WYSIWYG NEWS - 16, December, 2007

[news at wysiwygnews.com]

Subject: 16 December, 2007 
----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------ 
Copyright, Brian Harmer. 

Oh my goodness! Two full weeks missing, and here I am back 
home again, having been to various places in Victoria and 
Queensland on the way. On one day, having no scheduled 
appointments, I took the electric train from Flinders St out 
to Belgrave, and from there, boarded the wonderful narrow 
gauge steam train, "Puffing Billy" to Gembrook. This is a 
journey I have described before (2 December, 2002), so I won't 
do it in detail again. However this time, the train was extra 
long as they added extra open sided coaches to accommodate not 
only the two cruise liners in Port Melbourne that day, but 
also a couple of charters from regional old folks' homes. The 
two little tank engines heaved and snorted and got their heavy 
load in motion. Happily, the cruise line passengers had time 
for just a small part of the trip and so at Menzies Creek, 
almost 80% of the original load disembarked into buses, and 
the rest of us were able to spread out through the train in 
more comfort. The journey through tall eucalyptus forests has 
lost none of its charm, and I enjoyed it every bit as much as 
the time 5 years ago. At Gembrook, I had lunch and went for a 
walk in the local forest reserve, and was delighted to see a 
great deal of colourful and noisy birdlife. The only drawback 
was the near plague proportions of flies - heavy stupid 
persistent flies, visible at a rate of dozens per cubic metre 
of air. It was good, at the end of the journey to get back 
into the air-conditioned and largely fly-free atmosphere of 
the Connex train. That weekend, Catherine and Mark drove me 
down the Western side of the Mornington peninsula. We stopped 
for lunch in a bakery in the little town of Rosebud. Kiwis who 
haven't been to this part of Melbourne should think of Orewa ... 
70 uninterrupted kilometres of beach resort town with a few 
brief bits of rural land. It's very pretty, and since the 
Western side of the peninsula is within the shelter of Port 
Philip Bay the beaches seem safe and accessible, though like 
many Kiwis I retain a certain paranoia about the hazards of 
Australian wildlife - snakes, spiders, sharks, etc. We carried 
on around the peninsula through Rye and Blairgowrie, to 
Sorrento and Portsea. It was a hot afternoon so the excellent 
pub at Portsea was a logical port of call, and we sat with our 
drinks on the lawn, watching the ferries slice back and forth 
though the calm water between Sorrento and Queenscliff on the 
Western shore of the bay. Some attempts at Christmas shopping 
in Portsea came to nothing, though I was shocked at some of 
the outrageous prices in the rather pretentious gift shops 
nearby. Sunday, and it was off to Brisbane, to be met by 
Rowena and David with my lovely brown eyed granddaughter 
Grace, and my newest grandson, Isaac, just two months old, 
with the biggest blue eyes I have ever seen.  After a nice day 
in Brisbane the next day, I borrowed a car and set out for 
Toowoomba to attend a conference at the University of Southern 
Queensland. I was surprised at the changeability of the 
weather up on the Darling Downs. The landscape is not as brown 
as I have seen it, nor is it particularly lush to NZ eyes. The 
days were bright blue, until any open air function commenced, 
whereupon the heavens opened, and heavy rain with lightning 
and thunder followed. The rain doesn't so much fall as crash 
to earth. By next morning, it the drought resumes as before. 
The Darling Downs is a very pretty part of this highly  
variable state. Being on the route from Brisbane to many parts 
of the outback, it is of course traversed by large numbers of 
really large trucks, and they slow down for nothing except 
large hills. If you are doing 110 km/h in a 100 km/h zone, you 
can bet that there are at least two big rigs sniffing at your 
exhaust pipe. Toowoomba is a town of about the same size as 
Dunedin, and about the same degree of hilliness. Plenty of 
trees and greenery add to its attractiveness. Is for students 
without a vehicle. Though isolated, the University of Southern 
Queensland has a modern campus towards the South end of town, 
beyond reasonable walking distance to the CBD. Back in 
Brisbane at the end of the week, I was able to spend more time 
with the family before they set off to New Zealand for their 
holiday, leaving me in charge. I spent the next days 
continuing to gather data for my research project, grateful 
for the willingness of my academic colleagues to participate, 
and envious of the funding available to Australian 
universities. Now at last I am home, the weather is fine, 
family are about and all is well. 

The news that follows is for two weeks. 

----  
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. 
Thanks to Wayne Smith in Canada for this week's sponsorship.
----  
On with the News. 

Monday, 26 November 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STATE SECTOR EXPANDS TO MORE THAN 44,000
----------------------------------------

The size of the state sector is continuing to increase. The 
State Service Commission's Human Resource Survey shows there 
were more than 44,000 people employed in the public service as 
of June this year. That is five percent more than last year 
and almost 12,000 more than there were in 2002. In total, the 
sector accounts for 13 percent of the entire labour market. 
Inland Revenue and Corrections have driven the increase. IRD 
has had to hire more people to deal with new programmes such 
as KiwiSaver while Corrections has increased its staffing to 
handle new prisons and expansions to probation services.

DAIRY AND OIL BOOST VALUE OF EXPORTS
------------------------------------

Record dairy and crude oil production boosted the value of New 
Zealand's exports last month. Milk powder, butter and cheese 
exports increased in value by $328 million compared with 
October last year, reaching a record value of $878 million. 
While quantities were up, the boost had more to do with 
increased prices. Domestic oil production is also up, by $251 
million on the same time period last year. On the downside 
merchandise imports topped $4 billion for the first time. The 
monthly trade balance was a deficit of $690 million.

CHRISTMAS CROWD OVER 100,000
----------------------------

More than 100,000 people attended the annual Christmas in the 
Park concert in Christchurch on Saturday night. The Hagley 
Park event featured acts such as New Zealand band Atlas and 
the talents of young classical singer Will Martin, Jackie 
Clarke and Frankie Stevens. About 30 acts took the stage in 
all, with fireworks to finish the night off. The anticipated 
southerly winds held off, and around one quarter of the 
Christchurch population sat back to enjoy a mild early summer 
evening. Proceeds from the event go to Youthline.

FINE LOOMS FOR BATTERY RECYCLER
-------------------------------

Exide Technologies will be sentenced today on charges relating 
to illegal lead discharges at its Petone battery recycling 
plant. The multinational company faces a $200,000 fine when it 
pleads guilty today for the emissions breach, which happened 
in March. Greater Wellington prosecuted Exide after lead 
levels from a discharge at one boundary during maintenance, 
breached a three-month limit set out in its resource consent.

GOVT SHOULD BE MORE OPEN ONLINE
-------------------------------

There is a call for more information from Government 
departments to be available on the Internet. More than 180 
delegates are in Wellington this week for the annual 
Information Commissioners' conference. Organiser Andrew 
Ecclestone says one of its aims is to talk about increasing 
openness in developing countries' public services. It also 
marks the 25th anniversary of New Zealand's Official 
Information Act. One issue delegates will be considering is 
the challenges today's world presents in terms of freedom of 
information. Mr Ecclestone says New Zealand should be 
following other countries such as Mexico, where there are 14 
categories of information all Government agencies must 
publish. These include staff salaries, contracts and grants. 
He says there is a belief that public services in developing 
countries could be improved if they become more transparent. 
He says research shows greater transparency improves services, 
since people can see what is wrong and lobby their politicians 
to fix it. 
 
(While not suggesting it as an excuse for not making 
information available, I foresee that many governments might 
use the sheer volume of information as a means to hide the 
facts. Information overload is a non trivial problem, and all 
those extra civil servants referred to in an earlier item must 
be producing something! - BH)

EMISSIONS TESTS FOR ALL CARS CALL
---------------------------------

The Government is being urged to include all the country's 
vehicles in its new emissions testing regime. The Independent 
Motor Vehicle Dealers' Association is calling for the tough 
standards to be applied to all vehicles, and not just new 
imports. The possibility is such a step is expected to be 
discussed at today's cabinet meeting. Association Chief 
Executive David Vinsen says it is an opportunity for the 
Government to get it right. He says politicians need to deal 
with pollution on a total basis rather than taking an easy 
option. Mr Vinsen says by subjecting only imports to testing, 
the Government is dealing with just five percent of the 
problem. Mr Vinsen has previously warned of a dramatic 
increase in the cost of imported cars if they are the only 
ones subject to emissions tests. He says prices will go up by 
between two and four thousand dollars, and there will be no 
benefit to the country. 
 
(I wonder if a Californian style emissions regime might work 
here. Would it need more civil servants to do so? - BH)

Tuesday, 27 November 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

QUEENSTOWN TO HOST NEW WINTER EVENT
-----------------------------------

A new international winter games event is all set for New 
Zealand in 2009 as preparation for the Vancouver Olympics. 
Event promoter Arthur Klap says the event will attract a 
global field of winter athletes across a range of alpine 
disciplines. He says originally the event was slated for the 
USA but they thought it would be too hard to organise so New 
Zealand stepped in. Mr Klap says it has taken 18-months to go 
through the planning process and the government has thrown in 
half a million dollars to kick it off. Wanaka and Queenstown 
will be the joint hosts for the event.

NEW PROCESS FOR TELCO COMPLAINTS
--------------------------------

A new consumer dispute resolution process is available for 
customers of New Zealand's telecommunication and ISP companies 
from Friday. Telecommunication Dispute Resolution is an 
independent service for residential and small business 
consumers to use if they are unable to resolve a complaint. 
The service is endorsed by telecommunications companies 
accounting for over 98 percent of the New Zealand market. It 
is free and can be used by any consumer whose 
telecommunications company is a member of the TDR scheme. 
Consumers must have raised their complaint with their telco 
first, and given the company a chance to respond.

YOUNG DRIVERS DISTRACTED BY TEXTS AND MUSIC
-------------------------------------------

A new study has found three quarters of young Australians aged 
from 18 to 24 admit to reading or sending text messages while 
driving. Insurance firm AAMI commissioned the survey of nearly 
3,000 licensed drivers. Public affairs manager Geoff Hughes 
says younger drivers are twice as likely to die on the roads 
than more experienced drivers. Mr Hughes says mobile phones 
are not the only problem. He says 20 percent of drivers under-
25 have also become distracted by their mp3 player while 
driving, compared to seven percent of older drivers. 
 
(The problem is clearly visible in the clogged highways of 
Brisbane and Melbourne. I frequently found myself in traffic 
queues beside drivers who were focused on the cellphone in 
their lap rather than the road ahead. - BH)

METSERVICE AND NIWA TO GET COSY
-------------------------------

MetService and NIWA have signed an official agreement to work 
more closely together on forecasting New Zealand's weather, 
climate and associated environmental events. Research, Science 
and Technology Minister Pete Hodgson and State Owned 
Enterprises Minister Trevor Mallard say the formal memorandum 
of understanding will strengthen links between the two 
organisations to help New Zealanders get more timely and 
accurate weather information. The agreement is the result of a 
working group that was established following a July 2006 
review into the integration of weather, climate and 
environmental forecasting. 
 
(I wonder in whose chest was that particular hatchet buried? 
The two have been at odds for years if I recall correctly. - 
BH)

EMISSION RULES WILL BE INTRODUCED
---------------------------------

The Government is bringing in strict new rules for used 
imported vehicles. Exhaust emission standards will be 
introduced on January 3 which will bring New Zealand into line 
with Japan and Europe. Under the rules, all used vehicles will 
be tested for the amount of emissions they omit before 
entering New Zealand. It will also be illegal to modify any 
new or used vehicle's equipment that could cause their 
emissions to worsen.

GOVERNMENT SAYS IT'S TACKLING OBESITY
-------------------------------------

The Government maintains it is serious about cutting the 
obesity problem down to size. Health Minister David Cunliffe 
has released the Government's response to an official inquiry 
into obesity and type two diabetes. It has accepted 47 of the 
55 recommendations made by the inquiry, which call for serious 
policy development, controls on food advertising and greater 
emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyle choices. Mr Cunliffe 
says that shows the Government is committed to tackling the 
problem. He also points out initiatives such as Fruit in 
Schools are already in place.

CALL FOR TIGHTER ECT CONTROLS
-----------------------------

There is a recommendation that the use of electro-convulsive 
therapy be more tightly controlled. Parliament's Health Select 
Committee has made recommendations after considering a 
petition demanding ECT not be used on children, pregnant women 
and the elderly. The committee says because of its potential 
side effects, ECT should only be used as a last resort when 
all other options have been considered. It is also advising 
the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 
urgently develop its guidelines into a national professional 
standard, which restricts circumstances where it is proper for 
ECT to be used.

PARKER PUSHES HEATING PLAN
--------------------------

A step towards drier and healthier homes for low and middle 
income families. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation 
Authority is seeking partners to deliver interest free loans 
to homeowners for heating solutions. Energy Minister David 
Parker says he has already heard from lines companies and 
other businesses keen to offer their support. He says 
homeowners who take advantage of the funding can expect to 
improve their health with less asthma and fewer winter 
illnesses. Mr Parker says 39,000 low-income families have 
already had their homes refitted with insulation and other 
energy efficiency measures. He says the Government is putting 
$23 million towards the programme over the next four years.

HOPE FOR FEWER BREAST CANCER CASES
----------------------------------

A new study may help reduce the number of women developing 
breast cancer in New Zealand. The International Breast Cancer 
Intervention Study is looking for 10,000 women around the 
world to see if treatment drug Anastrozole can help prevent 
the disease. The investigation will take five years to 
complete. Recruitment Coordinator Marg Seccombe says the study 
requires postmenopausal women aged between 40 and 70 who have 
a family history of breast cancer, or have experienced the 
disease elsewhere. She says it would be marvellous if the 
disease was preventable in high risk women, because one in ten 
New Zealand women get breast cancer at some stage in their 
lives. Candidates would be required to take Anastrozole once a 
day for the full five years. She says the drug is known to 
prevent recurrences of breast cancer, but researchers are 
interested in finding out if it can actually prevent the 
disease. Women interested in taking part can call 0800 888 
656.

KIDS HEALTH A "BROWN PROBLEM"
-----------------------------

There is a call for the Government to fix what is being 
described as a 'two class' society. A report released by the 
Paediatric Society says Maori and Pacific children have far 
worse health than their Caucasian counterparts. Public Health 
Association director Dr Gay Keating is pointing the finger at 
Government policies. She says the health sector gets the same 
message year-after-year, but fails to address what she says is 
a "brown problem". Dr Keating says the report acts as a strong 
wake-up call across all sectors, but shows Maori and Pacific 
children are six times more likely to suffer from infectious 
diseases than other groups. Dr Keating says responsibility for 
the appalling data is shared by a number of agencies, and 
there is an institutional process in the health sector which 
disadvantages Maori and Pacific children. Health Minister 
David Cunliffe says the Government is committed to addressing 
the challenges highlighted in the report. He says it will help 
make District Health Boards and authorities aware of how a 
person's socioeconomic background can determine health status.

CIVIL SERVICE GROWS BY 11,000
-----------------------------

National is condemning the latest figures on the size of the 
civil service. The number of staff employed at government 
departments has risen five percent in the past financial year, 
with more than 44,000 people now employed in the sector. In 
2002, the number was around 33,000. State Services 
Commissioner Mark Prebble says the growth has been in line 
with the New Zealand economy and is needed because of what is 
demanded of the public service. He says the introduction of 
KiwiSaver also contributed to the growth. However, National's 
State Services spokesman Gerry Brownlee wants to know where 
all the extra staff are working. He says the lift in numbers 
is confirmation of a burgeoning bureaucracy. One growing 
department is Corrections, which has employed another 700 
staff this year, to cope with the opening of new prisons and a 
growing number of inmates.

Wednesday, 28 November 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MAORI GATHER TO STEM ABUSE AND VIOLENCE
---------------------------------------

More than 20 Maori organisations have banded together in an 
effort aimed at preventing child abuse and family violence. 
The initiative started out as an informal conversation amongst 
friends and has since snowballed into a coordinated effort 
called Te Kahui Manaaki Tamariki, or the gathering of forces 
to protect children. Trust founder Paora Maxwell says every 
day the media reports on children abused in the Maori 
community and it is no longer enough to wonder what can be 
done. He says the group aims to provide a strategic Maori 
voice to promote, advocate and lobby for effective solutions 
to child homicide and family violence. The groups are meeting 
in Auckland this week in a three-day summit to develop a 
strategic plan.

BUSINESSES WARNED TO GET DIGITAL
--------------------------------

New Zealand businesses are being warned to wake up to the 
digital age, or die. The warning comes from online marketing 
agency AIM Proximity to businesses attending the Government's 
Digital Future Summit in Auckland. Chief executive Darryn 
Melrose says unless New Zealand businesses offer what 
customers want online, they will lose customers to overseas 
companies who are doing a better job. He says offshore 
companies they will be offering better product ranges and 
services, they will know who their customers are, learn from 
their interactions and personalise recommendations.

NZ GAINS VOICE ON WORLD MARITIME BODY
-------------------------------------

New Zealand now has a voice on the council of the 
International Maritime Organisation. Maritime New Zealand has 
just been elected as one of the 20 members on the United 
Nations' agency. Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven 
says it will result in New Zealand and other Pacific Nations 
having a stronger voice on global maritime issues. He says it 
will allow unique problems facing Pacific states in terms of 
ship safety standards and security to be addressed.

GOOD YELLOW PAGES SERVICE PROMISED
----------------------------------

Yellow Pages users who want their phone queries dealt with in 
New Zealand, are being assured the service will be just as 
good from overseas. The Yellow Pages Group is moving its call 
centre contract from Sitel in Palmerston North to global giant 
Teletech, which will in turn outsource it to the Philippines. 
Yellow Pages operations director Greg Hurn says the decision 
was based on a number of factors including the quality of the 
service, and economics. He says the reality is that call 
volumes and revenue are gradually declining. Mr Hurn says 
strict controls govern the new contract. He promises operators 
will be able to get their heads around Maori place names.

CRITICISM OF WELLINGTON HOSPITAL
--------------------------------

There are concerns a new policy at Wellington Hospital's 
maternity ward could have an impact on the health of both 
mothers and their babies. Staff shortages at Wellington 
Hospital mean second-time mothers who are well, will be 
encouraged to go home six hours after giving birth. Jo 
Fitzpatrick of the National Council of Women says while other 
hospitals have considered such action, the policy is the first 
time it has been implemented in this country. She says many 
things can happen after six hours, including jaundice in 
babies. Ms Fitzpatrick says on the third day after giving 
birth some women begin to suffer post natal depression and 
their milk also comes down, all of which is a lot to cope 
with.

GOVT ACCUSED OF FAILING CHILD OBESITY
-------------------------------------

An anti-obesity lobby group claims the government is failing 
to properly address child obesity. A Health Select Committee 
inquiry into obesity and type two diabetes wants to ban 
unhealthy food advertising that targets children. The advice 
has been rejected by the Government, which is implementing 47 
of the 55 other recommendations. Leigh Sturgiss, director of 
the Obesity Action Coalition says the consequences of eating 
unhealthy food are not shown in glossy advertising. She says 
children favour junk food and parents already have a hard 
enough job providing healthy options for their children. Ms 
Sturgiss says the idea of an independent commissioner on 
obesity and food labelling has also been rejected. She accuses 
the government of stalling by continuing to talk to the food 
industry and advertisers, instead of enacting legislation.

Thursday, 29 November 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FEARS TAURANGA WILL BECOME "FLORIDA OF NZ"
------------------------------------------

Tauranga mayor Stuart Crosby says he does not want to see the 
city to become the Florida of New Zealand. The comment came in 
a State of the City speech which was attended by local 
officials, including council heads and MPs. Mr Crosby says 
Tauranga is only catering to people with a degree of wealth 
who want to create an exclusive lifestyle. He says although it 
is a risk with such a stunning natural environment and a good 
climate, a city for all ages needs to be created. The mayor 
also raised housing affordability as a serious issue for 
Tauranga. 
 
(Too late! The continued existence of Tauranga as a base for 
the popularity of Winston Peters shows the city is beyond 
recovery! :-) - BH)

WELLINGTON HOSPITAL SCRAPS $100 VOUCHERS
----------------------------------------

The Capital and Coast District Health Board has reversed its 
decision to offer $100 gift vouchers to women who leave 
hospital within six hours of giving birth. It will still 
encourage mothers who have had their second or subsequent 
child without complications to go home directly from the 
delivery suite through the busy December to January period. 
DHB chief executive Margot Mains acknowledges some people saw 
the offer of the voucher as a bribe, but says that was not the 
intention. She says she could have handled the issue better. 
Ms Mains says she is now doing the right thing by taking the 
vouchers off the table.

CAPITAL AND MERCHANT IN RECEIVERSHIP
------------------------------------

It follows breaches in respect of General Security Agreements 
issued by the companies in favour of Fortress Credit 
Corporation of Australia. Grant Thornton accountants have 
today been appointed as receivers. The Capital and Merchant 
companies predominantly lend to the property and property 
development sector. Grant Thornton says the current state of 
the debenture market has meant that the ability of the 
companies to attract new funds and retain existing investments 
has been significantly constrained. A dedicated page on the 
Grant Thornton website is being set up at 
www.grantthornton.co.nz/capitalmerchantfinance and will be 
updated as information comes to hand. A dedicated phone line 
of 09 308 2970 and email address 
capitalmerchantfinance at gtak.co.nz have also been established 
for any investors or creditors who have an enquiry relating to 
the companies.

TOWER PROFIT INCREASES 23 PERCENT
---------------------------------

Tower has increased its full year profit by 23 percent to 
$34.6 million. The company says every division of its business 
has shown solid improvement. It has declared a 6c per share 
dividend, to be paid in February.

WINTEC GETS INTO THE BUSINESS OF FASHION
----------------------------------------

Waikato Institute of Technology's School of Media Arts has the 
go ahead to launch the country's first industry-focused 
fashion diploma. The school says it is very well connected 
with the creative industries and has had the input of some of 
the industry's best in designing the business focused 
programme, which begins in the New Year. Head of School Margi 
Moore says Wintec was extremely fortunate in securing the 
support and commitment of advisers who are themselves industry 
experts, and to have onboard highly experienced staff. The 
fully equipped workrooms will be completed by the end of the 
year for students to begin their careers in the industry.

SURVEY SAYS CARBON SCHEME WILL BE COSTLY
----------------------------------------

A new survey of businesses highlights the potential for wide-
ranging job losses if the proposed carbon trading emission 
scheme goes ahead. Researchers from the Greenhouse Policy 
Coalition and the Major Electricity Users Group spoke to 41 
businesses from a wide range of sectors. Spokeswoman Catherine 
Beard says at a carbon price of 30 dollars per tonne, the 41 
companies will collectively face an increased cost of $257 
million. She says that loss is only in direct energy cost, and 
the businesses also predict they would cull around 3,000 
existing jobs. Ms Beard says there seems to be a rush get the 
scheme through Parliament, without looking at the potential 
consequences for businesses.

FEARS HERPES LIKE VIRUS WILL WIPE OUT PAUA
------------------------------------------

MAF is worried about a virus that could wipe out paua. The 
herpes-like virus is already killing abalone across the 
Tasman. It is expected to be generations before abalone stocks 
on infected reefs in Victoria begin to rebuild. MAF says there 
are strict border measures in place to try to prevent the 
virus crossing the Tasman. They include a ban on importing 
live abalone and ensuring any shells are cleaned and dried. 
Holidaymakers who have been swimming or diving in Victoria are 
also being asked to ensure their togs, diving and surfing gear 
is thoroughly washed and dried.

PHARMAC UPS SUBSIDIES BY 11.8 PERCENT
-------------------------------------

Pharmac claims more New Zealanders are benefiting from cheaper 
prescription medicines than ever. The drug funding agency has 
released its annual review, which shows there has been an 11.8 
percent increase in subsidised prescriptions in the past year. 
An all-time high of around 32 million prescriptions were 
subsidised. Pharmac medical director Dr Peter Moodie says 
cheaper doctor visits and reduced medicines co-payments have 
contributed to the increase. He says Government policies have 
made it cheaper for New Zealanders to access medical care and 
it is now reflected in the figures.

MORE WHACKO FOR TOBACCO
-----------------------

The government is seeking public feedback on the future of 
tobacco displays. Three options are being considered, 
including the current requirements of enhanced education and 
enforcement, further restrictions on tobacco displays or a 
total ban on displays. Associate Health Minister Damien 
O'Connor says the last changes to tobacco display requirements 
were made in 2003 which allowed retailers to display 100 
packets of tobacco or 40 cartons of tobacco products. He says 
increased public interest in the laws have prompted the 
discussion. The consultation document will be available on the 
Ministry of Health website from Monday. Submissions close mid-
February.

INFO HARDER TO FIND IN COMPUTER AGE
-----------------------------------

An information summit being held at Parliament this week has 
heard that computers are making it much harder for the public 
to dig out information. Australia's Commonwealth Ombudsman 
John McMillan has told the International Conference of 
Information Commissioners that the massive increase in 
electronically stored information has made it more difficult 
to carry out official information requests. He says both 
electronically and in paper form there is much more to 
consider than there used to be. Prof. McMillan says in earlier 
days, files were better kept with drafts and non-essential 
documents tending to be discarded. He says there is a lot more 
information to consider these days which is difficult to 
locate and time consuming to go through. In addition, 
administrators have to decide what sort of records should be 
available to the public.

STILL A LACK OF SKILLED WORKERS
-------------------------------

American companies based in New Zealand are crying out for 
more skilled workers, for the third consecutive year. The 
annual survey of US companies doing business in New Zealand 
reveals the chronic skills and labour shortage is the key 
constraint for nearly 70 percent of firms. The figure is up 
from 52 percent in last year's survey and 50 percent in 2005. 
American Chamber of Commerce president Mark Fitz-Gerald says 
the companies are urging the government to make it easier for 
skilled immigrants to settle in New Zealand, improve 
educational standards and provide tax incentives for 
initiatives such as training.

BUGS IN BANGERS
---------------

The Canterbury District Health Board is wanting butcheries and 
delicatessens to stop offering people cold cocktail sausages. 
An investigation has found six children under five-years-old 
contracted a bacterial infection Yersiniosis after eating the 
processed food. Medical Officer of Health Dr Ramon Pink says 
the illness lasts for 48 hours and includes diarrhoea and 
stomach pains. The contamination came from the skin of the 
cocktail sausage. Dr Pink says people need to thoroughly heat 
the small goods, which are also known as cheerios and 
saveloys.

Friday, 30 November 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IRD DEFENDS 0800 NUMBER FOR SICK STAFF
--------------------------------------

Inland Revenue says its staff are not allowed to take an 
unexplained sick day. ACT's Heather Roy claims IRD staff 
simply have to ring 0800 Day Off to be greeted with a cheery 
voice asking for their staff identification number, name and 
their phone number and they are off the hook. But IRD 
Spokesman David Udy says the number is for call centre staff 
only. He says due to the 12 hour working day team leaders will 
not always be immediately available. Mr Udy says when the 
staff members return to work, normal sick leave approval 
processes must be completed and if the absence is longer than 
three days, a medical certificate is required.

HOUSEHOLD EXPENSES NEARLY $1,000 A WEEK
---------------------------------------

The average New Zealand family spends just under a $1,000 a 
week on household expenses. Statistics NZ says housing costs, 
including mortgage or rent payments, power bills and rates, 
suck up the most money. For the average family, that component 
amounts to $224 a week, or 23 percent of their total costs. 
Food is the next biggest cost at around $156 a week.

SOMBRE WARNING FOR MALE TEACHERS
--------------------------------

Male teachers are being reminded to stay away from situations 
where they are alone with a student, after Masterton teacher's 
acquittal on charges of indecently touching and kissing a 12-
year-old girl. Deputy Principal of Masterton Intermediate 
Russell Thompson was acquitted of the charge by a jury in the 
Wellington District Court yesterday. The judge described the 
case as inherently unlikely. Victoria University education 
expert Linda Todd says unfortunately situations like it are 
not new. She says there is an inevitable impact that men in 
the profession will be extra careful to make sure they are 
never alone with a student. NZEI president Irene Cooper is 
hoping the latest case will not put men off joining the 
profession. She says few cases go to court, and few of those 
that do are proven. Ms Cooper believes the country has to grow 
past some of the fear invoked by the cases that have been 
proven.

YOUTH OFFENDERS BILL HITS WALL
------------------------------

A bill aimed at cracking down on youth offenders is not likely 
to proceed. Parliament's Law and Order Select Committee has 
recommended the Young Offenders Serious Crimes Bill should not 
go any further. The bill was put forward by New Zealand First 
MP Ron Mark. It would lower the age of criminal responsibility 
and broaden court abilities to sentence young offenders to 
prison terms. The Select Committee has found a number of flaws 
in the legislation. It says it would effectively remove the 
Youth Court, breach UN conventions and have major fiscal 
implications for all government agencies involved in youth 
justice.

WAREHOUSE TAKEOVER COULD HAPPEN
-------------------------------

A takeover bid could be launched early next year if no appeal 
is lodged against a decision to allow two competing retailers 
to buy retail giant The Warehouse. The High Court has 
overturned the Commerce Commission's decision refusing 
clearance for Woolworths and Foodstuffs to buy up to 100 
percent of the big red shed. Forsyth Bar analyst Guy 
Hallwright says the companies must wait to see whether the 
Commerce Commission decides to appeal. He says if it does not, 
the way is clear for Woolworths or Foodstuffs or potentially 
both companies to put together an offer.

FAMILY FIRST ANGRY WITH ACT
---------------------------

Lobby group Family First is angry the Privacy Act is 
preventing police from telling a Manukau couple the 
whereabouts of their runaway daughter. The 16-year-old left 
her Howick home earlier this month. Her parents were relieved 
when police told them they had found her, but they are not 
being told her location because of the Privacy Act. Family 
First spokesman Bob McCoskrie claims parents have a right to 
know where their children are. He believes parents should be 
given the benefit of the doubt. Mr McCoskrie says legislation 
such as the Privacy Act is driving a wedge between families. 
 
(It would seem only just that, in such circumstances, parents 
in this situation should cease to bear any liability for the 
child. - BH)

PM OPENS NEW EMBASSY
--------------------

The Prime Minister has opened a New Zealand embassy in Cairo. 
Helen Clark told officials that New Zealand sees Egypt as the 
heart of the Arab world and of the Middle East, and as a door 
to Africa. She says now that New Zealand has an embassy in the 
region she warmly welcomes an Egyptian embassy in Wellington. 
Miss Clark says travelling between the two countries has never 
been easier, with easy links via Dubai. She now wants more 
people-to-people exchanges with Egypt in the arts and cultural 
fields.

BUSINESS CONFIDENCE SLIPS
-------------------------

Twenty percent of respondents expect conditions to get worse 
in the next 12 months, up from 13 percent last month. The 
construction industry is largely to blame, with the property 
development sector having difficulty getting finance.

INTERNET SCAMS ON RISE
----------------------

Internet users are being warned to never respond to emails 
which asks for personal details. Netsafe Executive Director 
Martin Cocker says criminals are getting smarter and making 
better use of technology. He says people would be surprised at 
how sophisticated some of the phishing attacks have become. Mr 
Cocker says there are very credible copies of websites and 
emails, which are sucking in the most unlikely people. He 
believes more money is being made by organised crime through 
internet fraud, than through illegal drugs. International 
Computer Security Day is being held today, to help highlight 
the growing number of scams.

WARNING ABOUT XMAS SPENDING
---------------------------

Shoppers are being urged not to overspend at Christmas as more 
people default on loan repayments. Figures from business 
advisory firm Veda Advantage, show the number of consumers 
defaulting on credit has risen 22 percent in the past year. 
Director John Roberts says borrowers and lenders need to take 
care during the Christmas period. He says if both parties are 
responsible, there are fewer defaults and less risk to 
business.

PARENTS SPENDING LESS TIME WITH KIDS
------------------------------------

A child developmental psychologist says family time is 
important for a balanced lifestyle. A Colmar Brunton survey 
shows nearly two thirds of parents spend fewer than five hours 
a week playing with their children. Associate Professor at 
Massey University John Kirkland says the statistic shows just 
how busy people's lives have become. He says parents should 
not substitute their absence with other caregivers, as they 
are the only ones who put their child's wellbeing first. Mr 
Kirkland says children form close relationships with their 
parents when they get to muck around with mum and dad.

NATIONAL CRITICISES DHB MANAGEMENT
----------------------------------

A backdown by Capital and Coast District Health Board is 
failing to appease one of its most fierce critics. The offer 
of $100 supermarket vouchers to women who leave hospital as 
soon as possible after giving birth, has been withdrawn. While 
pleased the decision has been reversed, National's health 
spokesman Tony Ryall claims the DHB's managers made decisions 
when they clearly had not talked with frontline staff who 
would have been able to warn them they would be disastrous. Mr 
Ryall says it is another example of what he calls the toxic 
management environment causing so many problems at the DHB.

Monday, 10 December 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STUDENTS RALLY AGAINST ENTRY RESTRICTIONS
-----------------------------------------

A last minute attempt is being made to stop Auckland 
University restricting first year admissions. The proposal 
would restrict entry to all undergraduate courses including 
arts, theology, science, education and first year law. The 
Auckland University Students Association believes the policy 
will not work, and its implications need to be highlighted. 
Students plan to protest outside the room where council 
members will make the final decision on whether to limit 
numbers from 2009. University staff say changes to government 
funding are behind the proposed restrictions. 
 
(It is my belief that all universities faced with a reduced 
amount of subsidy per domestic student will be forced into 
similar policies. International students pay the whole of 
their fees so there is no reason to limit them. I suspect that 
the public of New Zealand will interpret this as the 
universities favouring international students over domestic 
ones. - BH)

INCREASE IN DRUG USE BLAMED FOR RISING VIOLENCE
-----------------------------------------------

A former police officer says there is a link between the rise 
in random violence and drugs, especially methamphetamine. 
There has been a spate of knife attacks over the weekend with 
two people stabbed to death and a woman is in a serious 
condition in Wellington Hospital this morning. Mike Sabin, who 
now runs a consultancy on education around drugs, has just 
returned from a police officers' narcotics conference in the 
United States. He says studies there showed irrational street 
violence was more often than not linked to methamphetamine. 
Mike Sabin says methamphetamine has increased the levels of 
violence in the community and we do not need sit back for the 
next 10 years to find that out, when America has already 
established it.

CORRECTIONS' PERSONAL GRIEVANCE BILL A CONCERN
----------------------------------------------

The amount of money being set aside by the Corrections 
Department to handle personal grievance cases is causing 
concern for politicians. The Department's financial review 
reveals it has set aside $1 million in its contingent 
liabilities fund. It covers the total amount claimed but not 
the amount paid out. Parliament's Law and Order Select 
Committee is expressing its serious concern at the sum and at 
the fact harassment and ill treatment appears to be the most 
common cause of personal grievance complaints. Corrections 
Department Chief Executive Barry Matthews has acknowledged not 
all his managers and supervisors are as good as the 
organisation would like and sometimes do not deal with 
situations in an ideal manner.

PM WON'T BACK DOWN OVER ELECTORAL BILL
--------------------------------------

The Prime Minister is standing steadfast over her support for 
the Electoral Finance Bill, in the face of huge opposition. 
Helen Clark says we have never seen anything like the covert 
campaign run by the National Party last election through the 
Exclusive Brethren. She says the extent to which money is 
coming in through secret trusts these days raises questions of 
integrity. Miss Clark says western democracies all endeavour 
to limit the power of big money in politics, yet a bulldozer 
could be driven through this country's electoral laws. She 
says a clear majority of members of parliament believe that. 
National remains vehemently opposed to the Bill, with deputy 
leader Bill English lobbying the minor parties to support a 
last minute amendment that would delay the legislation. 
However, the committee stage debate is expected to wrap up 
tomorrow and the third and final reading could be held on 
Thursday. 
 
(There seems to be an immutable law of all third term parties 
of whatever stripe, that they needn't respond to public 
opinion any more. It's as if they get tired of being in 
government, and have a subconscious urge to self destruction - 
BH)

PRIVACY LAWS AFFECTED BY IRD CRACKDOWN?
---------------------------------------

There is a call for caution over news that Inland Revenue will 
be cracking down on property investors. IRD has been given an 
extra $14.6 million to target property tax evasion, which will 
mean visits to real estate agents and a look through various 
files. Euon Murrell of the Wellington branch of the Real 
Estate Institute will be investigating how the announcement 
relates to privacy laws. But he says if IRD has the power to 
move in and take records there is nothing local agents can do. 
Mr Murrell says there is also confusion surrounding the 
definition of a property investor, as some buy an extra rental 
property, while others make a living off property trading.

LEAKY HOME FEARS PUT BUYERS OFF NEW HOUSES
------------------------------------------

The fear of ending up with a leaky home appears to have 
translated into the types of houses Aucklanders are buying. A 
real estate report out this morning reveals buyers within the 
city are rejecting modern monolithic-type town houses. Instead 
they are opting for older, well-built family homes. The report 
by QV Valuations also says developers are withdrawing from the 
market. The market has turned in favour of buyers nationwide 
and in Auckland properties are taking longer to sell. QV says 
in many areas sellers are reluctant to accept the downturn and 
buyers are becoming very stubborn and unwilling to negotiate.

ACC DIGGING DEEPER INTO WORKERS' POCKETS
----------------------------------------

The amount the Accident Compensation Corporation takes from 
pay packets looks set to rise. Details have been released in 
official ministerial briefing papers. Currently workers pay 
$1.30 ACC levy per $100 they earn. That is set to rise by 10 
cents next year. In 2010 the figure will be $1.50 and $1.60 in 
2013. Motor vehicle levies will also increase. ACC cites 
rising medical and rehabilitation costs as the reasons for the 
rises.

MANY SEEK HELP FOR BREACH OF RIGHTS
-----------------------------------

More and more people are seeking help when their human rights 
have been breached. Figures released by the Human Rights 
Commission show nearly 6,000 people made a complaint or 
enquiry to the commission in the year ended June 30 2007. 
Nearly 2,000 of those were complaints with an element of 
unlawful discrimination Today is Human Rights Day so Chief 
Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan says the commission is launching a 
book of 10 successful cases. She says they are aimed at people 
interested in how they can stand up for their rights and 
support others. Ms Noonan says anyone at any time could be 
affected by a breach of their human rights.

MALFUNCTIONING DHB UNDER FIRE FROM NATIONAL
-------------------------------------------

National is demanding immediate action to turn things around 
at Capital and Coast District Health Board. The DHB has 
blundered from one gaffe to another in the past year and a 
half and is beset by serious financial pressure as well as 
staff shortages in key departments. Health Minister David 
Cunliffe is expected to appoint a Crown Monitor to oversee its 
management later today. National's health spokesman Tony Ryall 
says the Government needs to seriously consider how it wants 
to fix the problems at Wellington Hospital. Meanwhile, members 
of Wellington's primary healthcare sector have written an open 
letter to the Capital and Coast DHB in support of its staff. 
Richard Tyler, who represents Wellington's eight Primary 
Health Organisations, admits problems at the DHB need to be 
dealt with, but he says there is also a huge amount of good 
work that goes on.

QUEENSTOWN LAKES BUCKS PROPERTY TREND
-------------------------------------

New figures from QV Valuations show the property market has 
turned into one that favours buyers. The average selling price 
of a house in New Zealand dropped from just over $406,000 in 
October to just over $393,000 in November. QV spokesman Blue 
Hancock says the number of sales has declined, and the time to 
sell has increased, meaning it is a strong buyers' market. He 
says buyers are taking a lot more time before committing to a 
purchase and sellers will need to meet the market if they are 
serious about selling. However, the Queenstown Lakes District 
is bucking the trend of decreasing prices. The average selling 
price in the region rose by $75,000 from October to November. 
Mr Hancock says that result was very unexpected. He says there 
were more than 29 sales of over a million dollars notified 
during the period. 
 
(I've said it before. If you have to work there, you probably 
can't afford to live there. - BH)

Tuesday, 11 December 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

REPORT INTO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAWS RELEASED
-------------------------------------------

The Ministry of Justice has released a discussion document 
looking at New Zealand's domestic violence laws. A 
consultation process is now underway to determine which of the 
report's proposed changes could be made current legislation, 
to make it more effective. Justice Ministry families and 
communities manager Justine Cornwall says New Zealand cannot 
afford to be complacent when it comes to family violence. She 
says despite comprehensive laws, the number of reported 
incidents continues to increase every year. The discussion 
document is available on the Justice Ministry's website and 
submissions close at the end of January.

AUCKLAND UNI JUST THE FIRST TO RESTRICT ACCESS?
-----------------------------------------------

More of the country's universities could follow Auckland's 
footsteps in restricting access to courses. The university's 
council has sparked outrage after approving a proposal to 
remove open entry to its undergraduate degrees. Vice-
Chancellor Stuart McCutcheon says Auckland University is not 
the only one suffering from the Government's reduced funding. 
He says they have been moved out of the "bums on seats" model 
and all universities are affected. Stuart McCutcheon believes 
Otago University is about to implement a similar policy. 
 
(Interestingly, yesterday's New Zealand Herald reported that 
among the big winners from the latest revision of funding were 
Auckland, Otago and Victoria Universities:
$18.42m more for University of Auckland - a 6.3 per cent rise 
$11.61m more for University of Otago - a 5.4 per cent rise 
$7.33m more for Victoria University of Wellington - a 5.7 per 
cent rise.
This is at odds with what we at the coal face have been lead 
to expect and to budget for. I shall be interested to see what 
explanations if any are forthcoming in the new week. - BH)

KIWIS DON'T LIKE GETTIING PERSONAL ON THE NET
---------------------------------------------

New Zealanders are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with 
posting personal information online. A new survey examining 
out internet habits shows almost 90 percent of respondents are 
unhappy about sharing too much information through the 
internet, on sites such as MySpace or FaceBook. The most 
common details people do not want publicised are their 
address, phone number or place of work. Young people are 
significantly more comfortable with the process. Around half 
are happy for their email address to be posted

GLOOMY FORECAST FOR AUCK BUSINESSES
-----------------------------------

quarterly report into business confidence shows most are 
expecting profits to decline in the coming year. Almost 1,000 
businesses were surveyed. Chief Executive Michael Barnett says 
the results reveal that overall confidence is static. He says 
areas of concern include a rise in costs and an expectation 
that selling prices and profitability will go down. Mr Barnett 
says this indicates there is a tightening market and the first 
half of next year may be a little bleak for most businesses. 
He says next year looks quieter not only for Auckland, but for 
the whole country.

DEPT OF BUILDING, HOUSING BLOWS $653K
-------------------------------------

A botched IT system at the Department of Building and Housing 
has resulted in a bill of more than half a million dollars. A 
financial review of the Department reveals it had to can a 
system set up to administer the new Licensed Builders 
Practitioners Scheme. The entire project had an original 
budget of more than $1 million but had to be terminated early 
because problems with its scope and timeframe could not be 
fixed. The Department of Building and Housing says the 
cancelled scheme cost $653,000 and it intends to recoup the 
cost of the mistake from building levy income.

KIWIS GAMBLING IN BIG NUMBERS
-----------------------------

New research shows four out of five New Zealanders have been 
involved in some form of gambling in the past year. The 
Ministry of Health survey of 2,000 people shows the majority 
of those questioned support public health efforts to tackle 
problem gambling. It finds a third of people know someone 
close to them who gambles at harmful levels, while just over 
half of those questioned believe the money raised for the 
community from gambling is a good thing. Three quarters of New 
Zealanders believe pokie machines are a more harmful form of 
gambling than betting or buying a lotto ticket. Associate 
Health Minister Damien O'Connor is welcoming the report, 
saying it helps form future strategies for tackling gambling 
addicts. He says the Ministry of Health has been significantly 
revising the way it deals with problem gamblers.

Wednesday, 12 December 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NZ FIRST PAYS ELECTION OVERSPEND TO CHARITY
-------------------------------------------

New Zealand First is repaying its election overspending, but 
to a charity, not to Parliamentary Services. Party leader 
Winston Peters says the almost $160,000 was given to 
Auckland's Starship Hospital this morning. 
 
(This is morally bankrupt. They owe the money to Parliamentary 
services since it was misappropriated from that source. It is 
not theirs to give away, no matter how worthy the charity. I 
regard the debt as still outstanding. - BH)

GOVT TO CLAMP DOWN ON NOISY VEHICLES
------------------------------------

New rules will be introduced in June which limit the noise 
level for cars and light trucks to 90 decibels. That is five 
decibels lower than currently allowed. Transport Safety 
Minister Harry Duynhoven says at the same time a scientific 
warrant of fitness check will be introduced to measure vehicle 
noise outputs. He says there are too many excessively noisy 
vehicles on our roads, which annoy and distress the public. 
 
(As always, there is little point in enacting legislation when 
the enforcement agencies lack the resources to implement it. 
When was the last time you saw a report of a vehicle owner in 
court for excessive smoke emissions, for example?  - BH)

BACK UP POWER FOR WELLINGTON CBD
--------------------------------

Generators are being brought in today to ensure there are no 
further problems with the power supply to Wellington's CBD. 
Vector staff will be going door to door, apologising to 
businesses impacted by three power cuts in the past two days. 
Many say they have lost income at their busiest time of the 
year. Vector is investigating the cause of the problem, and 
says it may be linked to maintenance work that is being 
carried out at The Terrace sub-station.

AUCK'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN IN PERIL
---------------------------------------

An Auckland City Councillor is worried about plans to break a 
contract for affordable houses. The previous council signed a 
contract with the New Zealand Housing Trust to build 100 
houses which would be bought by lower income working families. 
However, the contract is now up for discussion at tomorrow's 
council meeting. Councillor Cathy Casey says the council has 
an obligation to both the project partners and the issue 
itself. She says Auckland has an acute housing problem and it 
is partly the council's responsibility to solve it. Dr Casey 
believes the council will look bad if it tries to get out of 
the contract. 
 
(We warned them not to re-elect Mr Banks - BH)

PUBLIC GETS SAY ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
------------------------------------

New Zealanders are being given the chance to have their say on 
domestic violence laws. The Ministry of Justice has released a 
discussion document for public consultation before possible 
changes are made to the Domestic Violence Act and related 
legislation. Ministry of Justice policy manager Justine 
Cornwall says the country has a comprehensive set of laws 
designed to protect people from violence in the home, but she 
says despite that, the number of reported domestic incidents 
continues to increase. Ms Cornwall says the ministry is aiming 
to look at how the Act can be further strengthened to respond 
to domestic violence. Submissions are open until the end of 
January.

GOVT TOLD TO FESS-UP OVER AERIAL SPRAYING
-----------------------------------------

The Greens want the Government to admit the aerial spraying 
for moth pests in West Auckland and Hamilton did cause health 
problems. An Ombudsman's Office investigation has been 
released, critical of some aspects of the spray programmes 
which took place between 2002 and 2004. It is recommending the 
public be told of what was in the spray Foray 48B, which was 
used against the painted apple moth in Auckland and the Asian 
gypsy moth in Hamilton. Greens health spokeswoman Sue Kedgley 
says the Government needs to acknowledge that contrary to 
constant denials, there were significant health side effects. 
She says those affected by the spray were left distressed, 
even more so when the Government denied there were any 
problems. Ms Kedgley says there needs to be an overhaul of the 
Biosecurity Act to ensure any future spray programme is 
monitored by the Minister of Health and not the Minister of 
Agriculture. Biosecurity Minister Jim Anderton says the 
Government did try to disclose the composition of Foray 48B to 
the public, but it was blocked by the manufacturer which would 
only release it to health authorities. Mr Anderton says while 
a small number of people were mildly affected by the spraying, 
some were relocated and received any necessary medical 
attention.

GENESIS WINS APPEAL AGAINST GREENPEACE
--------------------------------------

The Court of Appeal has overturned a decision which says 
climate change should be considered under resource consent 
law. Genesis Energy has appealed a High Court ruling won by 
Greenpeace in October last year. That decision said Genesis 
had to take climate change into account in plans for a new gas 
fired station in Rodney, north of Auckland. Genesis asked for 
legal clarification of the court's standpoint and the Court of 
Appeal has ruled climate change need not be a consideration 
for the company's resource management application to the 
regional council. Greenpeace says the decision has removed the 
only legal control on polluters' greenhouse gas emissions.

BENEFIT SWITCHING LABELLED A MYTH
---------------------------------

The Social Development Minister is debunking accusations 
beneficiaries are moving from the dole to sickness and invalid 
benefits. Ruth Dyson says only 8.5 percent of all unemployment 
benefit cancellations between September 1999 and September of 
this year have been as a result of recipients going on the 
sickness benefit. She says over the same period less than one 
percent went from the dole to an invalid benefit. Ms Dyson 
says the reason most people leave the unemployment benefit is 
to go into paid work. Unemployment is at a record low of 
around 20,000 people, but more than 100,000 people are 
collecting sickness and invalid payments.

PRIMARY TEACHERS RESUME PAY RISE BID
------------------------------------

Pay talks between the union for primary teachers and the 
Government resume this morning. The New Zealand Educational 
Institute has been in negotiations with the Ministry of 
Education over the collective agreement since August. Teachers 
want an extra $36 million each year for additional services 
such as special needs teachers. President Irene Cooper says 
the Ministry's initial offer of $7.2 million is not enough to 
be distributed amongst the country's 2,049 primary schools. 
She says teachers are prepared to take strike action when 
school starts back in February. Ms Cooper is pleased the 
bargaining will continue with fresh impetus.

Thursday, 13 December 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SHAKE-UP AT THE TOP OF CAPITAL AND COAST DHB
--------------------------------------------

A new Chair and Crown Monitor have been appointed to Capital 
and Coast District Health Board. The Crown Monitor, who will 
report directly to Health Minister David Cunliffe, is Dr Ian 
Brown an Obstetrician Gynaecologist. He is the current 
Director of Medical Services at Northland DHB. The new chair 
is Sir John Anderson, the current Chairman of TVNZ. Mr 
Cunliffe says Ken Douglas will remain as Deputy Chair to 
provide continuity.

GOVERNMENT SETTLES WITH WELLINGTON MAORI
----------------------------------------

The Government has settled its negotiations with Wellington 
Maori, giving them the chance to buy prime real estate on the 
region's waterfront. Treaty of Waitangi claims were lodged 
over the Taranaki Whanui's loss of land in the 19th Century. 
The settlement has acknowledged the group also lost their 
connection to the harbour, forests, waterways and natural 
resources. The deal is worth $25 million, and will give the 
group the chance to purchase up to $120 million worth of 
Crown-owned land around Wellington. The agreement will also 
see the renaming of Wellington Harbour to Te Whanganui a Tara, 
and will allow other sites to be renamed in Maori.

DAIRY FARMERS GET INCREASED PAYOUT
----------------------------------

Dairy farmers are welcoming a bigger pay out than expected. 
Fonterra has announced a forecast payment of $6.90 per 
kilogram of milk solids for the current season. It is 50 cents 
more than anticipated in August. Fonterra chairman Henry van 
der Heyden says the higher milk price is due to an increase in 
milk supply and sales. Federated Farmers dairy spokesman Frank 
Brenmuhl says the potential was there for the payout to reach 
$7.00, but he says farmers will be very pleased with the pay 
out, as around 40 percent will probably end up in government 
coffers. Mr Brenmuhl says when the money is received, farmers 
should be careful how they spend it. He says there is rapid 
escalation in farm and production cost, so while it is good 
news a lot will be offset by cost increases. Mr Brenmuhl says 
the money should be coming though from early next year 
although Fonterra has not indicated the date for the first 
payment. Dairy Exporter Magazine editor Glenys Christian says 
it is a $50,000 boost for the average farmer. She says there 
is talk that milk solid forecast may rise to $7.00, but that 
is a brave call, particularly as Fonterra has indicated this 
year will see the top of the cycle.

KIWIS KEEN ON VOTING BY TEXT
----------------------------

Telecom is surprised about the level of support for voting by 
text message. In an online poll conducted by Telecom and My 
Mobile magazine, 82 percent of people say they would be happy 
to vote electronically in an election. Rebecca Earl from 
Telecom says the company is putting the high support for the 
idea down to the fact cellphones are now an integral part of 
life. However, she says there is a long way to go before the 
idea of voting by text message gains traction. Ms Earl says 
there are a number of areas that would need some serious 
research. She says identification and security in particular 
would need to be addressed.

NZ WAGES WELL BELLOW AUSTRALIA'S
--------------------------------

Unions say there is no doubt low wages in New Zealand are 
driving workers to Australia. The Economic Development 
Indicators 2007 report reveals wages in every state of 
Australia now top those paid in New Zealand. Average full time 
wages in New Zealand are $906 a week whereas Perth workers are 
paid around $1,248 a week. Another key economic indicator, 
gross domestic product per person, also shows New Zealand is 
lagging behind. CTU economist Peter Conway says leaving wage-
setting to the market has not worked. He says wages were 
broadly comparable with Australia until the late 1980s, but 
fell to a 60 percent gap by 2002. Mr Conway says progress has 
been made in recent years, but the gap will only be closed 
through more widespread industry-wide collective bargaining, 
supported by ongoing improvements in productivity.

PAT ON THE BACK FOR NZ ON CLIMATE CHANGE
----------------------------------------

New Zealand is being held up as an example on climate change 
issues by the UN Environment Programme. It has given a news 
conference at the climate talks in Bali, which are being 
attended by 190 nations. Programme chief Achim Steiner says 
more countries should follow the examples of New Zealand, 
Costa Rica, and Norway and aim to wipe out their contribution 
to climate change altogether. Costa Rica is set to win the 
carbon neutral race by a mile, aiming to wipe all its 
emissions by 2021. However sceptics are pointing out that the 
three countries put up as examples all have small populations 
and plentiful renewable energy resources, especially 
hydropower. The United Nations aims to go completely carbon 
neutral, starting with offsetting the carbon footprints of its 
officials attending the climate talks.

FUNDING CARROT DANGLED FOR DIGITAL MEDIA
----------------------------------------

A million dollars a year is being put up by New Zealand on Air 
for new digital media projects. The Digital Content 
Partnership Fund will offer the money annually over the next 
four years. CEO Jane Wrightson says the funding was allocated 
during the last budget to look at new television and digital 
content options. She says rather than the agency setting out 
exactly what it wanted, it has left it up to applicants to put 
forward ideas about how best the money can be used for the 
benefit of the audience. Ms Wrightson says NZ on Air is 
looking for new collaborations and hopes radio, web, TV and 
music people will get together to find new ways of creating 
local content. The first application deadline is March.

Friday, 14 December 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TERTIARY FUNDING GOING UP
-------------------------

Funding to university and polytechnics will increase by $290 
million next year. The Tertiary Education Commission has 
released its funding announcement for the coming year. It will 
see more than $2.2 billion dollars of investment in 110 
tertiary education providers. Nearly two thirds of the extra 
money being pumped in next year will go to universities. TEC 
chair David Shand, says the announcement marks a significant 
milestone in the implementation of the new way of investing in 
tertiary education.

AUCKLAND-BEIJING FLIGHT ANNOUNCED
---------------------------------

Air New Zealand has announced a direct flight between Auckland 
and Beijing from next July. CEO Rob Fyfe has made the 
announcement in the Chinese capital. He says the world's 
attention will be on Beijing next year, but the flight will 
remain after the Olympics. Rob Fyfe says Chinese tourism 
numbers to New Zealand continue to boom, growing at 14 per 
cent year.

DOCTORS WILL STRIKE
-------------------

The country's senior doctors have voted to go on strike. This 
morning doctors made the decision at a meeting of their union, 
the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, although 
details of when and how many will strike are not yet known. It 
follows the rejection of pay rises offered by the district 
health boards in August.

PATIENTS TREATED IMMEDIATELY
----------------------------

Every emergency department patient with an urgent life-
threatening condition was treated immediately at hospitals 
nationwide, in the three months to September. The Ministry of 
Health says it is the first time it has ever been able to say 
that. The Ministry is basing the claim on reports from all the 
country's public hospitals that track emergency department 
performance. They show all urgent triage one patients were 
seen immediately. Fifteen district health boards met or 
exceeded the target for triage two patients, with 80 percent 
of people being seen within 10 minutes.

STUDY SHEDS MORE LIGHT ON SMACKING
----------------------------------

A Canterbury University study has linked child punishment and 
abuse with people's financial and relationship status. The 
study, which was done before the introduction of the anti-
smacking law, surveyed a group of 25-year-old parents and 
caregivers of children aged up to 15 years. Lianna Woodward, 
principal researcher at the Department of Psychology says 
young parents are less likely to smack if they are caring for 
fewer children, have low levels of financial stress and have 
not been smacked in their own childhoods. She says what went 
on when they were young does seem to play a major part in how 
they interact with the children they are caring for.

TIRED DRIVERS THE TARGET OF NEW AD CAMPAIGN
-------------------------------------------

A Government advertising campaign to combat tired drivers will 
be launched this weekend. The television ads are part of a new 
inter-agency strategy announced today by Transport Safety 
Minister Harry Duynhoven. Mr Duynhoven says driver fatigue 
contributed to more than 40 deaths and almost a thousand 
injuries in road crashes last year. He says the campaign will 
encourage tired drivers to share driving and take power naps. 
The adverts will run over the Christmas/New Year holiday 
period and again at Easter.

NO AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR AUCKLAND CITY
---------------------------------------

The Auckland City Council has scrapped its plan to build 
affordable housing. The last council signed a contract with 
the New Zealand housing Trust to build 100 homes for lower 
income families. The contract was worth $9 million. Mayor John 
Banks says it was a pet-project with the last council and one 
he did not agree with. He says he would much rather keep rates 
affordable than subsidise the construction of 100 new homes. 
Mr Banks believes local councils have no role in the provision 
of affordable housing. However, council member Cathy Casey is 
appalled the council has spent ratepayers money on legal 
advice trying to find a way out of the contract. She says the 
people of Auckland recognise there is a shortage of housing. 
Dr Casey says councils throughout the country are involved in 
housing, with the exception of Auckland's. She says the move 
sends the message that contracts with the council are only 
secure as long as the current council is in power.

GREENS WELCOME FOOD SAFETY REVIEW
---------------------------------

The Greens are welcoming a close look at the New Zealand Food 
Safety Authority. International expert Dr Stuart Slorach is to 
head an independent review of the authority's risk-management 
decision making processes. Green MP Sue Kedgley says it will 
be the first time the authority has been put under close 
scrutiny and she hopes it will mark a turning point in the way 
it operates. She says to date its approach has been marked by 
apparent bias and a pattern of putting trade interests ahead 
of consumer protection. Ms Kedgley hopes the review will lead 
to a more independent and impartial approach.

DAIRY FARMERS SET TO PUSH UP INFLATION
--------------------------------------

The Retailers' Association believes shop owners can look 
forward to a bumper year following Fonterra's latest message 
to farmers. The dairy giant has increased its milk solid pay 
out forecast to $6.90 a kilo, up 50 cents from the previous 
forecast. That is estimated to translate to an extra $50,000 
for the average dairy farmer. The pay-out is expected to flow 
through to farmers early in the New Year. Association 
spokesman Barry Hellberg believes cockies may look to buy new 
stock or new appliances for the family home. However, the 
increased pay-out may not be good news for the New Zealand 
economy, with the Institute of Economic Research warning it 
could push up inflation. Institute director Brent Layton says 
if farmers use the extra cash to buy up the neighbours' farm, 
that will put pressure on farm prices. He says if farmers 
splurge on cars or another lounge suite, that will add to 
general inflationary pressures. Mr Layton says the extent to 
which inflation is affected, will depend on how farmers deal 
with the pay out.

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