WYSIWYG NEWS - 25 December, 2006

[news at wysiwygnews.com]

Subject: 25 December, 2006 
----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------ 
Copyright, Brian Harmer.  

Christmas has come and gone. On Christmas Eve, we went to 
church early in the evening, to the service for children. We 
have seats for 650. I think there were 800 in there, so it was 
a glorious chaotic and wonderful occasion, free of Santa and 
full of joyful music. Today, we celebrated in our house with 
Mary's parents Jack and Cath, our son Anthony and his wife 
Sarah, and our lovely granddaughter Maggie, nearly two, and 
her ten week old brother Cooper. All the other members of the 
family in Melbourne, Brisbane and Nelson called us up and it 
was great to speak to everyone on this very special day. The 
weather outside dawned grey and misty with more than a hint of 
drizzle, and improved only slightly through the day. But the 
weather outside was immaterial. Inside, I felt like a modern 
day Bob Cratchitt, surrounded by a loving family, sharing good 
food, good company and a lot of laughter. 

Meanwhile, further north, Philip Crookes is a man whom I 
presume to count among my cyber-friends. Philip has until 
recently been in Germany and the UK where he has served both 
as a radio journalist and an academic. He has now returned to 
commence a busy "retirement" in the Bay of Islands. In a 
wonderfully evocative piece of writing, reproduced here with 
his permission, he describes his Christmas in the "winterless 
North": 

Monday December 25th, overcast-ish. some sun peeking through, 
a typical Kiwi Christmas day. At 9 am it's 21 degrees in the 
Bay of Islands and rising.

The kiwis strutted about all night yelling to each other about 
grubs, and the newest ones yelled I suppose in the way of 
children about where am I and what is this thing called life 
and what do I do next? Next week no doubt they'll be yelling 
'Is this as good as it gets?'. Apteryx (Apterices?) wandered 
home at 5 am. We can hear their footsteps as they plod through 
the fallen leaves outside the window.

The tuis and kingfishers started the morning chorus and were 
joined by the waxeyes, thrushes, sparrows and blackbirds. 
Lorikeets dart about looking colourful but I don't think they 
have much of a sense of song, and the partridges and pheasants 
in the bush made that clacketing rattly noise that they must 
think is beautiful but sounds like a pile of ping pong balls 
falling over. Kereru in their dark work singlets over chaste 
white tops and green wing feathers were fat on kohekohe and 
puriri berries, and too lazy to do much but land on branches 
that weren't really strong enough to hold them, so they 
tumbled gracelessly down and rescued their sorry necks at just 
the right moment. Kereru understand that falling off a branch 
is never a problem. Stopping falling after you're off the 
branch is the real challenge.

Breakfast feeding time and the core of last night's pineapple 
was picked and pecked into the shape of a well-eaten corncob 
before it disappeared completely. We watch the daily 
demonstration of a pecking order on our gravel patio and 
wonder where they learn who's in charge, and it is just a 
matter of size?

Pressies: for me a wonderful music keyboard that rolls up like 
the one Jean Luc Picard had in a Star Trek episode, and a 
hammock for lounging about above the deck and reading "A Spot 
of Bother" by Mark Haddon, he of the Curious Incident of the 
Dog in the Night. She has a Creative Zen (iPod clone but 
better) and 'From Thrift to Fantasy', a beautifully told tale 
of pioneering Kiwi women and stitching. And the latest Sue 
Grafton, and the story of State Highway 1, five km from here, 
which roars more or less loudly four times a year when the 
motorbike clubs have their annual rallies to Kaikohe and all 
points North.

A spa pool with 46 jets (it says in the brochure) for both of 
us but it has to be made in a dark satanic plastic mill in 
deepest Panmure and trucked up here in mid-January. It would 
be nice if we still had the Okaihau Express but we don't. 
Perhaps it will re-appear as the price of gas and diesel reach 
the roof and they rout out the lovely complicated busy looking 
Ja locomotives we had of the Americans* sixty years ago. Even 
when the pool is here we will have to have the electrician 
because it needs a 32 amp power connection, which sounds a 
lot, particularly because we get most of the hot water off the 
roof.

And now it's 1 pm, and the cicadas are here for the summer - 
our first chirrup was heard at half past twelve. They'll be 
our constant companions now until the end of March at least. 
Our big puriri tree is still 2500 years old, and hasn't moved 
since last night. Perhaps it will stay with us for another 
year. We hope so.

It's not blazing hot - I've cherished memories of hot 
Christmas Days in Auckland and Rotorua years ago, but am I 
making them up to impress the Poms and Germans and Dutch and 
French and Belgians and Canadians and Americans I spent so 
much of the last decades living amongst?

Wherever, however, with whomever, I wish you a happy 
Christmas, and may you enjoy many more.

Thanks Philip. I enjoyed that enormously. I join with him in 
wish you all the very best for whatever holidays you may be 
able to celebrate, and for a really good and peace-filled new 
year.

*Actually, Philip got that little bit wrong. The Ja 
locomotive, though it has the appearance of many American 
locomotives of the era, was jointly designed by the New 
Zealand Government Railways and the North British Locomotive 
Company of Glasgow. 

 
---- 
Any text above this point, and all subsequent material in 
parentheses, and concluded with the initials "BH" is the 
personal opinion of Brian Harmer as editor of this newsletter, 
or occasionally "GS" will indicate an opinion from our 
editorial assistant. In all cases they are honest expressions 
of personal opinion, and are not presented as fact.  
 
All news items (except where noted otherwise) are reproduced 
by kind permission of copyright owner, Newstalk ZB News. All 
copyright in the news items reproduced remains the property of 
The Radio Network Limited.  
 
This edition of the news is sponsored by Scott Paton in the UK.
Thanks Scott. Keep warm. 

----  
On with the News.  

Monday, 18 December 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TVNZ PROGRAMMES GO ONLINE
-------------------------

TVNZ's local programmes will be available for online streaming 
and downloading from March next year. The broadcaster says 
some of the programmes, such as One News, will be free. 
Others, such as Shortland Street, can be paid for using a 
credit card system where the viewer buys "play points" which 
are deducted when a programme is played. TVNZ's is discussing 
its overseas-made programmes with its international partners 
and says there is interest. 
 
(Sorry guys. You would have to pay me to get me to watch 
Shortland Street. - BH)

REACTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY
---------------------------------

There is a prediction the Government's latest climate change 
policy will see more forests get the chop. A newly released 
Government discussion document on climate change is promoting 
the planting of more forests. It is also introducing charges 
for those who convert forests to farms, penalising them for 
felling trees without a replanting to the tune of $13,000 per 
hectare. National Party Climate Change spokesman, Nick Smith, 
warns that could see forest owners get their chainsaws going 
straight away - to fell their trees before the rules come into 
effect. ACT Party Leader Rodney Hide is savaging the proposal, 
saying it is a socialist attack on private property rights and 
the Government needs to cut taxes, not invent new ones. Mr 
Hide believes New Zealanders are being made to pay for the 
country signing up to the Kyoto Protocol. He says, based on 
this announcement, forest owners will be the first to be hit. 
Forestry Owners Association President Peter Berg says the 
$13,000 charge per hectare is a hefty penalty, especially as 
many forest owners are not getting much of a net return from 
their forestry operations. Mr Berg says they had suggested a 
share of the carbon credits generated for New Zealand should 
come back to forest owners. He is angry the government's 
ignored their submission. The Greens, however, are happy to 
see the Government picking up some of their ideas when it 
comes to climate change. Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette 
Fitzsimons says the idea of imposing a levy on nitrogen 
fertilisers is one they put forward last year. She says using 
the levy to help promote and develop nitrogen inhibitors, 
which slow the way animal wastes turn into Greenhouse Gases, 
is a positive suggestion which her party supports.

MINIMUM WAGE SET TO RISE
------------------------

The minimum wage is set to rise by a dollar an hour - from 
April next year. The increase will take the minimum hourly 
rate for those over 18 to $11.24. The minimum youth rate for 
16 and 17 year olds will rise from $8.20 an hour to $9. Labour 
Minister Ruth Dyson says the increases will benefit around 
110,000 adult workers most of whom are women, and just over 
9,000 youth workers. She says the government's goal is for the 
adult minimum wage to reach $12 an hour by the end of 2008 - 
if economic conditions permit.

HIGH COST OF SMOKOS
-------------------

Across the Tasman, a new workplace study has found the high 
cost of the traditional Aussie smoko. The survey reveals that 
smokers cost businesses more than $3.5 billion in lost time 
this year. John Banks from Human Resource contractors Talent 
Two says moves to end the smoko tradition do not seem to be 
achieving much. Mr Banks says the $3.5 billion does not 
include the hidden costs such as extra sick days due to 
smoking-related illnesses. 
 
(Around the university where I work, there are ever fewer 
places that are available to smokers. The health authorities 
have determined that the quad is a substantially enclosed 
space, and that it is therefore illegal to smoke there. 
Smoking is not permitted within five metres of doorways. 
However, there are always little clusters of smokers out 
there, even in the cruellest of weather. - BH)

AIR NZ REVEALS NEW DOMESTIC FLIGHTS
-----------------------------------

A boon for Southland air travellers. Direct flights from 
Invercargill to Wellington are clear for take off in the New 
Year. Air New Zealand has also announced that there will be 
more non stop flights to Wellington from Queenstown and 
Dunedin Air New Zealand manager of short haul airlines , Norm 
Thompson says the increase will mean new jobs Additional 
flight attendants will be recruited and regional crew bases 
extended to support the increased Air Nelson operations The 
only downside is that the new Southland - Wellington service 
will not start until October next year

COMMUNITY CONCERNED OVER AMBULANCE SERVICES
-------------------------------------------

Locals in the small northern Hawke's Bay town of Wairoa have 
gathered in the town centre to protest a reduction in local 
ambulance services. More than 100 people have gathered to 
demand the service be kept at the current level. The town is 
90 minutes from Gisborne and two hours from Napier and often 
loses road contact over winter. St John Paramedic Adrienne 
Andersen says the protest is not about the loss of jobs, but 
about saving lives. She says currently the response time is 
about three minutes, but under the new proposal it could take 
20. 
 
(A recent coroners inquiry heard that an ambulance spent three 
minutes going in the wrong direction down a country road on 
its way to an accident in which the patients died. Not sure 
what that tells us. - BH)

UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT NUMBERS DROP
---------------------------------

The number of people on the unemployment and domestic purposes 
benefits has decreased over the last year but the number of 
sickness and invalid beneficiaries continues to rise. Latest 
figures show that around 36,000 people are on the unemployment 
benefit - down around 11,000 from last year, and almost 
100,000 people are on the DPB compared to 105,000 this time 
last year. Fourteen hundred more people are on the sickness 
benefit, taking the figure to almost 47,000. The number 
collecting the invalids' benefit is around 76,000, up 2,000. 
All up, the number of people on benefits has fallen more than 
14,000, to 281,000.

CLIMATE CHANGE DOCUMENT UNVEILED
--------------------------------

The so-called "fart tax" has gone, but it is being replaced by 
what some farmers might view as a fertiliser tax. The 
Government has unveiled a discussion document on what the 
rural sector can do about climate change. It follows the 
scrapping of the controversial carbon charge, labelled a fart 
tax by the farming lobby. Proposals in today's document 
include imposing a charge on nitrogen fertilisers, and charges 
where deforested land is used for farming. The Government has 
also unveiled plans for a massive reforestation project. 
Minister of Forestry Jim Anderton says the Government is now 
looking at one of the largest tree planting campaigns in the 
country's history. There are plans to spend up to $100 million 
over five years to encourage landowners to plant more trees, 
particularly where additional benefits such as erosion control 
and water quality can be gained. Other options for reducing 
greenhouse gas emissions include a tax on nitrogen fertilisers 
to reflect their environmental cost, and a one-off charge when 
deforested land is used for agriculture.

HUNDREDS CAUGHT IN DRINK DRIVING BLITZ
--------------------------------------

Christchurch police are amazed about the results of a drink 
driving blitz in the city. About 80 officers from Nelson, 
Dunedin and Christchurch operated four booze buses on 
Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Of the 25,000 drivers 
tested, 1500 were detected to have been drinking and 140 face 
drink drive charges. Canterbury Road Policing Manager 
Inspector Derek Erasmus says 21 licences were suspended for 28 
days and nine cars were impounded. He says such high numbers 
were not expected. The checkpoints also nabbed a mobile 
methamphetamine laboratory and seven street racers.

UNBUNDLING A HIGHLIGHT OF POLITICAL YEAR
----------------------------------------

Prime Minister Helen Clark is pointing to the unbundling of 
the local loop as one of the highpoints of the year in 
Parliament. The legislation opening up Telecom's lines to 
competitors finally made it through the House last week. Miss 
Clark says it will lead to faster and cheaper broadband.

CHILDREN'S ACT BREAKING UP FAMILIES
-----------------------------------

A family lobby group believes parents should be nervous about 
the rise in children's rights. A teenager who "divorced" her 
mother for not being able to stay at friends' places on school 
nights, is now in the custody of her 22-year-old sister and is 
holidaying in Las Vegas.   Family First spokesman Bob 
McCoskrie says the problem with the Care of Children Act is 
that it recognises children as independent entities rather 
than members of their families, basically giving them rights 
despite their age or maturity. He says that is a major concern 
for parents, whose children can go to the Family Court if they 
do not like the rules they are given. Mr McCoskrie says 
society needs to be concerned about children who are able to 
leave their family units so easily.

Tuesday, 19 December 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BUSINESS TO BENEFIT FROM NEW RULES
----------------------------------

The Government is predicting new Trans-Tasman trade rules will 
benefit Kiwi businesses. Changes have been made to tariff 
classifications under the Closer Economic Relations agreement 
allowing exporters more choice in the materials they use to 
make their products. The Government says the result will be a 
reduction in compliance costs, especially around rules of 
origin. The new regulations come into effect as of January 1. 
 
(Time for Australia to come clean with their increasingly 
ridiculous ban on real apples.  - BH)

OIL RESERVE PROMISES MET
------------------------

The Government has responded to a smack on the wrist about the 
state of the country's oil reserves. In May, an International 
Energy Agency report criticised the Government for having its 
stockpiles at just 60 days worth of net imports as opposed to 
the 90 day level it had signed up to. At the time New Zealand 
was described as having the worst record of any IEA member 
country. Energy Minister David Parker says as of the beginning 
of next month the country will be meeting its oil reserve 
obligations. He says ticket contracts have been bought to meet 
the fuel targets with the reserves to be held in Australia, 
the Netherlands and the UK.

DOLLAR STEADY AFTER FIGURES RELEASED
------------------------------------

The dollar is steady following the release of the government's 
latest financial forecasts. Treasury has revised up its 
operating surpluses and growth projections for the next three 
years. Finance Minister Michael Cullen says the government 
will keep the lid on spending, to avoid inflation and the 
resulting pressure on interest rates. The forecast operating 
surplus for the current financial year has been raised by more 
than eight and a half percent, to $6.3 billion.

CAA SLAMMED BY REPORT
---------------------

The Civil Aviation Authority is being criticised in an 
independent internal review. The report highlights a lack of 
clear direction in management, a reluctance of the 
organisation to use regulatory interventions and a need to 
have greater clarity in its strategic direction. It has 
advised the CAA to have a greater focus on safety targets and 
move away form its outputs-focus to a more risk-based 
approach. The review is also critical of the CAA for its 
reluctance to accept recommendations put out by the Auditor 
General after he audited the organisation in 2004. CAA 
Director Russell Kilvington says as a technical organisation 
there very little wrong with them but he accepts there is room 
for improvement in other areas. He says organisational, 
prioritisation, risk management and other systems are all 
being worked on and more will follow very shortly.

VISITOR, LONG TERM ARRIVALS INCREASE
------------------------------------

Visitor arrivals are at an all-time high. Just over 2.4 
million people came here in the year to the end of November - 
the highest-ever number for a 12-month period. There were 
230,000 short term overseas arrivals last month. More visitor 
arrivals from Australia (up 6,500 or 10 percent) and Europe 
(up 5,300 or 10 percent) contributed the majority of the 
increase. The increase in visitor arrivals from China 
continued, up 2,200 (19 percent) compared with November 2005. 
New Zealand residents departed on 147,600 short-term overseas 
trips in November 2006, up 3,400 (2 percent) on November 2005 
but still below the 148,500 trips in November 2004. More trips 
were taken to Australia but fewer to India and the United 
Kingdom, compared with the same month of the previous year. 
Political unrest in Fiji might have contributed to 900 (14 
percent) fewer departures to that country. Permanent and long-
term arrivals exceeded departures by 2,700 in November 2006 
and on a seasonally adjusted basis, there was a net PLT inflow 
of 1,900 in November 2006. In the November 2006 year, there 
was a net PLT gain of 14,800, compared with a net inflow of 
6,200 people in the previous November year.

ANTI-CLIMATE CHANGE GROUP DISMISSES POLICY
------------------------------------------

The Government is being accused of carrying out an injustice 
by proposing additional taxes on farmers to combat climate 
change. The proposals in the discussion document Sustainable 
Land Management and Climate Change include taxing the 
deforestation of land and charges on nitrogen fertilisers. 
Augie Auer, chairman of the New Zealand Climate Science 
Coalition says there is no proof New Zealand will be affected 
by climate change and he believes it is nonsense to predicate 
all kinds of serious consequences. Professor Auer says it is 
all speculation based on titbits of information, with no real 
facts to back it up. Professor Auer's group's ideas are 
challenged by organisations such as the Intergovernmental 
Panel on Climate Change, set up by the World Meteorological 
Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme. The 
IPCC says it has carried out the most comprehensive and up-to-
date scientific assessment of past, present and future climate 
change. It has concluded there is strong evidence that most of 
the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to 
human activities.

MORE MONEY FOR STAR GAZING
--------------------------

The Carter Observatory in Wellington will get a new lease on 
life thanks to a Government cash injection. Research, Science, 
and Technology Minister Steve Maharey has announced $2.2 
million will be provided to go towards the facility's 
redevelopment over the next two financial years. There are 
plans to construct a larger planetarium and exhibition spaces. 
The new funds are in addition to the $300,000 worth of annual 
funding allocated by the Wellington City Council over the next 
decade.

LOW WAGE EARNER SAYS RISE WON'T GO FAR
--------------------------------------

A minimum wage earner says the extra dollar an hour will help, 
but will not stretch very far. The minimum wage will increase 
to $11.25 in April. Anne Bills, who works at Hastings 
Hospital, says relying on the Government for a pay rise is 
quite insulting, as the increase should come from her 
employer. The mother of three says she has never taken her 
children on holiday as she works a second job on her time off 
to pay for extra things. Ms Bills says she is not on a 
benefit, her kids are at school and not on the streets and 
they do not go without, but it is still very hard living on 
the minimum wage. 
 
(Increases announced for fares on public transport should soak 
up the increase completely for many low income workers - BH)

NO SAFETY ISSUES DESPITE SMOKE FROM TRAIN
-----------------------------------------

Tranz Metro has confirmed there were mechanical problems with 
a Paraparaumu to Wellington commuter train yesterday morning, 
but say at no time were there any safety issues. Passengers on 
the 7:40am service report smelling fumes in the carriage and 
became concerned when they saw smoke outside the train. The 
emergency brake was pulled. The passengers in the front 
carriage, where the fumes were worst, were moved further down 
the train when it continued its journey. Lisa Gibbison from 
Tranz Metro says the problem seemed to be a friction issue, 
possibly with the brakes, but the exact cause is being 
investigated. Meanwhile, a train has derailed in Marlborough. 
A wagon came off the tracks near Grovetown, just north of 
Blenheim at around 5.30am. Cranes are on site trying to right 
the wagon and the line is expected to be clear by 2pm. 
 
(No safety issues? Smoke form the brakes? Really? - BH)

EFFORT NEEDED TO STOP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
---------------------------------------

Women's Refuge says a lot of effort is required by men who 
genuinely want to break the cycle of domestic violence. Its 
comments come after police dropped charges against former 
Crusader and Manu Samoa rugby player Afato So'oalo after his 
wife refused to testify. The 32-year-old was facing charges of 
assaulting his wife, possessing a weapon and threatening to 
kill. His lawyer says the couple is now undergoing 
counselling. Women's Refuge national manager Heather Henare 
says men who have been violent need a real commitment to 
change. She says such men need to take responsibility for what 
they have done, apologise and agree to go on an anti-violence 
programme.

AGED CARE PROVIDERS WANT MORE FUNDING
-------------------------------------

Aged care providers are calling on the government to match a 
rise in the minimum wage with a rise in funding for care 
providers. From April, the minimum wage will rise by $1 an 
hour bringing the rate for those over the age of 18 to $11.24. 
The minimum youth rate for 16 and 17-year-olds will increase 
from $8.20 an hour to $9. Workers in the aged care sector 
currently earn just over $1 more than the minimum wage. 
HealthCare Providers CEO Martin Taylor says care giving is an 
important job which deserves better wages, but the funding 
provided to the sector to cover wages is not enough. He says 
if more funding is not made available then the government is 
agreeing that care of the aged is a minimum wage occupation.

BUSINESSES FEELING POSITIVE
---------------------------

Business confidence has hit a three year high according to the 
latest National Bank business outlook. Chief economist Cameron 
Bagrie says a net 24 percent expect increased activity in the 
year ahead. He says the rebound in GDP growth over the first 
half of the year is looking increasingly like being sustained. 
Mr Bagrie says people have jobs, the tills are ringing, 
workers and firms are making money and businesses are prepared 
to hire more staff. He says even export intentions are holding 
up well in the face of a high New Zealand dollar. Mr Bagrie 
says a net 11 percent of businesses expect to hire more people 
in the coming year.

Wednesday, 20 December 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

POLICE DEFEND ELECTION SPENDING INQUIRY
---------------------------------------

The police have again defended their handling of 
investigations into the Labour Party's election spending. It 
follows Don Brash writing to them in October demanding answers 
as to why they had failed to lay charges. National's former 
leader believed police failed to understand electoral law and 
also failed to heed advice from the Crown Law Office. Police 
Deputy Commissioner Rob Pope says ultimately the decision is 
made by them without fear or favour, and is not influenced by 
the opinions expressed by Dr Brash or any other citizen He 
says investigators did have an adequate understanding of the 
law and they took appropriate advice as and when required.

FED FARMERS UNIMPRESSED BY TAX COMMENTS
---------------------------------------

Federated Farmers is less than impressed with Finance Minister 
Michael Cullen's cautionary comments regarding tax cuts. His 
Budget spend for next year will get a billion dollar boost to 
$3 billion - although he is not about to give it back to the 
workers or small businesses, saying it would fuel inflation. A 
significant business tax package will be offered, but 
Federated Farmers Vice President Don Nicholson says it does 
nothing for the thousands of small businesses and farmers. He 
says Dr Cullen is making it out as if it is a little bit 
spread over everyone, and a large amount for just a few - 
which he says is not good policy.

VISITORS BRING $6.7 BILLION TO NZ
---------------------------------

International visitors have spent up large over the past year, 
contributing $6.7 billion to the economy. Latest figures from 
the Ministry of Tourism show in the year to September, visitor 
spending was up more than seven-percent. The ministry says the 
result is strong for the industry, given tourists numbers and 
length of stays dropped after the Lions Tour. A spokesman says 
the biggest spenders, driven by the weaker dollar, were North 
Americans, Germans and the Chinese.

HIKE IN TOBACCO TAX WANTED
--------------------------

An anti-smoking lobby group wants an immediate increase in 
tobacco tax as statistics show a decline in the number of 
people smoking. The Ministry of Health's Tobacco Trends 
figures show that since the 1970s smoking has dropped by an 
average annual rate of approximately 0.1-0.2 percentage points 
but 23.5 percent of New Zealanders still smoke. Mark Peck, 
spokesman for the Smokefree Coalition believes smoking is not 
reducing fast enough with around 5,000 people dying annually 
through either smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke. More 
than half of the deaths occur in middle age. Mr Peck suggests 
a tax increase of $1.50 per packet but also wants regular 
increases on tobacco products. The report also shows 46 
percent of Maori smoke, 36 percent of Pacific peoples, 12 
percent of Asians and 20 percent of European/Other ethnic 
groups. The prevalence of smoking among adolescents aged 15?19 
years is currently around 25% for males and 29% for females. 
Among 14 and 15-year-olds, the prevalence is much lower; 10.7% 
in girls and 7.2% in boys. The average age people begin 
smoking is 14.6 years.

MORE DREAMLINERS FOR AIR NZ
---------------------------

Air New Zealand is doubling its future fleet of "Dreamliners" 
by placing an order for another four Boeing 787-9s. The order 
costs around $1 billion and the jets have the capacity to fly 
non-stop to regions such as South Africa, India and South 
America. Another major benefit is their fuel efficiency with 
the Boeing 787s being touted as using 20 percent less fuel 
than similar aircraft flying today. The first of the new 
planes is due in service in 2011. Air New Zealand is not 
revealing which route they will be scheduled on, but says it 
is committed to launching at least one new international route 
each year. The airline launched flights to Shanghai this year 
and is now flying to London via Hong Kong instead of 
Singapore.

SCHOOL DONATIONS TALLIED UP
---------------------------

A new report highlights just how dependent state schools are 
on donations from parents. The Education Review Office study 
finds the average donation is $125 per student for primary 
schools, and $275 for secondary schools, however parents with 
children at high-decile schools will end up paying more - $200 
for primary and $470 for secondary students. The study also 
finds international students, pub charities and fund raising 
events are vital for schools.

HOPES FOR ECONOMIC SPINOFFS FROM MARINA
---------------------------------------

The mayor of the Thames Coromandel District says the 
Government's u-turn allowing the Whangamata marina to go ahead 
is a huge victory for the little guy and a judicial victory 
for the whole of New Zealand. The Whangamata Marina Society 
has been given the go ahead to construct and operate a 205 
berth marina in the town after a decision by Environment 
Minister David Benson-Pope which is subject to stringent 
conditions. Mayor Philippa Barriball says Conservation 
Minister Chris Carter's veto was incomprehensible and it was 
reprehensible that he tried to dismiss all the processes and 
hearings and overturn an Environment Court ruling. She says 
her council has to follow strict rules set down by the 
Government when approving any project and it would be gut-
wrenching if any of those decisions could also be overturned 
on the whim of a politician. Ms Barriball is now hoping for 
some economic spin-off from the marina. She says at the moment 
there are few employment opportunities for young people in 
Whangamata and the marina may provide some incentive for the 
town's young people return after going on the traditional OE. 
She believes there are many kinds of businesses that may 
spring up to help service the town's budding marine industry 
and the 200 boaties who will be tying up at the new marina by 
Christmas 2008. Last October, the Environment Court granted 
permission for the marina, subject to approval from the 
Conservation Minister but in March, Mr Carter vetoed the 
coastal permits on the grounds it would harm the salt marsh 
and destroy iwi food gathering areas. A High Court appeal 
found Mr Carter had exceeded his powers and he was ordered to 
review his decision. Mr Benson-Pope then became responsible 
for the final decision which was released yesterday. 
 
(Frankly, I am sad at this outcome, and believe that, though 
he got the process wrong, the decision made by Mr Carter was 
the right one. - BH)

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE RIDING HIGH
-------------------------------

Consumer confidence has risen to its highest level in more 
than a year, providing another reason for the Reserve Bank to 
hike interest rates in the New Year. The Westpac-McDermott 
Miller consumer confidence index rose eight points to 119.7 in 
the three months to December, which is the biggest quarterly 
rise in five years. A reading above 100 indicates more 
optimists than pessimists. Westpac chief economist Brendan 
O'Donovan warns the strength in domestic demand is putting 
pressure on the Reserve Bank to raise interest rates next 
month. It has held rates at 7.25 percent so far this year.

UNION SOUNDS WARNING TO EMPLOYERS
---------------------------------

The country's largest union is sounding a warning to employers 
next year following the 9.8 percent increase in the minimum 
wage. The 50,000 strong Engineering, Printing and 
Manufacturing Union claims the increase will have a strong 
flow-on effect in 2007. Secretary Andrew Little says wages are 
growing faster now than at any time in the past 15 years and 
the union is aiming to continue the trend in the new year. He 
says it will be a key factor when the union sets its wage 
target for the 2007 bargaining round, due to begin in 
February. Mr Little says wages for working families are still 
a lot lower than they should be and it is up to unions to 
change that.

Thursday, 21 December 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

ECONOMY IS PICKING UP, INSISTS CTU
----------------------------------

The Council of Trade Unions says the economy is picking up 
despite the latest GDP figures showing a dip in recent 
economic activity. Statistics New Zealand says a fall in 
domestic spending in three of the last four quarters has 
resulted in annual growth reaching a five year low of four 
percent. But union economist Peter Conway says the key issues 
we face are less about the economic cycle and more about 
structural issues. He says low pay rates, high household debt, 
low savings and the high current account deficit are the big 
issues we face now rather then little ups and downs in the 
economic cycle. Mr Conway says this means things like the 
business tax review should focus more on how to increase 
savings.

IMPORTED VEHICLES TO BE RESTRICTED
----------------------------------

The Government is cracking down on imported vehicles. 
Associate Transport Minister Judith Tizard has announced 
measures to restrict imports of vehicles with older technology 
to help reduce harmful vehicle emissions. She is proposing a 
vehicle emissions technology standard that vehicles will have 
to meet before they can be imported. The Transport Ministry 
has been given the go ahead by Cabinet to draft a rule 
outlining options for entry restrictions. The rule will also 
update emission standards for new vehicles and will be 
released for consultation around March.

NEW FUNDING RATES FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD
-------------------------------------

The Government has announced new funding rates as part of its 
early childhood education policy. The subsidies ranging from 
$4 an hour to $10.60, will be available to all teacher-led 
early childhood services from July 1 next year. Education 
Minister Steve Maharey says the rates will enable the early 
childhood centres to meet the cost of offering free education 
for up to 20 hours a week. He says in addition centres will 
continue to receive subsidies for up to 30 hours per child per 
week.

MAYHEM IN THE MALLS
-------------------

Retailers are expecting mayhem in the malls over the next few 
days. It is already busy, with shoppers zapping $1.3 billion 
worth of goods through their plastic cards in the past week, 
with nearly 23 million electronic transactions between 
December 12 and 20. That is a seven percent increase of the 
equivalent period last year, but Simon Tong, the Chief 
Executive of electronic transaction provider Paymark, says 
analysis of shopping patterns suggests consumers have been 
saving up for a final burst over the weekend. "It has been an 
interesting build up to the festive season so far, with a 
surge in activity in early December, followed by a steady 
period over the last week. We can see from the transaction 
volumes that the momentum is clearly building up to the 
weekend, and we believe we will see record levels of 
transactions on Saturday and Sunday. " He expects the weekend 
to see the 100 transactions per second barrier broken, with 
more than three million transactions in a single day. The 
Paymark network accounts for around 80 percent of all 
electronic transactions in New Zealand. 
 
(I had to do some late Christmas shopping in Wellington City 
on Saturday. In order to avoid the predicted mayhem, I was in 
town by 9 am and gone by 10 am. No problem - BH)

HIV DRUG FUNDED
---------------

People taking four tablets a day for HIV will soon need to 
take just one. It follows a decision by the Government's drug 
funding agency PHARMAC to fund Kivexia which is a combination 
of two medicines. PHARMAC estimates nearly 250 patients will 
benefit. It says not only will it be easier for patients and 
prescribing doctors, but is also expected to save District 
Health Boards money as the combination pill is cheaper than 
the individual medicines. Savings are expected to amount to 
$1.5 million over five years.

HIGH DEMAND FOR SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAMMES
-----------------------------------------

It is the first day of the Christmas school holidays for 
nearly half a million primary school children and many will be 
heading straight out of the classroom and into school holiday 
programmes. Demand for places in council-run programmes around 
the Wellington region is increasing every year. Registrations 
opened three weeks ago and most programmes are already full 
for the summer. Wei Ting, who is in charge of the Hutt City 
Council's programme, says they are also seeing a lot more of 
some children. Most programmes start after Christmas.

FIRE SAFETY WARNING FOR BUILDING OWNERS
---------------------------------------

Building owners who are planning to shut up shop over the 
Christmas holidays are being reminded about their 
responsibilities under fire health and safety regulations. 
Gary Talbot from the Fire Service says regulations require 
owners of buildings to ensure flammable materials and waste 
are not stored in a way that creates a fire hazard. He says 
deliberately lit fires account for up to 35 percent of the 
total cost of fires. Mr Talbot says it is also important staff 
who need to enter buildings over the break can easily escape 
in the case of fire.

NIGHT SHOPPING POPULAR
----------------------

Last minute Christmas shoppers seem to be making the most of 
extended shopping hours. Many malls around the country are 
opening until midnight in the lead up to the big day and one 
store worker says some customers have to be asked to leave 
come closing time. Nicole Breekveldt, who works nights at 
Living and Giving in Auckland's St Lukes Mall, says the shop 
has been extremely busy the last couple of nights as customers 
start to panic.

Friday, December 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SUMMER SET TO BE A SCORCHER
---------------------------

The summer's set to be a scorcher with experts predicting the 
strongest-ever UV rays across the country. The warning comes 
as scientists report the Antarctic ozone hole reached near 
record proportions over the past year. The National Institute 
of Water and Atmospheric Research says as a result the 
ultraviolet index, which records the measurement of sun-
burning rays will be significantly higher. It is predicting 
the index peak in December and January at an extreme 12. That 
is five percent more intense than past years and a record 10 
percent greater than when measurements began in the early 
1990s.

(Ha! We are already past the solstice and on the downhill 
slope to winter. So far I have yet to see anything resembling 
a summer. November and December were characterised by howling 
winds, and record levels of rain. Utterly miserable. And 
icebergs off Dunedin. And snow on the Desert Road! - BH)

SCHOOL TRUANCY NUMBER RISING
----------------------------

School truancy numbers have never been higher and the latest 
survey has also revealed a disturbing new trend. It found 
30,000, or four percent of children are skipping school each 
day, with the percentages up to six percent in areas such as 
the Bay of Plenty. Senior Education Department Manager Martin 
Connelly says their strategies are reducing truancy numbers in 
the big cities which is cause for some satisfaction, but the 
growing incidence of very young children not turning up for 
school is disturbing.

ADOPT-A-SHEEP SCHEME COULD BE FOR EWE
-------------------------------------

Adopting foreign babies might be the trend for Hollywood 
celebrities, but a Southland farming and tourism business has 
something new up for adoption. Brightview farm - near Otautau 
- has introduced a website which allows people to adopt their 
very own sheep. As part of the package the lucky parents will 
be kept informed of their sheep's welfare, and even be able to 
visit it, buy it presents, paint it and name it. The venture 
targets schools and people from overseas in an effort to teach 
them about New Zealand farming practices. 
 
(This seems to me to be borrowing from a clever idea across 
the Tasman. Drought ravaged farmers dreamed up the adopt a 
sheep scheme to pay for feed from less affected areas. - BH) 

EFTPOS SYSTEM GROANS UNDER STRAIN
---------------------------------

Some Christmas shoppers are experiencing difficulty making 
electronic payments. Their EFTPOS transactions are not getting 
through. EFTPOS network company Paymark was expecting 
electronic sales to reach record levels of over 100 
transactions a second over the next two days. The company has 
yet to confirm if it is having difficulty coping with the huge 
volume of transactions. 
 
(Interesting. I heard Paymark insist that their system at its 
peak was running at less than 30% of its designed capacity. I 
suspect that any delays were firmly at the door of the Telcos. 
- BH)

TOUGHER CONTROLS ON FIREWORKS
-----------------------------

The Government wants to take some of the bang out of Guy 
Fawkes. Cabinet is raising the legal purchase age on fireworks 
from 14 to 18 years - and restricting their sale to just three 
days before Guy Fawkes - down from ten. In a move to 
discourage sparkler bombs, sparklers will not be sold 
separately - but as part of larger fireworks packs. 
Environment Minister David Benson-Pope says it is now possible 
to produce fireworks with all the visual effects, but none of 
the traditional bangs which so upset pets and their owners. He 
says the government will be discussing that with the industry 
in the hope of having bang-less fireworks by Guy Fawkes 2008. 
Mr Benson-Pope says he does not feel it is fair on New 
Zealanders who enjoy Guy Fawkes to ban fireworks outright, but 
he is hoping these measures will mean a less taxing time for 
firefighters and police.

DRAMATIC EFFECT OF ALCOHOL ACCORD
---------------------------------

The Alcohol Accord in Christchurch is only eight weeks old - 
but already it has had a dramatic effect on reducing crime and 
violence in the inner city. Christchurch Central Area 
Commander, Inspector Gary Knowles, is cautiously optimistic 
with the trial having another four months to run, but he says 
violence is trending down, which is what the Accord was 
designed to achieve. More than 45 bars in the CBD have signed 
up to the Accord. Its first initiative was a one-way door 
policy meaning the bars do not allow any new patrons inside 
their premises after four in the morning. Police are also 
apprehending people for disorderly conduct and breaches of the 
liquor ban early in the evening. Mr Knowles says that is 
stopping them becoming either a victim of serious assault or 
an offender later in the evening.

CHRISTMAS BRINGS GAMBLING DANGERS
---------------------------------

Parents are being urged to think about the gift of time, 
rather than materialistic items this Christmas. The Problem 
Gambling Association says it is very common for people to 
gamble in an attempt to get themselves enough money for 
presents but they often end up in a worse position. Youth 
Services Project team Leader Lauren Cundall says many people 
underestimate how valuable time spent together is. She says 
things such as reading stories and parents talking about how 
they spent Christmas as a child can mean so much more than the 
latest ipod or CD. Ms Cundall says homemade vouchers for 
something like a day at the beach, is a great idea which could 
create memories to last a lifetime.

RENTS CONTINUE TO RISE
----------------------

The latest statistics bring bad news for flatters. Data from 
Massey University's Real Estate Analysis Unit show the weekly 
national level of median rent continues to remain high. It hit 
$270 in October and was unchanged in November. Unit director 
Bob Hargreaves says until September this year the national 
median had been at $260 a week since 2004. He says the 
increases over the last quarter are likely to be attributable 
to pressure from strong migration figures. Mr Hargreaves says 
record high house prices will also be keeping potential buyers 
in the rental market for longer. The strongest annual rent 
increase was in Gisborne which had a hike of almost 25 
percent.

BOLD STEPS WANTED ON EMISSIONS
------------------------------

The Government is being urged to go a step further with 
proposals to help reduce harmful vehicle emissions. A vehicle 
emissions technology standard will be formulated for older 
vehicles being imported into New Zealand. Motor Trade 
Association spokesman Andy Cumming is applauding the 
announcement. He says it is also important that regulations 
are put in place to control who is allowed to import the 
vehicles. Mr Cumming says that will ensure the new standards 
will be met. 
 
 
(Waste of time bringing in more regulations. There are no 
resources to implement the present ones. - BH)

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