WYSIWYG NEWS - 2 January, 2008
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news at wysiwygnews.com
Wed Jan 2 10:35:58 NZDT 2008
Subject: 2 January, 2008
----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------
Copyright, Brian Harmer.
>From the Heart
Friday was awful. With Mark & Catherine's wedding next day,
those of us involved in the wedding party journeyed out to
Eastbourne to rehearse the ceremony. My longstanding belief is
that Eastbourne has a microclimate that is at least a few
degrees warmer than the rest of Wellington. Spring seems to
arrive there at least three weeks earlier than in other parts
of the city. On this day, however, a salt water chop was
spilling across the road driven by a chill and blustery
Southerly, under grey and threatening skies. The bridesmaids
and one of the groomsmen had arrived from Australia, and the
latter from Perth which had been sweltering at 44 deg C. I
think we might have reached 13 deg on Friday. Shivering, we
carried out the rehearsal, and ironed out potential glitches,
then went gloomily home to question the parentage of the
weather forecasters. Happily, they proved to have impeccable
lineage since, at last, they delivered us a "typical"
Wellington day on Saturday. A faultless blue sky with a warm
gentle Nor Westerly wind contributed to a very nice summer day
just perfect for weddings. Our house was used for the final
preparations of the bridal party, and so, just as at Helen and
Vasely's wedding a few months earlier, I made myself scarce
until I was really needed. My car (which was being used for
the bridesmaids) got washed and vacuum cleaned, and had the
traditional ribbons applied ready for the stately progression
to the Church. After lunch, I took a siesta. At the appointed
hour, I climbed into my rarely aired suit (generally reserved
for weddings and funerals) and checked on the progress
downstairs. All was, as expected, running smoothly. The bride
and her attendants looked stunning, and the bride's mother
looked very smart too. Suddenly we found ourselves ready too
early, with nothing left to do. The wedding was to be at 4 pm,
and here we were at 3:20 pm with nothing left to do. We took a
few photos and looked at each other and decided to get into
the cars and take a slow journey to the church, and to circle
the neighbourhood if we were still ahead of schedule. We were,
so we did. At two minutes past four, we pulled up at the front
door of the church, and the vicar tolled the bell to alert the
waiting congregation to the imminent commencement of the
service. And so we processed into the tiny little church
where, with in a delightful ceremony in which the congregation
enjoyed laughter and the occasional moist eye, our lovely
daughter Catherine and Peter & Kathy's fine son Mark married
each other. After the ceremony, family photographs were taken
amidst the crowd of family and well-wishers in the bright
sunlight outside. Professional photographers must get very
grumpy at setting up a group in a pose in a setting, only to
have a million digital cameras stealing the shot and reducing
the chance of making a sale from that work to near zero. This
particular photographer seemed resigned to it, though I have
met others who were more aggressive. I have spoken of the
Cobar restaurant before. It is a very nice restaurant just
across the road from the beach in Day's Bay, adjacent to
Williams Park on one side, and the Van Helden Gallery on the
other (both worth a visit). It was of just the right size to
accommodate the invited guests and still have room for a small
dance floor. Decorated with balloons, streamers and white
flowers, and displaying the signs which say "closed, private
function, it was a very nice setting in which to celebrate.
Drinks and finger food kept us busy as we waited for the
bridal party to complete their formal photography session on
the beach and the Day's bay wharf. Most of us stood on the
balcony and enjoyed the warm breeze and the view across the
harbour to Seatoun, Mt Victoria and the city beyond. There was
sufficient breeze to ruffle the water, but it was still
sufficiently warm that most of the men abandoned jackets and
ties. Food was (as always) excellent, the music was fine,
toasts were proposed and drunk, and a good time was had by
all. Mark and Catherine looked fantastic as they opened the
dancing with their first dance as a married couple, and that
led to an avalanche of other dancers, including my six year
old granddaughter Grace. Together with Sophie, a youngster of
similar age, she danced at every opportunity, though truth to
tell, the energy they put into it looked more akin to aerobics
or even trampolining than dance, at least to my eye. They had
a great time, and were surprisingly active the next day. Of
course the bride and groom had an enjoyable night too,
surrounded by people who love them, and who demonstrated it by
coming from as far afield as Perth and Brisbane, Dunedin and
Rotorua to share the occasion. All in all it was a great day
with lovely people in a great location.
This is the first issue in our fifteenth year of publication.
I wish you all the very best for the new year to come. May it
be a year of good health and happiness for you all. May it be
the best year yet.
----
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 Kathy Brierly in the UK for this week's sponsorship.
----
On with the News.
Monday, 24 December 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EFTPOS SPENDING SURGE
---------------------
We have been giving the plastic a good bashing in the last few
days before Christmas. Figures from the EFTPOS company Paymark
show well over a $1 billion has gone through retailers' tills
in the past week. The company handles about 75 percent of the
country's electronic transactions. Chief Executive Simon Tong
says spending is up by about four percent on last year. He
says Auckland has had the biggest increase, with spending up
by 5.3 percent.
(Lest anyone be misled, New Zealanders make a great deal of
use of EFTPOS transactions, so not all "plastic" transactions
are on credit. - BH)
CRUNCH TIME AT WAIKATO HOSPITAL
-------------------------------
A Christmas crunch has hit Waikato Hospital. The emergency
department is under strain because of a series of road smashes
and other trauma cases. It was already handling a heavy case
load, because a lot of doctors' surgeries have closed for the
holiday period, and some hospital staff are taking leave.
Officials say keeping the emergency department, for real
emergencies only, is now a priority. More than 300 people are
expected to be at the hospital as in-patients on Christmas
Day.
WISHING TREE APPEAL
-------------------
Palmerston North may be considered the most generous city in
the country, if this year's Salvation Army appeal is anything
to go by. Out of the 23 thousand presents donated to this
year's Wishing Tree Appeal, more than five thousand were
donated in Palmerston North. K-Mart stores across the country
have been collecting for the appeal. The company's suppliers
kicked in with a total of 60 toys.
(There are an awful lot of good causes out there, and many of
them are stealing each other's ideas and poaching on their
markets. The wishing tree/light-up-a-life thing has long been
the domain of the hospices, at least in the Wellington area. -
BH)
GET TOUGH ON DRUNK DRIVERS
--------------------------
The Government is being told to take firm action against
recidivist drunk and drugged drivers. A group of families have
got together to establish White Rose Day on Boxing Day. They
want it to become an annual commemoration of the lives of lost
loved ones. Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar
says New Zealand has a system that recycles people who drive
"wasted" on the roads. He says the crime of killing someone is
still the same, no matter if it is with a knife or a car. The
latest statistics show 29 thousand people were prosecuted for
drink-driving last year.
(By my reckoning, twice should count as recidivism. All too
often we hear of people with thirty or more prior convictions
being given "one last chance". What are the learned judges
thinking? - BH)
COMMUTERS LATE AS TIMETABLES CHANGE
-----------------------------------
Train commuters in the greater Wellington region were confused
by the timetable this morning. The holiday format for
Wellington services began today, but one Masterton commuter
Sacha Bradford says she was told last night that trains would
be running as normal. She says only about half the usual
number of trains are now operating and believes hundreds of
commuters must have been late for work Ms Bradford says there
were no signs signalling the change of train times. She claims
the 0800 helpline still had the old schedules on it.
PAY YOUR FINES OR STAY AT HOME!
-------------------------------
Holidaymakers heading overseas are being reminded they will
not be going anywhere if they have not paid their fines.
Courts Minister Rick Barker says under the pay or stay
initiative, travellers can be stopped at the airport, if they
have unpaid fines or reparation. Since the scheme was put in
place in September last year, 121 people have been intercepted
at airports.
(I would like to see this extended in domestic situations to
those with accumulated unpaid fines. Certain motorists just
let the fines build up, unpaid, until at last a judge says
that the amount accumulated is too great and with huge
generosity, wipes off a debt owed to the taxpayer. In my view,
fines overdue by more than a month should result in close
attention from the bailiffs and sequestration of assets. - BH)
FISHERIES OFFICERS SET DEADLINE
-------------------------------
Last minute talks are being held in a bid to avert strike
action by the country's fisheries staff. The National Union of
Public Employees has given the Ministry of Fisheries until
this afternoon to make progress on pay claims or staff will
walk off the job. Secretary Martin Cooney says the reluctance
of the ministry to discuss pay concerns needs to be addressed.
He says the union wants progress, not conditions ripped off
fisheries officers. Mr Cooney says the ministry's intention to
remove at-sea allowances has left many staff feeling they have
reached the end of the road in the dispute.
GISBORNE RESIDENTS URGED TO CHECK HOMES
---------------------------------------
Gisborne home owners have lodged 1,000 insurance claims with
the Earthquake Commission in the wake of last Thursday's
magnitude 6.8 earthquake. Lance Dixon from the Earthquake
Commission says the damage to private residences is estimated
to be worth $30 million. He says damage can include cracked
chimneys, external & internal cracking to buildings, broken
windows and burst hot water cylinders. He is urging people to
check their properties as while buildings may look fine, there
could be structural damage which needs to be fixed. Mr Dixon
says people affected by the quake can contact the commission
over Christmas by phoning 0800 DAMAGE or 0800 326 243.
NATIONAL CLAIMS FRAUD CASES IGNORED
-----------------------------------
Police are being accused of showing little interest in
investigating a scam which used the name of a well-known home
services franchise. Around 200 people are thought to have
bought bogus ironing businesses under the name of Green Acres,
worth a total of about $3 million. Green Acres says the
franchises are fake and were arranged with false
documentation. They were not authorised by the company.
National's police spokesman Chester Borrows blames police
inaction on changes to the Serious Fraud Office which has seen
the agency come under the police umbrella with a focus on
investigating organised crime. "We have had a number of
instances over the last year or 18 months where people have
tried to report serious fraud matters to the police and
they've just been too busy with other crimes to investigate."
Mr Borrows says police are overworked dealing with crimes such
as murder and rape.
Tuesday, 25 December 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PERSONAL GADGETS HIGH ON XMAS WISH-LISTS
----------------------------------------
The sweet electronic jingles of new mobile phones and MP3
players will echo through many New Zealand homes this
Christmas. Retailer Noel Leeming says personal gadgets have
been top of a lot of people's wish-lists. Chief Executive
Andrew Dutkiewicz says MP3 players like the new iPod Nano have
been snapped up at phenomenal rates. He says although a lot of
people already have them, new features have proved a big draw.
He says phones are becoming more of a fashion item these days
than simply a tool for keeping in touch. Andrew Dutkiewicz
says shower radios and novelty food making products have also
been popular.
AIR NZ DENIES STRIKE BREAKING
-----------------------------
Air New Zealand has denied helping Qantas put together a team
of strike-breaking engineers. Qantas has been offering six
figure sums to engineers for six-month contracts, aimed at
keeping its planes in the air if a threatened strike by its
own staff goes ahead. Air New Zealand says it has nothing to
do with the Qantas plan, and has not been asked to help find
staff. The airline has taken the step of issuing a formal
statement, emphasising there has been no contact at senior
management level from Qantas asking for help sourcing
engineers. It says media reports suggesting otherwise are
incorrect.
Wednesday, 26 December 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
QUAKE SHAKES CENTRAL NZ
-----------------------
An earthquake has been felt throughout the upper South Island
and lower North Island. It measured 4.4 on the Richter scale,
and struck at 5.18 this evening. It was centred 40 kilometres
southwest of the Taranaki town of Patea, at a depth of 120
kilometres. Earlier today there was a shake north of Gisborne.
It registered 3.5 on the scale.
HOUSING MARKET HOLDING UP
-------------------------
The housing market has ended the year holding its own, despite
widespread predictions of a slump. The Real Estate Institute
of New Zealand's (REINZ) latest figures show the rate of price
rises has slowed, but demand has been steady enough to stave
off a decline. Property prices finished the November year up
6.6 percent, compared with the annual growth rate of 10
percent the year before. REINZ's national president Murray
Cleland says various factors influenced the market including
reduced immigration, new home construction costs and rising
mortgage interest rates. Southland dominated the year's growth
with prices in Gore recording a 42.6 percent increase in its
median price from $128,000 in November 2006 to $182,500 to
November 2007. Invercargill was up 23.2 percent from $168,000
to $207,000. For the whole country, the median rose from
$330,000 to $352,000 in 2007, following three years in which
the national median increased by almost $100,000 from $235,000
to $330,000. Mr Cleland says there are still enough buyers
around to keep the market moving.
COMMISSION SETS UP OFFICE IN GISBORNE
-------------------------------------
The Earthquake Commission is setting up shop in Gisborne, to
deal with claims from last Thursday's quake. The magnitude 6.8
shake damaged buildings all over the city. Businesses pulled
out all the stops to get back up and running in time for
Christmas, but the issue of compensation is becoming more
urgent as the days pass. So far, almost 1100 claims have been
received. Commission general manager David Middleton says
office space has been secured in Gisborne and it will be
manned as soon as possible in the new year. Forty people will
be based at the branch. Mr Middleton says the Gisborne office
is part of the standard response to a significant incident and
in the last year, the commission has set up offices in
Whangarei and in Invercargill.
NEW RECORD FOR MISSION'S XMAS LUNCH
-----------------------------------
The Auckland City Mission gave away 1400 tickets but another
200 unexpected guests turned up for Christmas lunch yesterday.
Organisers were obliged to set up extra tables outside the
Town Hall to feed everyone and some were given food to take
away. Nearly 1600 people attended the mission's Christmas
lunch, setting a new record.
Thursday, 27 December 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOW TO SAVE ON GROCERIES
------------------------
Making a New Year's resolution to be self-sufficient has paid
off for gardening guru Lynda Hallinan. The Editor of New
Zealand Gardener magazine is closing in on a year of eating
homegrown fruit and vegetables. In the process, she is slashed
her spending on groceries. Now she wants the rest of us to
make the effort, and start growing our own fruit and
vegetables. Ms Hallinan decided last Christmas that if she
could not grow everything in her back yard she had no right to
tell others to do it. She says she managed to cut her grocery
bill to ten dollars a week using her garden, and is
encouraging New Zealanders to do the same. The secret of how
she did can be found at www.nzgardener.co.nz.
GREATER EFFORT NEEDED TO CONTROL DIDYMO
---------------------------------------
The Government's being accused of not doing enough to stop the
spread of didymo. The Federation of Freshwater Anglers wants
to see more signage, and says Biosecurity officials should be
stationed at the Interisland ferry terminals. President Ian
Rodger says anglers are being blamed for the spread of didymo,
and it is time all fresh water users were targeted. He says it
can be spread by four-wheel-drives, kayaks and boats, all have
the potential to move didymo, and not enough attention is
being paid to them. Ian Rodger says given the out of control
spread of didymo in the South Island, it makes sense to place
Biosecurity staff at the ferry terminals.
NATIONAL SAYS LABOUR BLOWING ITS BUDGET
---------------------------------------
National is up tight over new figures showing just how much
the Government is paying Corrections Department consultants.
Justice and Corrections spokesman Simon Power says the
Department shelled out 19.4 million dollars last year. He says
that is nearly double the amount spent in the 2005 year. Mr
Power says the Department's spending behaviour is
extraordinary, considering it has been under fire for blowing
the budget on four new prisons. He says it will be interesting
to see if the new minister Phil Goff will be able to get
spending under control.
CHRISTMAS SPENDING WILL HIT HARD IN FEB
---------------------------------------
The true cost of Christmas may not hit some families until
February. Consumers have defied a Reserve Bank warning to curb
spending over the festive season and Boxing Day was one of the
busiest ever for retailers. BNZ chief economist Tony Alexander
says it is fine to spend money if you have earned it, but some
people take out large loans to buy gifts over the holiday
season. He says the willingness to spend shows the economy is
still in an acceptable shape but he warns that signs suggest
interest rates will not be coming down any time soon. Mr
Alexander expects retail spending to slow in February when
credit card bills start arriving. Eftpos transaction figures
show $1 billion was spent nationwide in the run up to
Christmas Day and figures due out later today are expected to
show that sales on Boxing Day increased on last year.
BUMPER BOXING DAY FOR RETAILERS
-------------------------------
Boxing Day was a bumper day for retailers yet again. On the
back of fairly strong Christmas trading, Boxing Day again
proven to be the biggest day on the shopping calendar. Barry
Hellberg from the Retailers Association says shoppers were out
in full force. He believes rain in some parts of the country
helped to encourage people to go to their local mall. Mr
Hellberg says many people were taking advantage of sales by
cashing in Christmas gift vouchers. He says Boxing Day sales
are now part of the traditional pattern of retail and look to
remain that way in the future.
CHECKPOINTS OUT IN FORCE
------------------------
Police warn they will be out in force on New Year's morning to
catch drunk drivers. Checkpoints will be set up across the
country to pick up the traditionally large number of drivers
still drunk after late night celebrations. Police believe
alcohol was involved in a two car crash near Te Kuiti just
after 9am yesterday which saw two people taken to hospital.
Road Policing Operations Manager, Inspector Carey Griffiths,
says people seem to think they are miraculously sober once the
sun comes up, but a coffee and a few hours sleep is not enough
to stop the effects of boozing. He says if people are
travelling the next day, they should stay away from alcohol
the night before.
Friday, 28 December 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LEGIONELLA BACTERIA FOUND IN AIR CONDITIONING
---------------------------------------------
High counts of the Legionella bacteria have been found in
several Auckland CBD cooling towers. The bacteria is
responsible for Legionnaires disease. The bacteria was found
during routine monthly tests on the towers, which are part of
the air-conditioning systems in many buildings. This
afternoon, Auckland regional public health has issued a
warning advising the risk to people's health is very real.
Symptoms of the disease include muscle aches, higher fever and
diarrhoea. Medical Officer of Health Doctor Cathy Pikholz is
urging people to get medical attention if any of the systems
develop. The affected towers have been decontaminated with
chlorine and re-tested.
LOTTERY GOES TO FEILDING
------------------------
The four million dollar lottery jackpot drawn on Boxing Day
has been claimed by a family in Feilding. The prize package
includes two million dollars cash plus a luxury apartment, and
a half million dollar holiday home. It was claimed in
Wellington this morning. The family say it is a dream come
true, as they have never owned their own home before.
SCOUTS JAMBOREE
---------------
Thousands of scouts are descending on Christchurch today for
their centennial jamboree. The event, being held at the
Canterbury Agricultural Park, will see three thousand scouts
living under canvas for the next week and a half. As well as
scouts from throughout the country, others have travelled from
14 countries, mostly from the Asia Pacific region.
WOMEN'S REFUGES OVERFLOWING
---------------------------
Overwhelming demand has pushed Women's Refuge to near
breaking-point. Spokeswoman Catherine Delore estimates that
about 500 women and children have been put into safe-houses
this week alone. She says some women are having to be placed
elsewhere till space becomes available. Ms Delore says over
Christmas families are spending a lot more time together and
more alcohol is being consumed. She says demand for Women's
Refuge's services is soaring but Government funding has
virtually unchanged. She says some of the staff are suffering
severe burn-out because of their workloads. But Ms Delore says
one positive aspect is that at least women are asking for
help. The pressure on refuges is not expected to ease until
the end of January.
MORE BIOSECURITY OFFICIALS WANTED AT BORDERS
--------------------------------------------
Recreational fishers and hunting enthusiasts agree that more
needs to be done to stop the spread of freshwater algae
didymo. The Government is in the firing line for what the
Federation of Freshwater Anglers believes are very inadequate
biosecurity measures. Hunting and Fishing New Zealand
spokesman Mike Davis wants more biosecurity officials
stationed at airports and ferry terminals. He says New Zealand
has the best trout fishing in the world and thousands of
anglers from overseas come each year to take advantage of it.
Mr Davis says anglers tend to be blamed for the spread of
didymo and it is time all fresh water users are targeted.
VIRGIN BLUE INCREASING FUEL SURCHARGE
-------------------------------------
No-frills airline Virgin Blue is increasing its fuel surcharge
in Australia from February. Spokeswoman Amanda Bolger say the
move is a result of continued increases in fuel prices. She
says the company has held off increasing the surcharged for
nearly three years. The surcharge represents an increase of
around $7 to $28 per person. The rise affects Australian
domestic flights and Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue flights
from Australia. Flights within and from New Zealand are not
affected.
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