The Pathways=20 to Arts and Cultural Employment began in November 2001,=20 and has now placed more than 1,200 beneficiaries in jobs.=20 It operates in Work and Income's 13 regions. Associate=20 Arts Minister Judith Tizard says times have changed, and=20 so has the old idea that beneficiaries only take on blue- collar employment. She says the PACE programme has led to=20 beneficiaries working in areas such as design, fashion=20 and film, with 77-percent finding long-term employment. =20 She says New Zealand's creative sector has grown in leaps=20 and bounds, and the PACE programme has given it a much=20 needed helping hand. Financial Page ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I hope to persuade my friend, Brian Dooley to resume the=20 gathering of interest rates next week.=20 Subscriptions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Details on how to subscribe or unsubscribe will be=20 included in next week's issue.=20 Regards Brian Harmer From sam@onesquared.net Mon Jun 23 14:01:13 2003 Received: from hitler.wn.onesquared.net ([10.1.1.125] helo=localhost) by tangent.onesquared.net with esmtp id 19UGds-00076Y-00 for ; Mon, 23 Jun 2003 14:01:12 +1200 Received: from sam by localhost with local id 19UGds-00057I-00 for ; Mon, 23 Jun 2003 14:01:12 +1200 Resent-From: sam@hitler Resent-Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 14:01:12 +1200 Resent-Message-ID: <20030623020112.GE19331@hitler> Resent-To: news@wysiwygnews.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 13:39:01 +1200 Message-ID: X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: From: news-admin@wysiwygnews.com Subject: [WYSIWYG]23 June, 2003 Sender: news-admin@wysiwygnews.com Errors-To: news-admin@wysiwygnews.com X-BeenThere: news@wysiwygnews.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.11 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: brian@wysiwygnews.com X-Reply-To: news@wysiwygnews.com List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Subject: 23 June, 2003 Hello people. WYSIWYG returns from the dead, with mailing=20 list management and archiving handled by the good people=20 at Onesquared (see http://onesquared.net) . The=20 resurrected WYSIWYG will in due course have its own=20 domain name, and the archives from 1994 to the present=20 day will be on its website. As before, these weekly=20 bulletins will go out weekly on USENET (soc.culture.new- zealand), via its own mailing list, and on the web site=20 (URL to be announced soon).=20 And so to the first burst of purple prose of the new era: On one of those days when the bright sun tells lies about=20 the chilly air temperature, Mary and I boarded the=20 Interisland ferry "Arahura" en route to Picton and places=20 further South. A silky grey oily smooth harbour promised=20 a tranquil crossing, and despite the low air temperature,=20 we were tempted to sit outside in the open. The breeze=20 generated by the ship's passage soon altered that idea,=20 and we found a comfortable indoor location in one of the=20 many lounges. There we passed the time in conversation,=20 refreshed with occasional cups of tea or coffee. It seems=20 that the silky harbour lied too. From the moment we=20 cleared the heads, the bows began to lift and plunge with=20 the seemingly modest swells. Somehow, the interval=20 between swells was at odds with the rhythm of the rise=20 and fall of the bows. Thus the passage across the exposed=20 waters between Seatoun and the sounds was marked by a=20 mildly unsettling lurching and shuddering motion. It was=20 something of a relief to swing at last into the sheltered=20 waters of Tory channel. It was still too chilly for=20 comfort on the outside, so our view of the marvellous=20 Queen Charlotte sound was through the salt-crusted=20 windows of the lounge. Soon enough the pretty town of=20 Picton was in view and we were required to report to the=20 cavernous echoing vehicle deck, made more hideous by the=20 roar of the ventilation fans, there to wait the signal to=20 drive off into the other island.=20 Since it was mid-day, and we wanted to avoid the=20 inevitable herd of wandering trucks and campervans that=20 would be bunched up on the narrow road South from Picton,=20 we paused for lunch. Outdoor tables at the Dog and Toad=20 caf=E9 in Picton's main street made a pleasant and sunny=20 venue. Replete, refreshed, and being in all respects=20 ready for the road, we ventured out onto SH1 in the=20 direction of Christchurch, through the pastoral=20 Marlborough landscape with its ever-expanding=20 viticulture. (I read this week that there is some concern=20 that the six million or so treated posts supporting the=20 wires on which the vines grow, will soon increase to nine=20 million, and there is some concern as to their effect on=20 groundwater). Driving along enjoying the spectacular=20 coastal journey towards Kaikoura. I swear I saw the=20 flukes of a whale sounding just offshore at one point,=20 but no one looked quickly enough to where I was pointing,=20 so I have no independent verification. We journeyed=20 through North Canterbury in the gathering gloom and=20 indifferent weather conditions until at last we arrived=20 in a very cold Christchurch in the early evening.=20 Since I had no decent map, I navigated my way towards the=20 house of my son and daughter-in-law on the basis of=20 imperfect memory. Finally conceding I was lost, I=20 acquired a map at a friendly dairy, and found the house=20 just a few blocks away. Happily there was a fire blazing=20 to match the warmth of our welcome, and an excellent meal=20 and much conversation followed.=20 On day two, I visited the fine folks who were the heart=20 and soul of nz.com in recent years, and who for so long=20 managed the mailing list and web archive of WYSIWYG news.=20 It was really nice to meet Tim and his crew after so many=20 years of cyber-collaboration. Mary and I then visited Christchurch's splendid new art=20 gallery (see http://www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz/).=20 My first impression of this controversial building is of=20 great curved walls of glass and stainless steel,=20 organised in an very imposing way. Inside, the scale is=20 more human, and the various exhibition spaces are quite=20 conventional. A collection of old masters on loan from=20 the Victorian Art Gallery in Australia was delightful,=20 and to be face to face with the genius of Constable,=20 Turner, C=E9zanne, Monet, Manet, and the like is always a=20 worthwhile experience. My own favourite exhibition of the=20 six concurrently display was that of the Canterbury=20 artist, W.A. Sutton whose magnificent summer landscapes=20 captured perfectly the great golden expanses of the=20 region. Te Pu=E4wai o Ng=E4i Tahu was an interesting=20 exhibition of work by Ng=E4i Tahu artists. Some pieces were=20 very powerful and moving. Other exhibits I thought=20 trivial, while a few pieces, especially the video works,=20 I found just plain baffling . Some curatorial decisions=20 were irritating in that particular display, such as=20 having the explanatory labels in clusters, sometimes far=20 from the work described. Yes, I know the purists might=20 say you shouldn't depend on the explanation, but that's=20 how I cope with art that I don't understand. I also noted=20 with some displeasure, the marking of white lines on the=20 floor to keep viewers at a distance from the works on=20 display. Visitors were not permitted to put so much as a=20 toe over those lines on pain of being accosted quite=20 sharply by zealous security people. While in the US some=20 years ago, I noted in the National Gallery in Washington,=20 and in the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Art, that no such=20 picky practices were in force. A Michelangelo was there=20 with no barrier whatsoever, provided you did not make any=20 move to touch. I think that, in general, if you give=20 trust, people will live up to it. Overall, however, I=20 think the new gallery is a wonderful building and I hope=20 people from Canterbury and elsewhere will enjoy the=20 experiences of great art on display in these handsome=20 surroundings.=20 We took family to dinner that night at Tiffany's=20 Restaurant on Oxford Terrace, where the food and service=20 were splendid and the atmosphere convivial. I recommend=20 it to anyone passing through Christchurch. Afterwards we=20 went to Bailies Bar where our niece Sophia was playing as=20 a member of "Dublin Street", a self described Celtic Rock=20 band. The fire was blazing, the beer was suitably cold,=20 and the welcome and the music were warm. The musicians=20 played with skill and enthusiasm even when over-played=20 ballads such as "Dirty old Town" were requested. =20 Next morning, as we resumed our journey down SH1, the=20 temperature was still in the "bleak" range, despite a=20 valiant winter sun. We were bound for the lighthouse=20 keeper's cottage owned by Mary's cousin Rosalie at Katiki=20 Pt., just south of Moeraki. Among other things, Rosalie=20 is the honorary ranger for the yellow-eyed penguin=20 reserve just below the lighthouse. The turnoff at Moeraki=20 led us up over a winding and dusty gravel road through=20 rolling farmland for several kilometres until at last=20 there was a view of the lighthouse and the nearby cottage=20 in the distance. After welcomes, greetings and unpacking,=20 it was now nearing four in the afternoon. Rosalie got us=20 to wrap up well against the chill wind, then led us down=20 the fenced path into the hide overlooking the beach. And=20 even as we arrived, the penguins began their afternoon=20 parade ashore. One after the other, the birds came=20 bobbing over the foaming waves, through the slipper surge=20 of broad brown fronds of kelp and onto the curiously=20 localised red sand of the beach. The yellow eyed penguin=20 (Megadyptes antipodes) is know to the Maori variously as=20 Tauora or Hoiho or which is a reference to its noisy=20 call. It is an endangered species and is amongst the=20 rarest of the world's penguins.=20 Clusters of these quite large penguins stood, seemingly=20 talking to each other like villagers discussing the=20 weather or the fish catch in the market place. Thirteen=20 birds were eventually gathered on the beach.=20 Occasionally, a pair of them would rush towards each=20 other with chests outthrust, and a vigorous collision=20 seemed inevitable. Amazingly the charging pair always=20 missed, and a brief confusion seemed to follow. After a=20 while the birds began to make their way up the steep hill=20 into the scrubby bush behind the beach, presumably=20 towards their nesting sites. Watching a penguin climb a=20 steep face is an astonishing. Imagine, if you will,=20 having both feet tied together, your hands tied behind=20 your back, and then being required to hop up the steeple=20 stairs of Christchurch's cathedral! Their fat pink feet=20 seem to be attached to the base of their body without any=20 intervening legs. When they walk, they lean forward, and=20 they stretch their flippers backwards to maintain=20 balance, and then they just waddle up the hill, hopping=20 from one precarious place to another. They were a joy and=20 delight to watch, until at last the evening fell and they=20 were no longer visible. That evening, after dinner and much family talk, we went=20 out into the darkest coldest night I can recall, and=20 through steaming breath, looked up at the glittering and=20 most vivid night sky I have ever seen. Every star in the=20 universe seemed to be gleaming down at us, out of=20 absolute blackness. Far to the North, the lights of=20 Oamaru could be seen, and to the south, a few lights from=20 the settlements at Shag Point, and to the West, the=20 nothing but the occasional headlights of a vehicle on the=20 distant highway, but otherwise, the blackness was=20 absolute.=20 The next day was bright, clear, and cold. Masefield would=20 have felt right at home here in "the gull's way, and the=20 whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife".=20 Wrapped in as much clothing as I could manage, I joined=20 the others in a visit to the famed Moeraki boulders.=20 These massive concretions, up to a metre and a half in=20 diameter, sit on the beach, partially immersed, like=20 glistening dark armoured vehicles emerging from the sea=20 at the commencement of some monstrous invasion. If you=20 have ever read John Wyndham's "The Kraken Wakes" you will=20 have a sense of their appearance. The fact is, they are=20 going the other way, and the cliff is presently giving=20 birth to a previously hidden boulder which should see the=20 full light of day in about Across the bay to the South,=20 Moeraki port sparkled in the sun, and the little fleet of=20 fishing vessels anchored in its sheltered bay added to=20 the charm of the view. We chose to drive over there to=20 experience it at close quarters. It is a pretty little=20 place, well suited to anyone who does not need the=20 amenities of a town or city. The necessities are at hand=20 in the form of a store and a pub. What more could you=20 need? We went back over the peninsula to the cottage on=20 Katiki point once more. When the sun was low in the sky=20 and with the temperature dropping sharply (!!!) we made=20 our final visit to the hide above the penguin colony, and=20 were rewarded once more with a steady procession. Truth=20 to tell, it had the appearance of a convocation of the=20 great high committee of penguins considering the=20 strategic plan to rid the beach of intruders. They=20 gathered in important little clusters, forming and re- forming in intricate patterns. They were just a delight=20 to watch. If you are tempted to see them for yourself,=20 either at Moeraki or elsewhere, make sure you go in the=20 early morning or late afternoon, and please leave your=20 dog at home as they are absolutely prohibited on the=20 reserve.=20 Next week, our grand tour will resume in Dunedin and=20 travel to some of the wild and wet places of the South.=20 --- Support Request ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In order to sustain the labour of formatting the news, I=20 need to seek reader contributions once more. I last did=20 this in March of 2001. I invite readers who find value in=20 receiving WYSIWYG to consider sponsoring one or more=20 issues. Each issue now costs NZD$40. Last time I appealed=20 for funding, a number of readers sponsored a single=20 issue, and a small number of very generous readers gave=20 lump sums which is why I have been able to keep going for=20 so long without seeking further support. If you would=20 like to sponsor one or more issues, please email me=20 direct at brian.harmer@vuw.ac.nz to discuss how to go=20 about this (I should add that this newsletter has no=20 connection whatsoever with Victoria University of=20 Wellington).=20 ----- Any text above this point, and all subsequent material in=20 parentheses, and concluded with the initials "BH" is the=20 personal opinion of Brian Harmer as editor of this=20 newsletter, or occasionally "HH" will indicate an opinion=20 from Helen. In all cases they are honest expressions of=20 personal opinion, and are not presented as fact.=20 All news items (except where noted otherwise) are=20 reproduced by kind permission of copyright owner, IRN=20 Ltd. =20 ----=20 On with the news Monday, June 9 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TAPU LIFTING CEREMONY AT CRASH SITE=20 ----------------------------------- =20 A blessing and tapu-lifting has taken place at the site=20 of Friday night's fatal air-crash near Christchurch.=20 Seven scientists from Crop and Food Research and pilot=20 Michael Bannerman were killed when their plane crashed=20 near Christchurch Airport. Two people survived the crash.=20 A local kaumatua led about 40 family and close friends of=20 the victims in a private prayer and blessing ceremony.=20 Crop and Food Research said the tragedy is a huge loss,=20 on both personal and professional levels. Executive=20 director of the Association of Crown Research Institutes,=20 Antony Scott says it is like a huge family at Crop and=20 Food Research in Lincoln, where seven of them worked. =20 He describes them as a "terrific bunch" of people, who=20 were dedicated to work and passionate about life. Antony=20 Scott says he is buoyed by the offers of support he is=20 getting from New Zealand's scientific community. The=20 family of one of the survivors, Richard Barton, say they=20 have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of public=20 support. Barton and Tim Lindley were rushed to=20 Christchurch Hospital after being found alive amongst the=20 plane's wreckage. Mr Barton's mother, Ida, says her son's=20 family has been overwhelmed by the support and kindness=20 offered by the public. Richard Barton was put into a=20 drug-induced coma when he first arrived at hospital in a=20 bid to help a chest injury heal. This morning Dr Andrew=20 Vincent says that while he remains in a serious=20 condition, things have improved. Dr Vincent says Mr=20 Barton will require further surgery on an open leg=20 fracture and then further chest and shoulder surgery in=20 the next week. He says Mr Lindley, is doing well and the=20 injury to his eye will be reviewed later today.=20 Meanwhile, Air accident inspectors, investigating Friday=20 night's crash, are cautioning against jumping to=20 conclusions about what may have caused the tragedy. =20 Inspectors say it will be at least six months before=20 their report is finalised. The Transport Accident=20 Investigation Commission will not speculate as to why the=20 plane came down, and says that until all information is=20 assembled and interpreted, it would be dangerous to jump=20 to conclusions. It is now believed that fog, which was=20 originally thought to be a major factor, did not descend=20 until after the crash, although it did hamper rescue=20 efforts. There has been some thought that text messages=20 being sent to the passengers or the passengers making=20 cellphone calls may have interfered with the plane's=20 navigational equipment. However, the TAIC says that even=20 if it is proven that a non-aircraft phone or electronic=20 device was used during the flight, it might not have=20 necessarily contributed to the crash. CONDEMNATION FOLLOWS SENTENCE HALVING=20 ------------------------------------- =20 There is condemnation of the decision to halve the=20 sentence of a driver who killed a four-year-old girl.=20 Ding Yan Zhao has had his two-year sentence for dangerous=20 driving causing death cut after his family paid $40,000=20 in reparations. Zhao was sent to prison for the death of=20 Georgia McCarten-Graham. She died when Zhao lost control=20 of his car and ploughed into a service station at=20 Rangiriri in Waikato. New Zealand First's law and order=20 spokesman Ron Mark says someone who has committed a crime=20 causing death should not have the right to pay their way=20 out of jail. He says the court's decision sends an=20 unwelcome signal to the criminal fraternity that the=20 higher the reparation, the lighter the sentence. (Mr Mark overlooks the other factors taken into account=20 in altering the sentence. Nevertheless, given that the=20 child was killed as a consequence of an unlicensed driver=20 losing control, the sentence is appallingly light. - BH) MAN MAULED BY TIGER FAILED BY CARERS=20 ------------------------------------ =20 The Mental Health Service is defending its course of=20 action concerning a mental patient who escaped from a=20 ward, and ended up being mauled by a tiger at Wellington=20 Zoo. The independent review commissioned by the Capital=20 and Coast District Health Board has been released today.=20 The man scaled a 4.5 metre fence surrounding the tiger=20 enclosure, suffering serious injuries when he was mauled=20 by Rokan - a six-year-old male tiger. Clinical Director,=20 Peter McGeorge, says they delayed contacting police when=20 they discovered the 29-year-old had gone. He says the=20 patient was not deemed to be a major risk - either to=20 himself or others. Dr McGeorge says the report states the=20 patient had left the ward the previous day, and returned.=20 He says they believed this would be the case on the day=20 he was attacked by the tiger. Dr McGeorge says the Mental=20 Health Service accepts the man was in their care and they=20 failed to protect him. He says it is very difficult to=20 balance the patients' rights, against their need for safe=20 care and treatment. (Happily, the foolish suggestion that the tiger should be=20 put down was ignored - BH) LEGIONNAIRE'S ACTION TAKEN TOO LATE=20 ----------------------------------- =20 The Police Association says action to prevent=20 Legionnaire's Disease has come too little, too late. Six=20 staff at Counties Manukau police headquarters have been=20 diagnosed with the potentially fatal disease - two of=20 them in the past few days. The disease is caused by=20 Legionella bacteria, which have been found in water=20 delivery systems and are able survive in the warm, moist,=20 air conditioning systems of large buildings. The bacteria=20 can cause anything from a mild cough to a serious=20 pneumonia, with an overall death rate of around 15=20 percent. Police Association spokesman Richard Middleton=20 says he is relieved staff at Harlech House are now being=20 moved out of the building. He says it is unfortunate more=20 staff now have the disease. WARM START TO WINTER=20 -------------------- =20 The MetService has confirmed New Zealand is having an=20 abnormally warm spell for the month of June. Eleven of=20 its monitoring stations have recorded 20 degrees or more=20 at some stage during the past nine days. They include=20 Whangarei, Auckland, Whitianga, Hamilton, Tauranga,=20 Gisborne, Napier, Oamaru and Dunedin. However, MetService=20 spokesman Bob McDavitt warns the figures do not give any=20 clues as to what is in store for the rest of the winter.=20 He warns the coldest days are usually in late July or=20 early August. (HA! No sign of an abnormally warm winter in our drive=20 around the South! - BH) NAME SUPPRESSION LIFTED=20 ----------------------- =20 Name suppression has been lifted for the man accused of=20 last month's Hamilton double homicide. Twenty-two-year- old Jun Jie Ying reappeared in court today and was=20 remanded in custody until July 17. He is accused of=20 murdering Wenbin Sun and Jia Ye on the 18th of May. Ying=20 was arrested when police found Ms Ye's body in the boot=20 of his car, four days after the slayings. They had been=20 looking for him since the discovery of Mr Sun's body, in=20 a Hamilton flat, two days earlier. BULLY TAG FOR US=20 ---------------- =20 A former US ambassador to New Zealand is critical of=20 America's decision to attack Iraq. Carol Moseley Braun is=20 now a Democratic Party presidential hopeful. She says=20 America should be focusing on the war on terror, by going=20 after Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda instead of invading=20 Iraq. She says the war in Iraq was an unfocused=20 misadventure, which puts the US on a path which could=20 lead to further war against Pakistan and Iran. Ms Moseley=20 Braun claims America is bullying its way around the=20 world, without getting much justice for the September 11=20 tragedy. She believes Iraq should not have been used as a=20 scapegoat for the attacks. Ms Braun has had a later start=20 than most of her opponents in the nine-way race for the=20 Democratic nomination and is not considered a front=20 runner. TRANZ RAIL SHARES RISE=20 ---------------------- =20 Shares in Tranz Rail have risen 24 percent in early=20 trade, following news of the Government's bailout. On=20 Friday, the Government announced it was injecting $44=20 million into the rail operator to stop it going bankrupt.=20 It will gain a 35 percent stake at a cost of $76 million.=20 Improving the network over the next few years will cost=20 another $100 million. Tranz Rail shares were put on a=20 trading halt prior to Friday's announcement. They leapt=20 19 cents to 99 cents at the start of this morning's=20 session, before settling back. Tranz Rail shares are also=20 the subject of a takeover bid at 75 cents a share from=20 Australian company Toll Holdings, which already owns 10.1=20 percent of the company. Tranz Rail shares are currently=20 up 14 cents to 94 cents. The Government sold off the=20 network 10 years ago. Under the current deal, it will buy=20 back the track for a nominal $1 and pay $50 million for=20 the company's assets. =20 =20 WEATHER WARNING FOR MUCH OF NZ=20 ------------------------------ =20 Bad weather is on the way for much of the country. The=20 MetService says a band of rain moving south over the=20 North Island is likely to stall near Cook Strait tonight.=20 Heavy falls are expected between Wairarapa and Kaikoura.=20 Rain in eastern Bay of Plenty and north of Gisborne is=20 expected to ease this morning, but with another shorter=20 burst of heavy downpours forecast for tonight. Farmers=20 and trampers in the area are being warned to be prepared. (They were right - BH) HEART TREATMENT SHORTCOMINGS REVEALED=20 ------------------------------------- =20 Heart patients are not being examined as carefully as=20 they should be, according to a national audit of=20 hospitals. The New Zealand Acute Coronary Syndrome Audit=20 Group has studied the level of service provided in our=20 hospitals. It has surveyed the 36 hospitals that admit=20 acute coronary syndrome patients. Chairman Dr Chris Ellis=20 says the use of investigative techniques such as heart=20 scans, treadmill tests and angiograms is lower than=20 recommended by international guidelines. He says this low=20 level of investigation could have fatal consequences. The=20 survey also reveals that heart patients in rural areas=20 are failing to get the same treatment as people in=20 metropolitan centres. Dr Ellis says that whether they=20 live in a city or in the country, patients must have=20 confidence in their hospitals. Ministry of Health=20 spokesman Dr Colin Feek says the results are in line with=20 international studies. He says a working party is looking=20 into the findings. Tuesday, 10 June ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ US VISA CHANGES MEAN NEW EXPENSE=20 -------------------------------- =20 New Zealanders applying for an American visa will first=20 have to get to Auckland for an in-person interview. From=20 August 1, most people between 16 and 60-years-old who=20 need a non-immigrant visa must first be vetted by a=20 consular officer in Auckland. US Consul Doug Berry says=20 he expects some negative feedback from people spending=20 time and money on an interview that does not guarantee=20 them a visa. He says the new procedures are in line with=20 international changes and a tightening of security=20 worldwide. Mr Berry says a face-to-face chat can help=20 officials assess a visa application. (I understand that most Kiwis heading to the US for a=20 tourism or brief business trips benefit from the visa=20 waiver scheme. Those who do need a visa will be=20 significantly inconvenienced. Perhaps we should=20 reciprocate. All tourists coming to NZ must fly to=20 Seattle, or some other out-of-the-way place to have their=20 face to face interview? - BH)=20 =20 ASIAN POPULATION WILL DOUBLE BY 2021=20 ------------------------------------ =20 New Zealand's Asian population is predicted to reach=20 604,000 by 2021. Statistics New Zealand says that is more=20 than double the estimated population in 2001. Last year=20 the Asian population grew 13 percent, but that is=20 expected to tail off in coming years because of an=20 assumption that immigration from that region will=20 decline. The number of Asian children will double from=20 61,000 two years ago to 118,000 in 2021. (It would be fairer to say that the number of children=20 with an Asian heritage will double. Many of them are more=20 Kiwi than their detractors, and a darned sight more=20 useful - BH) GENESIS LAUNCHES NEW GENERATION PROJECT=20 --------------------------------------- =20 Genesis Power plans to build a 40 megawatt open cycle gas=20 turbine at its Huntly Power Station in the Waikato in=20 time for next winter. It is the latest power company to=20 announce new generation projects in recent weeks. Genesis=20 says national electricity demand is growing at the rate=20 of 120 megawatts a year and the new turbine will meet a=20 third of that. Chief executive Murray Jackson says this=20 year's crisis is only part of the reason for seeking=20 extra generation. He says New Zealand's growth rate is=20 such that more investment in large high-efficiency plants=20 is needed to cope with demand. GRIM NEWS FOR TOURISM OPERATORS=20 ------------------------------- =20 Tourism operators meeting in Auckland have been given=20 some grim news about Asian visitors. Numbers are expected=20 to drop up to 70 percent because of SARS. Tourism New=20 Zealand Chief Executive George Hickton has told the TRENZ=20 tourism expo that visitor numbers overall for the next=20 quarter will be down eight percent overall. He says that=20 while the Australian and UK markets are not likely to be=20 affected, the Asian markets will be down significantly.=20 Mr Hickton says numbers from South Asia will fall 20 to=20 40 per cent, with North Asian tourists down 60 to 70=20 percent. However the news is not all bad. Mr Hickton says=20 that if the SARS crisis is confined, we should not suffer=20 a drop in annual figures. He says at least two airlines=20 have just announced additional capacity to New Zealand. Wednesday, 11 June ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PLANE CRASH VICTIM FAREWELLED=20 ----------------------------- =20 Funerals are being held today for three of the eight=20 victims of last Friday's fatal plane crash. Private=20 services will be held for Howard Bezar, Richard Finch and=20 Margaret Viles in Christchurch this afternoon. The=20 families have issued a statement through police asking=20 the media to stay away. Christchurch police are also=20 cautioning the media to tone down their pursuit for=20 information into the investigation into the tragedy.=20 Inspector Derek Erasmus says he has received a number of=20 media requests for information about the two hours it=20 took emergency services to locate the plane after it=20 crashed. He says the search for the aircraft was=20 initiated promptly when police were notified, and there=20 is no question of any delay. HORSES CAUSE MOTORWAY ACCIDENT=20 ------------------------------ =20 Two people have been hurt after their car collided with a=20 horse on an Auckland motorway. Police say five horses got=20 onto the north-western motorway after escaping from a Te=20 Atatu paddock, at around four o'clock this morning. The=20 horses were heading towards Auckland city when one was=20 hit and killed by the car. St John Ambulance says the=20 people in the car received minor injuries, which did not=20 require hospital attention. Police arrived shortly after=20 the accident, and within ten minutes had rounded up the=20 four remaining horses and put them into a nearby paddock. RETIRING JUDGE HAS HER FINAL SAY=20 -------------------------------- =20 A retiring judge has suggested the adversarial court=20 system may not be the best way to deal with sex crimes.=20 Retiring Auckland District Court judge Celia Rushton's=20 comments, made from the bench at her final sitting, are=20 reported in the Law News. Judge Rushton suggests that=20 putting the accused, complainants and their families=20 through a trial does more harm than good. She says a=20 different system might produce a clearer result. She=20 believes it may be that in less serious cases, a=20 complainant might want nothing more than an=20 acknowledgment of the harm done, a genuine apology and an=20 offer to make amends. FIRST MEDICINE-PRESCRIBING NURSE APPROVED=20 ----------------------------------------- =20 The Nursing Council has approved New Zealand's first=20 nurse to prescribe drugs. Paula Renouf specialises in=20 child and adolescent health. She will now be able to=20 prescribe medicines to children and teens without them=20 having to see a doctor. The Nursing Council describes it=20 as a significant milestone. Ms Renouf has completed a=20 Master of Science in Nursing in the United States and=20 worked there for 10 years as a paediatric nurse with=20 prescribing rights. She has completed further prescribing=20 training in Auckland under close scrutiny of doctors. She=20 says she has not had any negative reactions from doctors=20 to the idea of nurses prescribing. The new rules now=20 allow suitably qualified nurses to prescribe medicines,=20 but only in two areas, child family health and aged care. THOUSANDS EXPECTED FOR FIELDAYS=20 ------------------------------- =20 Motels are fully booked and farmers are out in force as=20 the Southern Hemisphere's biggest agricultural trade show=20 gets underway. The 35th annual Field days show opens at=20 Mystery Creek in Hamilton Wednesday and runs until=20 Saturday. The event attracts about 120,000 visitors from=20 throughout New Zealand and overseas. Field days=20 spokeswoman Nicola Boland says delegations from Australia=20 and the United States will visit this year's event, keen=20 to look at importing New Zealand products. Tuesday, 17 June ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BREAKTHROUGH IN MANUREWA ROBBERY=20 -------------------------------- =20 There has been a breakthrough for police investigating=20 the South Auckland liquor store shooting. The prime=20 suspect in the May 31 incident has been identified and=20 two vehicles seized. Police today issued a warrant for=20 the arrest of 44-year-old Gustavis William Job.=20 Meanwhile, forensics experts are examining two vans=20 located at a south Auckland address, yesterday. Enquiry=20 head Detective Sergeant Albie Alexander says Job is=20 considered armed and dangerous. He says Job is one of the=20 most wanted men in the country. Detective Sergeant=20 Alexander says a $10,000 reward is still in place. ISLAND NOT AN ALTERNATIVE TO MEMORIAL=20 ------------------------------------- =20 The Government is not interested in buying Kaikoura=20 Island as a memorial to Sir Peter Blake. The Hauraki Gulf=20 island has emerged as an alternative to the glass-encased=20 yacht memorial at Auckland's Maritime Harbour. The Blake=20 family is now having second thoughts, after initially=20 supporting the original proposal. But America's Cup=20 Minister Trevor Mallard says the Government does not like=20 the Kaikoura Island idea. Mr Mallard says he has spoken=20 to Sir Peter's brother about the issue. He says it could=20 be a question of reviewing the design of the interactive=20 display, dubbed the glass case, which has prompted=20 criticism from several quarters who think buying Kaikoura=20 Island is more appropriate. Both proposals are expected=20 to cost up to $10 million. SEARCH FOR DIVER CALLED OFF=20 --------------------------- =20 The search for a diver who disappeared while trying to=20 rescue a whale has been called off. Department of=20 Conservation diver Tom Smith was trying to free a=20 humpback caught in crayfish lines off the Kaikoura coast=20 yesterday. The whale has broken free but Mr Smith has not=20 been seen since and is presumed drowned. Police sergeant=20 Tony Yardley says the official sea and aerial search has=20 ended. He says police have reset nets in the hope of=20 recovering the body. Sergeant Yardley says the 38-year- old may be on the sea bed, which is too deep for police=20 divers. Local Mayor Jim Abernethy says the Kaikoura=20 community is reeling at the loss of a respected local=20 diver. He says Mr Smith understood the danger of what he=20 was doing. Mr Abernethy says the diver had freed another=20 whale from lines in 2001 - and shook for two days=20 afterwards. A woman who worked with Mr Smith has praised=20 his efforts to help the trapped animal. The woman, who=20 wants to be known only as Fiona, says Mr Smith was the=20 sort of man who would have won a 'greatest New Zealander'=20 competition hands-down. =20 Meanwhile, Wellington's Westpac Rescue chopper has=20 plucked a diver in trouble from Cook Strait. The rescued=20 diver's brother swam to shore to alert police just before=20 five this evening. =20 The tired and slightly distressed diver was found about a=20 kilometre from the Island Bay beach. He was winched from=20 the water. Chopper pilot Brian Taylor says the diver was=20 lucky they found him when they did, as a few more minutes=20 and it would have been dark, making locating him much=20 more difficult. ANOTHER PLANE CRASH IN CANTERBURY=20 --------------------------------- =20 On a day when Christchurch farewelled the victims of one=20 plane crash, Canterbury has been hit by another. Two=20 people are dead after a light aircraft crashed in the=20 Loburn - Rangiora area. The plane, believed to be a=20 Cessna, went down in a paddock. It is understood the two=20 were the sole occupants of the aircraft. A memorial=20 service was held in the Christchurch Cathedral today for=20 the eight people who died when their Piper Chieftain=20 crashed 11 days ago. VIRGIN CLOSER TO TRANS-TASMAN FLIGHTS=20 ------------------------------------- =20 Australian cut-price airline Virgin Blue has inched a=20 step closer to flying the Tasman. It has applied to=20 Australia's International Air Services Commission for=20 permission to fly to Fiji, Vanuatu and New Zealand from=20 October. Spokeswoman Amanda Bulger says it is a step in=20 the process to becoming an international carrier. Ms=20 Bulger says they are aiming at October as a start date=20 because it is the start of the new tourist season, the=20 airline has got new aircraft coming in then, and it is=20 the lead up to Christmas. Virgin Blue has not specified=20 what capacity it wants on the trans-Tasman route yet,=20 because it depends on the outcome of the proposed Air New=20 Zealand/Qantas alliance. EXPERT INVESTIGATES NORTH OTAGO RESCUE=20 -------------------------------------- =20 An Australian expert has arrived in the country to probe=20 a rescue criticised by some as taking too long. Three of=20 five men on a fishing trip drowned after their small boat=20 was swamped off the North Otago coast last month. The=20 boat's emergency beacon was activated just after 10am.=20 But it was after midday before a Dunedin based rescue=20 chopper was sent to search the area, finding just two=20 survivors. The time-line and sequence of events is now=20 being investigated by John Bowdler, a former Deputy=20 Secretary for Transport in Australia. GEORGIA REPORT DETAILS 10 CONCERNS=20 ---------------------------------- =20 The family whose four-year-old was killed by a speeding,=20 unlicensed driver has been told it does not have any=20 legal right to take the matter further. But Georgia=20 McCarten's family has commissioned a report detailing 10=20 areas of concern. It will be forwarded to the Solicitor=20 General in the hope he will take action. The family's=20 concerns include the driver's one year prison sentence, a=20 $40,000 payment from his parents to Georgia's=20 kindergarten, the quality of advice given to victims and=20 media responsibility. The family says it is also uneasy=20 to hear a "junior staff member" has already been singled=20 out for blame within the judicial system. Wednesday, 18 June ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AUTHORITIES COPING WITH AIR CRASHES=20 ------------------------------------ =20 The two men who died in Tuesday's microlight crash in=20 North Canterbury were 22-year-old Richard Jones and 21- year-old Andrew McIlraith. Both men are described as=20 aircraft engineers and were from Christchurch. The men=20 died when their microlight nose-dived into a paddock near=20 Loburn. Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority says its=20 resources are coping with the string of air crashes in=20 the South Island. Eleven people have perished in three=20 fatal accidents in the past 12 days. In addition to the=20 Loburn crash, eight people, including the pilot died when=20 an Air Adventures plane crashed near Christchurch Airport=20 on June 6. A man also died in a single engine plane crash=20 near Blenheim on June 9. CAA spokesman Bill Sommer says=20 the spate of crashes is not creating problems for them.=20 He says the CAA is investigating the microlight crashes=20 while the Adventures accident is being handled by the=20 Transport Accident Investigation Commission. SAFE LANDING AFTER FUEL EMERGENCY=20 --------------------------------- =20 A plane which was reported to be running out of fuel has=20 landed safely in Gisborne. Late in the afternoon, the=20 twin engined plane radioed that it was in trouble on its=20 way to New Zealand from American Samoa. The AirFreight=20 New Zealand plane touched down at Gisborne Airport=20 shortly after five o'clock. Fire, ambulance, coastguard=20 and police services were all in attendance at Gisborne=20 airport. The Convair plane had three people on board. (A USAF C141 that was in the neighbourhood had sufficient=20 fuel to fly out and escort the lost plane home. As I=20 understand it, the problem boiled down to incorrect=20 coordinates entered in the Nav computers after crossing=20 the International date line. - BH) CHARGES WITHDRAWN AGAINST TEENAGER=20 ---------------------------------- =20 Porirua police have withdrawn charges against a teenager=20 who received head injuries after police were called to a=20 noisy party in Cannons Creek last year. Tamati Selave=20 spent some time in hospital. Inspector John Spence says=20 the decision to withdraw the charges of assault, escaping=20 custody and resisting police follows advice from senior=20 officers, including from the Commissioner's office. He=20 says the offending is relatively minor in nature and they=20 feel Mr Selave has suffered enough from the incident.=20 Earlier, a police officer charged with causing grievous=20 bodily harm to Mr Selave was acquitted in the Wellington=20 District Court. The officer had been accused of causing=20 injury to Mr Selave by hitting him over the head with a=20 torch as he was chased from the party. The officer's=20 lawyer successfully argued that it was an accident and=20 that Mr Selave had spun around after being grabbed and=20 fell to the ground. =20 MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER AND ARSON=20 --------------------------------- =20 A Tauranga man accused of killing his de facto partner in=20 a house fire is to stand trial later this year. Eddie=20 Tapsell has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and=20 arson. Edwina Graham died in the fire at their Papamoa=20 home last October. Tapsell is still receiving treatment=20 for injuries he suffered in the blaze. The week long=20 trial has been set down for the Rotorua High Court,=20 beginning on October 6. OWEN, TOLL BATTLE FOR TRANZ LINK=20 -------------------------------- =20 A bidder for Tranz Rail's trucking operation Tranz Link=20 says there is a good fit between the two businesses.=20 Owens Group has put its hand up as one of two bidders for=20 Tranz Link. The other is understood to be Toll Holdings,=20 which is currently battling the Government for control of=20 Tranz Rail and has been vehemently opposed to selling off=20 Tranz Link. Owens Group chief executive David Ritchie=20 says there are good synergies between his company and=20 Tranz Link, because they are both in the domestic freight=20 business. He says the benefits of a tie up would flow=20 both ways. Mr Ritchie says it is hard to know how this=20 battle will affect its bid. He says he recognises Toll is=20 a strong competitor in Australia, with a great desire to=20 get into New Zealand in a larger way. INMATE IN COURT OVER OWEN ATTACK=20 -------------------------------- =20 A prison inmate has appeared in the Auckland District=20 Court over an attack in Mt Eden Prison on one of the=20 owners of the dog that savaged Carolina Anderson. Joseph=20 Pere is charged with assault with intent to cause=20 grievous bodily harm. He is alleged to have attacked=20 Thomas Owen on Saturday morning as he began his two month=20 jail term. Owen was taken to hospital with serious=20 injuries. Pere entered no plea and has been remanded in=20 custody until the June 25. Meanwhile, the second man=20 charged with owning the dog that attacked Carolina=20 Anderson, Brian Hill, has been let out of prison after=20 completing his sentence. AUCKLAND'S MOST WANTED MAN CAPTURED=20 ----------------------------------- =20 A tip-off from the public has led police to the capture=20 of Auckland's most wanted man. On Tuesday police issued a=20 warrant for Gustavis Job in connection with the Manurewa=20 liquor store shooting on May 31 which left shop employee=20 Paul Taueli in hospital with serious injuries. Job, aged=20 44, was described as extremely dangerous and the public=20 was advised not to approach him. A photo of the wanted=20 man was also released, and a $10,000 reward had already=20 been offered for information leading to his arrest. Early=20 on Wednesday morning police raided a rural property at=20 Wainui north of Auckland and took away three people for=20 questioning. Police say they doubt they will be paying=20 out any of the reward offered for information leading to=20 Job's capture. Detective Senior Sergeant Albie Alexander=20 doesn't think anyone has earned the $10,000 dollar=20 reward. He says while the public helped, his inquiry team=20 deserves most of the credit. Job is in court this=20 afternoon, charged with aggravated robbery. Thursday, 19 June ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DEFENCE BOSS FEARS FOR TROOPS IN IRAQ=20 -------------------------------------- =20 The Chief of the Defence Force has told Parliament's=20 Defence Select Committee of his concern for the welfare=20 of the New Zealand troops going to Iraq. Around 80=20 engineers will work with British troops on reconstruction=20 projects. Air Marshal Bruce Ferguson acknowledges US=20 troops are being killed almost every day by Iraqi=20 resistance forces. He says he is, and will always be,=20 concerned about the security for his troops as it is a=20 dangerous place. Air Marshal Ferguson says the New=20 Zealand troops will be armed and have the authority to=20 defend themselves on show shortly at the National=20 Maritime Museum in Auckland. TEEN KILLED IN HUNTING ACCIDENT=20 ------------------------------- =20 A Timaru teenager is dead after another hunting accident=20 in south Canterbury. The 19-year-old and three other=20 young men were hunting wallabies at the Hunter Hills near=20 Waimate at the time. The body has been flown out of the=20 area by a rescue helicopter and taken to Timaru Hospital.=20 The name of the teenager will not be released until the=20 family are notified. MAN NOT GUILTY OF INCITING SUICIDE=20 ---------------------------------- =20 A High Court judge has instructed an Auckland jury to=20 find a man not guilty of inciting his partner to commit=20 suicide. Twenty-year-old Rochelle Thompson hanged herself=20 in the garage of the home she shared with her 53-year-old=20 partner William Tamatea last year. The tragedy followed a=20 heated argument, in which Tamatea is reported to have=20 said to Miss Thompson, "go find the rope...I'll help you=20 get up there". However Justice Salmon says there is no=20 evidence Tamatea intended to deliberately encourage his=20 partner to take her own life. He says the evidence=20 suggests the words were said in the heat of the moment.=20 Tamatea still faces charges of assaulting a female and a=20 child. APPEAL COURT DECISION ON FORESHORES=20 ----------------------------------- =20 The Court of Appeal has paved the way to allow Maori with=20 claims to the country's seabeds and foreshores to seek=20 redress. The court's decision gives the Maori Land Court=20 jurisdiction to preside over these matters. South Island=20 Maori already have claims in for ownership of seabeds and=20 foreshores in the Marlborough Sounds. In previous=20 submissions, the Waitangi Tribunal has said that the=20 tidal zone was important to Maori because it was a source=20 of food; not only sea food but also birds; and also as=20 walkways for coastal Maori to travel from one area to=20 another. Although in the past, there were occasions when=20 titles were granted on foreshores, the Harbours Act 1878=20 (revised 1950) put into law the statue that no part of=20 the foreshore was to be granted or given away other than=20 with the authority of a special Act of Parliament. MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO PORNOGRAPHY CHARGE=20 --------------------------------------- =20 A Christchurch man has pleaded guilty to 16 charges of=20 possessing graphic child pornography. Clinton Gooch=20 admitted the charges in the Christchurch District Court=20 on Thursday morning. The Court heard how Internal Affairs=20 investigators found Gooch exchanging child pornography=20 over the internet. Some of them were of four to seven=20 year old children from a Russian orphanage. Prosecutor=20 Pip Curry told how Gooch's partner found the material and=20 confronted him about it. He has been remanded on bail=20 with the judge reminding him to return missing CD ROMs=20 containing child pornography if he wants his sentence=20 mitigated. AIR NZ MOURNS DEATH OF COLLEAGUES=20 ---------------------------------=20 =20 Condolences and support are being given by Air New=20 Zealand to families, friends, and work colleagues of two=20 young trainee engineers killed in a microlight crash on=20 Tuesday. Twenty-two-year-old Richard John Jones and 21- year-old Andrew Douglas Kenneth McIlraith died when their=20 microlight crashed in a paddock near the north Canterbury=20 town of Loburn. Air New Zealand spokeswoman Valerie Hayes=20 says the pair worked for Air New Zealand at its=20 Christchurch engineering base and the company is deeply=20 saddened about the accident. HOUSING COSTS HIT LOW-INCOME EARNERS=20 ------------------------------------ =20 Increased housing costs are leaving the country's lowest=20 income earners in a worse situation. The finding comes in=20 the Council of Christian Social Services' latest Poverty=20 Indicator Report. Foodbank clients report spending from=20 $4 to $18 a week more on housing than last year.=20 Spokesman Campbell Roberts says those paying state house=20 rents are better off, but there is still a huge waiting=20 list for state houses. And he says as home ownership=20 becomes increasingly unaffordable, people are not moving=20 on and creating vacancies as they used to. However=20 Campbell Roberts says slightly fewer people are using=20 foodbanks, a sign that lower state house rents are making=20 a difference. DOC DISCUSSING RESPITE FOR FLIPPER=20 ---------------------------------- =20 The Department of Conservation is meeting today with tour=20 operators to discuss plans to restrict dolphin watching=20 in the Bay of Islands. Twenty submissions have been=20 received on the plans which seek to limit the number of=20 tour operators and the times at which dolphins can be=20 viewed. The moves follow a study which found too much=20 contact with humans was having a detrimental impact on=20 the dolphins' behaviour. JOB SCHEME PLACES 1200=20 ---------------------- =20 The Government is claiming success for an employment=20 scheme that is slightly outside the square. The Pathways=20 to Arts and Cultural Employment began in November 2001,=20 and has now placed more than 1,200 beneficiaries in jobs.=20 It operates in Work and Income's 13 regions. Associate=20 Arts Minister Judith Tizard says times have changed, and=20 so has the old idea that beneficiaries only take on blue- collar employment. She says the PACE programme has led to=20 beneficiaries working in areas such as design, fashion=20 and film, with 77-percent finding long-term employment. =20 She says New Zealand's creative sector has grown in leaps=20 and bounds, and the PACE programme has given it a much=20 needed helping hand. Financial Page ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I hope to persuade my friend, Brian Dooley to resume the=20 gathering of interest rates next week.=20 Subscriptions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Details on how to subscribe or unsubscribe will be=20 included in next week's issue.=20 Regards Brian Harmer From sam@onesquared.net Mon Jun 23 14:51:01 2003 Received: from hitler.wn.onesquared.net ([10.1.1.125] helo=localhost) by tangent.onesquared.net with esmtp id 19UHQ5-000821-00 for ; Mon, 23 Jun 2003 14:51:01 +1200 Received: from sam by localhost with local id 19UHQ5-0005Bk-00 for ; Mon, 23 Jun 2003 14:51:01 +1200 Resent-From: sam@hitler Resent-Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 14:51:00 +1200 Resent-Message-ID: <20030623025100.GI19331@hitler> Resent-To: news@wysiwygnews.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 13:39:01 +1200 Message-ID: X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: From: news-admin@wysiwygnews.com Subject: [WYSIWYG] 23 June, 2003 Sender: news-admin@wysiwygnews.com Errors-To: news-admin@wysiwygnews.com X-BeenThere: news@wysiwygnews.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.11 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: brian@wysiwygnews.com X-Reply-To: news@wysiwygnews.com List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Subject: 23 June, 2003 Hello people. WYSIWYG returns from the dead, with mailing=20 list management and archiving handled by the good people=20 at Onesquared (see http://onesquared.net) . The=20 resurrected WYSIWYG will in due course have its own=20 domain name, and the archives from 1994 to the present=20 day will be on its website. As before, these weekly=20 bulletins will go out weekly on USENET (soc.culture.new- zealand), via its own mailing list, and on the web site=20 (URL to be announced soon).=20 And so to the first burst of purple prose of the new era: On one of those days when the bright sun tells lies about=20 the chilly air temperature, Mary and I boarded the=20 Interisland ferry "Arahura" en route to Picton and places=20 further South. A silky grey oily smooth harbour promised=20 a tranquil crossing, and despite the low air temperature,=20 we were tempted to sit outside in the open. The breeze=20 generated by the ship's passage soon altered that idea,=20 and we found a comfortable indoor location in one of the=20 many lounges. There we passed the time in conversation,=20 refreshed with occasional cups of tea or coffee. It seems=20 that the silky harbour lied too. From the moment we=20 cleared the heads, the bows began to lift and plunge with=20 the seemingly modest swells. Somehow, the interval=20 between swells was at odds with the rhythm of the rise=20 and fall of the bows. Thus the passage across the exposed=20 waters between Seatoun and the sounds was marked by a=20 mildly unsettling lurching and shuddering motion. It was=20 something of a relief to swing at last into the sheltered=20 waters of Tory channel. It was still too chilly for=20 comfort on the outside, so our view of the marvellous=20 Queen Charlotte sound was through the salt-crusted=20 windows of the lounge. Soon enough the pretty town of=20 Picton was in view and we were required to report to the=20 cavernous echoing vehicle deck, made more hideous by the=20 roar of the ventilation fans, there to wait the signal to=20 drive off into the other island.=20 Since it was mid-day, and we wanted to avoid the=20 inevitable herd of wandering trucks and campervans that=20 would be bunched up on the narrow road South from Picton,=20 we paused for lunch. Outdoor tables at the Dog and Toad=20 caf=E9 in Picton's main street made a pleasant and sunny=20 venue. Replete, refreshed, and being in all respects=20 ready for the road, we ventured out onto SH1 in the=20 direction of Christchurch, through the pastoral=20 Marlborough landscape with its ever-expanding=20 viticulture. (I read this week that there is some concern=20 that the six million or so treated posts supporting the=20 wires on which the vines grow, will soon increase to nine=20 million, and there is some concern as to their effect on=20 groundwater). Driving along enjoying the spectacular=20 coastal journey towards Kaikoura. I swear I saw the=20 flukes of a whale sounding just offshore at one point,=20 but no one looked quickly enough to where I was pointing,=20 so I have no independent verification. We journeyed=20 through North Canterbury in the gathering gloom and=20 indifferent weather conditions until at last we arrived=20 in a very cold Christchurch in the early evening.=20 Since I had no decent map, I navigated my way towards the=20 house of my son and daughter-in-law on the basis of=20 imperfect memory. Finally conceding I was lost, I=20 acquired a map at a friendly dairy, and found the house=20 just a few blocks away. Happily there was a fire blazing=20 to match the warmth of our welcome, and an excellent meal=20 and much conversation followed.=20 On day two, I visited the fine folks who were the heart=20 and soul of nz.com in recent years, and who for so long=20 managed the mailing list and web archive of WYSIWYG news.=20 It was really nice to meet Tim and his crew after so many=20 years of cyber-collaboration. Mary and I then visited Christchurch's splendid new art=20 gallery (see http://www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz/).=20 My first impression of this controversial building is of=20 great curved walls of glass and stainless steel,=20 organised in an very imposing way. Inside, the scale is=20 more human, and the various exhibition spaces are quite=20 conventional. A collection of old masters on loan from=20 the Victorian Art Gallery in Australia was delightful,=20 and to be face to face with the genius of Constable,=20 Turner, C=E9zanne, Monet, Manet, and the like is always a=20 worthwhile experience. My own favourite exhibition of the=20 six concurrently display was that of the Canterbury=20 artist, W.A. Sutton whose magnificent summer landscapes=20 captured perfectly the great golden expanses of the=20 region. Te Pu=E4wai o Ng=E4i Tahu was an interesting=20 exhibition of work by Ng=E4i Tahu artists. Some pieces were=20 very powerful and moving. Other exhibits I thought=20 trivial, while a few pieces, especially the video works,=20 I found just plain baffling . Some curatorial decisions=20 were irritating in that particular display, such as=20 having the explanatory labels in clusters, sometimes far=20 from the work described. Yes, I know the purists might=20 say you shouldn't depend on the explanation, but that's=20 how I cope with art that I don't understand. I also noted=20 with some displeasure, the marking of white lines on the=20 floor to keep viewers at a distance from the works on=20 display. Visitors were not permitted to put so much as a=20 toe over those lines on pain of being accosted quite=20 sharply by zealous security people. While in the US some=20 years ago, I noted in the National Gallery in Washington,=20 and in the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Art, that no such=20 picky practices were in force. A Michelangelo was there=20 with no barrier whatsoever, provided you did not make any=20 move to touch. I think that, in general, if you give=20 trust, people will live up to it. Overall, however, I=20 think the new gallery is a wonderful building and I hope=20 people from Canterbury and elsewhere will enjoy the=20 experiences of great art on display in these handsome=20 surroundings.=20 We took family to dinner that night at Tiffany's=20 Restaurant on Oxford Terrace, where the food and service=20 were splendid and the atmosphere convivial. I recommend=20 it to anyone passing through Christchurch. Afterwards we=20 went to Bailies Bar where our niece Sophia was playing as=20 a member of "Dublin Street", a self described Celtic Rock=20 band. The fire was blazing, the beer was suitably cold,=20 and the welcome and the music were warm. The musicians=20 played with skill and enthusiasm even when over-played=20 ballads such as "Dirty old Town" were requested. =20 Next morning, as we resumed our journey down SH1, the=20 temperature was still in the "bleak" range, despite a=20 valiant winter sun. We were bound for the lighthouse=20 keeper's cottage owned by Mary's cousin Rosalie at Katiki=20 Pt., just south of Moeraki. Among other things, Rosalie=20 is the honorary ranger for the yellow-eyed penguin=20 reserve just below the lighthouse. The turnoff at Moeraki=20 led us up over a winding and dusty gravel road through=20 rolling farmland for several kilometres until at last=20 there was a view of the lighthouse and the nearby cottage=20 in the distance. After welcomes, greetings and unpacking,=20 it was now nearing four in the afternoon. Rosalie got us=20 to wrap up well against the chill wind, then led us down=20 the fenced path into the hide overlooking the beach. And=20 even as we arrived, the penguins began their afternoon=20 parade ashore. One after the other, the birds came=20 bobbing over the foaming waves, through the slipper surge=20 of broad brown fronds of kelp and onto the curiously=20 localised red sand of the beach. The yellow eyed penguin=20 (Megadyptes antipodes) is know to the Maori variously as=20 Tauora or Hoiho or which is a reference to its noisy=20 call. It is an endangered species and is amongst the=20 rarest of the world's penguins.=20 Clusters of these quite large penguins stood, seemingly=20 talking to each other like villagers discussing the=20 weather or the fish catch in the market place. Thirteen=20 birds were eventually gathered on the beach.=20 Occasionally, a pair of them would rush towards each=20 other with chests outthrust, and a vigorous collision=20 seemed inevitable. Amazingly the charging pair always=20 missed, and a brief confusion seemed to follow. After a=20 while the birds began to make their way up the steep hill=20 into the scrubby bush behind the beach, presumably=20 towards their nesting sites. Watching a penguin climb a=20 steep face is an astonishing. Imagine, if you will,=20 having both feet tied together, your hands tied behind=20 your back, and then being required to hop up the steeple=20 stairs of Christchurch's cathedral! Their fat pink feet=20 seem to be attached to the base of their body without any=20 intervening legs. When they walk, they lean forward, and=20 they stretch their flippers backwards to maintain=20 balance, and then they just waddle up the hill, hopping=20 from one precarious place to another. They were a joy and=20 delight to watch, until at last the evening fell and they=20 were no longer visible. That evening, after dinner and much family talk, we went=20 out into the darkest coldest night I can recall, and=20 through steaming breath, looked up at the glittering and=20 most vivid night sky I have ever seen. Every star in the=20 universe seemed to be gleaming down at us, out of=20 absolute blackness. Far to the North, the lights of=20 Oamaru could be seen, and to the south, a few lights from=20 the settlements at Shag Point, and to the West, the=20 nothing but the occasional headlights of a vehicle on the=20 distant highway, but otherwise, the blackness was=20 absolute.=20 The next day was bright, clear, and cold. Masefield would=20 have felt right at home here in "the gull's way, and the=20 whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife".=20 Wrapped in as much clothing as I could manage, I joined=20 the others in a visit to the famed Moeraki boulders.=20 These massive concretions, up to a metre and a half in=20 diameter, sit on the beach, partially immersed, like=20 glistening dark armoured vehicles emerging from the sea=20 at the commencement of some monstrous invasion. If you=20 have ever read John Wyndham's "The Kraken Wakes" you will=20 have a sense of their appearance. The fact is, they are=20 going the other way, and the cliff is presently giving=20 birth to a previously hidden boulder which should see the=20 full light of day in about Across the bay to the South,=20 Moeraki port sparkled in the sun, and the little fleet of=20 fishing vessels anchored in its sheltered bay added to=20 the charm of the view. We chose to drive over there to=20 experience it at close quarters. It is a pretty little=20 place, well suited to anyone who does not need the=20 amenities of a town or city. The necessities are at hand=20 in the form of a store and a pub. What more could you=20 need? We went back over the peninsula to the cottage on=20 Katiki point once more. When the sun was low in the sky=20 and with the temperature dropping sharply (!!!) we made=20 our final visit to the hide above the penguin colony, and=20 were rewarded once more with a steady procession. Truth=20 to tell, it had the appearance of a convocation of the=20 great high committee of penguins considering the=20 strategic plan to rid the beach of intruders. They=20 gathered in important little clusters, forming and re- forming in intricate patterns. They were just a delight=20 to watch. If you are tempted to see them for yourself,=20 either at Moeraki or elsewhere, make sure you go in the=20 early morning or late afternoon, and please leave your=20 dog at home as they are absolutely prohibited on the=20 reserve.=20 Next week, our grand tour will resume in Dunedin and=20 travel to some of the wild and wet places of the South.=20 --- Support Request ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In order to sustain the labour of formatting the news, I=20 need to seek reader contributions once more. I last did=20 this in March of 2001. I invite readers who find value in=20 receiving WYSIWYG to consider sponsoring one or more=20 issues. Each issue now costs NZD$40. Last time I appealed=20 for funding, a number of readers sponsored a single=20 issue, and a small number of very generous readers gave=20 lump sums which is why I have been able to keep going for=20 so long without seeking further support. If you would=20 like to sponsor one or more issues, please email me=20 direct at brian.harmer@vuw.ac.nz to discuss how to go=20 about this (I should add that this newsletter has no=20 connection whatsoever with Victoria University of=20 Wellington).=20 ----- Any text above this point, and all subsequent material in=20 parentheses, and concluded with the initials "BH" is the=20 personal opinion of Brian Harmer as editor of this=20 newsletter, or occasionally "HH" will indicate an opinion=20 from Helen. In all cases they are honest expressions of=20 personal opinion, and are not presented as fact.=20 All news items (except where noted otherwise) are=20 reproduced by kind permission of copyright owner, IRN=20 Ltd. =20 ----=20 On with the news Monday, June 9 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TAPU LIFTING CEREMONY AT CRASH SITE=20 ----------------------------------- =20 A blessing and tapu-lifting has taken place at the site=20 of Friday night's fatal air-crash near Christchurch.=20 Seven scientists from Crop and Food Research and pilot=20 Michael Bannerman were killed when their plane crashed=20 near Christchurch Airport. Two people survived the crash.=20 A local kaumatua led about 40 family and close friends of=20 the victims in a private prayer and blessing ceremony.=20 Crop and Food Research said the tragedy is a huge loss,=20 on both personal and professional levels. Executive=20 director of the Association of Crown Research Institutes,=20 Antony Scott says it is like a huge family at Crop and=20 Food Research in Lincoln, where seven of them worked. =20 He describes them as a "terrific bunch" of people, who=20 were dedicated to work and passionate about life. Antony=20 Scott says he is buoyed by the offers of support he is=20 getting from New Zealand's scientific community. The=20 family of one of the survivors, Richard Barton, say they=20 have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of public=20 support. Barton and Tim Lindley were rushed to=20 Christchurch Hospital after being found alive amongst the=20 plane's wreckage. Mr Barton's mother, Ida, says her son's=20 family has been overwhelmed by the support and kindness=20 offered by the public. Richard Barton was put into a=20 drug-induced coma when he first arrived at hospital in a=20 bid to help a chest injury heal. This morning Dr Andrew=20 Vincent says that while he remains in a serious=20 condition, things have improved. Dr Vincent says Mr=20 Barton will require further surgery on an open leg=20 fracture and then further chest and shoulder surgery in=20 the next week. He says Mr Lindley, is doing well and the=20 injury to his eye will be reviewed later today.=20 Meanwhile, Air accident inspectors, investigating Friday=20 night's crash, are cautioning against jumping to=20 conclusions about what may have caused the tragedy. =20 Inspectors say it will be at least six months before=20 their report is finalised. The Transport Accident=20 Investigation Commission will not speculate as to why the=20 plane came down, and says that until all information is=20 assembled and interpreted, it would be dangerous to jump=20 to conclusions. It is now believed that fog, which was=20 originally thought to be a major factor, did not descend=20 until after the crash, although it did hamper rescue=20 efforts. There has been some thought that text messages=20 being sent to the passengers or the passengers making=20 cellphone calls may have interfered with the plane's=20 navigational equipment. However, the TAIC says that even=20 if it is proven that a non-aircraft phone or electronic=20 device was used during the flight, it might not have=20 necessarily contributed to the crash. CONDEMNATION FOLLOWS SENTENCE HALVING=20 ------------------------------------- =20 There is condemnation of the decision to halve the=20 sentence of a driver who killed a four-year-old girl.=20 Ding Yan Zhao has had his two-year sentence for dangerous=20 driving causing death cut after his family paid $40,000=20 in reparations. Zhao was sent to prison for the death of=20 Georgia McCarten-Graham. She died when Zhao lost control=20 of his car and ploughed into a service station at=20 Rangiriri in Waikato. New Zealand First's law and order=20 spokesman Ron Mark says someone who has committed a crime=20 causing death should not have the right to pay their way=20 out of jail. He says the court's decision sends an=20 unwelcome signal to the criminal fraternity that the=20 higher the reparation, the lighter the sentence. (Mr Mark overlooks the other factors taken into account=20 in altering the sentence. Nevertheless, given that the=20 child was killed as a consequence of an unlicensed driver=20 losing control, the sentence is appallingly light. - BH) MAN MAULED BY TIGER FAILED BY CARERS=20 ------------------------------------ =20 The Mental Health Service is defending its course of=20 action concerning a mental patient who escaped from a=20 ward, and ended up being mauled by a tiger at Wellington=20 Zoo. The independent review commissioned by the Capital=20 and Coast District Health Board has been released today.=20 The man scaled a 4.5 metre fence surrounding the tiger=20 enclosure, suffering serious injuries when he was mauled=20 by Rokan - a six-year-old male tiger. Clinical Director,=20 Peter McGeorge, says they delayed contacting police when=20 they discovered the 29-year-old had gone. He says the=20 patient was not deemed to be a major risk - either to=20 himself or others. Dr McGeorge says the report states the=20 patient had left the ward the previous day, and returned.=20 He says they believed this would be the case on the day=20 he was attacked by the tiger. Dr McGeorge says the Mental=20 Health Service accepts the man was in their care and they=20 failed to protect him. He says it is very difficult to=20 balance the patients' rights, against their need for safe=20 care and treatment. (Happily, the foolish suggestion that the tiger should be=20 put down was ignored - BH) LEGIONNAIRE'S ACTION TAKEN TOO LATE=20 ----------------------------------- =20 The Police Association says action to prevent=20 Legionnaire's Disease has come too little, too late. Six=20 staff at Counties Manukau police headquarters have been=20 diagnosed with the potentially fatal disease - two of=20 them in the past few days. The disease is caused by=20 Legionella bacteria, which have been found in water=20 delivery systems and are able survive in the warm, moist,=20 air conditioning systems of large buildings. The bacteria=20 can cause anything from a mild cough to a serious=20 pneumonia, with an overall death rate of around 15=20 percent. Police Association spokesman Richard Middleton=20 says he is relieved staff at Harlech House are now being=20 moved out of the building. He says it is unfortunate more=20 staff now have the disease. WARM START TO WINTER=20 -------------------- =20 The MetService has confirmed New Zealand is having an=20 abnormally warm spell for the month of June. Eleven of=20 its monitoring stations have recorded 20 degrees or more=20 at some stage during the past nine days. They include=20 Whangarei, Auckland, Whitianga, Hamilton, Tauranga,=20 Gisborne, Napier, Oamaru and Dunedin. However, MetService=20 spokesman Bob McDavitt warns the figures do not give any=20 clues as to what is in store for the rest of the winter.=20 He warns the coldest days are usually in late July or=20 early August. (HA! No sign of an abnormally warm winter in our drive=20 around the South! - BH) NAME SUPPRESSION LIFTED=20 ----------------------- =20 Name suppression has been lifted for the man accused of=20 last month's Hamilton double homicide. Twenty-two-year- old Jun Jie Ying reappeared in court today and was=20 remanded in custody until July 17. He is accused of=20 murdering Wenbin Sun and Jia Ye on the 18th of May. Ying=20 was arrested when police found Ms Ye's body in the boot=20 of his car, four days after the slayings. They had been=20 looking for him since the discovery of Mr Sun's body, in=20 a Hamilton flat, two days earlier. BULLY TAG FOR US=20 ---------------- =20 A former US ambassador to New Zealand is critical of=20 America's decision to attack Iraq. Carol Moseley Braun is=20 now a Democratic Party presidential hopeful. She says=20 America should be focusing on the war on terror, by going=20 after Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda instead of invading=20 Iraq. She says the war in Iraq was an unfocused=20 misadventure, which puts the US on a path which could=20 lead to further war against Pakistan and Iran. Ms Moseley=20 Braun claims America is bullying its way around the=20 world, without getting much justice for the September 11=20 tragedy. She believes Iraq should not have been used as a=20 scapegoat for the attacks. Ms Braun has had a later start=20 than most of her opponents in the nine-way race for the=20 Democratic nomination and is not considered a front=20 runner. TRANZ RAIL SHARES RISE=20 ---------------------- =20 Shares in Tranz Rail have risen 24 percent in early=20 trade, following news of the Government's bailout. On=20 Friday, the Government announced it was injecting $44=20 million into the rail operator to stop it going bankrupt.=20 It will gain a 35 percent stake at a cost of $76 million.=20 Improving the network over the next few years will cost=20 another $100 million. Tranz Rail shares were put on a=20 trading halt prior to Friday's announcement. They leapt=20 19 cents to 99 cents at the start of this morning's=20 session, before settling back. Tranz Rail shares are also=20 the subject of a takeover bid at 75 cents a share from=20 Australian company Toll Holdings, which already owns 10.1=20 percent of the company. Tranz Rail shares are currently=20 up 14 cents to 94 cents. The Government sold off the=20 network 10 years ago. Under the current deal, it will buy=20 back the track for a nominal $1 and pay $50 million for=20 the company's assets. =20 =20 WEATHER WARNING FOR MUCH OF NZ=20 ------------------------------ =20 Bad weather is on the way for much of the country. The=20 MetService says a band of rain moving south over the=20 North Island is likely to stall near Cook Strait tonight.=20 Heavy falls are expected between Wairarapa and Kaikoura.=20 Rain in eastern Bay of Plenty and north of Gisborne is=20 expected to ease this morning, but with another shorter=20 burst of heavy downpours forecast for tonight. Farmers=20 and trampers in the area are being warned to be prepared. (They were right - BH) HEART TREATMENT SHORTCOMINGS REVEALED=20 ------------------------------------- =20 Heart patients are not being examined as carefully as=20 they should be, according to a national audit of=20 hospitals. The New Zealand Acute Coronary Syndrome Audit=20 Group has studied the level of service provided in our=20 hospitals. It has surveyed the 36 hospitals that admit=20 acute coronary syndrome patients. Chairman Dr Chris Ellis=20 says the use of investigative techniques such as heart=20 scans, treadmill tests and angiograms is lower than=20 recommended by international guidelines. He says this low=20 level of investigation could have fatal consequences. The=20 survey also reveals that heart patients in rural areas=20 are failing to get the same treatment as people in=20 metropolitan centres. Dr Ellis says that whether they=20 live in a city or in the country, patients must have=20 confidence in their hospitals. Ministry of Health=20 spokesman Dr Colin Feek says the results are in line with=20 international studies. He says a working party is looking=20 into the findings. Tuesday, 10 June ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ US VISA CHANGES MEAN NEW EXPENSE=20 -------------------------------- =20 New Zealanders applying for an American visa will first=20 have to get to Auckland for an in-person interview. From=20 August 1, most people between 16 and 60-years-old who=20 need a non-immigrant visa must first be vetted by a=20 consular officer in Auckland. US Consul Doug Berry says=20 he expects some negative feedback from people spending=20 time and money on an interview that does not guarantee=20 them a visa. He says the new procedures are in line with=20 international changes and a tightening of security=20 worldwide. Mr Berry says a face-to-face chat can help=20 officials assess a visa application. (I understand that most Kiwis heading to the US for a=20 tourism or brief business trips benefit from the visa=20 waiver scheme. Those who do need a visa will be=20 significantly inconvenienced. Perhaps we should=20 reciprocate. All tourists coming to NZ must fly to=20 Seattle, o