Neu: 2001-09-05 Contents of this issue: 1. Pay Hike 2. Niue Flicks 3. New Rules 4. Off The Rails 5. Unauthorised Spending 6. Patchy Record 7. Rebel Wins 8. Heavy Load ======================================================================== September 5th, 2001 1. Pay Hike: Niue politicians have voted themselves a 10 per cent pay increase backdated to July 1 this year.It follows a 10% cost of living allowances given to public servants. At a Legislative Assembly meeting today the members accepted a Niue Public Service Commission recommendation that the premier's pay be increased to $59,000, Cabinet Ministers to $38,100 and members $14,300. The Speakers salary increased to $17,500 and he gets a separate allowance of $1000. Select committee members sitting allowances were set at $30 a day or $70 when sitting outside normal hours. Allowances for Legislative Assembly members set in 1999 for clothing and travel remain the same. 2. Niue Flicks: Niue is getting a new movie theatre. Three months ago a small group of residents got together and formed a company in New Zealand to refurbish a central Alofi premises and run the 30-seat theatre. Its the first time on Niue shareholders have formed such a company and the $20,000 project will open without a loan or a grant. "We had a lot of fun re-decorating the premises ourselves and will be using hi-tech dvd projection equipment," said company secretary Bob Stickland who is the local accountant."Luckily we had people with skills we could put to good use and a few friends gave their time to ." Several years ago a movie theatre was set up using reel to reel projection but was restricted by the amount of film it could get air freighted to the island. However using dvd's allows the latest released movies to be screened immediately and will mean movie goers will get a good weekly selection of films.. "We have an agreement with a major US based film distributor which has been very supportive of our plan and hopes our venture will provide a new social activity for movie fans on the island." said Mr Stickland. He said patrons will be provided with comfortable seating - the theatre has New Zealand made deckchairs and carpet on the floor. "We're waiting for the projection equipment to be delivered- its on its way - and we'll open the doors as soon as possible," said Mr Stickland. The theatre will initially open three nights a week and on Saturday afternoon for a children's matinee. A dvd library is being formed and already has 30 covers on the shelf including silent movies, classics, action, horror and family movies. 1. New Rules: New Zealand's Transport Minister Mark Gosche has announced proposals for new Civil Aviation rules that will significantly improve aviation safety and efficiency. "Our aim is to make our skies safer," Mr Gosche said, speaking at an avaition safety forum today. One of the rules now being developed is the compulsory fitting of an enhanced ground proximity warning system which, for the first time, would make these safety systems accessible to small and light aircraft. "The new system is satellite-based and much smaller, lighter and more accurate than currently used radar systems which are heavy, cumbersome and with limited range. It provides pilots with a three-dimensional map of the surrounding terrain beneath their aircraft, showing them exactly how far they are from that terrain at any given moment. The Civil Aviation Authority have appointed a flight operations expert to lead a technical study group which, in consultation with the aviation industry, will write the rules for installing this equipment. 2. Off The Rails: A New Zealand High Court judge has warned that courts are unlikely to tolerate any more delays in the case of whether a former Herald journalist should have to reveal his sources reports the NZ Herald. John Andrews, a former chief reporter at the Herald who now works as a freelance journalist, has been the subject of several court hearings that have attempted to compel him to reveal police sources. Lawyer Rob Weir applied to the High Court at Auckland for a judicial review after two justices of the peace ordered that Andrews did not have to name the police officers who gave him information published in the Herald. Andrews objected to naming the officers under the Evidence Amendment Act, arguing that doing so would breach a special relationship of confidence. THe NZ Hrald reported suppression orders prevented coverage of the case. In the High Court on July 20, Mr Weir argued that the two JPs had made errors of law and acted unreasonably by not recognising the relevance of Mr Andrews' articles. Justice Robert Fisher dismissed the application, saying several issues should have been resolved before Mr Andrews was asked to reveal his sources, including the relevance of his answers if he had given them. Justice Fisher said the matter "ran immediately off the rails, never to return" because Mr Weir had not made the correct application to dismiss the hearing before the JPs. He said there had been no reason to call Mr Andrews as a witness at a preliminary hearing before two JPs, who did not have the jurisdiction to consider questions of pre-trial publicity or whether police were responsible. Justice Fisher suggested Mr Weir apply either to the trial court or for a judicial review at the High Court, and said the question would be whether the prosecution as a whole should be brought to an end. He said the court would not tolerate any further delays in completing the process, and any application would need to be supported by the proper affidavit evidence. 3. Unauthorised Spending: Audit NZ has strongly criticised the Niue Government for spending public money without authority from the Legislative Assembly. In its 1999 Audit report, delayed because of an extraordinary high number of errors and incomplete accounts, the NZ controller auditor general David Macdonald said in the fiscal year 1998/99 $901,000 was spent without the required appropriation. The unappropriated sum included %67,000 of recurrent budget, capital expenditure of $210,000 and $123,472.on special projects. New Zealand the major aid donor to Niue has since tightened the release of funds to Niue making quarterly recurrent budget allocations. The special project funding is no longer included in the nation's budget but is controlled by the NZ High Commission on Niue. The Audit NZ controller and auditor general added that the most significant items of unauthorised expenditure were $210,000 for airline and tourism development, $124,000 on health and bulk fuel $139,000. 4. Patchy Record: Niue has a poor record for unauthorised expenditure. From 1993 to 1999 more than $NZ7million of government expenditure had not been authorised by the Parliament - $5 million was in excess of constitutional limits. Audit NZ has told the Niue Government that unless there is some exceptional reason for making unauthorised expenditure the government should prevent it by better estimating its expenditure, better control over expenditure and requesting the Assembly to grant additional appropriations as soon as the need for them is evident. Under Article 59 of the Constitution the government can only spend 1.5% of the total appropriated funds for that year without authorisation of Parliament. Several weeks ago New Zealand warned Niue that it would be keeping a close eye on the way its aid is spent in future - a similar notice has been given to Tokelau. 5. Rebel Wins: Coup leader George Speight won a seat in Fiji's election on Wednesday, having run for parliament from an island prison where he is awaiting trial for treason. "We are very happy, this is what we have been waiting for, praying for, fasting for," said Sala Robanakadavu, an executive member of Speight's Conservative Alliance party. Speight had only hours earlier appeared in a court in the capital Suva on minor charges related to his 2000 coup. Speight led armed rebels into parliament on May 19, 2000, and toppled Fiji's first ethnic Indian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry in the name of indigenous Fijian rights. Chaudhry has also won a seat and his Labour party took an early lead in the polls. 6. Heavy Load: The Reef Shipping Company vessel Southern Express will call at Tonga September 20 to pick up a 29 tonne crane and two trucks for the Niue Public Works Department. Because of the weight of the crane it will have to be broken down to get it ashore by barge at Alofi. The equipment is a gift from the US Armed forces in Hawaii. The Southern Express will continue from Tonga to rarotonga and Aitutaki before offloading cargo at Niue. The ship, on its current voyage, is due off Niue September 8 and after unloading and loading general cargo will head for Auckland. __END__
