WYSIWYG NEWS - 25 February, 2008

[news at wysiwygnews.com]

Subject: 25 February, 2008 
----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------ 
Copyright, Brian Harmer.

Tragedy in the air coloured the week for our family. David 
Fielding, fine young man, very close to one of my sons since 
high school, and a well known helicopter rescue pilot was 
killed in a mid air collision over Paraparaumu this week while 
training another helicopter pilot. Sudden death involving 
young people seems to knock the world off its gimbals, and 
life is disoriented for those left behind. The shocking thing 
is our sense of all those hopes, intentions, and dreams now 
forever unfinished. The little girl who will never know her 
father, the planned wedding that will not now take place, so 
many things now out of reach. 

I have heard it said that each day should be lived as if it 
were your last. Taken literally, that is slightly nonsensical. 
Obviously there is insufficient time today to do all the 
things you still want to do, even if you pare the list down to 
the important things. From my perspective, I would like to 
live each day content with myself and my relationships with 
all who are dear to me. Of course the pressures of each new 
day often divert me from that point of view. Rest in Peace, 
Dave, the world is poorer for your passing. My deepest 
sympathies go out to his partner Maria, his tiny daughter 
Alyssa, his parents and family members, and to all his many 
friends especially my son.
  
Mary is currently in Townsville in what seems to be the 
beginning of a heat wave. The weather is said to be beautiful 
one day, perfect the next. However they have recently had some 
of the monsoonal rains which change the landscape each year. I 
am told by my eldest son David in Brisbane that Queensland is 
at present suffering drought over 80% of its land area, and 
the other 60% is flooded. :-) Our Australian domiciled family 
have been anxious that Mary should not put her feet in any of 
the murky flood waters for fear of the unseen crocodiles that 
are often carried into unlikely places during such flooding. 
As I have told them, Mary depends on a higher power to achieve 
her goals, so I fear for the crocodiles.
 
Here in Wellington, the weather has been fine but 
uncharacteristically humid, and now at the end of the week, 
the tail end of a tropical depression is delivering some 
sporadic rain. No fewer than three cruise liners passed 
through the city this week, including the Queen Victoria which 
is indeed an impressive monster of a ship, admirable in its 
way, but lacking the elegance of lines and visual beauty of 
the QE2 passing through on its final voyage. Beauty is, of 
course, in the eye of the beholder, which brings me to the 
proposed design for the new Wellington International Airport 
terminal building. All of the illustrations released so far 
have provoked howls of outrage, and suggestions that it was 
designed for the town of Bedrock by the well known architects, 
Hanna Barbera. Mayor Kerry Prendergast was delighted with it, 
praising it for being 'edgy'. I took to the online version of 
the OED and found that edgy is used in the sense: "challenges 
received ideas or prevailing aesthetic sensibilities; at the 
forefront of a trend." Challenging prevailing aesthetic 
sensibilities is an insufficient excuse for ugliness. Make 
your own judgment after visiting the airport's website 
http://www.wellington-
airport.co.nz/html/business/popup/TheRock.html where they 
acclaim their 'bold and dramatic design, affectionately tagged 
"The Rock"'. Affectionately? By whom? This is PR hype at its 
worst. By my admittedly unscientific assessment, 95% of public 
comment has expressed revulsion for the design. See also 
http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/thewanderer/2008/02/19/wellington
-airport-gets-pimped/

----  
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. 

Sponsorship this week is by my old friend David Farrar who has 
been a friend of WYSIWYG since its beginning in 1994 - thanks 
David. 
----  
On with the News. 

Monday, 18 February 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE JONESES IN LIQUIDATION
--------------------------

Fixed-fee real estate company The Joneses has gone into 
liquidation. The company is neither confirming nor denying 
whether it has folded, saying it will make a statement later 
this afternoon. The Real Estate Institute says The Joneses has 
sent notices to vendors, saying it has going into liquidation. 
President Murray Cleland says it is yet another discount real 
estate company failing. He says it is probably disappointing 
for The Joneses, but it just did not work. An employee, who 
does not wish to be named, says he is distraught at the news. 
He says staff members were told to clear out their desks this 
morning and that the company would be in touch soon. He says 
there were no warning signs and everyone is "gutted". Property 
owner Brent Jefferies engaged The Joneses to sell his home and 
says he is now $1,400 out of pocket. "We paid money up front 
as they ask you to do. You have to pay a fixed marketing plan 
every week and that's what we were doing. And we got a phone 
call today saying that as of today they were in liquidation." 
Earlier today The Joneses pulled in the plug on an attempt to 
get listed on the share market citing continued volatility of 
the global capital markets and conditions to raise additional 
capital had not been met. 
 
(I am convinced the basic idea was sound. The cost of selling 
a $800,000 house is not a cent more than the cost of doing the 
same for a $400,000 house. By what economic logic should the 
agent get more for one than the other? - BH)

DEBATE OVER MEDAL REWARD MONEY
------------------------------

The custodian of the returned war medals hopes the thieves do 
not see a cent of the reward. All 96 of the stolen military 
honours have been recovered, but police will not say how much 
of the $300,000 reward has been paid. The money will today be 
transferred to the account of Chris Comeskey, the barrister 
who acted as go-between to arrange the deal. Director of the 
Waiouru Army Museum Colonel Raymond Seymour says it would be 
wrong for the thieves to profit from the heist. He says if 
they have, he wants the money taken off them if charges are 
ever laid. Colonel Seymour says security at the museum is 
being reviewed and expects significant changes will be made. 
The Prime Minister says she is over the moon the medals are 
back. Helen Clark says we do not know yet if the criminals 
have got away with it, with the police continuing to say they 
will be working on making arrests. The English lord who put up 
most of the reward money, Lord Ashcroft, has praised the 
efforts of the police. He says they have been highly 
professional in what is an unusual case - and he has pledged 
to heed their request not to speak about some details. Lord 
Ashcroft says he has no regrets in offering a reward, in spite 
of the probability the money is going to the people who took 
the medals in the first place. He says the awards are a vital 
part of New Zealand's heritage. Lord Ashcroft says it was 
always clear from the beginning that the thieves may be 
enriched, and there will be some who would prefer the medals 
were not returned under such circumstances. 
 
(I know many, including some dear to me, who think the reward 
was at best disproportionate, and at worst, inappropriate. 
Personally I think those medals were very important, and am 
glad they are back. - BH)

MINISTER URGES SWIFT ACTION ON DISPUTES
---------------------------------------

Medical staff and District Health Boards are being urged to 
resolve issues quickly, to avoid lengthy industrial disputes 
like the one in Canterbury. Staff at four Canterbury hospitals 
have now settled their long-running contract dispute, avoiding 
the possibility of strike action next week. Health Minister 
Annette King says the dispute was ten years in the making with 
nurses feeling undervalued. She says there is no quick fix to 
a decade of neglect.

MORE PEOPLE TAKING THE BUS
--------------------------

Christchurch has seen a marked increase in bus use over the 
past few months. Passenger numbers are up 10 percent for the 
month of January, compared with last year, and five percent 
higher for the six months to the end of last year. Environment 
Canterbury says it shows there is good reason to feel positive 
about the future. Public passenger transport committee 
chairwoman Carole Evans says the increased uptake is partly 
thanks to plenty of summer activities in the region.

RABBITS BECOMING IMMUNE TO CALICIVIRUS
--------------------------------------

Over the past two years, there has been an increase in the 
number of rabbits on Canterbury farms now immune to the 
natural Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease, or Calicivirus. Annual 
figures collected at the end of each Spring show the McKenzie 
Basin, Amuri and the Ashburton Hill Country are three areas 
where rabbit numbers are rising. In some places there are now 
more rabbits than before the disease was introduced. 
Environment Canterbury biosecurity team leader Brent 
Glentworth says over the region, there has been an average 
increase of two rabbits per square kilometre. Mr Glentworth 
says they are telling farmers to take rabbit control seriously 
as there are now a lot more rabbits in parts of Canterbury.

SAFETY CONCERNS RAISED AFTER MID-AIR CRASH
------------------------------------------

There are concerns about safety at Paraparaumu Airport, after 
a mid-air collision which has left three people dead. A 
helicopter and a light plane crashed yesterday morning, 
showering debris onto a residential street and the Paraparaumu 
Placemakers store. The main body of the helicopter is still in 
Placemakers' timber yard, where it landed. Concerns have been 
raised because the airport does not have an air traffic 
controller, despite being one of the busiest flight schools in 
the country. Aviation expert Peter Clark says Paraparaumu is 
becoming busier all the time with parachuters, gliders, and 
helicopter and light aircraft training. He says air traffic 
control needs to be looked at, and pilots need to be extra 
vigilant and follow all the proper procedures. Mr Clark says 
airports with air traffic controllers are safer, but it comes 
down to who is going to pay for it. Paraparaumu Community 
Board chair John Haxton says with a development planned for 
the airport and the introduction of commercial flights next 
year, safety is becoming more important. He says fixed wing 
and helicopters are flying in different directions, which he 
believes is a recipe for disaster. John Haxton says the 
airport is also one of only a few in New Zealand which is 
close to a residential area. Two air safety investigators will 
today continue examining the wreckage of the crash. Witness 
Ron Nippert says part of the plane went through the roof of 
the house of one of his relations, leaving a hole around a 
metre in diameter. CAA spokesman Bill Sommer says it could 
take some time to work out what went wrong. He is urging 
anyone who saw the crash to contact police, who are already 
interviewing a number of eyewitnesses. It is likely to be 
several days before debris is cleared from the scene. 
Inspector John Spence says a specialist victim identification 
team is working to remove the victims' bodies. He says it is 
incredibly lucky no-one on the ground was injured. 

NATIONAL HOLDS 19 POINT LEAD
----------------------------

National has maintained a huge lead over Labour in the latest 
political poll. The One News - Colmar Brunton poll gives 
National a huge lead with 53 percent support to Labour's 34 
percent. Leader John Key is also enjoying a rise in his 
personal popularity. 36 percent of respondents named him as 
preferred Prime Minister, Helen Clark has dropped three points 
on the scale, to 27 percent. There were falls in the support 
shown for both the major parties since December, while the 
Greens are up to six percent, and the Maori Party has doubled 
its support to 3.3 percent. New Zealand First falls to just 
1.7 percent. 
 
(It seems highly improbable to me that short of some kind of 
melt-down or scandal within National, Labour can find any way 
to reverse this trend. - BH)

Tuesday, 19 February 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OWEN GLENN SAGA CONTINUES TO UNFOLD
-----------------------------------

The Prime Minister is adamant she has had no involvement in 
the latest furore surrounding Labour Party donor Owen Glenn. 
The businessman, who has donated around half a million dollars 
to Labour, has spoken of his desire to be New Zealand's 
honorary consul to Monaco. Helen Clark says she has never 
spoken to Mr Glenn about it, but is aware that he has 
expressed an interest. Miss Clark says Mr Glenn has said he 
had breakfast with Foreign Minister Winston Peters and 
discussed it. She maintains the matter is for Mr Peters and 
his Foreign Affairs people to handle. Miss Clark accepts his 
comments have not been particularly helpful, but says in her 
job "you have to take it on the chin". National is challenging 
Mr Glenn's loan, claiming it is in breach of electoral laws. 
Leader John Key has also questioned why Mr Glenn was 
recognised on the New Years Honours List. He challenged Prime 
Minister Helen Clark to assure the public Mr Glenn did not get 
the recognition as a favour for helping Labour pay off the 
$800,000 election debt it incurred from its pledge card.

OLYMPIC BOSSES BACK DOWN ON GAGGING ORDER
-----------------------------------------

The New Zealand Olympic Committee has backed down on its rule 
that would have restricted what national athletes could say at 
the Beijing Olympics. Sports Minister Clayton Cosgrove says 
the committee will now recommend that the clause will be 
amended to bring it into line with other countries. The clause 
effectively banned New Zealand athletes from speaking out on 
any political matters while in Beijing. Mr Cosgrove says he 
expressed his reservations about it to Olympic officials. 
Athletes from other countries are given more freedom to speak 
out during the games. 

(This was probably never more than a hypothetical problem, but 
I am glad that the repugnant clause is removed. As one 
Olympian remarked on radio earlier this week, most people who 
are this level in their sport tend to have a very focussed 
approach to life, and give little thought to the politics of 
other countries. - BH)

PRIVACY OF NATIONAL REGISTERS QUESTIONED
----------------------------------------

The Law Commission wants a year long review of all public 
registers in the country to ensure they protect privacy. It 
wants over a hundred public lists looked at, including rates 
databases, dog , transport and company registers, electoral 
rolls, and births, deaths and marriages. Law Commission 
president Sir Geoffrey Palmer says such registers need to be 
open to the public for all sorts of reasons, from tracing 
fraudulent company directors to locating a qualified plumber. 
But he says the information they contain needs to be protected 
so it cannot be used for more dubious purposes, such as 
identity theft or harassing people.

RISE IN HALF YEAR PROFIT FOR TOURISM HOLDINGS
---------------------------------------------

Tourism Holdings has recorded four percent rise in half year 
profit to $4.9 million. The company says it has had continued 
good performance in its rental vehicle business, particularly 
in Australia. It has also retained shareholdings in joint 
ventures involving coach lines. The company is keeping its 
dividend at five cents per share. Tourism Holdings has been 
the target of a failed takeover offer from Australia's MFS 
Living and Leisure Group. Last year, MFS offered $2.80 a 
share. Tourism Holdings shares are trading at $1.94 today.

MP CLAIMS RESTRUCTURING WON'T BENEFIT FARMERS
---------------------------------------------

New Zealand First believes farmers have realised that the 
restructuring of dairy giant Fonterra would leave the company 
in foreign hands. The company has abandoned plans to hold a 
crucial vote in May to split the company into two and list on 
the stock exchange. It says there are misunderstandings and 
misinformation about the capital structure and farmers need 
time to think about the proposal. New Zealand First MP Doug 
Woolerton is welcoming the delay to the vote, saying it has 
come about because farmers are aware of what the move would 
mean. He says if it succeeded, farmers would become beholden 
to the non-farming shareholders who would control Fonterra. Mr 
Woolerton hopes the dairy company does not use what he calls a 
propaganda machine to put pressure on farmers to agree to the 
proposal. He claims restructuring the company is not in the 
interests of farmers.

(It appears that Farmers were against the idea. The company's 
management seems to be operating on the principle of never 
giving your boss the chance to say "no", so have withdrawn 
temporarily until they can find a way to make it more 
acceptable to their owners. I hope the farmers are not fooled. 
- BH)

COUNCIL ADAMANT NO DELAY TO AIRPORT DECISION
--------------------------------------------

The Kapiti Coast District Council is being urged to hold-off 
on all decisions regarding the future of Paraparaumu Airport 
in the wake of Sunday's fatal mid-air collision, in which 
three people were killed. The council is due to decide within 
weeks whether to change the District Plan to allow the 
controversial $450 million redevelopment to go ahead. The 
proposed upgrading of the airfield would allow Air New Zealand 
to operate flights between Auckland and Christchurch using a 
50-seat plane and would include the building of retail outlets 
and a business park. Some residents are concerned the plans 
focus too much on big retail outlets and not on aviation. Alan 
Tristram from the group the Paraparaumu Airport Coalition says 
the findings of the investigation could alter the way the 
airport operates and any decisions should be put on hold until 
the report is made public. He says the retail development 
plans would put thousands more people in close vicinity of 
aircraft. However Kapiti Mayor Jenny Rowan says the council 
intends to stick with its original timeframe and a decision is 
expected by the end of next month. The issue will then be open 
for appeal. On Sunday, the Cessna piloted by 17-year-old Bevan 
Hookway and being flown over Paraparaumu collided with a 
helicopter with 19-year-old student pilot James Taylor and 30-
year-old flight instructor David Fielding onboard. All three 
men died.

THE JONESES DOOMED SAYS RIVAL
-----------------------------

The chairman of a rival real estate firm claims there was no 
way The Joneses could ever have survived by offering a flat 
fee instead of the industry standard percentage-based fee. The 
Joneses has gone into voluntary liquidation, but is assuring 
clients their money is safe. First National Real Estate 
chairman Colin Wilson says the company was doomed from the 
start because its agents were never able to form solid 
relationships with vendors on a flat fee. He says The Joneses 
probably spent too much money on marketing, outstripping its 
income. Insolvency specialists Meltzer Mason Heath took 
control of the company yesterday morning and liquidator Mike 
Lamacraft says accountants are slowly working their way 
through the company's finances. He says the first report will 
hopefully be released to creditors on Thursday or Friday. He 
says every client has been contacted and offered alternative 
real estate agents.

(Several key figures from the real estate industry have 
triumphantly claimed that the failure of the Joneses "proves" 
that the model was flawed. None has produced any evidence to 
that effect. - BH)

SUPPORT FOR SOLAR PLANE
-----------------------

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has signed 
an agreement offering support for a solar airplane that will 
fly around the world with no fuel and zero emissions. Solar 
Impulse is building the first prototype airplane that aims to 
demonstrate the feasibility of flying day and night, propelled 
only by solar energy. IATA will become an institutional 
partner of the company to provide support including assistance 
in obtaining air traffic control clearance. Director General 
of IATA Giovanni Bisignani, says the alliance is looking 
towards zero carbon emissions for future air travel and he 
believes solar power is one of the building blocks that will 
make this happen. The first test flights will take place early 
next year when the plane will fly around the world with five 
stop-overs.

Wednesday, 20 February 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY MANAGER'S THREAT INVESTIGATED
--------------------------------------------------

Parliament's Speaker is investigating claims a Ministry of 
Environment manager threatened a man who had just presented a 
submission at a select committee. Consultant Warren Snow had 
presented his speech to the Local Government and Environment 
Committee in which he criticised aspects of the Environment 
Ministry. He says during the lunch break, ministry manager 
Steve Dixon told him he was not doing himself any favours by 
being critical. Environment Minister Trevor Mallard says Mr 
Dixon was wrong to make the threat, and apologies have been 
made. National says it is another example of the culture 
within the Environment Ministry, where it is having to warn 
people not to criticise the Government.

CAPITAL AND COAST FORECASTS $26M DEFICIT
----------------------------------------

Financial woes at Capital and Coast District Health Board are 
set to get even worse. Figures released last year revealed the 
DHB was facing a deficit of $13 million, instead of a planned 
$13 million surplus. Today the DHB has told Parliament's 
Health Select Committee that figure is to double and the DHB 
is expecting to be $26 million in the red, almost $14 million 
worse than it had budgeted for. National Party health 
spokesman Tony Ryall is seeking assurances the deficit will 
not blow out further, especially given an audit report 
critical of the DHB's systems. He says it has found faults 
with inventory processes and wants to know how the DHB can be 
sure its deficit will be $26 million and not $36 million. 
CCDHB interim CEO Dr Derek Milne says improvements are being 
made to systems, but will take three years to fully achieve.

ULTIMATUM FOR HAWKE'S BAY DHB
-----------------------------

Health Minister David Cunliffe has issued an ultimatum to the 
Hawke's Bay District Health Board. He is giving the board a 
week to address what he describes as a deteriorating 
governance situation, saying he will otherwise consider 
replacing it with an independent commissioner. Mr Cunliffe 
says he is concerned at the DHB's financial situation, its 
failure to discharge its responsibilities and dysfunctional 
relationships within the board and with himself. The board has 
a week to give a written response and the Minister says he 
will not meet with it in the meantime.

HOSPITAL SYSTEM "NOT IN CRISIS"
-------------------------------

The Health Minister says the New Zealand hospital system is 
not in crisis and its mistake rate compares favourably with 
other OECD nations. A Quality Improvement Committee report 
from district health boards has revealed 182 patients fell 
victim to a serious or life threatening mistake last year. It 
is the first time such information has been made publicly 
available. The error rate works out at 2.2 mishaps for every 
10,000 patients, which is better than many countries, 
including Australia and the United States. Health Minister 
David Cunliffe says the reality is New Zealand hospitals are 
among the safest in the world. But he says that does not mean 
the nation cannot do better and transparency is the best way 
for the health sector to improve. Mr Cunliffe says it is also 
of little comfort to families whose lives have been affected 
by hospital mistakes. Quality Improvement Committee chairman 
Pat Snedden agrees the report deals with sensitive issues and 
families who have been hurt and harmed by the health system. 
He says while DHBs wanted the information released, they do 
not want to see it trivialised in the media with headlines 
like "killer hospitals", which he says is quite unfair, and 
quite untrue. Dr Pat Snedden says officials are still ironing 
out the kinks in the voluntary reporting system. He says it is 
the first time the figures have been pooled together and they 
will be more relevant when they are compared year upon year.

GROUP CLAIMS NATS BACK CHANGING SMACK LAW
-----------------------------------------

The Greens are putting the hard word on National over exactly 
where it stands on child discipline. MP Sue Bradford is 
concerned at a comment from Family First spokesman Bob 
McCroskie. He has claimed National supports amending her anti-
smacking legislation, despite voting for it last year. Ms 
Bradford wants to know if there is any truth to this and is 
demanding National leader John Key front up and explain 
exactly what is going on. A National Party spokesman says they 
have no clue where Mr McCroskie got the idea.

HIV STEREOTYPES CHALLENGED
--------------------------

A few gutsy women are the face of an HIV campaign which is 
challenging old stereotypes. Positive Women has launched the 
campaign, which sees the faces and profiles of HIV-positive 
women on buses, on websites and in magazines. Its spokeswoman 
says the rate of heterosexual HIV infection in New Zealand has 
been steadily increasing to the point where, two years ago, it 
surpassed the rate of male homosexual infection. Wellington 
postie and mother Beate Lutz says people tend to incorrectly 
stereotype those who suffer from HIV as drug users or 
prostitutes. She says there needs to be faces profiled to show 
that women and children also suffer from the virus. Ms Lutz 
has lived with HIV for 13 years and chose to lend her face to 
the cause.

SUPERMARKET DISPUTING RIVAL'S ZONING
------------------------------------

PAK'nSAVE's rival is shrugging off criticism over its decision 
to appeal resource consent granted to an Auckland supermarket. 
Progressive Enterprises says the supermarket on the corner of 
Wairau and Porana Rds on the North Shore has been built on 
land not zoned for retail. North Shore City Mayor Andrew 
Williams says Progressive is blocking economic development, 
because the supermarket will create 300 jobs. But Property 
General Manager of Progressive, Adrian Walker says if the 
supermarket had been built on approved retail land, there 
would no problem. He says the North Shore City Council has 
granted resource consent, which conflicts with its District 
Plan. Mr Walker says the appeal has nothing to do with being 
anti-competitive and he welcomes competition,. He is inviting 
PAK'nSAVE's parent company, Foodstuffs, to build on retail 
zoned land instead.

CUTTING EDGE TERMINAL DESIGN?
-----------------------------

A design for Wellington Airport's new international passenger 
terminal is being described as edgy and cool by the city's 
mayor, but critics claim it looks like a pumpkin. The $53 
million building, called "The Rock" is designed to reflect 
Wellington's rugged south coast. It is part of the second 
stage of a terminal upgrade which is due to be completed next 
year. Charles Finny, CEO of Wellington Regional Chamber of 
Commerce, says the innovative design stands out amongst other 
terminals because it is architecturally bold. "This 
construction will enhance visitors to Wellington's overall 
experience. It is also functional in that it will facilitate 
increasing passenger numbers as well as larger planes in 
anticipation of long-haul flights coming to Wellington in the 
medium term." Mayor Kerry Prendergast hopes the new project 
will have a huge impact on visitors. "What we're trying to 
make a statement about is that you're not just arriving at 
some square box anywhere in the world. As you arrive you will 
be absolutely clear you are arriving in Wellington, the 
capital city."

(Architecturally bold? To my eyes it is the ugliest thing to 
be swung at the New Zealand public since the giant bed-pan 
design for the rejected stadium on Auckland's waterfront. May 
it meet the same fate. - BH)

HORSE DENTISTS IN SHORT SUPPLY
------------------------------

Waikato is planning in advance to address skills shortages in 
the region. The Waikato Institute of Technology is working 
with industries to match employers' needs with training 
requirements to fill the jobs. Spokeswoman Mary Jensen says 
there are some specialised areas with urgent skill shortages 
including the equine industry which is short of horse 
dentists. Ms Jensen says there are also gaps in the 
hospitality sector with an acute shortage of chefs.

Thursday, 21 February 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SENIOR DOCTORS POSTPONE STRIKE
------------------------------

Intervention by the Minister of Health has convinced senior 
doctors to delay their industrial action by a month. Senior 
doctors and district health boards are at loggerheads over a 
lengthy wage dispute. Ian Powell from the Association of 
Salaried Medical Specialists says doctors were on the verge of 
calling industrial action when David Cunliffe stepped in 
yesterday asking for time to find a resolution. Mr Powell says 
they were impressed with the Minister's conviction, sincerity, 
and courage. "It's such an unusual move, and ministers ... 
health ministers don't get involved in these things, at least 
not so openly ... directly:" Ian Powell says Mr Cunliffe's 
offer has been accepted, and doctors, the Minister and DHBs 
will meet in due course to try to find a way through the 
dispute.

APARTMENT LEAKY BUILDING CASE SETTLED
-------------------------------------

The owners of a leaky South Auckland apartment complex are 
relieved their four year battle for compensation is over. They 
have agreed on a confidential settlement with around 20 
parties involved in the building of Botany's Sacramento 
development. Body Corporate Owners' Committee head Wayne Evans 
says more than $10 million will be paid. He says an impending 
High Court battle would have been a waste of money for all 
parties involved. Mr Evans says eventually everyone saw sense 
and agreed to sit down and talk about it.

LABOUR PRESIDENT OFFERS RESIGNATION
-----------------------------------

Labour Party President Mike Williams has offered to resign 
over the Owen Glenn donation affair. But the offer has been 
turned down by Helen Clark. Mike Williams has told Newstalk ZB 
it is a matter between himself and Helen Clark, and he will 
not comment further. Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen has 
confirmed that Mr Williams offered to resign, and the 
president was told it would not be accepted. He says Mr 
Williams was told not to be so silly, as he had just made an 
honest error. Mr Williams has apologised for misleading 
statements, in which he claimed Owen Glenn had not given any 
money to Labour since the 2005 election. It has emerged that 
Mr Glenn gave the party a $100,000 interest-free loan in 2006.

(The value of interest foregone is reportedly around $8,000 
which is below the level of donation at which reporting is 
required. - BH)

REPORT CRITICAL OF AUCKLAND MENTAL HEALTH CARE
----------------------------------------------

A highly critical report has been released into mental health 
services at the Auckland District Health Board. The DHB and 
the Health Ministry commissioned the review following a number 
of incidents last year, including two apparent suicides in its 
adult acute in-patient unit. It has found "evidence of 
unacceptably poor clinical judgement and practice by some 
medical and nursing staff". Mental Health general manager 
Fionnagh Dougan accepts there have been failings in the 
service. She says the report makes that clear, and she says it 
is not good enough and is deeply regrettable. Ms Dougan says 
the DHB now has a responsibility to make changes to improve 
care. It has developed an action plan which includes a new 
leadership structure within the inpatient unit, enhanced 
observation and increases staff skill levels.

EARTH HOUR GETS $30,000 GRANT
-----------------------------

The Government is giving a $30,000 grant to the Earth Hour 
campaign. The Christchurch-based initiative aims to get as 
many people and businesses as possible to turn off their 
lights for one hour on March 29. The idea is to promote energy 
efficiency and conservation. Sydney held the first Earth Hour 
last year and at least 24 cities around the world have signed 
up to take part this year . Christchurch is the first New 
Zealand city to get onboard.

IWI OPENNESS PROMISED IN FORESTRY TALKS
---------------------------------------

The Government is promising all affected iwi will be in the 
loop as an important step is taken on reaching forestry 
settlements in the central North Island. The Crown and iwi 
representatives have today signed a terms of agreement deal 
which will allow proposals for allocation of Crown-owned 
forest lands as part of Treaty of Waitangi settlements. Treaty 
Negotiations Minister Michael Cullen says the agreement allows 
for other tribes to join in future talks. He says Te Arawa 
hapu and iwi will not be disadvantaged by any collective 
approach that might develop out of discussions.

HALF YEAR PROFIT DROP FOR AIRPORT
---------------------------------

Auckland International Airport has recorded a 3.9 percent drop 
in first half profit after tax to $47.6 million partly due to 
costs associated with takeover bids. AIA spent $5.8 million 
after receiving various ownership proposals including the 
partial offer from the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board. 
It has also incurred increased interest and depreciation 
charges. AIA says on a normalised basis, after adjusting for 
the ownership costs and a reduction in the company's long-term 
incentive plan provision, profit after tax for the six months 
to December 31 increased 5.1 percent to $52.1 million. The 
company says there was a strong performance at the revenue 
line, with total revenue for the first half up 7.9 percent to 
$172.32 million. It says it also made significant progress on 
a range of key business development projects, including 
completion of the domestic terminal renovation, development of 
the international terminal and commencement of the first stage 
of the northern runway. Total passenger movements increased 
4.9 percent to 6,449,543. Domestic passenger growth increased 
8.7 percent, driven in particular by the start of Pacific 
Blue's domestic services. International passenger movements 
(excluding transits and transfers) increased 3.2 percent to 
3,267,504. The company says there growth in New Zealand and 
Australian travellers but some of the other key markets, such 
as the United Kingdom and the United States of America, showed 
declines. There was continued strong growth from new markets 
such as China and India. AIA reports that aeronautical 
revenues increased following the completion of terminal 
expansion and security projects last year and new aeronautical 
prices which applied from 1 September 2007. Retail income was 
up 10.4 percent due to new store opening, concession tenders, 
enhanced service offerings and increased passenger spend 
rates. Car parking income, up 15.5 percent, benefited from 
strong trading at the domestic terminal. Rental income was 
15.7 percent higher, driven strongly by new rental streams 
from properties completed over the last year. The company has 
declared an interim dividend of 5.75 cents per share, two 
cents more than the company paid for the same period last 
year.

PROFIT FOR WOOL EXPORTER
------------------------

New Zealand's largest wool exporter has reported a half year 
after tax profit of $1.32 million. For the same period last 
year, New Zealand Wool Services International recorded a loss 
of $1.8 million. Turnover was up 48 percent to $86.706 million 
following the company's purchase of Raymond Dale Wool 
Marketing Limited last year. Managing director Michael Dwyer 
said that the solid half year result is the best for four 
years and was gratifying, particularly in light of continuing 
difficult trading conditions. He says scouring operations 
performed well, including the Whakatu scour in the North 
Island, which is now performing more in line with the 
standards required of it. Mr Dwyer says profitability was 
hampered by the ongoing strength and volatility of the New 
Zealand dollar coupled with exceptionally high interest rates. 
He says reducing supply coupled with steady demand should 
drive the price of wool higher over the next 18 months. Mr 
Dwyer believes the challenge for the industry will be ensure 
higher prices can be sustained over the long term.

DEALS WITH INMATES NOT UNUSUAL
------------------------------

A former detective says it is common for police to cut deals 
with inmates in exchange for information. Mt Eden Prison 
inmate and gang member Daniel William Crichton was granted 
bail in return for helping to broker the deal leading to the 
return of the 96 medals stolen from the Waiouru Army Museum. 
The deal involved the thieves receiving some of the $300,000 
reward. Neil Grimstone says brokering deals between police and 
prisoners is nothing new. He says police deal with inmates all 
the time and sometimes deals are struck. Mr Grimstone says 
police will always have to go down undesirable roads to get 
desirable results.

OIL PRICES SOARING AGAIN
------------------------

Prices at the pump are likely to rise even higher. The price 
of US crude oil reached $US100.10 a barrel yesterday but has 
fallen back slightly today. AA spokesman Mike Noon says it is 
inevitable oil companies will beef up their prices. He says 
bio fuels, regional petrol charges and carbon charging schemes 
are also likely to contribute to future price hikes. Some of 
the major oil companies have already increased their prices by 
around three cents a litre this week. The situation is being 
put down to an expected reduction in demand for oil, concerns 
about the falling US dollar, tensions between America and 
Venezuela and unrest in Nigeria. 
 
(Pump prices for 91 octane petrol are currently $1.749 per 
litre - BH)

Friday, 22 February 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

POLICE VISIT TV3 HEADQUARTERS
-----------------------------

Police officers have visited TV3's Auckland headquarters. It 
follows last night's Campbell Live interview with a man 
claiming to be involved in the theft of the war medals from 
Waiouru Army Museum. The network says police have a warrant to 
search the premises. Presenter John Campbell has also been 
spoken to by officers. TV3 spokesman Roger Beaumont says 
police had an amicable conversation with the newsroom.

PHONES DOWN AFTER EXCHANGE FAULT
--------------------------------

Thousands of residents in Pukekohe, south of Auckland, have 
been without their phones since 6pm last night. More than 
9,000 lines are still down due to a fault with the exchange 
which feeds the area. Crews have been working through the 
night to fix the problem, but there is no indication as to 
when it will be resolved. 
 
(Still out three days later. - BH)

CORONER WANTS STANDARDS FOR PARAMEDICS
--------------------------------------

The Wellington coroner wants national standards introduced for 
paramedics following the death of an Island Bay man from an 
abdominal rupture in December 2006. Wellington Free Ambulance 
staff visited 65-year-old Melfyn Wynne-Williams the day before 
he died, but did not check his vital signs and told him to see 
his doctor if he did not feel better. The report by coroner 
Garry Evans suggests the paramedics were swayed by two 
previous patients they had seen that day who were suffering 
from a stomach virus. He also raises concerns that the 
diagnosis seemed to have been done from the doorstep. He wants 
a national body set up to monitor the clinical standards of 
paramedics. Alan O'Beirne from Wellington Free Ambulance says 
Mr Wynne-Williams' case was a tragic one-off event and both 
the medics and the ambulance service has learned from it. He 
says the service has put up its hand and admitted it could 
have done better. Mr O'Beirne says the paramedics involved 
have had considerable training since the incident and the 
ambulance service has changed its 'treat and leave' policy so 
that patients have to sign a form to indicate they refused 
treatment.

MAORI PARTY CAUTIOUS ABOUT FORESTRY ASSETS
------------------------------------------

The Maori Party is taking a cautious approach to the use of 
forestry assets to settle historic Treaty claims. The Crown 
has signed terms of negotiation with the Central North Island 
Iwi Collective so discussions can proceed. At stake is the 
massive Kaingaroa Forest. Other Iwi and hapu will be allowed 
to join so their interests are catered for. Maori Party and 
Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell says it is start but more 
details are needed. "If it's about making sure that there 
aren't internal splits where those who have claims to forests 
are left out, I think that is honourable." But Mr Flavell says 
it would be disappointing if cross claim issues arose between 
tribes.

SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
 
Brian Harmer does NOT administer the mailing list. Please do 
not send subscription related messages to him. Instead, visit 
the website listed below, where you can make changes as 
required. If you want to send a personal message to Brian, 
change the country code to nz and send a message 
brian.harmer at vuw.ac.xx If you do choose to comment on 
something in these posts, please don't send the whole 
newsletter with your message. Just trim it back to the 
relevant bits. Thanks. Brian.