subject: September 3, 2005 ----- WYSIWYG NEWS ------------------------------ Copyright, Brian Harmer Officially, spring is here. Fine in theory, but in practice, the weather is as unpredictable as ever, switching from grey overcast to bright sun and back again in the space of just a few hours. The general trend is good, though. On Thursday, during a fine spell, I had occasion to walk from the university to downtown Willis Street to have lunch with a friend. It's quite a while since I walked down Allenby Terrace, which is one of those narrow alleyways with myriad flights of steep steps and intriguing sightlines across normally hidden parts of the city. It drops down from the Terrace just below Salamanca Rd, in the direction of Boulcott Street. Underfoot, the asphalt pathway is a bit crumbly in places, and some of the concrete steps are a bit worn. Old trees with mossy trunks, and fences in various states of decay, lend some privacy to those who live in the old houses on either side of the path. Painted wooden handrails in some of the steeper places do not inspire confidence, though there are galvanized pipe rails in other parts. As I neared the bottom, I saw another downside of living in such an eccentric address. Two young men carrying on their heads a bed and a mattress respectively, were plodding up the steps making what was obviously to be the first of many trips moving furniture into a flat. They just could not get a vehicle any closer to the house. Picturesque environments are one thing, furniture removals of an alpine character are entirely another. The last flight of steps does a zigzag around a commercial building and drops onto O'Reily Street, named for the Franciscan priest, Jeremiah O'Reily who in 1843 started the first Catholic parish in Wellington on the corner of the street now named after him, and Boulcott Street. Two grand old ladies provide a touch of architectural distinction on the lower part of Boulcott Street. One is St Mary of the Angels. This striking Church was designed by Frederick de Jersey Clere (who was also responsible for St Andrews on the Terrace) and completed in 1922, to replace the earlier one destroyed by fire in 1918. Although it looks to be made of more elegant materials, it is in fact constructed of reinforced concrete. It has recently undergone a considerable facelift and seismic strengthening, and all its surfaces seem clean and bright. Just down the hill, on the intersection with Willis St, is what was once the Hotel St George. When I first came to Wellington, "the George" was, together with the Midland, the Grand, and the Waterloo hotels, a very upmarket place. I remember them all with some affection, having stayed in each of them on one or more occasions. The George has fallen on hard times, though not so much as the Grand and the Mid, both of which were demolished some years ago. The space where the somewhat quirky Midland hotel once stood, is now "Midland Park", an open space in front of yet another modern Tower block on Lambton Quay. I suppose the advent of the newer tower block hotels, beginning slowly in the 80s with the James Cook, and the Town House marked the start of the decline of the old timers, and the newer Duxton and the Intercontinental would certainly mark the end. Dining in those hotels was an experience of a different world. For some reason, fur coats, duck à l'orange, crayfish mornay, port and Grand Marnier come to mind when I recall the elegant silver service dining room of the George. And in those far off days when public bars closed at 6 pm, I remember that the lounge was always a busy place where those who intended to dine or were guests in the house could get a drink after closing time. The plush armchairs were always full, and there was always lots of noise, a cocktail piano and laughter. The George was where the Beatles stayed when they came to Wellington in their 1966 tour. It had some lively and popular public and lounge bars at street level. More recently, the building has served as a backpackers hostel, and latterly as a student hostel. Alarmingly, I saw large trucks belonging to a demolition company in the tiny car park in the rear. Workers were passing shattered wall lining material and other waste out onto the waiting trucks. Is this the end of the line for a stately old lady, or is it merely the start of a makeover and a new life as an apartment block? To all WYSIWYG readers in the United States, and especially those in the gulf area who were impacted by the hurricane and events following it, my thoughts are with you. I hope that the world is as generous to you as you are to them when disaster occurs.
On a lighter note, yeeeeehaaaa! The All Blacks just beat the Wallabies. The Bledisloe cup was already in the bag, win or lose, but the victory also secured the Tri-nations trophy previously held by South Africa. On the water at the rowing in Japan, five of our teams made it to the finals and four of them won. ---- 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 Don Treadwell whom I have had the pleasure to meet during his visits to the homeland. Thanks Don. ---- On with the news: Monday, 29 August ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SEARCH RESUMES FOR MISSING DIVER --------------------------------- A search resumes this morning for a diver missing in Cook Strait. The man's companion was pulled from a launch yesterday at the Brother Islands area near Tory Channel, after police received a mayday call. He is suffering from the bends and is in a serious condition in Christchurch Hospital. Wellington Westpac Rescue Helicopter operations manager Dave Greenburg says an extensive search, involving 11 boats failed to find the second diver. He says it appears the divers were dragged down 64 metres after being caught in turbulent waters. FIRE CAUSES NO ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN ------------------------------------ There is silver lining in the cloud of smoke over a North Otago forest. A blaze ripped through the area at Moeraki yesterday, scorching 60 hectares of Department of Conservation land and the fringes of a commercial pine plantation. Otago Conservator Jeff Connell says things could have been much worse and there was not much damage from a conservation point of view as the area was mainly scrub and gorse, which carried the fire quickly through to the pine forest. He says fire- fighters will be at the scene today ensuring there are no flare-ups. GOFF REJECTS RACISM CLAIMS -------------------------- Justice Minister Phil Goff believes the Maori Party is misrepresenting its constituents with its comments about Donna Awatere Huata. Maori party co-leader Pita Sharples say many Maori people feel the justice system is racist and that a white fraudster would not have been sent straight to jail as Awatere Huata was. But Mr Goff says most people would be appalled by those comments. He says Awatere Huata was found guilty by a court of law on the evidence, not because of her ethnicity. He says what Maori people would have wanted the Maori Party to stand up and say, was that the 56-year-old stole money from young Maori. He says the Maori Party should not be acting as an apologist for the disgraced former ACT MP. Awatere is in jail awaiting sentencing after she and her husband Wi Huata were found guilty of misappropriating around $80,000 of taxpayer money for the Pipi Foundation reading scheme for underprivileged Maori children. (The reaction has been puzzling. Tariana Turia asks how dare someone say Ms Awatere Huata ripped Maori children off. I just don't understand how else to interpret it. - BH) CANDIDATE CAMPS OUT IN POWER PROTEST ------------------------------------ It is an unusual way to make a policy statement but an Alliance Party candidate is choosing to camp out to make a point on the electricity industry. Tom Dowie, who is contesting the Wigram electorate in Christchurch, has spent a night in a tent outside Meridian Energy's Christchurch office in a solo protest against power price rises due to come in next month. He says prices continue to rise without any thought given as to how they impact on those at the bottom of the heap. Mr Dowie blames the rises on the Government's commitment to run the SOE as a profit making business - something he says the Alliance Party seeks to overturn. ARREST IN CONNECTION WITH HAMILTON DEATH ---------------------------------------- An arrest has been made in connection with a death in central Hamilton on the weekend. A 23-year-old man has been charged with assaulting a 40-year-old who was found dead on a footpath early on Sunday morning. The arrested man has been released on bail and he appears in court on Friday. A post mortem examination will be carried out on the dead man today. KIWI SNATCHED FROM BIRD SANCTUARY --------------------------------- A kiwi has been stolen from Queenstown's Kiwi and Birdlife Park after a break-in at the popular tourist venture last night. The female bird was taken from her burrow and staff say she must have put up quite a fight, as feathers have been found scattered throughout the park. Locals are being asked to look out for anything suspicious, particularly at backpackers' or motel accommodation. Tuesday, 30 August ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ KIWI BACK WITH HER MATE ----------------------- The kiwi missing from a Queenstown bird sanctuary is back with her mate. Atar was snatched by thieves who jemmied open doors to the kiwi house at the Kiwi and Birdlife Park on Sunday night. She was found just after six o'clock last night hiding under a bush near the park entrance. Park director Paul Wilson believes she put up a fight as she succeeded in getting away from her kidnappers. She has large clumps of feathers missing, but is otherwise unharmed and is recovering in her burrow. The park is stepping up security to help keep other wildlife thieves at bay and police are continuing the hunt for those who tried to snatch her. (Much of what has been reported seems highly speculative, but there was obviously a real break-in as evidenced by the damage to the door. - BH) TURIA ACCUSES BRASH OF CREATING DIVISION ---------------------------------------- National Party leader Don Brash is being accused of using Maori as pawns in a political chess game. National plans to scrap the Maori seats and Treaty references in legislation and review government agencies. It also wants to speed up the Treaty settlement process. Co-leader Tariana Turia believes National's race relations policies will create division. She says Dr Brash is doing the opposite of his pledge to bring the nation together and his notion that he knows what is best for Maori is well off the mark. Ms Turia believes Dr Brash wants to obliterate Maori, but she says Maori will not allow that to happen. NZERS URGED TO EMBRACE WIND TURBINES ------------------------------------ A conference on wind energy is urging New Zealanders to put aside their fears and embrace wind energy technology. Svend Auken, the vice-president of the Danish Parliament, is the keynote speaker at the New Zealand Wind Energy annual conference in Wellington. He was instrumental in developing Denmark's wind energy industry. He says while the wind turbines may appear huge, they are not noisy, are very efficient and are also environmentally friendly. He believes turbines enhance the beauty of New Zealand's landscape. Mr Auken says there was no real opposition when Denmark developed wind energy. AUCKLAND SCIENTIST WINS AWARD ----------------------------- An Auckland University scientist has won $10,000 for her research into neurological diseases. Dr Debbie Young has been presented with the prestigious Invitrogen QMB Award at the annual Queenstown molecular biology meeting. The award is in recognition of her work into neurological conditions such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases. Her findings provide new information in understanding the role of specific genes in disease and the possibility of developing new drugs. OFFICERS HOSPITALISED AFTER FINDING METH LAB -------------------------------------------- Six police officers have been discharged from hospital in Rotorua, after being treated for inhaling dangerous chemical fumes. Police were called to a Koutu house yesterday afternoon after reports of an armed gunman, but instead, found a methamphetamine laboratory. Senior Sergeant Dennis Murphy says the officers came into contact with toxic fumes and were sent to hospital, but were released late last night. He says the chemicals used to manufacture the drug are highly dangerous and in many cases the houses they are made in are uninhabitable because of the environmental damage to the property. A 41-year-old man is being sought by police. LATER SLOT WANTED FOR ADULT PROGRAMMES --------------------------------------- United Future wants a change to the time when TV networks can start showing adults-only programmes. At the moment 8.30pm is the cut-off point but the party wants it changed to 9.30pm. Broadcasting spokesman Marc Alexander also wants to beef up the powers of the Broadcasting Standards Authority, the body that considers complaints from viewers and radio listeners. SEPARATE MAORI REPRESENTATION ATTACKED -------------------------------------- Don Brash has continued his attack on separate Maori political representation, during an address to a Grey Power meeting in Tauranga. He has told around 200 superannuitants that separate seats in both local and central government promote a dangerous drift to racial separatism. Don Brash says more than 20 percent of the councillors on the Bay of Plenty regional council are elected on the basis of their race. He has told Grey Power members that National will empower its elected representatives to act on behalf of all their constituents, not just Maori or non Maori. Dr Brash is pledging to take that message to the other eight councils throughout New Zealand considering separate Maori wards. (On the basis of the most recent polls, I fear a large number of my countrymen are voting on nothing beyond the impact of tax promises on their back pocket. Dr Brash could promise to steal the first born child of every family in the land as long as he gives the bigger tax benefit. I hope to be proven wrong. - BH) TWO ARRESTED ON KIDNAPPING CHARGE --------------------------------- Two men have been charged with the kidnapping of Kim Spencer. The property developer was detained and assaulted late last year. Detectives this morning executed warrants in Auckland and Palmerston North which resulted in the two arrests. A 52- year-old will appear in the North Shore District Court this afternoon and a 43-year-old is due before the Palmerston North District Court next Tuesday. Both men face counts of kidnapping, demanding with menaces, commissioning a crime with a firearm and injuring with intent. Detective Sergeant Hayden Mander says the arrests are the result of a lengthy investigation and inquiries throughout the country. NEW ALTERNATIVE TO 111 PLANNED ------------------------------ Steps are being taken towards setting up a non-emergency phone number for the police as an alternative to calling 111. The Police Advisory Board has discussed the idea at a regular meeting in Christchurch today. Police headquarters says the idea was among a number of recommendations in a review of the 111 call centres in May. It followed a number of high profile botch-ups; chiefly the response to an emergency call from Auckland model Iraena Asher, who has now been missing for almost a year. Police headquarters says the non-emergency number proposal will be presented the Police Advisory Board and Police Executive, including Commissioner Rob Robinson, at the end of next month. LABOUR SLAMMED FOR "SCAREMONGERING" ------------------------------------ Labour has been accused of scaremongering by claiming teachers will be laid off under National's bulk funding plans for schools. The party's education spokesman, Bill English says there will be no losers under bulk funding, and says Education Minister Trevor Mallard has simply made up the numbers. Mr Mallard claims National's numbers fail to account for a rise of more than $10,000 in top teachers' salaries and the fact that many more teachers have been employed under Labour. He says the $280 million budget proposed by National will in fact cost around $1.4 billion over four years. However Mr English says National will be redirecting funds from a bureaucracy that has exploded under Labour. He says National plans to spend an additional $350 million on schools next year. (I suspect every party is scaremongering on some issue or other. If only they could confine themselves to selling their own positive virtues how much better it would be. - BH) JAIL FOR RECIDIVIST DRUNK DRIVER -------------------------------- A Porirua man facing his 27th charge of drink driving has been sentenced to three years jail. Kenneth Morgan appeared in the district court today. The 56-year-old builder appeared in court for sentencing after admitting a charge of driving while disqualified. Morgan also pleaded guilty to his 27th charge of driving with excess breath alcohol Judge Kelly sentenced Morgan to 18 months jail on each charge. He has also been disqualified from driving indefinitely. Kenneth Morgan was stopped by police on July 16 near Waikanae and was more than three times over the legal limit. Wednesday, 31 August ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MEAL BREAK LAWS UNNECESSARY SAYS BUSINESS ----------------------------------------- Business believes Labour's push to enforce meal breaks is unnecessary. Prime Minister Helen Clark has launched her party's employment relations policy which includes the introduction of a minimum code of employment rights, which would include a provision for meal and refreshment breaks for all workers. But Business New Zealand Chief Executive Phil O'Reilly cannot see the point. He says most workers are already getting tea breaks as appropriate and that has been a feature of the workplace landscape for decades. Mr O'Reilly says Labour will need to justify the need for legislating meal breaks and hopes business will be involved in discussions. He says what business wants from the parties is a suite of policies which recognise business as a driver of growth. Labour's policy also includes protection from job losses when contracts change hands. (So, if they are unnecessary because they are already in place, then making the breaks mandatory won't do any harm either? Except that we all know there are industries that exploit the vulnerable and do not give proper breaks - BH) JAIL MESSAGE FOR REPEAT DRINK DRIVERS ------------------------------------- It is hoped that the jailing of a Porirua man will act as a deterrent to others tempted to drink and drive. Fifty-six- year-old builder, Kenneth Morgan has been sentenced to a total of three years in jail on his 23rd drink driving charge and his 27th charge of driving while disqualified. Andy Knackstedt from Land Transport New Zealand says hundreds of people are maimed or killed by drunk drivers and the jailing sends a clear message to the community that it will not be tolerated. He says the sentence also recognises that the only way to stop some people from that kind of offending is to lock them up. Sergeant Steve Kendrick from Paraparaumu hopes that Morgan will seek the help he needs to address his massive alcohol problem. WARNING TO PREPARE FOR FLU PANDEMIC ----------------------------------- New research shows primary health care providers will be at risk of sickness and even death when the next flu pandemic hits. Dr Nick Wilson, Otago University researcher, says steps need to be taken now to minimise the impact because there are warning signs in Asia suggesting bird flu could transmit and spread globally. He says if that does not eventuate the threat remains for another flu pandemic to strike in the next 20 years. Dr Wilson says nine percent of GPs could become sick and a small number could even be killed by a widespread dose of flu. INTRUDERS RELEASE CHILDREN'S BIRDS ---------------------------------- Staff and children at Earlybirds Educare in Rotorua are hoping their prize birds will be returned to them. Police are investigating an incident which occurred at the early childhood centre over the weekend, where offenders broke into the centre on Tyron Street, grabbed tools and removed the door to the aviary, allowing all the birds to escape. Six finches, four canaries, four quail and two ringnecked doves are missing. Police say the staff and children are upset and would appreciate the return of the birds. Anyone who has spotted the birds should contact the Rotorua Police. HITMAN HIRED FOR TRIAD KILLING ------------------------------ Police believe Triad member Tam Yam Ah was murdered by a hitman from Wellington. The 37-year-old was killed after being shot once in the chest outside the Top Karaoke Bar in central Auckland last month. Detective Inspector Bernie Hollewand says Tam was trading in crystal methamphetamine and running an extortion racket. He believes the hit was organised from Auckland, but the men came from further afield. He says possible motives include people who did not want to continue paying Tam or a competitor who wanted to eliminate him from the business. He says police have established a group of people travelled up for Wellington on the night before Tam's murder and alleges they had the express intention of killing Tam. He adds they travelled back to Wellington almost immediately after the crime was committed. Detective Inspector Hollewand says there is still a long way to go in the investigation as police try to gather enough evidence to take a case to court. REBEL SMOKERS' PUB REOPENS -------------------------- A Banks Peninsula Pub, closed down after being prosecuted for breaches of the Smoke Free Amendment Act, is reopening. The Wheatsheaf Tavern closed its doors after its then manager, John Van Buren, ran foul of laws preventing patrons from smoking in bars. The court case against him later fell over after he went into receivership to avoid prosecution. However the Wheatsheaf Tavern, which has been closed through much of the drama, is now under new ownership and management. It is due to reopen this Thursday. PARDONED PRIVATES REMEMBERED AT PARLIAMENT ------------------------------------------ Three New Zealand army privates who were shot by firing squad in Europe 90 years ago have been remembered at a ceremony at Parliament. The service medals and war records of Privates Jack Braithwaite, Frank Hughes and Victor Manson Spencer have been presented to their families by the Prime Minister. The men were pardoned of desertion and mutiny by Parliament. Helen Clark says today marks the end of a sad chapter for the families. She says all three men lost personal battles either with military discipline or with their ability to endure the terrors of life in the trenches, and ran foul of the harsh military discipline of the day. Miss Clark says every ANZAC Day must have been hard for the men's families as others displayed medals that were denied them. A relative of Private Manson Spencer, Jim Ryan from Bluff, says he deserted and was living with a French woman when he was captured. Mr Ryan said he did not last long after that; he was given a 20 minute Court-Martial and was refused permission to defend himself, before being taken out and shot. Private Manson Spencer had served at Gallipoli and in France, and Mr Ryan says he was suffering from shell shock. MURDER ACCUSED WILL GO TO TRIAL ------------------------------- One of the people accused of the murder of former Road Knights gang member Ricky Burnard is to go to trial. Mr Burnard was shot to death on a Christchurch street in April. Thirty-five- year-old Kylie Southon and 31-year-old Anthony Peters are jointly charged with his murder. In the District Court this morning Peters' lawyer indicated he would not oppose committal, meaning his client will go to trial. Southon's future is yet to be determined. The court is currently viewing video tapes of police interviews with Southon and Peters. The details have been suppressed as Southon's lawyer intends challenging their admissibility as evidence. HOLMES DELIVERS RECORD AUDIENCE ------------------------------- Last night's election special, "Holmes: At Home with Clark and Brash" was a record performance for Prime Television. Paul Holmes' at-home interviews with the two prospective Prime Ministers and their partners delivered the network its highest ever ratings for its Tuesday documentary franchise. Audience numbers peaked at 220,000 and averaged 198,000 across the hour, gaining Prime an average channel share of 13 percent in the 8:30pm time slot. Thursday, 1 September ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POLICE BOSS BACK IN UNIFORM --------------------------- Waikato District Commander Superintendent Kelvin Powell is happy to be putting on his uniform again. Superintendent Powell was stood down after being charged with raping a female officer nearly 21 years ago at the woman's birthday party in Rotorua. He was found not guilty in the High Court at Hamilton last month. Police Association secretary Chris Pentecost believes the suspension should have been lifted immediately after the acquittal, but is pleased it has finally happened. At this stage, Superintendent Powell has been reinstated as a police officer, but the expectation is that he will be resuming his role as Waikato District Commander. CURVY WOMEN TOPS WITH BEAUTY COMPANY ------------------------------------ Women fed up with rake-thin models should be pleasantly surprised by a new advertising campaign launched today. Dove is revealing a new campaign featuring women with a bit of shape following research showing 71 percent of New Zealand women claim the media and beauty advertising have the most negative impact on the way they feel about their looks. Marketing Manager Michelle Hine says ads featuring women of all shapes and sizes have been hugely popular in the UK and America and are about to hit Down Under. She says to coincide with the campaign, women will be asked to pose for a calendar celebrating curves. Ms Hine hopes the campaign will make ordinary women feel good about themselves. CATWALK EXTRAVAGANZA PROMISED ----------------------------- Fashion junkies are being promised a catwalk extravaganza. Nine Wellington designers will have the latest in spring and summer fashion on show tonight at the Air National Hanger in Kilbirnie. The Walk On Air fashion show has already attracted around 700 guests. Creator Hank Cubitt says it is a unique show and warns that those near the catwalk should expect a cacophony of colour during the two-hour exhibition. WELLINGTON COUPLE SHOT DEAD IN BOLIVIA -------------------------------------- A Wellington couple has been found shot dead in Bolivia. Vanessa Johnson and her partner were on a climbing excursion in the Ulla Ulla National Park, near the Peruvian Border. The reserve is a popular destination for trekking. Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Emma Reilly says the incident was first reported to the ministry on August 26. She says up until now the area has not been known as presenting a security risk for travellers. Ms Reilly says Ms Johnson's partner is a foreign national and his next of kin are yet to be advised of his death. RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS DAY --------------------------- Watch your back today - you may be struck by a random act of kindness. Josh de Jong came up with the idea for a Random Act of Kindness Day while sitting in an Auckland traffic jam. He says it is all about doing something nice and brightening up someone's day. He says a number of businesses are getting involved, with Kelly Tarlton's giving family passes to some Starship Hospital patients and a Robert Harris store giving away free coffee. He says it is great that the companies have stepped up and he hopes individuals will too. Mr de Jong says a random act of kindness does not have to be expensive and it could be something as simple as sending an old friend a nice note. RAPIST'S COMPANY DUMPED BY COUNCIL ----------------------------------- The Tauranga City Council has dumped the company of convicted rapist Peter McNamara. McNamara is one of four men jailed for the rape of a woman at Mount Maunganui 16 years ago. The council had contracts with McNamara's company H2O Management - which ran local pools including the Mount Hot Pools. It says by mutual agreement, it has terminated the deed that gave H20 long term rights to operate the aquatic facilities. An interim management team has been appointed - and the council will put the work out for tender later in the month. NATIONAL FRONT SUPPORTS NZ FIRST -------------------------------- The National Front is urging its voters to support New Zealand First because of its similar immigration policy. The far right group is not contesting the election, because some of its members jumped ship to the rival Direct Democracy Party which is standing candidates in many electorates. National Front director Sid Wilson says they agree with New Zealand First's immigration policy, particularly as both parties are calling for a halt. He says the country's infrastructure is overloaded because there are too many people here at the moment. Mr Wilson says he expects New Zealand First to be pleased that they will get the votes of National Front supporters. POKIE POP-UPS POSE PROBLEMS --------------------------- A new pokie pop-up is meant to help problem gamblers - but will probably just annoy many. In future, pokie machines must have pop up, on screen messages telling gamblers how long they have been on the machine and how much they have won or lost. The messages will pop up every 30 minutes. They will give gamblers the option of resuming play after 30 seconds or ending their session. New machines must have the pop-ups from the first of next month - all other machines must have them by July 2009. The move has been opposed by some sectors of the gaming industry. POLICE RAPE TRIAL MOVES TO AUCKLAND ----------------------------------- Two former police officers and one current top officer accused of raping a Rotorua woman are to have their trial moved to Auckland. Assistant Police Commissioner Clint Rickards, Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum are accused of raping and indecently assaulting Louise Nicholas in Rotorua when they were police officers there in 1985 and 1986. A pre-trial application has been heard in front of Justice Priestly in the High Court at Rotorua. All details of the reasons behind the change of venue have been suppressed. Further pre-trial arguments will take place in Auckland at the end of October and the three-week trial is likely to take place in the first quarter of next year. LABOUR WOULD NOT ALLOW P AS AN EXCUSE ------------------------------------- People committing crime under the influence of hard drugs like P will be handed harsher sentences than at present - if Labour gets back into power. Justice Minister Phil Goff says too many criminals hide behind P, blaming it for their behaviour. He says that is unacceptable. Mr Goff says being under the influence of hard drugs will be considered an aggravating factor in sentencing under Labour. Labour would also class as an aggravating factor at sentencing, any offending which endangers or exposes a child to potential adverse effects such as manufacturing P at home. Friday, 02 September ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MAN ARRESTED AFTER WOMAN'S DEATH --------------------------------- A man has been arrested after a woman was found dead at a house in the Manukau suburb of Papatoetoe. Police were called to the address after reports of a domestic dispute. A 26-year- old woman was found dead at the scene; the man arrested is 34. SAD STORY OF LONELY DEATH ------------------------- The lonely death of a Wellington man has prompted a plea for people to keep better contact with their neighbours. Senior Sergeant Peter McKay says Timothy Miles' sole surviving relative raised her concerns with Police after she had not heard from him for some time. He says they entered his Broadmeadows home and found Mr Miles' body and documents suggesting he had been dead around 10 months. Peter McKay says the case shows the importance of keeping in touch with those in your neighbourhood. He says Mr Miles' neighbours were collecting his mail, but he was very reclusive and his non- appearance had failed to spark any concern. (Laying guilt on neighbours is unhelpful. It may be a generational thing, but some elderly citizens of my acquaintance are obsessively private, and reject attempts by neighbours to be friendly. - BH) MORE GENERAL PHYSICIANS NEEDED ------------------------------ A conference of Australasian medical experts today will hear there is a shortage of what are known as general physicians in both countries. The conference of the Internal Medical Society of Australia and New Zealand in Alice Springs will be considering how to attract people to the discipline, which looks after patients needing hospital, but not surgical or specialist, care. President Dr Phillippa Poole says general physicians assess these patients early on, deciding what the problems are and where to direct scarce health resources. There are more than 180 vacancies for general physicians in Australia and New Zealand. AUTHORITIES SAY THEY HAVE LICKED LEGIONNAIRE'S ---------------------------------------------- Health authorities in Christchurch believe the Legionnaires' outbreak has been dealt with, even though the source of the disease has not been named, nor has the testing of cooling towers in the city been completed. So far 19 people have caught the lung infection; three of them have died. Medical Officer of Health Doctor Alistair Humphrey says 80 percent of the towers in the city have been checked. He says the results show there are no towers with bacteria considered to be dangerous. Alistair Humphrey says the last case of the disease was notified two and a half weeks ago, and they're increasingly confident the outbreak is over. MYSTERY CONTINUES TO SURROUND WAIMAKARIRI DEATH ----------------------------------------------- Establishing what killed a Christchurch man whose body was found on the banks of the Waimakariri River looks like taking some time. The remains of 36 year old Phillip John Mullaly were found on Wednesday morning. Police are not treating his death as a homicide, instead describing it as an investigation of a death. Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Wormald says they are still determining how Mr Mullaly died and it may be some time before the post mortem results are in. He says getting toxicology results could take several weeks. HISTORIC HOTEL TO BE DEMOLISHED ------------------------------- It may have been the focal point of community life for more than a hundred years, but time has finally been called at the Paekakariki Hotel. The building is being demolished and a new development including several luxury apartments will be built on the site. Owner Craig Debreceny says the pub has been put to a variety of uses by locals, including a stint as the local rugby clubrooms. (Well, I wouldn't put the Paekakariki pub in the same class as the Hotel St George, but there is another little piece of history gone. It had character. - BH) ROCK REMOVAL MAKES POOLS SAFE ----------------------------- The Mount Hot Pools in Tauranga are back in action today after being closed yesterday as a safety precaution for the removal of unstable rocks on Mount Maunganui to be completed. One of the larger ones was pried loose and rolled about 15 metres down the slope. A spokesman says the successful operation has now made the area safer. GUILTY VERDICT IN POUNAMU CASE ------------------------------ An Otago pilot has been found guilty of stealing pounamu valued at around half a million dollars from south Westland. Jurors at the Dunedin District Court deliberated for about nine hours before returning their guilty verdicts against Harvey Hutton. The 48-year-old stole about ten tonnes of high- grade pounamu from Cascade Plateau, even though Hutton only had a license to mine at Big Bay. Big Bay pounamu retails for about 60 percent less than that found at Cascade Plateau. He has been remanded on bail for sentencing on November 1. DEAD WOMAN IDENTIFIED --------------------- Police have identified the woman whose body was found in a south Auckland home on Thursday. She was Shunlian Huang. Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Lynch says the death of the 26- year-old is being treated as homicide. A 34-year-old man who was known to Ms Huang has been arrested and charged with her murder. He has appeared in the Manukau District Court and has been remanded in custody until September 16. ANOTHER CELEB DRUGS BUST CONVICTION ----------------------------------- Another of the men netted in the Auckland celebrity drug bust has admitted possessing ecstasy. Elliot Worrall has been convicted and fined 350 dollars plus costs. Worrall's conviction follows those of sports star Marc Ellis and businessman James Stevenson who both admitted possessing ecstasy, and property developer David Henderson and Phillip Clark who both admitted trying to buy cocaine. The cases of four other men, including the alleged kingpin John Waterworth, are still before the courts. MAORI STATIONS REFUSE TO PLAY AD -------------------------------- Labour is outraged over the banning of one of its campaign ads on some iwi stations. The party's Maori caucus head Mita Ririnui says the ad simply tells listeners how many times Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia has supported National in the past year. He says it also tries to ask Maori to be aware of the Maori Party's track record and the implications of that. Mr Ririnui says the reality is, that the Maori Party has a very healthy working relationship with National and the far right. He says the ad is accurate and just telling it how it is. PILOTS SHOUT SANDWICHES ALL ROUND --------------------------------- An Air New Zealand pilot apologised to the Prime Minister yesterday - today another has given sandwiches to Greens co- leader Rod Donald - who is also eating humble pie. Mr Donald was amongst passengers who spent three hours fog-bound at Auckland Airport. The pilots on Flight 503 bought them all sandwiches from the airport cafe. Meanwhile, Mr Donald was blaming Auckland Airport for not maintaining back-up generators for runway lighting. But he has since learnt that State Owned Airways Corporation is responsible for the generators. 24-HR MED CENTRE - BUT NO DOCTOR -------------------------------- Capital and Coast DHB is apologising after a sick baby's mother was unable to find any doctor on duty at Kenepuru Hospital A nurse offered Elizabeth Merchant a taxi to Wellington Hospital after she turned up at the 24-hour centre at 3am yesterday. Mrs Merchant ended up driving her seven- month-old child to Wellington. Capital and Coast DHB business manager Carey Virtue says there was a misunderstanding with the roster, which meant there was no doctor on from 2.30am till 8am. She says it is regrettable and will not happen again. AUCKLAND FOG DISRUPTS FLIGHTS ------------------------------ Flights are being diverted at Auckland Airport due to heavy fog. Four international flights have been diverted, one to Wellington and three to Christchurch. Airport spokesman Haldane Dodd says these flights will return to Auckland when the fog clears. He says a number of international flight departures are also delayed. He adds the airport is not closed and flights will land and take off as and when possible. Meanwhile the heavy fog has led to three road crashes so far in Auckland. A driver has been seriously hurt after their car and a truck collided on Bairds Road in Otara. Another person is in a critical condition following a two car head-on smash on the south western motorway near the airport, while the driver of a car that hit a power pole along Lake Road on the North Shore has also been badly hurt. St John Ambulance says they have been kept busy over the past couple of hours. Spokesman Charlie Bougher says the fog is also slowing down their response time. SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian Harmer does NOT administer the mailing list. Please do not send subscription related messages to him. 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