WYSIWYG NEWS - 11 September, 2007

[news at wysiwygnews.com]

Subject: 11 September, 2007 
----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------ 
Copyright, Brian Harmer. 

My thoughts and prayers to those who still girieve for the 
losses of this day.

My hitherto somewhat jaundiced view of Queenstown, has been 
that it is a truly lovely setting spoiled by an overdeveloped 
town. My view has softened somewhat after staying there for 8 
days, though I still think that many of the developments, 
especially those intended to provide accommodation for 
tourists are simply ugly, and run the risk of defacing the 
very beauty that the tourists come to see. Be that as it may, 
I should pick up the story where I left off last week. Having 
survived the Skippers road on Friday, I was ready for 
anything. On Saturday we had planned to go out on the Earnslaw 
to Walter Peak and it would have been the perfect day to do 
so. However, some friends of Andrew and Abbey from their 
Nelson days were staying in Wanaka, so plans were changed, and 
off we went to have lunch with them in the Speights Ale House 
over there. We took the direct route from Queenstown along SH6 
past Lake Hayes to the foot of the road over the Crown Range, 
avoiding the pretty but longer road through Arrowtown. The 
zig-zag climb up the southern end of the Crown Range road 
affords some spectacular views back towards Queenstown and the 
ever-imposing Remarkables, but only if you aren't driving. 
Perhaps because it was Sunday, the traffic on the road was 
light, with no heavy vehicles at all that I recall. This 
merely increased both the enjoyment of the journey, and the 
sense of the wild remoteness of the place. Following the road 
(there is very little option) brought us to Cardrona with its 
character pub, and a very full car park. We thought of 
stopping there, but figured that a drink with lunch in Wanaka 
would suffice, so we continued following the river on what had 
now become the Cardrona Valley road. Steep canyon walls 
continued to dominate until at last about 18km short of the 
lake, the road suddenly emerged into open farmland, 
disappearing all too rapidly under the developers' grasping 
hands. But enough, we arrived on the lakefront and parked 
outside the Wanaka Speights Ale House (a very well set up 
chain of pub/restaurants) and there we met Sue and Zane. After 
a convivial lunch and a refreshing ale, we admired the view of 
the lake for a while, before returning for a pleasant evening 
at home. I spent most of Sunday in bed suffering from some 
sort of 24 hour affliction in which every joint in my body 
ached. Happily it passed as the day wore on, so it was back to 
normal the next day. Which was just as well. On the Tuesday, 
after Andrew had finished his normal morning preparations in 
the restaurant, we all joined a nice bunch of their friends at 
the top of the Skyline gondola. Queenstown is very good at 
"packaging" so no big surprise that they go to some effort to 
sell other attractions with the ride to the top. We bought 
tickets which included five rides on the luge. I was 
definitely not up for bungee jumping or other even more 
hazardous adventures such as paragliding. As it was, the luge 
was sufficient for my creaking body. These are not the little 
sleds of the Olympic sport, but instead are small three 
wheeled fibreglass shells with a steering handle that doubles 
as a brake if you pull it back towards you. If you let go, the 
vehicle stops more or less instantly. I missed that when the 
system was explained to me. There are two nicely sealed luge 
tracks, of which one is reasonably gentle, not too steep and 
with wide curves, though it starts and stops at the same 
places as the fast track, so in reality I suppose you could 
ride it just as fast. Steeper drops and sharp corners 
characterise the other. The rule is that you must do your 
first ride of the day on the slower  track, and in my case 
this was just as well since I misunderstood the instructions 
on how to brake, and nearly lost it in a couple of places on 
the first ride. Located at the top of one of the steep hills 
behind the town, the luge track affords magnificent views to 
the South down lake Wakatipu towards Kingston, and to the West 
towards Walter Peak. I had my camera with me, labouring under 
the delusion that it would be possible to shoot pictures 
during the descent. Silly me. My first indication that this 
was not going to happen was when I flashed past Billie, waving 
from an overhead vantage point, and took one hand off the 
handlebars to wave back. After several wild lurches and a 
hasty recovery of the other handle, I resumed my ride to the 
bottom, where there is a neat little chairlift that carries 
riders and their trolleys back to the top for the next ride. 
Heavy looking rain clouds were advancing up the lake towards 
us, and we scrambled to complete our five rides. As it 
happened, the rain veered off towards the West, but 
nevertheless with the rapidly disappearing daylight the 
temperature was dropping and I was happy to eventually regain 
the warmth of the bar in the Skyline building which must 
surely have a view the equal of any bar in the world. The 
clouds disappeared as evening approached and this was great 
for the impending lunar eclipse. We went down the gondola 
again, and enjoyed an excellent meal at the bizarrely named 
Fatz Cat Ristorante Italiano. I have never been in a 
restaurant that ran out of steaks before, but they had, so I 
chose a cannelloni dish which was excellent. The meal got 
increasingly lively until at the end, we paid and went out to 
observe the eclipse now in full flight. The party resumed at 
Andrew and Abbey's house, but by then my energy levels were 
depleted, so I excused myself as gracefully as possible, and 
left the young folks to carry on. On my last evening there, we 
dined at Sombrero's, the Mexican restaurant which Andre and 
Abbey are currently operating. The last time I went to an 
authentic Mexican restaurant was in downtown Santa Rosa, CA. 
Really good food, but sadly that's almost 15 years ago. The 
food at Sombrero's  brought back those happy memories and I 
enjoyed an excellent meal there with Abbey and Billie (Andrew 
was working). The restaurant was busy and gets lots of repeat 
business, so that must be a good thing. If you go to 
Queenstown and want a change of cuisine, visit Sombrero's. 
It's upstairs in Beech Arcade on Beach Street. Ask for Drew 
and tell them WYSIWYG sent you. Of course he won't give you a 
discount (it's a business after all) but it would be nice to 
know that folks out there already know about him. On the last 
half day of my journey,  a bright and sunny morning, Andrew 
persuaded me to try the Shotover Jet ... a ride on the turbulent 
but shallow waters of the Shotover River in a boat powered by 
two marine jet units powered by two powerful Buick engines. 
Uniformly arrayed in waterproof coats and floatation devices 
the fourteen or so passengers clambered into the carefully 
moulded seats and hung grimly on to the rail ahead as directed 
by the staff. After the obligatory safety warnings, our driver 
sat in his seat and unleashed 500hp of mayhem. After a few 
trial 360 degree spins and a mild soaking, most of us were 
ready to do it. So the boat raced downstream under the road 
bridge and into a shady canyon. Since these boats are doing 85 
km/h at full speed, and since there was still a lot of snow on 
the nearby peaks,  the air temperature was extremely cold. The 
boat raced at that insane speed with inches of some serious 
obstacles, rocks and tree branches. Shingle bottomed, the 
Shotover does not run smoothly, and in places is just 10 cm 
deep. A boat hull hitting turbulent water at 85 km/h is quite 
exciting and at times I was tossed clear of my seat, held in 
place by nothing more than my white-knuckled grip on the rain 
ahead of me. It was a totally exhilarating experience, and I 
recommend it as a real thrill, especially if like me you are 
not quite brave enough to do the bungee thing. With 
considerable sadness I left Andrew and Abbey and dear wee 
Billie and returned to Wellington and home.  

Support continues to trickle in for WYSIWYG and we now have 
contributions to saty alive until approximately the end of June
2008. Many thanks to all those who have contributed. 

---- 
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. 

----  
On with the News.  
Monday, 3 September 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AIRPORT SHARES SAFE WITH CITY COUNCIL
-------------------------------------

Auckland City Council has decided not to sell its 12.75 per 
cent stake in Auckland International Airport. Voting on the 
proposal tonight, the council says it has listened to the 
people through their submissions. More than 90 percent of 
submissions were against the sale of the airport shares. 
People also wanted legislation in place to ensure future 
councils do not flog off the shares or other strategic assets 
owned by the council. The council will make an amendment to 
its Long Term Community Plan which will allow it to have the 
option of increasing its shareholding in Auckland Airport. It 
also wants to prevent any single investor from owning 50 per 
cent or more voting rights in the airport. Another 
international bidder has put up its hand to buy Auckland 
Airport. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board wants to buy 
a stake of up to 49 per cent. News of Canada's interest comes 
days after the Dubai Aerospace Enterprise offer for a majority 
stake in Auckland Airport was thrown into doubt.

HOUSING SLOWDOWN MORE OBVIOUS
-----------------------------

The country's housing slowdown is becoming more obvious, 
according to the latest BNZ Markets Outlook. Real Estate 
figures for August are likely to be out later this week, and 
the BNZ says they are crucial. If sales have continued to slow 
down; house prices stay static and days to sell come up around 
30, the bank says a housing slowdown will be firmly underway. 
It says the fact that the housing market is at long last 
starting to cool off would make many people a little edgy. It 
has the potential to take the steam out of the economy and 
expose many people who are in an over-leveraged position. The 
BNZ says New Zealand's economy would seem to be on the cusp of 
a long-overdue rebalancing. 
 
(A real estate agent in Wanganui told my brother that there 
had been an actual drop in the price of houses in Wanganui - I 
think most agents tend to claim that it ain't so. - BH)

VEST ROLL OUT A FIASCO CLAIM NATS
---------------------------------

National claims 2,000 stab-resistant police vests have been 
left in storage because they are too small for officers. The 
vests were meant to be rolled out in June last year, but 
police admitted hundreds were put into storage because the 
wrong size had been ordered. They say the vests in storage 
will be issued to officers returning from leave and new 
recruits. Officers also found the vests were uncomfortable and 
unable to fit under their duty jackets. National's associate 
police spokesman, Chester Borrows says the roll-out has been a 
disaster from the start. Police hope to have the vests in full 
use by the end of the year. 
 
(It seems likely that the police uniform shirt will need to be 
redesigned to fit in this jacket. - BH)

Tuesday, 4 September 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INVESTORS ADVISED NOT TO PANIC
------------------------------

Finance industry experts say the collapse of eight finance 
companies in 16 months does not mean there is a crisis. Nelson 
-based LDC Finance called in receivers last night. The company 
has assets of around $24 million and deposits of around $19 
million. Receiver Malcolm Hollis of PricewaterhouseCoopers 
says LDC had been having trouble attracting new money. He says 
existing investors have been unnerved by the collapse of other 
companies and have been pulling their money out. Mr Hollis 
says secured debenture holders will get quarterly 
distributions from the company. After that it will pay out to 
unsecured debenture holders and unsecured creditors. KPMG's 
chairman of Banking and Finance Andrew Dinsdale says people 
should not jump to conclusions. He says it does not mean LDC 
has any major problems, just that it did not have enough cash 
to operate after a number of customers panicked and withdrew 
their funds. Mr Dinsdale says the companies that have 
collapsed so far are small and the larger players in the 
finance company market are all still perfectly stable. 
 
(Another one bit the dust just yesterday. The small ones just 
seem to lack the resilience or resources to withstand the 
withdrawal of "on call" money. - BH)

IMMIGRATION AGENT JAILED FOR FAKING JOBS
----------------------------------------

An immigration agent has been jailed for two years and seven 
months for providing false job offers for his clients. Romney 
Lavea charged his mostly Chinese, Indian and Samoan clients 
for supplying the forged job offers. Labour Department 
Investigations Manager Carl Manning says the jail term sends a 
clear message that bending immigration rules will not be 
tolerated.

ANTI-FAMILY VIOLENCE CAMPIAGN LAUNCHED
--------------------------------------

Hundreds have gathered in Wellington for the launch of the 
Government's $14 million family violence prevention campaign. 
The campaign is aimed at violence against both children and 
adults. It encourages people to raise the alarm if they know 
of someone who is being abused. Much of the funding is going 
into community groups who will be providing support for 
victims. The campaign also involves advertising and a website 
and 0800 support number to alert authorities that domestic 
violence is occurring. Prime Minister Helen Clark says recent 
events involving deaths of small children are a tragic 
reminder of the urgency of the campaign. She says in most 
cases of family violence, people beyond and within the family 
know what is happening, yet do not speak up. Reverend Lapana 
Faletolu is appearing in the campaign's TV and radio ads. He 
says he is taking part to show real action is happening to 
make family violence stop. He says it is not just a matter of 
talking about it, it is a matter of acting. Reverend Faletolu 
says the statistics show that domestic violence in New Zealand 
is atrocious.

WELLINGTON HOSPITAL STRUGGLES WITH BABIES
-----------------------------------------

Wellington Hospital is struggling to cope with an influx of 
premature and sick babies. The neonatal ward is caring for 42 
babies today, when it has the capacity for 34 babies. The 
problem is being blamed on a mini baby-boom, with birth rates 
up 10 percent compared to five years ago. Officials at the 
Capital and Coast District Health Board say on all but eight 
days of last month the neonatal unit has been overflowing. At 
least 12 women with high-risk pregnancies have been 
transferred to other hospitals to give birth in the period.

POLITICAL LINKS TO ELECTORAL FINANCE CRITICISM?
-----------------------------------------------

There are potential political links in a fresh attack on the 
Electoral Finance Bill. Bell Gully partner Roger Partridge and 
Bell Gully solicitor Jesse Wilson have published a scathing 
article on the proposed legislation in the New Zealand Lawyer 
magazine. They have labelled the bill's proposals as 
misguided, chilling and in breach of the Bill of Rights. The 
Electoral Office's political party returns shows the firm 
handled a trust account for the National Party at the last 
election. The Bell Gully Trust Account donated $62,000 to the 
National Party.

NO EVIDENCE OF EQUINE FLU IN NZ
-------------------------------

Flu tests of all horses imported to New Zealand from Australia 
have come up negative. MAF's post border director Peter 
Thomson is contacting the owners with the good news, that 
there is no evidence equine flu has made it to New Zealand. Mr 
Thomson is asking horse owners to remain vigilant for signs of 
the disease. Horse imports from Australia remain suspended 
until further notice and MAF staff are continuing passenger 
checks and disinfection of all horse equipment from Australia. 
 
(So far, so good. Nevertheless the two markets seem to so 
intertwined that a disaster in Australian horse racing is a 
disaster here too - BH)

TARGET STANDS BY FORMALDEHYDE TESTS
-----------------------------------

TV3 programme Target is standing by its testing for 
formaldehyde in clothes. The results of the tests claimed 
levels of the chemical in clothing from China were hundreds of 
times above international standards. The Retailers Association 
has since done its own tests and found no traces of 
formaldehyde. It claims Target used the wrong tests and did 
not apply accepted standards. Target Executive Producer Laurie 
Clarke says at the time of the testing there were no standards 
in place in New Zealand. He says it is only because of the 
programme's story that standards have since been implemented. 
Mr Clarke says he stands by the tests. 
 
(If I understand correctly, they are still saying that there 
is more formaldehyde than there should be in these imported 
fabrics, even if the test done was not the standard ISO test - 
BH)

ANOTHER FINANCE COMPANY COLLAPSES
---------------------------------

Another finance company has gone bust. The receivers have been 
called in at LDC Finance. The company's board says it is 
having trouble attracting new funds, while existing customers 
are also pulling their cash out. LDC Finance says the collapse 
of other finance companies has led to an unsustainable level 
of demand for repayment of on-call deposits. About 1,000 
people have debentures or other investments with LDC, worth 
around $19 million. However it says it has assets of nearly 
$24 million. It is the eighth finance company to go under in 
the space of 16 months.

ANTI-SPAM LAW TAKES EFFECT TOMORROW
-----------------------------------

A new law aimed at preventing the scourge of internet and 
email spam takes effect tomorrow. The Unsolicited Electronic 
Messages Act means marketers have to get permission before 
sending email or text message adverts. The legislation only 
applies to spam produced in New Zealand and marketers have had 
the past six months to prepare for the new rules. Those caught 
breaking the law risk fines of up to $200,000 for individuals, 
or up to $500,000 for companies. 
 
(Frankly, I regard this law as almost a waste of time, as spam 
originating from NZ is such a minuscule fraction of the spam 
received that it will make no difference. Good to establish 
the principle, I suppose. - BH)

TELECOM FAULT HALTS LANDLINE TO MOBILE CALLS
--------------------------------------------

Work on the Telecom network has caused some problems for 
people trying to ring cell phones from a landline this 
morning. Planned work prevented 021 and 027 calls being 
connected from a landline in the Auckland region. A Telecom 
spokesman says the problem is now fixed.

NO FORMALDEHYDE IN CLOTHES CLAIM RETAILERS
------------------------------------------

A television consumer programme is being accused of sparking 
hysteria around formaldehyde levels in clothing. TV3's Target 
programme claimed levels of the chemical in clothing from 
China were hundreds of times above international standards. 
The Retailers Association says it wanted to find out more 
about the so-called poisonous clothes and commissioned 
AgResearch in New Zealand and textile testing centres in 
Shanghai and Hong Kong to carry out tests which detected no 
formaldehyde in garments tested. Association CEO, John 
Albertson, claims Target applied the wrong test which was not 
based on acceptable international standards. He says the 
inaccurate reporting has caused unnecessary upset and has put 
New Zealand's global reputation at risk. Mr Albertson says 
retailers and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs have worked 
closely to investigate the programme's claims and retailers 
supplied lists of clothing across a range of categories so 
that the government could randomly select and complete their 
testing process. He says at the same time, retailers submitted 
items for independent testing. "The Association is supportive 
of an industry standard based on international best practice 
as this will prevent such blatant misinterpretation of test 
protocols." Formaldehyde is used in clothing to prevent 
creasing. 
 
(So, is there "no formaldehyde" or is it "used to prevent 
creasing" ... the headline doesn't seem to match the content. - 
BH)

ECONOMY SET TO SLOW
-------------------

The economy will grow at its slowest rate in seven years over 
the coming months according to the New Zealand Institute of 
Economic Research. It warns inflation is a gathering menace 
and could lead to further interest rate increases. The private 
forecaster's quarterly predictions state the economy will grow 
1.3 per cent in the year to March, down from the 2.1 per cent 
growth forecast in the previous survey in May. It says 
domestic spending is shrinking, due to mortgage rates above 10 
percent. The NZIER predicts the recent drop in the value of 
the New Zealand dollar will lead to increased fuel costs, 
which will also take money out of consumers' pockets. 
Spokesman Brent Layton says the Reserve Bank is in a very 
difficult position with the inflation outlook not good, the 
economy growing very slowly and interest rates already at a 
level that should shrink the economy.

Wednesday, 5 September 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EQUAL PAY FOR YOUNG WORKERS NOW LAW
-----------------------------------

Young workers will now be paid the same as adults. Parliament 
has passed Sue Bradford's Minimum Wage Amendment Bill. It 
gives 16 and 17-year-olds the same rate of pay as older 
workers - provided they have worked 200 hours or spent three 
months in employment. National voted against the Bill, saying 
it will mean employers will choose more skilled workers, thus 
denying young people the chance to get their first job. But 
Sue Bradford says the new legislation is a good achievement 
for young working New Zealanders. 

BARBIE PLAYSETS IN TOY RECALL
-----------------------------

Barbie products are among the latest toys to be recalled by 
Mattel due to unsafe paint. The four Barbie playsets were all 
made in China and the company fears there are high levels of 
lead on the toys. In New Zealand, 285 of the toy sets have 
been sold and Mattel is directing concerned families to their 
website for more information - 
http://service.mattel.com/nz/recall/recall_info.asp The 
Ministry of Consumer Affairs says actual Barbie dolls are not 
included in the recall which has been ordered after an 
internal audit at Mattel.

EDUCATION PROVIDER INVESTIGATED BY SFO
--------------------------------------

A Waikato-based education provider is being investigated by 
the Serious Fraud Office. National Party education spokeswoman 
Katherine Rich has named the Pan-Chinese Association, which 
has a $75,000 early childhood education contract, as the 
organisation involved. She is demanding answers from Education 
Minister Steve Maharey as to why the SFO is investigating, 
when its brief is for cases involve fraud valued at over 
$500,000. Mr Maharey confirms the organisation is being 
investigated, but says it is not clear if it is connected to 
its involvement in Early Childhood Education.

SPRING SET TO BE WARM AND DRY
-----------------------------

The signs are all there for a good spring. NIWA has just 
released its climate outlook for the coming season. It says 
air temperatures should be average or above average for the 
entire country, and sea temperatures are expected to be warmer 
than normal as well. It could be a damp spring for those in 
the east of the North Island, but all other areas should have 
a drier few months than normal. Winds are also expected to be 
light and predominately westerly.

(That would be nice. Spring is most assuredly here, though I 
expect we will still get the odd burst of dirty weather. - BH)

ENTREPRENEUR TAKES A SWIPE AT TAX SYSTEM
----------------------------------------

An entrepreneur claims the tax system is biased in the favour 
of housing investment. Electronics guru Selwyn Pellett, the 
backer of two Deloitte/Unlimited Fast50 winning companies, has 
put his case to a Parliamentary Select Committee Inquiry into 
Monetary Policy. He argues it is immoral, unjust and 
economically flawed that property investors can write off tax 
losses against PAYE and shift tax burden onto other taxpayers. 
Mr Pellett believes more needs to be done to encourage 
investment in domestic businesses to create a level playing 
field. He says that would creates jobs and incomes here, 
whereas housing sees people go offshore to generate income, to 
come back and buy an over-inflated property. He would like MPs 
to consider allowing capital gains tax be applied to secondary 
properties. Mr Pellett says he knows that would be political 
suicide, but claims that could be offset if politicians from 
both sides of the house agreed to back the move. 
 
(Mr Pellett may be right. I worry when the ethics of a 
situation are assessed in terms of adherence to economic 
rationality - BH)

KIWIBANK SEES 61 PERCENT PROFIT JUMP
------------------------------------

A big jump in profit has been reported by Kiwibank. The New 
Zealand Post subsidiary has posted an annual result of $25.5 
million. That is up 61 percent on the previous year. Kiwibank 
chief executive Sam Knowles says it is a very satisfactory 
result in an increasingly competitive market.

JOHN KEY OUTLINES PLAN FOR ELDERLY CARE
---------------------------------------

National has outlined a discussion document on care for the 
elderly. Leader John Key announced details of the paper at the 
Health Care Providers Conference in Rotorua this morning. He 
says his party wants the introduction of longer term multi-
year contracts with providers, with agreed increases in 
funding each year. It would introduce a sector-specific 
Industry Training Organisation to oversee independent 
providers of training, so caregivers and nurses would have 
recognisable career paths and training opportunities. National 
would also require district health boards to contract for 
dedicated respite residential-care beds. Mr Key says having 
dedicated beds means that short-term care is always available 
and can be planned in advance, rather than being slotted in on 
an ad-hoc basis. Mr Key will not be drawn on how much National 
would invest in the area, saying it still needs further 
discussion and full details are likely to be released next 
year. The National leader has also targeted the issue of elder 
abuse and called for community vigilance. He says at the same 
time as New Zealanders look out for and report the welfare of 
children. it should also be looking out for vulnerable older 
people. "I am not talking about spying on your neighbours, I 
am talking about getting to know them, especially if they 
include an older person living alone."

BIDDING UNDERWAY FOR CARBON CREDITS
-----------------------------------

Meridian Energy says the auction of carbon credits on the 
website Trade Me, will help establish how much they are worth. 
The electricity company is trading the credits, targeting 
households with two lots of 20 credits and small businesses 
with one lot of a thousand. Meridian CEO Keith Turner says 
over the past four years, the company has sold a large volume 
of carbon credits to the Dutch and Swiss governments. He says 
while commercial confidentiality surrounds those transactions, 
Trade Me offers an open platform. Mr Turner says it will 
quickly become clear to see how much people are willing to 
pay. The latest bids for the lots of 20 credits are around 
$1500. Mr Turner says Meridian is testing the waters and the 
credit sale could lead to spin off in carbon trading among 
individuals. He predicts there could be some secondary trade 
on Trade Me with people buying 20 credits, hanging on to 10 to 
offset their carbon footprint and reselling the rest. Twenty 
credits is equivalent to a household's carbon emission per 
year. 
 
(This baffles me. Buying carbon credits does not improve the 
environment by one jot. As I said earlier, economics is not 
the same as ethics. - BH)

Thursday, 6 September 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NZ FIRM ON ANTI-NUKES STANCE
----------------------------

New Zealand is trying to get the APEC communiqué on climate 
change watered down, to take the emphasis away from the 
nuclear power solution being advocated by the US and 
Australia. US President George Bush and Australian Prime 
Minister John Howard have pressed the case of nuclear power as 
a way to reduce carbon emissions. The final communiqué will be 
decided on by the leaders who begin meeting over the weekend. 
Foreign Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand's nuclear 
free position should be well understood. He says APEC is a 21 
nation grouping and countries have different points of view. 
Mr Peters says it has to be acknowledged that a lot of work is 
being on alternatives to nuclear power, though the "magic 
bullet" has not been found. Visiting resident at Auckland 
University Terry Wynn, who is a former European Parliament 
member and energy expert, says New Zealand should reconsider 
its ban on nuclear power. He says it is an essential tool in 
tackling climate change. Mr Wynn says New Zealand's reliance 
on hydro and geothermal energy could be short-sighted. He says 
it is ironic that, given New Zealand's clean, green reputation 
and its nuclear-free status, it is shunning one of the 
cleanest and most efficient power sources available. Phillip 
Ross chairs the New Zealand Atomic Energy Advocacy Council 
agrees it is time for New Zealand to accept the need for 
nuclear. He thinks the nation will inevitably obtain nuclear 
energy, it is purely a question of when and under what 
circumstances. Mr Ross says there would advantages to doing it 
in conjunction with Australia, and New Zealand will be left 
behind if it does not take the opportunity.

NO LAW COMMISSION ADVICE FOR ELECTORAL BILL
-------------------------------------------

The Law Commission will not provide legal advice to the select 
committee considering the Electoral Finance Bill. The issue 
created a political firestorm last month, with National 
questioning the independence of Law Commission chairman Sir 
Geoffrey Palmer, given he has donated cash to the Labour Party 
and is a former Labour Prime Minister. Sir Geoffrey has told 
the Justice and Electoral Select Committee the Law Commission 
will not provide it with legal advice. He says had he been 
consulted on the move he would have told them it was not 
appropriate. Sir Geoffrey says he does not consider it 
appropriate for the Law Commission to provide advice on a 
matter of policy without first following its own open public 
submissions process.

OVERSEAS WORKERS SET TO FILL SEASONAL GAPS
------------------------------------------

The Government is moving to ensure there will be enough 
seasonal workers to fill thousands of available jobs. The 
Recognised Seasonal Employer Policy came into effect in April, 
allowing employers to bring in workers from the Pacific 
Islands. There was concern that by axing the existing Seasonal 
Worker Scheme, there would not be enough workers coming in. 
The Government has today announced the implementation of a new 
transitional policy, which is designed to meet the needs for 
employers who have moved onto the new scheme. Among the 
changes is allowing horticulture and viticulture workers on 
the Working Holiday programme to extend their stay by three 
months.

STATUS QUO FOR BEEF LEVY
------------------------

Some welcome news for farmers with Meat and Wool New Zealand 
opting not to increase the beef levy, after a series of 
meetings with those affected around the country. Chairman Mike 
Petersen says the board has taken note of comments received 
from 767 submissions after 14 meetings with farmers 
nationwide. He says there is clear support for the proposed 
work plan for 2007-08 which was drafted in May, with Meat and 
Wool receiving a mandate to increase the beef levy to achieve 
its goals. However, Mr Peterson says an updated financial 
position has shown that the need to raise levies can be 
avoided while still delivering programmes of merit to farmers. 
He says any shortfall of funds over the next two years will 
now be covered through the use of New Zealand Meat Board 
reserves.

TALKS CONTINUE OVER PYLONS
--------------------------

Federated Farmers is continuing talking with Transpower and 
politicians about the issue of power pylons on private land. 
Farmers say that currently, they provide free access to pylons 
on their land but it comes at a cost as it disrupts farming 
activities through restrictions on land use along line 
corridors and on land adjacent to lines. But farmers want to 
negotiate enduring assess and easement agreements which would 
give Transpower the ability to maintain and upgrade existing 
lines while recognising the implications on farmers. As a 
result of talks this week, a working committee of 
representatives from Transpower and Federated Farmers will be 
set up.

(I wonder on how many days a year does someone from the 
transmission company go near any particular pylon. I suspect 
that the inconvenience to the farmer is illusory - BH)

POSTAL WORKERS WELCOME LOST WAGES BACK
--------------------------------------

The Postal Workers Association is thrilled New Zealand Post is 
being made to repay docked wages to posties. New Zealand Post 
was ordered to pay the lost earnings after an Employment 
Relations Authority hearing ruled it was illegal to back-date 
a suspension notice. Postal Workers Association spokesman Mike 
Treen says it is a victory for staff who work in a very 
intimidating environment, for a low hourly rate. He says the 
industrial action taken by the postal workers was not a 
"secret-strike" as insinuated by New Zealand Post. 
 
(Sabotage ought not to be a legitimate weapon of industrial 
relations, in my opinion. Their action was to take letters 
intended for delivery and to re-post them. - BH)

POPCORN IN HEALTH SCARE IS ON SALE IN NZ
----------------------------------------

Microwave popcorn which has sparked a health scare in the 
United States is on sale in New Zealand. An American man who 
ate several bags of butter-flavoured microwave popcorn every 
day has developed a rare life-threatening lung disease. 
Doctors say could have been caused by an additive in the 
popcorn, diacetyl, which gives it the artificial butter 
flavouring. Workers at the plant where the popcorn is made 
have also come down with the illness. The popcorn, 
manufactured by ConAgra, is sold in over 130 countries around 
the world including New Zealand where it is marketed under the 
ACT Two brand. It is available in many New Zealand 
supermarkets and dairies and is popular with children. ConAgra 
says it will remove the additive from its product within a 
year.

NATS VOTE AGAINST YOUTH PAY RISE
--------------------------------

A National MP claims young people will suffer from new laws 
lifting pay rates. Parliament has narrowly passed the Minimum 
Wage Amendment Bill, by 66 to 54 votes, giving 16 and 17-year-
olds the same pay rates as adults, provided they have worked 
at least 200 hours or been in a job for three months. National 
and the Maori Party voted against the bill. National's 
Hamilton East MP David Bennett says the legislation will not 
help the young people who need assistance to get their first 
job as it will result in employers opting for older, more 
skilled workers. The Sue Bradford-drafted Bill originally 
called for the abolition of the youth rate, but was amended 
during committee stage. Ms Bradford says the bill in its final 
form is a little bitter sweet, but remains an achievement for 
young people.

INQUIRY INTO AMBULANCE SERVICE
------------------------------

An inquiry is underway into the standard of the country's 
ambulance service, amid fears that lives are being put at risk 
because of substandard operations. Figures show that in some 
parts of the country, 70 percent of ambulance callouts are 
attended by just one crew member, breaching the national 
standard. Sue Kedgley, chairwoman of the Parliamentary Health 
Select Committee, says concerns raised by the Federation of 
Ambulance Unions has prompted the inquiry. She says there 
needs to be assurance that when an ambulance is called, help 
will arrive. The federation is concerned about inadequately 
equipped vehicles and limited government vision. Parliament's 
Health Committee has called for the investigation. The union 
says it has identified problems with the crewing of emergency 
ambulances, specifically the over reliance on volunteers, the 
lack of higher level clinical staff in some areas and the use 
of single crewed ambulances in rural and provincial centres. 
It says single crewed ambulances negatively impact on patient 
care and are overused by Ambulance Service providers as a 
standard means to crew ambulances. The federation cites other 
areas of concern as the adequacy of vehicle coverage, the lack 
of professional registration, inadequately equipped vehicles 
to meet the varied geographic terrain, the education 
framework, lack of legislation, limited government oversight, 
performance accountability and the lack of integration into 
the wider health system and air ambulance network.

NUCLEAR ENERGY WON'T WASH WITH NZERS
------------------------------------

A foreign policy expert believes the US-Australia nuclear 
energy action plan will not be well received with New 
Zealanders. At a joint media conference ahead of the APEC 
meeting in Sydney, John Howard and George Bush have endorsed 
nuclear power as a form of clean energy to cut greenhouse gas 
emissions and save the world from global warming. Under the 
agreement, the countries will work together developing nuclear 
reactors in a bid to tackle climate change. Associate 
Professor Stephen Hoadley from Auckland University, says the 
agreement is appropriate for countries that do not have 
hydroelectricity but he says those who support Kyoto by 
reducing green house emissions through new technology, will 
regard the agreement as a cop-out. Mr Hoadley says despite the 
agreement, he doubts New Zealand relations with Australia or 
the US will be strained. However, Energy Consulting Engineer, 
Bryan Leyland, says nuclear power is a lot more reliable than 
the options the New Zealand government is looking at, which 
include wind generators. He believes Prime Minister Helen 
Clark should reconsider the government's objections to nuclear 
power.

Friday, 7 September 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'MATES RATES' COST DOUBLE OECD AVERAGE
--------------------------------------

A black mark for Telecom in the first league tables of how our 
phone companies perform against those of other OECD nations. 
The Commerce Commission ranks Telecom near the bottom of the 
pile for every type of customer. On one measure - the FLEXI 
Anytime call plan for medium users of mobile phones - Telecom 
is 30th out of 30; the most expensive in the OECD. Telecom's 
so-called 'Mates Rates' prepaid plan, which is sold to people 
who make very little use of their mobiles, comes out at almost 
double the average cost of similar plans elsewhere. Vodafone 
plans score slightly better, although people who do not make a 
lot of calls or send many text messages still pay much more 
than they would elsewhere. High volume users and businesses 
fare slightly better, but still paying well over the OECD 
average. On home phones we lag as well, down in the late 
twenties on pretty much every scale, meaning costs are in the 
top five. The one bright spot in the survey is for heavy users 
of land lines in Wellington and Christchurch, who have their 
phone services billed by TelstraClear. They come in a fraction 
cheaper than the average a similar user would pay elsewhere in 
the OECD. Full tables can be found on the Commerce 
Commission's website. 
 
(I think Bruce Simpson summed this up well in his blog - 
http://www.aardvark.co.nz/daily/2007/0910.shtml "That's news? 
Did someone out there not know this already?" - BH)


VACCINE DELAY UPS MENINGOCOCCAL RISK
------------------------------------

New Zealand's stocks of Meningococcal B vaccine have run out, 
leaving some children at a slightly higher risk of contracting 
the deadly disease. A further shipment is due to arrive today, 
but quality control tests will delay its distribution until 
next week. The delay is being blamed on the producers, 
Novartis Pharmaceuticals, shifting operations to a new site. 
Nikki Turner from the Immunisation Advisory Centre says many 
GPs still have supplies, but some have run out which will 
delay immunisation for their patients by a couple of weeks. 
She says there is a small risk to the children who face 
delays. Ms Turner says it is more of a nuisance than anything, 
as patients can get most of their vaccinations, but will then 
have to go back for MeNZB.

ARMY DRIVER TRAINING CRITICISED
-------------------------------

The army has come in for more criticism of its driver training 
in the Coroner's report into the death of a young soldier in a 
Unimog crash near Blenheim a year ago. Private Meredith Simms 
was killed when the truck the 18-year-old was a passenger in 
rolled down a steep ravine and onto a railway line. The 
driver, 19-year-old Private Khan Hogg, was badly injured. 
Blenheim coroner Peter Radich says Private Hogg was relatively 
inexperienced in driving a loaded vehicle with a high centre 
of gravity. He says the Unimog's load was probably heavier 
than usual, and there may have been some misjudgement on the 
part of the driver. The coroner says there should be review of 
the training programme for army drivers. He also calls for a 
review of the maintenance procedures for army vehicles.

BONUS FOR WAREHOUSE SHAREHOLDERS
--------------------------------

The Warehouse has declared a special dividend of 35 cents per 
share, following the sale of its Australian subsidiary and the 
disposal of various property assets. The payment will be fully 
imputed, and in addition to an ordinary dividend of 5.5 cents 
per share from operating activities. The company says it is 
declaring the dividend now in order to maximise the benefit to 
shareholders in advance of the new PIE regime, which 
particularly affects institutional shareholders. The Warehouse 
will announce its figures for the year on September 14th, and 
the company says it is considering further capital management 
initiatives in the 2008 calendar year.

CHILDREN HAVE TOO LITTLE IRON
-----------------------------

A new study has found New Zealand children are suffering from 
low iron levels. Research published in the Journal of 
Paediatrics and Child Health finds toddlers with iron 
deficiency can be grumpy, inattentive and more prone to 
viruses. At worst, low iron levels can affect the development 
of the brain. Dr Marguerite Dalton says the cause may be 
children being weaned off breast milk too early, and going 
onto milk which is not suitable for their age. She says it is 
also possible they are not going on to foods which a properly 
fortified with iron. Dr Dalton says parents need to balance 
what their children eat, choosing foods which are high in 
iron.

GOVERNMENT SHORTSIGHTED ON NUCLEAR POWER
----------------------------------------

Campaigners for nuclear power say the Government is being 
short-sighted in not looking at adopting the high tech power 
source. The leaders of Australia and the United States have 
been talking up nuclear power at the APEC conference in 
Sydney, promoting it as a way of being environmentally 
responsible. George Bush and John Howard argue it is a way to 
reduce carbon emissions and therefore global warming. Chairman 
of the New Zealand Atomic Energy Advocacy Council Phillip Ross 
says New Zealand is in danger of being left behind. He says 
the government is pandering to short-term political expedience 
with an almost ritual rejection of any suggestion of nuclear 
technology. Phillip Ross says New Zealand should work with 
Australia to develop nuclear power. However, there is also 
some sympathy for the government, which is expected to try to 
get any reference to nuclear power in APEC's final communiqué 
on climate change, watered down. Head of Climate Change 
Services at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Julia Hoare, says New 
Zealand is in a much better position than either Australia or 
the United States, to find alternatives to nuclear power. She 
says wind energy and new wave technologies now being 
developed, will provide us with plenty of alternatives. Julia 
Hoare says just 34 per cent of New Zealand's power is 
dependent on carbon-emitting fossil fuels - which is a very 
low figure internationally. 
 
(I remain opposed. Until there is a safe method of waste 
disposal, and until insurance companies cease to exclude 
nuclear radiation from their policies, I do not accept that 
this is a safe method of generation. - BH)

NEW RULES DRAFTED FOR FINANCE COMPANIES
---------------------------------------

It is hoped urgency will be given to law changes intended to 
strengthen the supervision of finance companies. Acting 
Chairman of the Securities Commission Colin Beyer is proposing 
a raft of changes designed to give the trustees of finance 
companies greater powers. They will include requirements for 
detailed monthly reports and advance notice of any major 
transactions. The companies will be required to be up front on 
issues such as liquidity, the quality of assets and 
reinvestment rates by depositors. Mr Beyer hopes the changes 
will improve the way the finance industry is regulated, but is 
not willing to say whether it will be enough to stem the 
current panic amongst investors.  He expects there will be a 
certain amount of disruption to markets for the next few 
months before things settle down. Colin Beyer hopes the 
proposals will become law by the end of the month.

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