subject: 8 February, 2004 ----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------- Copyright, Brian Harmer
Somewhere in the archives of Wellington's Museum of City and Sea (which used to be the Maritime Museum, of fond memory), there is a picture of Wellington Harbour during the Waterfront strike of 1951. I think there were something like 65 ships at anchor in the harbour. Of course that number was quite abnormal, but the port always used to be busy. When I arrived in New Zealand as a child with my parents in 1954, the port was still a very busy place. In those days of general cargo ships before containerisation or bulk carriers, there were always dozens of ships in port, offloading manufactured goods, taking on frozen lamb carcases in great netting slings, or pallets of butter in cardboard cartons. Cranes lined every wharf, with their long jibs bending and reaching, swivelling and lifting, loading and unloading. The ships bore the house colours of many shipping lines and the flags of many countries. Mostly they were ships of the Conference Lines, a sort of legal cartel that had all of the country's major exports tied up in a near unbreakable monopoly. Shaw Savill and Albion, the Federal Steam Navigation Co., Port Lines, the Blue Star Line, the New Zealand Shipping Company, and of course the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand were visitors as regular then as airlines are today. Occasionally a Scandinavian visitor from the Lauritzen lines or Wilhemsen would appear, and now and then one of the big Dutch liners, Oranje, or the memorable Johan van Oldenbarneveldt would deliver a new load of hopeful immigrants. American ships were a rarity, until the Matson lines began running the Mariposa and the Monterey from Hawaii. Somehow, I have never lost my fascination with ships and the sea. Perhaps this is because my late father worked in the marine repair industry, and I often was permitted, when he was working Saturday overtime, to accompany him down into the engine rooms and other machinery spaces of what in those days were big ships. Typically, a freighter was in the order of 15,000 tons, and a big passenger liner (they were on regular schedules rather than cruising, back then) such as the Orsova was 28,700 tons. All of this was brought to mind in the last few days by the seeming busy-ness of the port. Several container ships and bulk carriers were in port, and the German luxury cruise liner Deutschland dropped in for a few days. She is a handsome ship of very conservative lines and quite modest tonnage by today's standards. It looked approximately similar in bulk as the interisland ferry Arahura. Then she was gone, and in her place was the monstrous "Star Princess" It was as if a new central business district had been erected overnight. Drivers coming along the Hutt Road into town slowed appreciably to take in the awesome bulk of this enormous white vessel. Row upon row of balconies made it look more like a gargantuan hotel than a ship afloat on the fickle sea. Accommodation for 3,100 passengers and 1,200 crew must take a lot of windows. On her own, she weighed more than seven of those freighters that once seemed so big, and with so much aluminium in her superstructure, she is physically even bigger in proportion. Modes of transport fascinate me, and it is a pleasure, on the way to work, to see road, rail, air and sea all being utilised to keep the port and city alive and well. ----- 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 "HH" will indicate an opinion from Helen. 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. Formatting this week is sponsored by Chris Sheedy & Marsha Brewer from California. Many thanks ---- On with the news Monday, 02 February ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THREE REPORTED DEAD IN OTAKI INCIDENT ------------------------------------- It is believed three people are now dead after a violent incident at Kapiti's Otaki beach. There are reports two of the dead are children. Armed police, ambulance and the fire service are all at the scene. MAN INJURED LEAVING MANHOLE --------------------------- A man is in hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a car in a most unusual accident in Christchurch. The accident happened on an industrial site on Hay Street in Linwood around four o'clock this afternoon. According to St John Ambulance, the victim was coming out of a manhole when he was struck by a vehicle. The man has been rushed to Christchurch Hospital with serious head injuries. (Why on earth was the victim emerging from a manhole on a busy street without the usual cones and protective gear to prevent such an event? - BH) NZ IDOL PROVES A BIG WINNER --------------------------- The singing and performing talent - and otherwise - of New Zealanders has proved to be a big winner for TV 2. The first programme in the New Zealand Idol series achieved some of the best ratings in TV 2's history. TVNZ says more than 1.1 million people tuned in for the programme. The programme features a search for New Zealand's best pop talent, although one of the judges on last night's show admitted among the gems who auditioned, she had also heard some of the worst singing she had ever heard in her life. TV2's General Manager, Julie Baylis, says the format is 'fantastic' and 'world class calibre'. TVNZ says more than 1.1 million people tuned in for the programme. The programme features a search for New Zealand's best pop talent, although one of the judges on last night's show admitted among the gems who auditioned, she had also heard some of the worst singing she had ever heard in her life. TV2's General Manager, Julie Baylis, says the format is 'fantastic' and 'world class calibre'. (How odd. I have yet to meet anyone who admits to enjoying it. In my few brief minutes of exposure to it, the cringe factor hit the extremes very quickly. It was excruciating. On the other hand, I thought the same of American Idol and Australian Idol, so perhaps it's just not my thing - BH) NZ EXPERTISE TO COMBAT BIRD FLU ------------------------------- New Zealand is offering its services to an international meeting on the bird flu virus. MAF spokesman Derek Belton says the summit in Rome will involve health and biosecurity authorities. Meanwhile, he is reiterating that the risk of introduction of the virus from products we import is zero. Dr Belton says the sorts of food products we allow in are canned goods which have been through processes that definitely kill the virus. He says our poultry farmers have contingency plans in place should the virus reach here. INNER TUBE RIDER'S BODY FOUND ----------------------------- The body of a man who fell off a tube ride in the Waiwhakaiho river in Taranaki has been found washed up on a beach. The Waitara man, in his early 30s, was with a group of people planning to float from the Meeting of the Waters, just south of New Plymouth to Merrilands Domain on inner tubes yesterday afternoon. A search was launched yesterday and continued this morning. But it was made difficult with the river more than a metre higher than usual, because of heavy overnight rain. Police say the man was not wearing a life-jacket and seems to have abandoned a buoyancy device in his tube. DEAD CHCH WOMAN'S PARTNER MISSING --------------------------------- Police are concerned for the safety of a man, missing since his partner was found dead at a Christchurch address at the weekend. The body of 45 year-old Ordette Lloyd-Rangiuia was found at her Sydenham home by her teenage daughter yesterday afternoon. Neighbours of the deceased say the girl discovered her mother in a pool of blood in the hallway of her home. Detective Senior Sergeant Tom Fitzgerald says they are now concerned for the safety of the woman's partner. He says Stephen James King has not been seen since attending his birthday party at the address the previous night. A post-mortem examination will be carried out on the dead woman this afternoon. PM CONSULTING ON PACK RAPE CLAIM -------------------------------- The Prime Minister says it is important that outside eyes look at accusations that police, including Assistant Commissioner Clint Rickards, were involved in a pack rape 20 years ago. A police investigation in the 1990s into the actions of three officers including Mr Rickards failed to prove the claims, but it is now alleged that the investigation was flawed. The complainant, Louise Nicholas, claims she was manipulated, in order to prevent her attackers from suffering any repercussions. Helen Clark is asking her head of department, Dr Mark Prebble, to consult other officials on what form of inquiry should take place. She says the public is looking for an assurance that there was a full and proper investigation into the claims Assistant Commissioner Clint Rickards has voluntarily taken three weeks' leave while police review an inquiry last decade that cleared him of the allegations. The Police Commissioner, Rob Robinson, says he would welcome any independent inquiry into the rape allegation as the claims that have been made in the last few days of a cover-up suggest new matters that must now be taken forward. He told Newstalk ZB the matter needs to be resolved in some final way if that is at all possible. Police Minister George Hawkins insists that the Government will get to the bottom of the allegations, and he will be making sure the integrity of the police is not called into question over the matter. He says the Government will leave no stone unturned in resolving the matter. Meanwhile it has emerged that a police insider sparked the story. Dominion Post editor Tim Pankhurst says it was not the complainant who went to reporter Phillip Kitchin with the story. He says it was actually the police themselves who said there were some serious issues they were concerned about. Mr Pankhurst says Mr Kitchin has been working on the story for two years, but it was only recently that he managed to track down Louise Nicholas. (Having listened on radio to the now retired officer who conducted the first PCA inquiry, things look fairly black for the officers concerned. It seems likely that the actual event will boil down to one person saying something happened, three people saying that only consensual activities occurred. What may emerge is that the standards of investigation of this event almost twenty years ago were not up to expectations. Even if it is not possible to attain the standard of proof necessary to gain a conviction for rape, it seems to me that the one accused who is still in the police will never again get promoted, and will be lucky to retain his present rank. Trial by media is always a cause for concern. - BH) MORE RAIN ON ITS WAY -------------------- Rainstorms around the country in the last 24 hours have claimed three lives. A man drowned after being swept away in a car that plunged into Nelson's Maitai River early last night. Nine-year-old Oliver Patton, drowned in a Tauranga stream yesterday afternoon. In Taranaki, a man is missing after a flash flood swept him away while he was river tubing down the Waiwakaiho River. Emergency services in the greater Auckland region are still flat out after dealing with calls as a result of heavy rain. The dumping of rain on the North Island this morning will not be the last. MetService spokesman Bob McDavitt says the country can expect another trough to cross it on Wednesday. He says today's downpour was caused by a little low vortex in the middle of a major rain band crossing the North Island. The rain gauge at Auckland Airport measured 40 millimetres in just two hours. But Mr McDavitt says it is not all bad news - he is predicting fine weather for Waitangi Day on Friday. The worst hit area appears to have been Auckland's North Shore, where the city council logged more than 1400 calls in two hours. There were reports of people being trapped in their cars, and police have sent special traffic units to deal with the chaos. The council's call centre manager, Ann Hollway, says the problems were city-wide, with a lot of streets closed, including some main arterial roads. She says every engineer and contractor the council has is out clearing drains and floods. Schools in the city also faced chaos today as staff and students arrived late or not at all due to street flooding or traffic jams. Pakuranga Intermediate principal Stuart Myers says his South Auckland school called in a fire truck. He says water was lapping at the doors of some classrooms at one stage. Mr Myers says it was exciting for the kids, but it is now classes as usual. Tuesday, 03 February ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONCERN ABOUT WATER CONTAMINATION -------------------------------- Triathlon organisers are concerned about water contamination at Auckland beaches following heavy rain earlier in the week. The Special K Women's Triathlon and the Kiwi Kids' Weetbix event take place over the next fortnight, however beaches in the Auckland region are polluted after rain caused the city's sewerage system to overflow. City Council spokesman David Vince says water quality at Mission Bay and St Heliers Bay, where the events take place, is poor and organisers have contacted the council about the issue. Mr Vince says the swimming component of the event may have to be cancelled if the pollution does not clear by the time the events take place. (About one third of the entry made it into the kayak section before safety issues due to rising river levels cut off the remainder of the field. - BH) RECORD TOURIST NUMBERS IN DECEMBER ---------------------------------- The number of overseas tourists visiting New Zealand in December hit a record level, according to official data released. Statistics New Zealand reported that the number of short-term visitors rose 12 percent in December on the same month a year ago. There were 297,300 short-term visitors from overseas in December, the highest ever monthly number, which compared with the previous record of 265,700 in the same month a year ago. On a seasonally adjusted basis the number of short term visitors was up five percent on the year earlier, with the number of visitors reaching 2.11 million in the year to December. Visitors from Australia, New Zealand's largest market for inbound tourism, rose 21 percent and from Britain by 17 percent, the government agency noted. There were also rises in the number of visitors from China, up 24 percent, Singapore, up 23 percent, and the United States, up 17 percent. However, there were eight percent fewer visitors from Japan and visitor numbers from Taiwan were down 29 percent. Overall numbers of visitors from Asia in December were flat on the same month a year earlier, but for the year ended December visitor numbers from the region were down 10 percent. SNZ said the average length of stay fell to an average of 22 days during December compared with 23 days a year earlier, although the total number of days spent by all visitor arrivals was up four percent to 6.48 million. The number of overseas trips made by New Zealanders in December was up 20 percent on the year earlier. Over that period the New Zealand dollar rose 25 percent against the US dollar and by around 10 percent on a trade weighted basis making the cost of overseas travel and holidays cheaper. Permanent and long- term arrivals exceeded departures by 1,600 compared with a gain of 3,400 in December 2002, the tenth consecutive month that there has been a decline. For the year ended December there was a net migration gain of 34,900, down nine percent on the number of permanent and long term arrivals in same period a year earlier. China, Britain and India were the biggest sources of migrants. WAR GRAVES TO BE INSPECTED -------------------------- The head of the British-based Commonwealth War Graves Commission will inspect First and Second World War graves in New Zealand. Director-General Richard Kellaway begins his week-long visit tomorrow. The commission, established by Royal Charter in 1917, has an annual budget of $35 million funded by signatory nations including New Zealand. It is responsible for commemorating the 1.7 million members of the Commonwealth Armed Forces who died during the two world wars and for the care of their graves throughout the world. Of the almost 30,000 New Zealand casualties from both wars, 2,908 are buried in 433 sites throughout New Zealand. In addition, 570 casualties with no known grave are commemorated on memorials in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. The visits from representatives of the commission, will fly to New Zealand periodically to meet with key stakeholders and inspect New Zealand graves. The commission says the visits are intended to raise public awareness of the work of the commission and verify that New Zealand is maintaining its graves to a high standard. SUPERBUG COSTS DHB $60,000 -------------------------- An outbreak of a potentially dangerous, antibiotic resistant superbug has cost the Canterbury District Health Board $60,000. Last December Christchurch Hospital's Neurology and Neurosurgery ward was shut down for a week to contain the spread of an MRSA infection. A District Health Board report on the outbreak says it forced nursing staff who had come into contact with the bug to remain in the ward under quarantine until they were cleared. It also meant new neurosurgical patients were transferred to other wards, where extra nurses were needed to cope with the demand. WARNING OVER DOOR-TO-DOOR PEDDLERS ---------------------------------- People are being warned to treat door-to-door art peddlers with caution. The Consumers Institute says backpackers are posing as destitute art students selling original works. But the Institute's David Russell says the works are mass-produced in Hong Kong for distributors here. He says it is a nationwide fraud worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The works are thought to be worth a fraction of their $200 price tags. NEW HEPATITIS C DRUG HAILED --------------------------- The Hepatitis Foundation believes a new drug will help free up health dollars. Pharmac has decided to subsidise a treatment called Pegasys. It will be made available to around 250 patients with chronic genotype one hepatitis C. Hepatitis Foundation CEO John Hornell says around 55 percent of hepatitis C sufferers carry genotype one and the drug will make a huge impact on their health and the health dollar. Mr Hornell says for example hepatitis sufferers made up 41 percent of liver transplants last year at a cost of $130,000 per patient. He says the need for transplants with the new treatment will be significantly reduced. Wednesday, 04 February ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WOMAN CHARGED WITH $1.9M FRAUD ------------------------------ A Wainuiomata woman charged with defrauding Work and Income of $1.9 million has appeared before the Wellington District Court. The four charges of using documents with intent to defraud were laid by the Serious Fraud Office and cover a period from March 2001 until June last year. The defendant did not enter a plea, and has been remanded on bail to appear again in court later this month. (Although anyone who steals should be punished, there ought to be some heads rolling in a government department that has such poor systems that thefts get to that scale before detection. - BH) COMMISSION OF INQUIRY WITHIN 2 WEEKS ------------------------------------ The Commission of Inquiry into the police pack rape claims should be up and running within a fortnight. Attorney General Margaret Wilson says she has not yet approached anyone to head the Inquiry, but they are looking at a retired judge. She says she has total confidence in the criminal investigation being carried out by the police into the rape allegations. Margaret Wilson says time has moved on, and the police understand the seriousness of this issue. The Government is currently working on the terms of reference for the Commission of Inquiry. The Commission will not be charged with establishing the guilt or otherwise of the three officers accused of pack raping a teenager in Rotorua in 1986. It will instead look at the procedures used by the police when investigating the allegations and why the issue failed to be taken any further. The only officer who remains in the force, Clint Rickards, has been stood down as the Auckland area commander. He was promoted to the assistant commissioner's role by Police Commissioner Rob Robinson, even though he knew Rickards had admitted to having consensual group sex with the teenager. Meanwhile, Tauranga councillor Brad Shipton, one of the men named in the allegations, has confirmed he has no intention of stepping down from the job. Mr Shipton says he will continue to fulfil all his civic obligations and work hard. The councillor - who is now a bar owner - has thanked people from his central city Te Papa ward for their support. He strongly denies the allegations against him and his former colleagues, which are now to be investigated by a commission of inquiry. And Rotorua MP Steve Chadwick has called on news organisations to back off from filming and visiting the Rotorua house involved in the alleged incident. She says the current owner has becoming an unwitting victim of the attention and feels her privacy is being invaded. PM WILL BE AT WAITANGI ---------------------- The Prime Minister will be in Waitangi tomorrow, though it is still unclear which activities she will actually attend there over the next two days. Helen Clark has confirmed she will attend the Governor General's dinner tomorrow night and hold a breakfast meeting with local leaders the next day on Waitangi day. While she is also likely to attend the waka launching ceremony on the Friday, it is expected she will give the Waitangi day dawn ceremony a miss. Miss Clark says she will take a 'go with the flow' approach to the visit which our political staff say means it is possible the itinerary could change and include a visit to the controversial lower Te Tii marae tomorrow where a Pakeha media ban is in place. Meanwhile Ngaphui Kaumatua, Bruce Gregory, says Georgina Te Heuheu has been issued a special invitation to Te Tii Marae for the start of Waitangi Day commemorations, following her stance on Treaty of Waitangi issues. Similar invitations have been sent to Labour MPs Tariana Turia and Nanaia Mahuta for their opposition to Labour's seabed and foreshore proposal. Dr Gregory says that while Waitangi is open to all New Zealanders, including all politicians, few receive special invitations. National's Don Brash says he will not shy away from expressing his party's new Maori policies at Waitangi this year. Ngapuhi have indicated Don Brash is welcome to attend, although they cannot guarantee the reception he will receive following his controversial Nationhood speech. Dr Brash says at this stage he is intending to go to the lower Te Tii marae tomorrow. He says he will be saying the same sort of things that he said last week in Orewa if he gets the chance. Dr Brash says he does not want to be delivering one speech to non-Maori, and a different one to a Maori audience. He appears unfazed about the possibility of getting a frosty reception at Waitangi, saying he has never met any Maori yet who are rude and abusive. He says in his experience Maori are direct, open and honest and he looks forward to a vigorous discussion. MAN CHARGED WITH QUEENSLAND MURDER ---------------------------------- A 27-year-old East Coast man has been arrested and charged with murder following the death of a baby. The infant died in Queensland a year ago. Detectives acted on an arrest warrant issued by Queensland police and took the man into custody at Ruatoria. He has appeared in Gisborne District Court on Wednesday and has been remanded in custody for a week for a bail application pending an extradition hearing. Police say the charge follows the death of a nine-month-old baby who was known to the man. POLICE CONTINUE OTAKI INQUIRY ------------------------------ Police are still trying to build up a picture of the circumstances that could have led to three deaths in Otaki on Monday. Bronson O'Carroll and his two children were found dead at a home in the town - all had stab wounds. There has been talk that Mr O'Carroll could have recently been suffering from depression. Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Sheridan says there is still a long way to go, even though they have interviewed close members of the family. He says police now need to identify and interview others who may be connected. Craig Sheridan says once police have reconstructed what happened, a coroner will make a final ruling. Post-mortem examinations of the bodies of Bronson O'Carroll and his two children are being carried out today. Detective Senior Sergeant Sheridan says any confirmation of the murder-suicide theory may take a while, and that will be the decision of the coroner. ANOTHER MURDER INQUIRY IN CHRISTCHURCH -------------------------------------- Neighbours of a man found dead at a house in Christchurch say they had concerns about what went on at the address. Police have begun a homicide investigation after the discovery of the man's body at a Hornby house this morning. Neighbours say the man and a woman had been living at the address for the past four months. They say there was often noise coming from the house. Police are setting up a scene examination and hope to release more details later. It is the third homicide investigation begun this week in Christchurch and the fifth in Canterbury this year. SEARCH FOR MISSING MAN CONTINUES -------------------------------- There is still no sign of the partner of a Christchurch woman beaten to death at the weekend. Police have been hunting for 46-year-old Stephen King since Sunday afternoon. The body of his de-facto partner, Ordette Lloyd Rangiuia, was found in her Sydenham home the same day. Detective Senior Sergeant Tom Fitzgerald says police need to talk to him to establish both his movements and wellbeing. SEARCH CONTINUES FOR MISSING TEEN --------------------------------- Police are resuming their search for a missing Rotorua teenager. Sonny Julian Smale was last seen on Monday night at his home in Hamurana, near Lake Rotorua. Items belonging to the 16-year-old were later found at the mouth of the Hauraki Stream, by Lake Rotorua. This sparked a full-scale search operation, which will continue on Thursday. STRANGER DANGER STILL COUNTS ONLINE ----------------------------------- Police are warning of the dangers of Internet relationships. A 20-year-old man has appeared in the Napier District Court charged with raping a Napier girl he met on the Internet. CIB Chief Bill Gregory says the two had been corresponding via Internet for a week. He says the 18-year-old girl invited the man, from the greater Hawke's Bay region, for a night out in Napier with her and her friends on Friday. Detective Bill Gregory says this is a reminder to treat Internet friends with caution, as they are effectively strangers. (How different, I wonder, from meeting a stranger in a bar? - BH) POST GOES UP FIVE CENTS ----------------------- The cost of posting a letter is about to go up. It will rise by five cents from April 5, taking the cost of posting a letter within New Zealand from 40 cents to 45 cents. New Zealand Post blames escalating costs and changing trends in mail volumes. It argues the 12.5 percent rise compares favourably with increases in the price of other common items such as bread and milk. The new 45 cent stamp will feature a sperm whale swimming off the Kaikoura coast. Thursday, 05 February ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CORAL'S KILLER SENTENCED ------------------------ Coral Burrows' killer has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non parole period of 15 years. The six-year-old's stepfather, Steven Williams, has been sentenced today in the High Court at Wellington. His early guilty plea - within 10 days of the murder - has been taken into account. However, also taken into account was the fact there were two separate attacks: the original beating where 29-year-old Williams lost his temper with the little girl, followed by the later fatal blow, which he said was to 'put her out of her misery'. Justice Wild felt this suggested a serious involvement and callousness in the crime. Williams sobbed several times during sentencing this morning, listening to the crown prosecutor and judge talk about the injuries inflicted on Coral before she died. Justice Wild also talked about the fear and terror Coral must have felt at the hands of someone she trusted and depended on. However Justice Wild said the convicted murder's obvious remorse had to be taken into consideration at sentencing. Coral Burrows' parents remained calm throughout sentencing and promptly left the court after proceedings. Williams is reported to be 'suicidal'. Today's 15-year non parole jail term does not rank close to New Zealand's longest sentences. It is less than half of the 33 years handed out to William Bell, who was responsible for the Mt Wellington RSA triple murders three years ago. Another stepfather who killed his two daughters, Bruce Howse, cannot apply for parole before he has spent 28 years in prison. Mark Lundy's non-parole sentence for the murders of his wife, Christine, and daughter, Amber, was increased by the Court of Appeal to 20 years. He had earlier been sentenced to life, with a 17-year non-parole period. There has been no word yet on any appeal over today's sentence for Steven Williams. CROWN GIVEN MORE TIME OVER LAWSUIT ---------------------------------- The Crown has been given more time to outline its defence to a lawsuit, alleging negligence over the Auckland RSA killings. It was due to file its statement of defence in the High Court in Auckland today. The lawsuit is being brought by the husband of Mary Hobson, one of three people killed by William Bell at the Mount Wellington- Panmure RSA two years ago. Bell was on parole at the time. Mr Hobson alleges Corrections acted negligently in granting him parole. The Crown now has until February 27 to submit its defence. (Without in any way belittling the pain felt by Mr Hobson, I wonder what the alternative is. Unless the entire parole system is abolished, there are always going to be those who act contrary to expectations. The people granting parole can only act on the balance of probabilities, and sometimes they will be wrong. If they are to be held personally liable for the actions of the criminal, who would ever take on the job? - BH) ANOTHER DEATH ON MT COOK ------------------------- Mount Cook has claimed another life. A Romanian man has plummeted to his death on the mountain's upper Linda Glacier. Police say his climbing partner has survived, and radioed a third team member for help. Two kiwi climbers have been helping him. A helicopter's retrieving the man's body and the survivors. KNIFE FOUND AT OTAKI HOUSE -------------------------- Police have found a bloodied knife at the Otaki property where three people died on Monday. They say it will be examined to establish if it was the weapon used in the deaths of Bronson O'Carroll and his two children. The post mortem examinations have been completed, confirming all three suffered multiple stab wounds. No further details of the examinations will be released, until a final reconstruction of the events has been completed. The house is still being examined and police hope to finish their work at the property on Thursday afternoon. The bodies have now been released to the family. MAORI, PACIFIC ISLANDERS' POSITIONS IMPROVE -------------------------------------------- New evidence has been released showing economic and social statistics for Maori and Pacific Island peoples have improved in many areas over the last two years. The Government has released a review of its Reducing Inequalities programmes, aimed at closing the disparities between the two groups and the rest of the population. It shows incomes for Maori household incomes are improving and the number of Maori and Pacific Islanders leaving school with qualifications is up. The employment rates for both have also improved, while the rates of child abuse for Maori have declined. However, the report also shows the overall position of all New Zealanders has improved in recent times and improvements for Maori and Pacific peoples are not always keeping pace. MISSING CHRISTCHURCH STUDENT FOUND ---------------------------------- A young Chinese student has been located after going missing for over a week in Christchurch. 22-year-old Andrea Geng disappeared from her Papanui flat last Tuesday. Police say she has been found safe and well, and they are continuing their inquiries. MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER & KIDNAP -------------------------------- A man has appeared in court charged with murder and kidnapping following an 18-hour ordeal for a Christchurch woman and her four children. Thirty-seven-year-old Darryn James Rosanowski was arrested last night after armed police stopped his vehicle in Marshlands Road. With him were a woman and children, including four-month-old twins. Police allege they had been kidnapped by Rosanowski after an attack on the woman's partner. They say they were first alerted by a text message from the woman, saying she and her four children had been kidnapped after witnessing an attack on her partner. Thirty-six-year-old Darryn Raymond McRobert died at the scene of yesterday's Gilberthorpes Road attack. Rosanowski entered no plea in court today and has been remanded in police custody. Friday, 06 February ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SOVEREIGNTY FLAG FLIES OVER WAITANGI ------------------------------------ The Maori sovereignty flag was flying high over the Treaty grounds at Waitangi, as this year's commemoration drew to a close. A protester climbed the highest pine tree at the reserve, planted in 1836, to attach the flag. It was one of several incidents this afternoon, including a scuffle with a police officer filming the action. Ngapuhi leader Titewhai Harawira says this year's Waitangi is different from past events. She says Maori came from throughout the country to reaffirm their deep hurt about the foreshore and seabed. She says they feel pushed against the wall, and that the government is not listening. But Mrs Harawira says Maori leave Waitangi with a feeling of unity and hope. (On the other hand, the impression conveyed by the media is that this year's observations at Waitangi were the most violent and divisive for over a decade - BH) THREE IN CUSTODY AFTER DISTURBANCE ---------------------------------- Two men and a woman are in custody after an assault and gunshot in Hamilton. Police are still piecing the events together. Early Friday morning, they became aware that two men at a Fairfield address were suffering cuts because of an alleged assault. A short time earlier, armed officers had been called to a Bankwood Road home after a man fired a gun, narrowly missing others. It is thought to be gang related. Meanwhile there have been two violent incidents in Auckland. A 24-year-old Asian man is facing charges of wounding with intent after an argument escalated around two o'clock this morning in Richardson Road. A short time later an aggravated robbery at an East Tamaki service station left an attendant shaken but unhurt. He was held up at gunpoint by two men who took off with cash and cigarettes. MAD COW PANIC COSTS LIVES - EXPERT ---------------------------------- A New Zealand food safety expert says the world's panic over mad cow disease is costing lives. Dr Stuart MacDiarmid has been part of an international team advising the US government about the disease. The discovery of one contaminated cow in the US has led to bans on American beef in dozens of countries. Dr MacDiarmid says every time this happens, developed countries waste money on ineffective protection measures. He says they should put the funds toward stopping more dangerous diseases. BSE has killed 150 people globally, but Dr MacDiarmid says food poisoning kills thousands every year. He says New Zealand has programmes in place to prevent food poisoning and mad cow disease. MANUKA HONEY MAY NOT BE REAL THING ---------------------------------- There is more honey purporting to be manuka on sale in New Zealand than the industry actually produces. The Consumers' Institute made the discovery when investigating the product that has a reputation for health benefits. Some honey blends claiming to be manuka contain only a small dollop of the real thing. The problem is in the labelling - and Consumer spokesman David Russell blames the industry for that. He says it has failed to agree on a long-overdue industry standard test, but it is time they did, to give consumers confidence that they are getting the genuine product. David Russell says if a manuka producer is going to charge a premium of up to four times the price of ordinary honey, they have to establish their claims are correct. He says people have to be careful when buying it that they are getting the real thing - if in any doubt, leave it alone. THE TRUE SPIRIT OF WAITANGI --------------------------- Ngapuhi kaumatua used this year's dawn service at Waitangi to convey their disappointment at Don Brash's Orewa speech last week. Most kaumatua who took the floor told how the National Party leaders' speech cut through the hearts of Maori. They also expressed their disappointment at the dumping of Georgina te Heuheu, who was also present. The kaumatua have offered themselves as mediators to bridge the gap between Dr Brash and his sacked Maori Affairs spokeswoman. Neither Don Brash nor any of the government ministers present was given the opportunity to speak. A karakia sounded out over Waitangi as the dawn ceremony for the commemorations got underway on the Upper Marae. Don Brash attended although later left the celebrations; Helen Clark had a sleep in, but joined the ceremonies taking to the water in a catamaran to watch the waka ceremony. Later in the morning the scene at the treaty grounds in the Bay of Islands was one of food stalls, children, horse rides and people enjoying themselves. Locals said it is the real spirit of Waitangi. Prime Minister Helen Clark and Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia walked among the crowd shaking hands, in a complete contrast to events of yesterday when Helen Clark was jostled and heckled. There was a small protest earlier on in the day, but nothing since. Elsewhere around the country Waitangi Day commemorations got underway with a waka race on the Whanganui River, a multicultural festival in Porirua and a fun fair on the Chatham Islands. The Ministry for Culture and Heritage had allocated almost $300,000 for 57 separate events. Meanwhile the Maori Affairs Minister wants his people to think more broadly on the foreshore and seabed issue. The government's proposal brought anger from those gathered at Waitangi yesterday, and there were some ugly scenes of jostling and shouting. Prime Minister Helen Clark was heckled and National's Don Brash was hit in the face by a fistful of mud. Parekura Horomia says this is one of the rougher trips in his 21 years of going to Waitangi. He says some people are being one-eyed over the foreshore debate and there are other issues to consider if they are serious about making things better for Maori children. Parekura Horomia says he is hoping for more peaceful scenes today. There has also been praise for Helen Clark's cool response to Waitangi's ugliness. Associate Maori Affairs Minister John Tamihere says the Prime Minister did the right thing by sticking with her decision to make an appearance at Waitangi's lower marae. Mr Tamihere says the protest was undignified and there are other ways to express anger. BAY OF ISLANDS CHURCH BURNT DOWN -------------------------------- A historic church in the Bay of Islands has burnt to the ground overnight. St Paul's Anglican Church in the town centre of Kawakawa has been completely gutted. Deputy Chief Fire Officer Wayne Martin says the community will be devastated. He says the 160-year-old church is probably the oldest building in the Kawakawa township, and the centre of the community. Wayne Martin says it is hoped the bell can be saved but even that does not look likely. He says it is not known how the fire started, and police and fire safety are investigating. The blaze broke out around midnight. THE FINANCIAL PAGE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Date: 5 February 2004 Brian Dooley Wellington New Zealand CURRENCIES ~~~~~~~~~~ The currency codes given below conform to ISO 4217, which can be found at http://www.xe.net/currency/iso_4217.htm. The rates given are for telegraphic transfer. To Buy NZD 1.00 USD 0.6900 AUD 0.9023 GBP 0.3762 JPY 72.97 CAD 0.9211 EUR 0.5514 HKD 5.3796 SGD 1.1721 ZAR 4.7552 CHF 0.8656 INTEREST RATES (%) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Call : 5.25 90 Day: 5.61 HOW TO 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. _______________________________________________ WYSIWYG News mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you wish to unsubscribe, please visit http://wysiwygnews.com/mailman/listinfo/news Mailing List services provided by OneSquared <http://www.onesquared.net/>