Kava drinker raises shell to dismissal of driving charges 

 Mr Tupou toasts the dismissal of the kava charges 
  
  
 
A TONGAN man went home to Porirua last night for a cup of kava with family and friends after charges of driving 
under the influence of the traditional beverage were dismissed in Wellington District Court. 
The three-day trial was the first of its kind in New Zealand and involved expert evidence on whether kava was a drug 
and whether it could affect a person to such an extent that he or she was unable to drive. 
Leameitonga Tupou, 50, was charged with driving under the influence of a drug after he was stopped by police on State 
Highway 1 on January 27. He had drunk six quarter-full coconut half-shells of kava at a meeting of the Tupou College 
Old Boys in Alicetown. He had undergone a breath test and passed. 
Judge David Carruthers dismissed the charge, saying there were other factors that could have contributed to Tupou's 
erratic driving on the night. 
The prosecution needed to prove two things, he said. First, that kava was a drug in terms of the Land Transport Act, 
and second, that as a result of Tupou drinking kava he was unable to control his vehicle. 
"Having regard to all the evidence I'm not satisfied . . . that it was the kava that affected his driving. On this occasion 
there are other explanations for what affected his driving on the night," the judge said. 
Defence lawyer Sue Earl said earlier that Tupou's erratic driving might have been caused by tiredness and because he 
had been suffering from gout. 
Slurred speech, reported by the arresting officer and the doctor, might just have been their inability to understand his 
Tongan accent. 
Police had said Tupou smelled of solvents and had bloodshot eyes. Ms Earl said this was because he had worked a 12-
hour day in a print shop and was surrounded by chemicals. 
Outside the court, Tupou said he was pleased with the decision. 
He had drunk very little kava since the arrest and was planning to share some last night with his family and friends to 
celebrate his day in court. 
He said he was shocked police had laid the charge in the first place as he had passed the breath test. He had asked for a 
blood test to be taken but this was not done. 
Ms Earl said she was pleased. "This is such a huge issue for Pacific Island people, both in New Zealand and 
internationally, and this clarifies to a certain extent their position. 
"It has huge cultural and social implications," she said. 
 
 
  `Painted lady' in big demand 

  Ms Anderson . . . drank bottle of wine 
  
  
 
OFFERS for special guest appearances at race meets up and down the country are pouring in for Christchurch's painted 
lady, Aron Anderson. 
The 31-year-old, who stole the show at the races at Addington on Tuesday by turning up with nothing but paint on from 
the waist up, has become the toast of the town. 
Sky Television has offered to fly her to Melbourne to attend a race meeting there, and a Christchurch radio station 
asked her to make a guest appearance at tomorrow's meet at Addington. 
"I thought I'd get one or two odd comments and a few smiles but nothing like this," said Ms Anderson, who works in 
the registry office at Canterbury University. 
She said she had nearly chickened out several times before the meeting and had to fortify herself with a bottle of wine 
before making her entrance. 
She said her boyfriend, Darren Bellagh, had liked her painted ensemble and admired her courage. Her mother was also 
happy about her new-found fame. _ NZPA 
 
 
  Victorious IRD battlers tell others to fight on 
  
 What a difference a day makes: the Willises after the compensation news 
  
  
 
A TRIUMPHANT Murray and Jan Willis are overwhelmed that they will be compensated for a 14-year battle with 
Inland Revenue _ and are urging other wronged taxpayers to keep battling. 
Still reeling after an unreserved apology by Inland Revenue's acting commissioner, John Perham, for their treatment, 
Mr and Mrs Willis were further stunned by yesterday's announcement of compensation. 
"We're still getting over the apology, and now this," a jubilant Mr Willis said. "It's incredible, we're still stunned, to be 
honest. 
"One thing I really want to say though is to other people who have been harassed, chased and stalked by the IRD _ 
don't give up because we didn't and now we're finally getting somewhere." 
Revenue Minister Michael Cullen said it was clear the Willises deserved compensation. He ordered the Accident 
Compensation Corporation and Inland Revenue to split the cost. 
He was backed by Parliament's finance and expenditure select committee, which has investigated the Willises' case. 
The committee recommended an ex gratia payment for them, to be paid within 30 days. 
But the committee said the payout could not be used as a precedent, because their case was exceptional. 
Dr Cullen said he had ordered compensation because the Willises were clearly eligible, but he did not know how much 
they should be paid. "I have no idea what the appropriate level of compensation would be. That's why it's important to 
have an independent assessor." 
Mr and Mrs Willis are out of pocket by $350,000 after a 14-year battle with Inland Revenue sparked by an incorrect 
ACC levy rate in 1986. They sold nearly all their possessions and incurred massive interest on loans when Inland 
Revenue ordered them to pay $100,000 in tax arrears. 
A police investigation later found that a letter to them had been doctored to remove notice of their right to appeal. 
Inland Revenue wound up their company for non-payment, but a judicial review found that they had been wrongly 
taxed and they were repaid $83,446. 
Mrs Willis, who told a select committee on Wednesday that she still cringed with fear when she saw an Inland Revenue 
letter, said a payout could never recover what they had lost. Mr Willis suffered a stroke and Mrs Willis developed 
breast cancer, requiring a mastectomy _ ailments they blame on the stress of their ordeal. 
Mr Willis said he had no idea what amount they should be paid, and he and his wife would seek legal advice before 
negotiations began with an independent assessor. 
"Mate, at the start of this week we had nothing, we're still paying off the costs of paying the IRD back. What a 
difference a day makes!" 
He said he and his wife had always clung to their belief that they had done nothing wrong. Their case had been helped 
by studiously filing every piece of Inland Revenue correspondence. "I wouldn't wish what we went through on anyone, 
but my message to other people in our situation is `keep battling, don't let them bully you'." 
ACT NZ MP Rodney Hide, who has championed the Willises' fight, welcomed Inland Revenue's unprecedented 
apology and admission that the department made mistakes. 
"I hope that that culture filters all the way through the IRD, to all their officers, and they accept that we now have a 
new broom sweeping out that old culture." 
* Editorial p6 
 
 
  Big pay rise for Te Papa boss 
  
The chief executive of the Museum of New Zealand, Dame Cheryll Sotheran, has had a pay rise of up to $20,000 
despite the museum's $7.8 million loss, its annual report shows. The report shows that Dame Cheryll was paid between 
$210,000 and $220,000 (including payment of a performance bonus), up from between $190,001 and $200,000 in 
1998-99. Other top earners include two paid between $120,001 and $130,000 and three paid between $100,000 and 
$120,000. Te Papa has had more than 1,410,500 visitors _ 17.5 per cent more than projected, according to the report. 
 
 
  Teacher on sex charge 
  
  
 
Police arrested an Auckland teacher yesterday and charged him with indecently assaulting a 13-year-old schoolboy. 
The 44-year-old man appeared in North Shore District Court on one count of indecent assault. He was freed on bail. 
His name and the name of the school where he teaches were suppressed. 
 
 
      Medals for soldiers killed in Timor 
  
THE families of three soldiers who have died in East Timor are to be presented with the New Zealand Memorial Cross 
next week. 
The medals, given to the next of kin of those killed in active service, will be presented to relatives of Private Leonard 
Manning, Staff Sergeant Billy White and Warrant Officer Tony Walser at the Beehive on Wednesday. Private Manning 
was killed by anti-independence militia in July and Staff Sergeant White and Warrant Officer Walser died in vehicle 
accidents. 
 
 
 Job-loss fears after tariff cuts 
  
MANUFACTURERS and unions are complaining that they were not consulted about the Government's decision to 
remove all tariffs on imports from the 42 poorest countries. 
Manufacturers Federation chief executive Simon Carlaw said the lack of consultation with affected industries was "of 
real concern". 
Trade Unions Council secretary Paul Goulter said the announcement from Prime Minister Helen Clark at the Asia-
Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' meeting in Brunei was "a total surprise" and could lead to job losses. 
Green Party co-leader Rod Donald said the move would be the death knell of the clothing industry. 
But a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman said interest groups had not been consulted because the imports affected 
had a total duty value of $522,940. Only 2.4 per cent of imports from the poorest countries incurred tariffs and they 
comprised 0.24 per cent of total knitwear imports, 0.35 per cent of woven material imports and 0.27 per cent of 
footwear imports. 
Miss Clark said the move showed that international trade was not just about wealthy companies or well-connected 
entrepreneurs. "We want to ensure that the world trade system has room for the poorest people from the poorest 
countries." 
She said that after the failed World Trade Organisation talks in Seattle, director-general Mike Moore had pointed out 
that if the poorest countries were to support free-trade moves they had to know they would gain. 
"The best approach is to give them the key straight away and this move will do that," Miss Clark said. 
Mr Carlaw said though it might seem churlish to criticise the tariff removals, there had been talk of forming a 
partnership between the Government and business but proper consultation was a key factor in this process. 
Mr Goulter said some poor countries had appalling labour rights and it would be preferable for Apec to explore 
economic development and debt relief for them. 
 
 
   
 Police to carry on with Incis despite criticism 

Mr Goff  
  
 
POLICE headquarters plans to push ahead with the Incis computer system, despite a ministerial inquiry's widespread 
criticisms of police bosses' handling of the project. 
An inquiry by former Tranz Rail chief executive Francis Small _ whose findings were made public yesterday _ has 
concluded that the project was doomed to failure. 
It failed because of "numerous, interrelated and complex" problems, Dr Small says in his report. 
"No single cause resulted in the failure but the combined effect of the causes meant that Incis would almost certainly 
fail." 
The project was commissioned in 1991 but was wound up one-third complete last year when supplier IBM pulled out. 
The project had cost $104 million, and was threatening to spiral $30 million over budget if completed. 
The report criticises the police's handling of the project, citing poor and over-optimistic reports for government 
watchdogs, inadequate staff and resources, failure to recognise risks, and a lack of technical expertise. 
Future projects should not be based on untested equipment, as the Incis one was, it says. 
Dr Small's report contains recommendations for future computer projects, including stringent reporting requirements 
and the need to focus on smaller, modular projects. 
He also suggests a one-year time limit to get projects going. 
Police Commissioner Rob Robinson welcomed the findings, saying he accepted the report's criticisms. 
But he said police intended to push forward with developing Incis, with an eye to providing officers with part of the 
crime-fighting capabilities staff were originally promised. 
"Yes, for New Zealand police Incis has been a costly experience and it has not at times been a totally pleasant process," 
Mr Robinson said. 
Incis was now operational nationally and provided a platform for further enhancement, but officials would follow Dr 
Small's recommendations for gradual, bite-sized improvements. 
Police technology had improved, and the change from IBM to Microsoft computers was almost complete, Mr Robinson 
said. 
Ironically, the report criticised that decision to change, saying technology substitutions during a project increased the 
risk of failure. 
Mr Robinson confirmed that the vacancy for a police information technology director would not be filled, but a new 
management team, with better reporting, had been set up. 
Justice Minister Phil Goff said a working group on technology projects, headed by the State Services Commission, had 
been appointed to consider Dr Small's recommendations. 
The group would report back to the Government next March. 
Mr Goff said the $389,000 cost of Dr Small's inquiry compared favourably with the $7 million it would have cost to 
complete the commission of inquiry set up by the previous government. 
 
 
 Taxpayer has corporate box 
  
THE taxpayer is paying for a corporate box at Wellington's WestpacTrust Stadium _ and could be locked into the deal 
for the next 14 years. 
ECNZ chief executive Chris McGeown confirmed that the former state-owned electricity giant, which was split into 
three companies in April last year, had kept ownership of the box, which it had been trying to sell since Mr McGeown 
took the helm in January. 
"Discreet" attempts had failed and the company was hiring the box event by event, Mr McGeown said. When it could 
not be hired it was not being used. 
He would not comment on the cost of the contract or how much ECNZ hoped to sell it for. 
It is understood corporate boxes of the type owned by ECNZ cost $200,000 with an annual licence fee cost of $40,000. 
An advertisement that appeared in daily newspapers sought interest in the 20-person- capacity box which came with 
two car parks. 
The price was "negotiable", the advertisement read. "The box is in a prime location and affords a good view of the 
large screen. Get in before the cricket season." 
Mr McGeown, whose contact details appeared on the advertisement, said that since April last year the box had been 
surplus to requirements but the initial 15-year lease was a done deal at the time of the split. 
ECNZ is competing with the Stadium Development Trust, which has nine unsold corporate boxes. 
Trust chief executive David Gray said its nine unsold boxes had also been sold event by event and had generated their 
budgeted income. "The Stadium Trust is now offering the remaining boxes on terms and prices that are highly 
flexible." 
In addition to 15-year purchases, the boxes were available on three- or one-year licences, as one-year rugby or cricket 
packages or event by event. 
Mr Gray said the ECNZ box, near halfway for rugby, represented a "good purchasing opportunity". 
Mr McGeown defended the initial purchase. 
"The decision to acquire a box at the stadium was made two or three years prior to the split . . . at that point ECNZ was 
a substantial trading organisation and it was appropriate to make those sorts of decisions." 
He said there was no market for selling a corporate box at the stadium. "We are attempting to build some enthusiasm 
and build a market for it. 
"We will then hopefully elicit two or three offers from that and effectively the market at that point sets a price. 
"We could give this thing away but that's not appropriate, we have to create a market for one if it's not there and find a 
buyer." 
 
 
  Women cops ready for Timor duty 
  
Breaking new ground in the fourth police contingent for East Timor, are Paula Stevens, centre, Helen Weatherup, left, 
and Christine Coy 
   
 
INSPECTOR Paula Stevens is unperturbed about being the first woman to lead the latest New Zealand police 
contingent to East Timor. 
"Being a female just doesn't come into it _ we are just one of the boys." 
Ms Stevens, who will have the temporary rank of superintendent during the six-month deployment, will be joined by 
two other women on the assignment, constables Christine Coy, of Temuka, and Helen Weatherup, of Mt Maunganui. 
They are the first New Zealand female police to serve overseas in 10 years. 
The group of 15 police officers fly out for East Timor today, stopping in Darwin to acclimatise and meet New Zealand 
police returning from the region. 
Ms Stevens, 48, who is based in Christchurch, joined the police in 1972 and has worked as a armed offenders squad 
member. 
Ms Weatherup, 38, said yesterday that she was feeling a variety of emotions about leaving New Zealand but was 
excited about the challenge that lay ahead. 
The group is the fourth police contingent to work in East Timor. 
 
 
  Cellphone advances lead to ban from school examinations 
  
  
 
THE popularity of text messaging has led to a ban on cellphones in this year's School Certificate and university 
bursaries examinations. 
School Certificate examinations start next Wednesday, and bursaries examinations on Thursday. 
Qualifications Authority examination services manager Michael Steer said yesterday that for the first time cellphones 
had been specifically banned, both because they were distracting to students if they rang and because of the possibility 
of cheating. 
"We are aware of attempts to cheat using cellphones in this country . . . there have been a couple of instances where 
people tried to cheat through cellphones." 
In another nod to the growing use of new technology, this year's bursaries results will be available on the Internet. This 
will be the first time national results have been posted on the Internet. 
Last year, an 0900 phone line was introduced for bursaries candidates, and this year it would be extended to School 
Certificate as well, Mr Steer said. 
Candidates for both examinations would get letters next month giving them personal identification numbers to access 
those results. The same PIN could be used by bursaries students to access their results on the Internet. 
Mr Steer said most of the 0900 calls last year cost between $2 and $3 and the authority broke even on the service. 
He and communications manager Bill Lennox said written results would continue to be sent out to students by the last 
week of January, and should be in their letterbox a day or so after becoming available by phone and Internet. 
Mr Steer said the only subject with a significant increase in numbers was School Certificate text information 
management, offered for the first time last year. Schools were moving to word processing from the more traditional 
typing, offered for the last time this year. 
The authority said 100 candidates would sit the only new School Certificate subject for 2000, Chinese, and 403 would 
sit university bursaries Chinese, introduced last year. 
Total candidate numbers were a little down on earlier years, with 62,426 sitting School Certificate, down 700 from last 
year, and 26,651 sitting bursaries examinations, down 470. 
The biggest School Certificate examination was mathematics, which 41,781 students were sitting, followed by English, 
which 38,564 students were taking. A further 7172 had already been internally assessed for English. 
The biggest bursaries examination was English (14,673) followed by mathematics with statistics, with 12,225 entries. 
 
 
  Fahey `not enjoying' prison life 

 Fahey 
  
  
 
DISGRACED doctor and former Christchurch deputy mayor Morgan Fahey has described his discomfort at living with 
paedophiles and "stir-crazy men" at Christchurch Prison. 
Fahey, who admitted sexually abusing 11 female patients over 30 years, was jailed for six years in June. 
The worst problems he has faced since being imprisoned in the Rata Block have been "awful food and lack of 
intellectual stimulus", Fahey says through a friend, Wellington doctor Roger Ridley-Smith, in a column in this week's 
GP magazine. 
"He just cannot be bothered talking to stir-crazy men," Dr Ridley-Smith, who visited Fahey in his cell block, said. 
"If you imagine that Morgan Fahey is enjoying himself in prison, I can assure you he is not." 
One inmate Fahey has time for is a priest jailed for paedophile offences, who insists he is innocent. 
"Unsurprisingly, Morgan is inclined to believe him," Dr Ridley-Smith says. 
About his own crimes, Fahey told Dr Ridley-Smith: "Whatever I did, at the time I was doing it, I did not know that 
what I was doing was wrong." 
Dr Ridley-Smith says in his column that prison has been far worse than Fahey thought it would be. 
"Even the first week, at Paparua Prison [in Christchurch], was terrible. 
"Shouting and cursing from the adjacent cells went on all night. These were the prisoners who, years ago, would have 
been classified as mad and kept in the mental hospital at Sunnyside . . . Morgan once worked there." 
In the Rata Block, there are 20 small cells with bright orange doors occupying three sides of a tidy grassy yard with 
flower beds. 
On the fourth side is the wall of the next block where, Fahey whispered to Dr Ridley-Smith, paedophiles are held. 
In the middle of the yard is a common room, with a few tables and chairs in it, Dr Ridley-Smith says. 
"There's a bookcase and numerous books of the redemptive or how-I-got-off-the-grog variety. 
"A few old lags wander around or sit at the tables in the yard. . . ." 
Fahey's cell is small and stuffy, with a toilet in the corner. 
He has radio and television, but no computer. 
He says he has problems placing phone calls and has limited access to the library. 
However, Fahey passes time writing pages of notes about the prison, and painting pictures using acrylic on wood. 
The Corrections Department said yesterday it would not comment on individual inmates' circumstances. 
 
 
  `Strong' lead in Lundy murder inquiry 
  
  
 
POLICE investigating the murders of Christine Lundy and her seven-year-old daughter Amber in their Palmerston 
North home 11 weeks ago said yesterday they were working on a "very strong" line of inquiry. 
The pair were found beaten to death in the bedroom area of their Kelvin Grove home on August 29. Police and forensic 
scientists spent 12 days examining the scene but have said little publicly about their investigation. 
The officer in charge of the case, Detective Sergeant Ross Grantham, said yesterday that the 20-person team was 
slowly and methodically working through the information it had gathered. "We are working on a very strong line of 
inquiry," he said, but would not give further details. 
"We are sure we will get the right result in the end." 
Last week, inquiry spokesman Detective Sergeant Mark Painter said preliminary results from the Environmental 
Science and Research Institute of tests made at the murder scene were pleasing. 
Mr Grantham said further results were trickling in but results of most of the more than 100 tests done were still to be 
reported back. 
"As the results come in we make assessments about other exhibits we've got and their importance. Some of the exhibits 
we initially thought were not as important as others have jumped the queue." 
He said people were still phoning in to tip police off about possible suspects and a team was checking them out. 
However, there had been no progress on identifying a car and a van seen outside the Lundy home the morning the 
bodies were discovered, or a jogger and cyclist seen nearby. Mrs Lundy's jewellery box and the 20 pieces missing from 
it had also not turned up. 
The murder weapon, believed to be a small axe or tomahawk, had not been found. 
 
 
   
 Recaptured 
  
  
 
A REMAND prisoner who escaped from Hawke's Bay Regional Prison yesterday was spotted sprinting across a golf 
course in his prison tracksuit and recaptured soon after. 
The Flaxmere man, 20, would appear in court on November 29, police said. 
 
 
  Australian diplomat recalled 
  
  
 
A WELLINGTON-BASED Australian diplomat has been recalled to Canberra after his partner admitted assaulting a 
workmate. 
Mario Fierro, 29, the partner of Australian High Commission economics adviser Jeff Hart, pleaded guilty in Wellington 
District Court this week to slashing a waiter's hand with a knife at the central Wellington restaurant where he works as 
a chef. 
An Australian Foreign Affairs and Trade Department spokesman said there was no suggestion Mr Hart was in any way 
involved in the crime committed by Fierro. 
"For operational reasons, however, the department has decided to terminate the posting of Mr Hart and he will be 
returning to Canberra in the near future." 
The spokesman would not detail what the operational reasons were. 
A spokesman for the Australian high commission in New Zealand said the department had recommended that 
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer waive diplomatic immunity for Fierro. 
Mr Downer had waived diplomatic immunity so Fierro, also known as Janaurio Fierro Gonzales, could be charged. 
Fierro pleaded guilty in Wellington District Court last week to injuring Paul Kirkby. He was remanded on bail till 
December 8 for sentence. _ NZPA 
 
 
  Judge sworn in 
  
  
 
Wellington lawyer Caroline Wainwright will become the first woman judge of the Maori Land Court at a swearing-in 
ceremony today. Maori Land Court Chief Judge Joseph Williams will preside over the ceremony at Hirangi Marae in 
Turangi. 
 
 
  Pedestrian hit 
  
A pedestrian, 26, was taken to Palmerston North Hospital with back injuries and bruising after allegedly being run 
down by a car yesterday. The man was standing outside the Warehouse Stationery store about 2am yesterday when the 
car allegedly drove on to the footpath and hit him. 
 
 
  Toilet paper blockage 
  
  
 
A big pile of toilet paper blocked Auckland's motorway yesterday after apparently falling off the back of a truck. The 
paper spread across the motorway at Grafton Rd, in the inner city, but police said the mess had been cleaned up before 
the morning rush hour. 
 
 
  Portage Hotel sold 
  
  
 
The Portage Hotel resort in Marlborough's Kenepuru Sound has been sold to a Sydney-based management consulting 
firm for nearly $3 million. The new owner would take possession on November 30, real estate spokesman Jeremy 
Harding said. 
 
 
  Worker breaks leg 
  
  
A construction worker broke his leg yesterday morning when some gib board fell on him at a Wellington building site. 
Occupational Safety and Health spokesman Justin Brownlie said the accident, at the Henry St site in Kilbirnie, would 
be investigated. 
 
 
   
    
  
 
The continuing stalemate in the US presidential election has been a boon for the satire industry. Most of the wisecracks 
have been at the expense of George W Bush, who, like his father before him, has a stunning ability to mispronounce 
words. The laugh could be on the jokers if he does become president. One of the best lines so far has it that Bill Clinton 
would then become known as the president between the Bushes . . . 
Hearty congratulations to Cabinet minister Lianne Dalziel, pictured, who tied the knot in the weekend. We wouldn't 
dream of bringing to the attention of her new hubbie loose comments made at a recent celebrity debate. Dalziel 
confessed that in younger years she spent her days dying her hair strange colours and her nights raging in nightclubs. 
The latter, while underage. At university, life was so much fun, she confessed, she had to repeat a number of her 
papers. 
Readers of the sometimes-delightful Upton-on-line, the weekly website column from the Nats' resident intellectual, 
may soon notice a change of style. Simon Upton is letting Bill English have a go for a couple of weeks. The 
apprentice's performance will be strictly monitored but if Bill passes the test, the column will become English-on-line 
when Upton leaves for his OECD job in Paris. Nat boss Jenny Shipley may wonder why Upton chose English: he had 
sought, he tells us, the Nats' most discriminating mind. And someone with a sense of humour. 
Turoa ski field receiver Gary Traveller was full of the joys of spring this week. Not only had the field had a good 
winter, but the Commerce Commission had just okayed a deal for rival Ruapehu Alpine Lifts to buy Turoa. This means 
all secured creditors should get paid with something left over for unsecured creditors _ a receiver's equivalent of 
powder snow and sunshine. Celebrating, Traveller was off to buy a lifetime ski pass for Mt Ruapehu, a snip at $2495. 
There's a time and a place for pick-up lines, Paul Surridge! Or is the Wellington lawyer's phone message _ "I'm sorry 
you've missed me, I'm out defending the innocent, especially damsels in distress" _ an attempt to add "knight in shining 
armour" to his legal portfolio. 
 
 
   
Research animals: mice cop the pain 
  
  
 
GENETIC engineering research appears to be responsible for a big rise in experiments using mice that causes them to 
suffer severely. 
According to the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee's 1999 annual report issued yesterday, the last report 
under the old Animals Protection Act, the number of animals used in research has dropped nearly 20 per cent from the 
previous year, from 310,737 to 249,272. 
But the drop is almost entirely because of a huge decrease in experiments on fish, understood to be mainly attributable 
to the stopping of genetic research by Nelson company King Salmon after concern about abnormalities in modified 
salmon. 
Easily the biggest category of research is on mice, up 33 per cent from 53,612 to 71,277. 
Though not the biggest percentage increase, mice feature most prominently in categories of suffering. 
In 1998, 6586 were deemed to have endured "very severe suffering". In 1999, the figure had more than tripled to 
19,986. 
A further 1939 of the mice are reported to have endured severe suffering. 
Among other animals most suffering in research were guinea pigs, 1870 of them suffering severely or very severely, 
compared with 658 in 1998. 
The latest report also shows that 103 hamsters had very severe suffering and 36 possums. 
Though not among the most suffering, the report also shows big increases on research on amphibians, nearly doubling 
to 1152; on birds, nearly tripling to 32,067; on goats, nearly six-fold to 1957; on reptiles, more than doubling to 5369; 
and on pigs, up more than 50 per cent to 858. 
Experiments on horses and donkeys has jumped more than 50 per cent to 434. 
Other animals used in big numbers in research, but at declining levels, include cattle, 33,579; and sheep, 42,915. 
Neither committee chairwoman Wyn Hoadley, nor Agriculture Ministry senior policy adviser on animal welfare Linda 
Carsons nor biosecurity director David Bayvel were available to comment on the report yesterday afternoon. 
Save Animals From Exploitation spokesman Gary Reese, however, said scientists were mis-representing the 
importance of animals for research. 
"All the real medical advances have come with human studies. These are just cheap to do." 
Mr Reese criticised especially the growing amount of research using and hurting mice, "undoubtedly in genetic 
modification". 
"The physiology of mice is that they feel pain in the same way as other species," he said. 
"We don't need it." 
 
 
  Kiwi flight attendant tells of air-rage nightmare 
  
AN AIR NEW ZEALAND flight attendant is still recovering after a nightmare flight from Sydney to Los Angeles 
during which a drunk Guatemalan man punched and kicked aircrew, including the pilot. 
The brawl took place on a flight with 265 passengers and 17 crew, as Flight 14 from Sydney to Los Angeles soared 
over Fiji last Friday. 
Sarah Parker, 23, said Erickson Alfonso Morales, 30, was first recognised as a potential hazard while the plane was on 
the ground in Sydney. 
"He wanted us to open his bottle of duty-free wine, which we're not allowed to do. A passenger is never allowed to 
drink his own supply of alcohol. 
"At the time he was acting a bit strange and we did wonder if perhaps he had been on drugs." 
Shortly after takeoff, Morales, who was scruffy and unkempt, began touching female flight attendants, stroking their 
hair and arms in a non-sexual manner. As cabin staff had no reason to suspect he was already drunk, he was given two 
glasses of wine with his lunch, Ms Parker said from Auckland yesterday. 
"Then he just wanted more and more. About 20 minutes after lunch he had an outburst, yelling `You can't drink, you 
can't smoke, what can you do on this plane?' 
"Then he bailed up two girls in the galley and grabbed me, saying `come on sister'." 
Morales _ who was travelling on an Australian passport _ pinned one attendant against a wall, at which point Ms 
Parker called to a male steward in the next galley for help. 
"Morales started going off a bit, bad-mouthing Americans, swearing and saying he was a revolutionary. Then he just 
erupted, and started yelling, kicking things, swearing and spitting on the woman passenger beside him. He also tipped 
his wine over her." 
A few minutes later, Ms Parker made her way toward the crew area at the tail of the plane, leaving Morales near the 
galley at the front. 
"I heard a huge crash against the door. At first I didn't think it was him. I just thought something or someone had fallen. 
But when I opened the door, there he was. 
"He and the purser were in a bit of a rumble and the purser had him in an armlock." 
As Morales began kicking at the exit door of the Boeing 747-100, Ms Parker became concerned that the plane might be 
damaged. 
"There have been a lot of air rage incidents that have been fatal. He was like an animal, yelling, screaming and violent. 
It took five people, including passengers, to tackle him to the ground and handcuff him." 
With Morales handcuffed, belted into a rear seat and screaming obscenities, the flight continued to Los Angeles. Many 
of the other 265 passengers were shaken by the incident, especially older women. 
As the plane approached its destination, Morales sobered up and was given tea and biscuits. He appeared to know he 
had done something wrong, but not exactly what, Ms Parker said. 
"The FBI came aboard and arrested him and he said `Sorry' at the door. The other passengers clapped as he went." 
Transport Minister Mark Gosche said the Government was tackling the problem of crime on international flights and 
hoped to bring in laws next year. _ NZPA 
 
 
  FASHION BELLES 
  
  
 
Massey University fashion student Christina Perriam, right, checks her entry for tonight's Fashion Show 2000, 
modelled by Katie Tsvetinova. 
The top is made of Swiss silk lace, but the trousers come from a source closer to home. Ms Perriam's family run 15,000 
merino sheep in Southland and the wool is sent to Italy to be woven into fabric. 
Blown-up photographs of the Grand Canyon provided some inspiration for her end-of-year collection, aimed at the 
New York professional woman who was sexy and adventurous, she said. 
"I'm aiming at the woman who has a job that allows her clothes to be a little different, a little bit out there. It's classic 
and modern at the same time." 
The event showcases the designs of Massey fashion students. Head of fashion Sue McLaren said other collections 
would include Pacific-inspired bridal wear and a Bogart-inspired collection of brightly-coloured raincoats. The show 
would be at the WestpacTrust St James Theatre, in Wellington, tonight at 4pm and 8pm. 
 
 
  Gisborne Hospital cleared by review 
  
  
 
A REVIEW by independent clinical experts has found the quality of surgical and intensive care at Gisborne Hospital is 
excellent and impressive. 
Health Minister Annette King reinforced the review's findings during an informal visit there yesterday, saying health 
services at the embattled hospital had improved to a satisfactory level. 
Results of the review, initiated after criticism by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, were made public yesterday by 
Tairawhiti Healthcare clinical director of surgery John Kyngdon. 
Mr Kyngdon said in July the Nurses Organisation disclosed excerpts of an anonymous letter it had received outlining 
concerns at the quality of intensive and surgical care provided at Gisborne Hospital. 
Tairawhiti Healthcare, which runs the hospital, attempted several times to get more details of the concerns raised in the 
letter to allow an investigation, but the organisation refused to give any information, he said. 
The board decided to do its own internal review of the cases despite the limited information available. 
"We identified highly complex, difficult and higher risk cases over the period stated in the letter for review by a 
nationally recognised authority," Mr Kyngdon said. 
"Included in these were what we believed to be the cases referred to in the anonymous letter, from the information 
released through the media and through the clinical knowledge here at the hospital." 
The review was conducted by Jack Havill, clinical director of the Waikato Hospital critical care unit and chairman of 
the committee of intensive care specialists of New Zealand, and Denise Cranston, operations manager of clinical 
services at Waikato Hospital. 
The report states: "Overall, we found the standard of care for the patients reviewed to be impressive. The standard of 
physician, surgical and intensive care doctors was excellent. The clinical care the patients received reached a high 
standard. In particular, involvement at a senior medical level was highly impressive." 
Mr Kyngdon said that though the health and disability commissioner was undertaking his own independent review, a 
report was not expected for some time. 
That review was initiated after failings in the Gisborne cervical cancer screening service. In July, Mrs King sacked the 
board after revelations that hundreds of Gisborne men were incorrectly tested for prostate cancer. Northland Health 
chairman Wayne Brown was placed in charge as the sole board member. 
Mrs King said yesterday she was satisfied with the improvements in health services at the hospital and gave much of 
the credit to Mr Brown. 
"I think it is important for the people of this area to know that things are really looking up for their health services. The 
real groundwork has been put in to establish good systems." 
Mrs King said she expected to begin making appointments to the new district health board early next year to work with 
Mr Brown. _ NZPA 
 
 
  Review of wine industry 
  
  
 
THE Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has published a discussion document on overhauling the regulation of the wine 
industry in a move that could lead to greater safeguards for consumers. 
Agriculture Minister Jim Sutton issued the document yesterday and called on all members of the industry to read its 
proposals. 
The document discusses four key ways to improve legislation governing the wine industry, including more stringent 
controls of standards and standard setting and export certification. 
The document was prepared after the Wine Institute, which represents producers, asked for a review of the legislation. 
It was concerned that though the industry set high standards, there were some gaps that needed to be closed to cement 
New Zealand's reputation as a producer of quality wine. 
Institute chief executive Philip Gregan said they included definitions of how much of a particular vintage had to be 
included in a wine before it could be branded as being that vintage. 
"There is no definition in New Zealand, and the argument is whether it should be 75, 85 or 95 per cent," he said. 
The document also considers whether the number of government departments that police the wine industry _ justice, 
health, customs and agriculture _ should be reduced. 
The deadline for submissions is February 2. 
 
 
  Top scientist regrets loss of colleagues 
  
  
 
TOP scientist Peter Barrett, who has kept his job in the wake of a shakeup of Victoria University's earth sciences 
programme, expressed sadness yesterday for colleagues who were losing their jobs. 
Professor Barrett, an internationally recognised professor of geology and director of the Antarctic Research Centre, was 
told last month that his job did not fit requirements in the shakeup, which was attempting to tackle the university's 
predicted deficit for the year of $7.7 million. 
Deputy vice-chancellor Roy Sharp said submissions by staff and students on cutback proposals had not raised any new 
issues or concerns. 
Four academic posts would be disestablished, but five academic vacancies would be advertised, three of which were 
new. 
As well, one academic post would be transferred to the repositioned Antarctic Research Centre as director of the centre, 
which would be moved outside the school of earth sciences. 
Professor Sharp said the review would result in 7.67 general staff jobs going, though the 0.67 position was vacant. Five 
general staff had chosen voluntary severance or its equivalent, and two fulltime and six part-time positions would be 
advertised. Two general staff positions would transfer out of the school of earth sciences, one to the Antarctic Research 
Centre and one to the science faculty. All decisions on staffing and filling of the vacancies would be made during the 
next few months. 
Professor Barrett said he would be with the repositioned Antarctic Research Centre. He hoped they would be able to 
preserve the expertise that had been built up and give a good basis for maintaining new research. He and other staff still 
had some concerns for the geology group because of the loss of staffing skill there, but everyone would be working 
hard to to cover those areas. 
 
 
  Recruiting threat `a negotiating position' 
  
  
 
THE Police Association yesterday called the police commissioner's threats to cut all new police recruits a "public 
positioning" between the police minister and commissioner. 
Police Commissioner Rob Robinson said on Wednesday that all new police recruits for next year would have their 
training deferred due to a budgeting crisis. 
Mr Robinson said that if collective pay negotiations were completed by Christmas then the cost would come out of 
police baselines and have an impact on finances across the police. 
Police Association advocate Greg Fleming said he was reluctant to enter into the debate while contract pay negotiations 
were going on. 
"We are currently in pay negotiations, so it's no surprise the commissioner is adopting a public position." 
Mr Fleming said it was obvious police were surviving on a bare bones budget. "The Government is putting the squeeze 
on the police budget. There is not a lot of fat left on it after it was sucked out by Incis." 
If training courses were cut it would mean fewer police on the street, which would be the direct opposite of what the 
Government had promised, he said. 
Police Minister George Hawkins is expected to meet with the deputy police commissioner today to discuss other ways 
police could save money. A spokesman from Mr Hawkins's office said yesterday he could not discuss other cost-
cutting solutions. 
National Party police spokesman Brian Neeson said Mr Hawkins's response was a "cop-out" and he questioned if there 
were any other ways to save money. 
 
 
  Doctors get blame for patients who turn killer 
  
  
 
ATTITUDES of doctors in mental health units had contributed to incidents that had turned patients into murderers and 
violent offenders, a forensic health conference in Wellington was told yesterday. 
In a classic example, a doctor told a patient seeking help on a Friday afternoon to come back on Monday because staff 
were having a party _ and the patient went home and murdered his father, the Mason Clinic's director of regional 
forensic services in Auckland, David Chaplow, said. 
Dr Chaplow helped conduct an inquiry into the predictability and preventability of 11 incidents involving mental health 
patients, including six murders and two rapes. 
The project found two incidents were predictable and eight were preventable. 
Staff training deficiencies contributed to nine of the incidents and inadequate policies or procedures were implicated in 
eight cases. 
The study also found problems with resource availability, interservice coordination and staff incompetence or 
negligence, Dr Chaplow said. 
Doctors commonly under-diagnosed patients and turned them away when they were in need _ often prompted by the 
lack of resources, he said. 
"Colleagues admit to being trapped between making sound decisions and prolonged negotiations for adequate 
resources." 
Deciding to admit a patient could mean spending four hours on the phone looking for a bed, he said. 
"Time and time again our decision-making along good sound clinical pathways is corrupted because we have anxiety 
about the resource issues. 
"We work in humanity and serve the most vulnerable people . . . we need to have the tools, expertise and the resources 
to do that." 
Not all tragedies involving mental health patients could be prevented, but mental health units needed to develop a 
"culture of inquiry" to start dealing with problems, he said. 
"We have got to learn to continually audit and monitor the cohort that we serve." 
The Challenges, Choices and Strategies Conference ends today. 
It is the first of its kind in New Zealand focusing on clinical risk management. 
 
 
  Songs of celebration at school for teen parents 

He Huarahi Tamariki pupil Rose Meyer, 18, breaks into song with help from son Kain Meyer-Scott, 1 
  
  
 
SINGING and clapping resounded yesterday at the prizegiving of He Huarahi Tamariki, a Wellington-area school for 
teenage parents and their children. 
The school, in Cannons Creek, Porirua, has had 50 students and 21 children enrolled this year. 
Principal Susan Baragwanath said the prizegiving had been "wonderful" and the students were really proud of their 
achievements. 
It had not been an easy year, she said. 
In August, the Education Ministry announced that the school would be recognised as an educational institution under 
section 98 of the Education Act. 
But Mrs Baragwanath said there had been little progress on the matter since then and she did not know what funding 
the school would get next year. "We only have enough funding to last us until the end of the year." 
Youth Affairs Minister Laila Harre spoke at the prizegiving and said the school challenged the idea that to get to the 
top you had to sacrifice good parenting. 
Initiatives such as He Huarahi Tamariki had developed because of the enormous effort of individuals in the community, 
Ms Harre said. "I think we need to look at how the Government can be a bit more proactive in this area." 
He Huarahi Tamariki was the "premier example" of teen parent education and other communities were interested in 
developing similar centres, she said. 
 
 
  Substance misuse main `risk in violent offending' 
  
SUBSTANCE misuse is one of the main risk factors for violent offending, particularly in severe mental illness, 
according to London-based forensic psychiatrist Andrew Johns. 
Dr Johns, in Wellington for this week's Challenges, Choices and Strategies Conference focusing on clinical risk 
management, is giving a paper today on managing and reducing risks in mentally disordered offenders. 
He says rates of violence have risen in most societies, and there is an expectation that mental health services will 
identify and incarcerate high-risk offenders. 
"No such interventions are entirely fail-safe and yet health services receive considerable criticism in the wake of violent 
offences by psychiatric patients. 
"We clearly have to be seen to improve methods of risk management, for the welfare of our patients and the 
community." 
He argues that substance misuse is one of the main risk factors for violent offending, citing a study that found the one-
year prevalence of violence was 18 per cent for discharged patients with a mental illness alone, 31 per cent for 
substance misusers with a mental illness such as schizophrenia, and 43 per cent for substance misusers with some other 
mental disorder such as adjustment or personality disorder. 
 
 
  Council seeks input on cycling plan 
  
  
 
HASTINGS District Council plans to make life easier for cyclists and wants to hear how it should do it. 
Following in the tracks of cycle-friendly cities Christchurch and Palmerston North, the council proposes putting in a 
cycle network to encourage cycling and make it easier and safer. 
The push for the council's "Towards Better Cycling" strategy came from submissions to its annual plan process. 
Council roading manager Alan Watton said the council had conducted studies on a strategy and wanted feedback from 
residents about where cycle-ways should be put in. 
Lower Hutt firm Traffic Design Group drafted the plan. 
The proposed cycle network covers urban areas and flat land on the Heretaunga Plains surrounding Hastings. 
A public meeting to get feedback on the plan is to be held on November 29. 
Mr Watton hoped the council would finalise its plan in February. 
 
 
  FISHERMEN OUT OF WATER 
  
  
 
Two bronze fishermen, one wearing the compulsory building-site hard hat, haul in a fish-laden net as work proceeds on 
Napier's new National Aquarium in the background. 
Aquarium manager Rob Yarrall keeps an eye on the work on the $7.5 million project, which is on schedule for opening 
in September. 
The hole in the ground behind the group will house the ocean tank, which will be up to five metres deep and will hold 
sharks, rays, and a full range of ocean fish. It will include a transparent passageway under the water so visitors can see 
the fish up close. 
The statue, The Fishermen, by Alan Strathern, will go in the water in a moat surrounding the new aquarium. 
 
 
  Don't go, kidnapped Kiwi bar hostess warns 
:  
  
 
A NEW PLYMOUTH woman kidnapped while working as a bar hostess in Japan yesterday begged anyone thinking of 
doing the same work to think again. 
Lisa (not her real name) said she was one of three New Zealand women kidnapped in Tokyo earlier this year. 
News of the incident prompted the New Zealand embassy in Tokyo to warn New Zealand women this week against 
travelling to Japan to work as hostesses in male-only clubs. 
Englishwoman Lucie Blackman, 22, disappeared in May while working in Roppongi, a popular entertainment district 
in Tokyo. 
Lisa said yesterday she was convinced Ms Blackman was no longer in Japan, if she was alive. 
". . . she is blond and good looking, which means they will almost certainly have sent her to the United States to work 
as a prostitute there. 
"She would have been drugged and shipped over there where the Japanese mafia would have plenty of work for her. In 
effect, she will be a sex slave." 
Lisa said she and the other two New Zealand women were in the same position when they were abducted in March but 
they all eventually escaped after being repeatedly raped by their captors. 
She said the trio had been working on the Gold Coast, in Queensland, when they saw a hostess agency advertising in a 
newspaper. 
"We were attracted by the big money, I suppose. My marriage had just broken up and we had a lot of debts. 
"I had my doubts, but one of the girls . . . had been there twice before and assured me it was safe." 
Lisa said things went wrong from the start. 
"The club we were to work at was dodgy. It was obviously mafia-run. We didn't feel safe there." 
When the women told their chaperone they were leaving, "she went mental". 
"She drove us around to the flat we were staying in to pick up our gear, but instead of dropping us off at the new club, 
she took us to another flat and that's when the nightmare began. 
"There were four men and their intentions were pretty clear. I knew they were mafia because they talked openly about 
it." 
The tips of their right-hand little fingers were cut off, a common ritual among Japanese yakuza, or gangsters. 
For the next 10 days, Lisa was forced to have sex with her captors and, occasionally, their friends. 
"They treated us like dirt. I still wake up having nightmares about what happened. 
"But I consider myself lucky. Lucky to have got away, especially compared with Lucie Blackman." 
Lisa escaped, picking the keys from the pocket of the drunken sole guard early one morning. 
"I have never been so scared in all my life, but with the help of some really nice Japanese people, I made it to the New 
Zealand embassy. 
"They were brilliant. They couldn't do enough for me. 
I'd lost all my luggage, my passport, what money I had. But they contacted my parents who were worried sick back in 
New Plymouth." 
Money was sent and she flew home two days later. _ NZPA 
 
 
  Crisis blamed for delay in welfare agency action 
  
A STAFFING crisis at Levin's Department of Child, Youth and Family Services branch had resulted in some children 
waiting months to get help, it was claimed this week. 
But Otaki MP Judy Keall said she was confident the problem would be resolved soon. 
It is understood one child was referred to the service in term two (April to July 3) but because of staffing shortages the 
child's situation was not acted upon till two weeks ago. 
A social worker told a public meeting attended by Corrections Minister Matt Robson on Monday night that the service 
in Levin was stretched and did not have enough social workers to do its job. 
"I can't get the help I need for my clients," she said. 
The service in Horowhenua was three social workers short, she said. A lot more government support was needed for it 
to be able to carry out its job. 
Ms Keall said she intervened a month ago and took Social Services Minister Steve Maharey to Levin to see the 
problem first-hand. 
Two more social workers would be appointed and a senior appointment had been confirmed, Ms Keall said. 
Last year, 160 cases of child neglect and abuse were reported in Horowhenua, of which 21 per cent were of neglect, 36 
per cent were physical abuse, 23 per cent were sexual abuse and 20 per cent emotional abuse. 
Women's Refuge head Merepeka Raukawa-Tait is calling for the dismantling of the service. 
The Public Service Association, which represents workers in the service, says action on staffing _ both increased 
numbers and better training and deployment _ is needed to meet the worsening caseload crisis and fears about the 
department's capacity. 
Association national secretary Richard Wagstaff said the problem was obvious _ "social workers are overloaded". 
Calls to scrap the service were shortsighted and counter-productive, he said. _ NZPA 
 
 
  GENERATION GAP 
  
  
 
Peggy Griffin, 96, helps Queen Margaret College pupils Isabella Tumbat-Pratt, left, and Louisa Slack, both 5, with 
their jigsaw puzzles. 
A former head prefect, Mrs Griffin was at the school yesterday to help celebrate Queen Margaret Day. The Wellington 
school holds a ceremony each year to commemorate the death of its namesake, Queen Margaret of Scotland. Mrs 
Griffin was a boarder at the college from 1919 and was head prefect in 1922. 
She said she had enjoyed revisiting the school, of which she had happy memories. "The school has gone ahead so 
wonderfully." 
The school unveiled new house banners as part of the day's celebrations. 
 
 
  Rain, rain, stay away! 
  
  
 
ORGANISERS of the Wellington region's biggest party, the annual Wellington Children's Christmas Parade, are 
praying that the rain which plagued last year's event stays away. 
Parade director Robert Baldock said it was hoped Saturday's crowd would top 100,000. Last year's parade attracted an 
estimated 80,000 people. 
"We are dreaming and praying for fine weather." 
Mr Baldock said 105 floats and 1350 people, including 350 costumed performers, would start from the Hotel Raffaele 
on Oriental Pde at 3pm and march along a shortened route to the rear of the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa. 
An attraction of the $90,000 parade, for which $30,000 came from council coffers, would include a Top Town Float, 
featuring Mayor Mark Blumsky, councillors, ballet dancers and orchestral accompaniment. 
Mr Baldock said children would be in for a range of treats, including tickertape and free chips, sweets and soft drinks. 
 
 
  Six-figure payout and new job as well 
  
A CHANGE in government that swept a state sector boss out of a job _ with a six-figure redundancy deal _ also created 
more work for him. 
Sam Knowles, former chief executive of the Government's accident insurer At Work, benefited from a massive 
windfall after it seemed the change in government had destroyed his work prospects. 
Mr Knowles walked away from his old job with $690,000, which included a year's work and redundancy payments. 
The state-owned enterprise was wound up when the incoming Government renationalised workplace accident 
compensation. 
Mr Knowles then moved to a political growth industry, helping New Zealand Post set up the Kiwi bank. 
The final annual report of At Work shows Mr Knowles received $680,000 to $690,000 in payments for the year. This 
included a base salary, at-risk remuneration and a termination payout equivalent to nine months of salary. 
Mr Knowles was said to be earning about $310,000. 
Earlier this year he dismissed reports he was going to get a $1 million golden handshake, saying: "It is a standard 
employment contract. You won't find much to write about when it comes out". 
A NZ Post spokesman would not say how much Mr Knowles was earning in his new job. 
Mr Knowles began the job part-time in June and became a fulltime contractor running the team looking into the Kiwi 
bank proposal in July. 
Mr Knowles was headhunted from Australia to set up At Work. 
Wind-up costs of At Work due to the change in policy were $4.1 million. This included $1.6 million from losses on the 
disposal of fixed assets, and $1.6 million in staff costs, including redundancy. 
 
 
  East coast shellfish warning 
  
  
 
HEALTH authorities warned people not to take shellfish from part of central Hawke's Bay's coastline yesterday as the 
toxic algae bloom creeping along North Island coastlines reached dangerous levels. 
Healthcare Hawke's Bay health protection officer Malcom Hart said there had been a "significant rise" in toxic algae in 
samples taken at Blackhead and Aramoana beaches, and some kinds of shellfish should not be taken between 
Blackhead and Pourere beaches. 
Public health warnings are issued when levels reach 5000 bloom cells a litre, and levels between 5500 and 7500 were 
found at Blackhead and Aramoana, east of Waipukurau. Further north at Pourere, levels were 1800, and at Napier's 
Pania reef the tests were clear. 
 
 
  Farm labour shortage seen in cadet scheme 
  
SHORTAGES of farm workers are showing up in a shortfall in young people applying for a horticultural cadet scheme 
run by the Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers Association and its local polytechnic. 
The scheme is expected to attract about 14 or 15 people for its first intake, starting in the next few weeks, though it 
could handle as many as 40. 
"But we could take a lot more," association field officer Alan Baldock said. The association's previous cadet scheme 
ended about five years ago but it had been revived at the request of growers. 
"There is a perception that horticulture and the apple industry are not going anywhere and are not worth getting into," 
Mr Baldock said. 
"But a new generation of growers is emerging and they are skilled, determined, focused and will demand better returns 
from their orchard businesses. There is a chance to train with these growers through schemes like the horticultural cadet 
scheme and it should be seen as a positive alternative for school-leavers or people currently employed in the industry." 
At least 17 more growers were keen to take on cadets but there were not enough applicants to fill all the positions, Mr 
Baldock said. 
"We could have 40 cadets starting on the scheme if there were enough of them interested." 
The cadetships lasted three years, with cadets working fulltime on orchards and attending workshops and classes at the 
polytechnic. They graduate with a certificate of horticulture. 
"The opportunities are there but we just can't get people to come forward and take on cadetships." _ NZPA 
 
 
  City's cafe culture has its roots in the 1920s 
  
WELLINGTON'S blossoming cafe culture can be traced back to the 1920s, an online exhibition shows. 
History students and the Culture and Heritage Ministry's history group have put together the online exhibition: 
Caffeine: a history of cafe culture in Wellington 1920-1999. 
Student Rosemary Mercer found that in the 1920s and 1930s, tearooms were popular among female shoppers. 
For a birthday treat, Wellingtonians often had tea at Gamble and Creeds or the DIC department store in Lambton Quay. 
A number of early coffee lounges in Wellington have been researched by Peter Atwell. 
These include the Coffee Gallery, which was a favourite haunt of Wellington's artistic and intellectual community. 
They also include the Monde Marie and the notorious Carmen's International Coffee Lounge. 
The exhibition will feature research on the rise of cafe culture in the 1950s and 60s, the link between music and cafes, 
and the impact of immigration on the cafe scene. 
The exhibition opens on November 27. 
 
 
  Cohen says she will meet police 
  
LORRAINE COHEN, who went missing after being charged with a series of drug offences, is expected to meet police 
today. 
She had told police through her lawyer that she would go to the Auckland central police station today, Detective 
Sergeant John Sowter said yesterday. Cohen did not say where she was, or why she had decided to meet police. She 
had contacted her lawyer by telephone. 
Cohen was being sought by police for breaching her bail after being charged with more than 20 drug offences earlier 
this year. 
The charges include offering to supply and conspiring to supply drugs. 
Initially remanded in custody, she was freed on bail last month. The terms and conditions of her bail were suppressed 
by the High Court. 
Cohen, her son Aaron Cohen, and four others are due to reappear in court on December 1 for a pre-depositions hearing 
related to the charges. _ NZPA 
 
 
  King murder trial enters final stages 
  
THE trial of William Jan Haanstra, charged with murdering Wellington man Terri King, entered its final stages 
yesterday when the defence said it would call no more witnesses. 
It was adjourned till Monday, when the prosecution will make its final address, followed by the defence on Tuesday. 
The jury is expected to begin deliberating on Wednesday after Justice Neazor has summed up. 
Haanstra, 23, an unemployed model, is accused of shooting Mr King in the Tararua Range north of Wellington. 
 
 
  School pupil's abortion speech upsets mother 
  
A WELLINGTON mother is angry that her 11-year-old daughter had to listen to a school speech about abortion. 
One of the finalists in the Evans Bay Intermediate speech contest gave a pro-life speech, Miramar parent Linn Murphy 
said. 
The boy said abortion was a "matter of convenience" for the mother and ended with the comment: "I'm 12 weeks old 
now and my parents just killed me", Ms Murphy said. 
Much of it was quoted from a book written by an adult from the perspective of a foetus, and had been presented in a 
highly emotive and dramatic way. 
Ms Murphy said she was "deeply distressed" that her daughter's introduction to the issue of abortion had been presented 
by a child and from one viewpoint. 
"I feel that Evans Bay Intermediate has removed my right as a parent to initiate this discussion at an age-appropriate 
level in a supportive family environment." 
Principal Kevin Ryan said the content of the speech was emotive and contentious, but not harmful or offensive. It had 
been awarded first prize by an outside judge. "It was a brilliant speech. It had an impact." 
After Ms Murphy raised her concerns, teachers had told their classes that each speech presented the views of the 
speaker. 
In relation to the winning speech, students were told that there were valid and legal reasons for abortion and if they 
wanted to discuss the issue further, they should talk to their parents, Mr Ryan said. 
Education Ministry curriculum division senior manager Colin Brown said parents must be consulted before sexuality 
programmes began. However, school speeches were part of the English curriculum, so there was no such requirement 
for consultation. 
 
 
  Timor duties stretch defence resources 
   
 
REGULAR armed forces or territorials will need to be increased in number if New Zealand wants to maintain its level 
of commitment in East Timor for more than a year, defence chief Air Marshal Carey Adamson says. 
"There's only two ways to do it _ you can have a bigger standing force or a bigger territorial force," Air Marshal 
Adamson told Parliament's foreign affairs, defence and trade select committee yesterday. 
A third battalion _ consisting of 100 territorials and 470 regular forces staff _ began their six-month deployment to 
Timor earlier this month. Consideration is being given to sending a fourth or fifth rotation after that. 
"If we have to, we can do two more rotations," Air Marshal Adamson said. 
"But after that we will face a serious problem in reconstituting the professional skills in our armed forces, especially in 
our army. 
"You can have a bigger reserve, but you have to make sure if you're going to have a bigger reserve and you're going to 
depend on it, you're going to have to have something in place to make sure you can get it when you need it." 
The army was relying on goodwill in relation to its territorials. 
"The way it's operating is pretty much on the goodwill, both of the individual troops themselves who are prepared to 
forgo their employment for the opportunity to take part in this, and also the goodwill of the employers. 
"This is an issue that . . . is going to have to be dealt with in the medium term." 
Territorials were getting less money than regular forces in East Timor because they did not receive the allowances, the 
committee was told. 
"There has been an ongoing review of pay and conditions for quite some period of time. 
"We'll be able to put a range of options in front of the Government next week and go from there." 
The air force is also contributing in East Timor, by providing five helicopters and up to 70 personnel. 
"The air force, in order to sustain itself, is proposing to change its rotation period of time from the current six-month 
deployment down to a two-month deployment," Air Marshal Adamson said. "The air force feels that if they can come 
down to a two-month deployment then they can virtually sustain themselves indefinitely." 
Air Marshall Adamson told the committee that security problems were likely to continue in Timor. 
"Until such time as the militia are disarmed and those camps are shut down, there's going to continue to be an ongoing 
problem with militias. 
"As far as East Timor is concerned, I don't believe the situation on the border will change a lot till there is the 
development of an indigenous peace force in East Timor." 
He had no idea how long it would take to establish an indigenous peace force as that process had not yet begun. _ 
NZPA 
 
 
  No place for Maori among film extras 
  
  
 
HAMILTON 
HOLLYWOOD film-makers shooting a movie in Cambridge have been accused of racism for cutting Maori from 
crowd scenes. 
Up to 1200 Cambridge people are needed as extras for crowd scenes on Sunday, re-enacting the 1953-54 royal tour, but 
Maori are not invited. 
The American-funded feature film, called Her Majesty, is a coming-of-age story set during the Queen's visit to New 
Zealand and filmed in Cambridge and Auckland. 
Cambridge will become a fictional 1950s New Zealand town called Middleton during the production. 
Producer Walter Coblenz, who produced All The President's Men, which was nominated for the 1976 best picture 
Academy Award, said Maori were not included for historical accuracy. 
"It was mainly Pakeha who turned out to cheer the Queen. The country was not as integrated then as it is today. 
"The last thing we would want to do is distort that part of history." 
About 100 people had pulled out of shooting because they felt it was racist to exclude Maori. 
Cambridge museum director Eris Parker said Cambridge Grey Power had voiced some concerns about the film, and 
had called the production company's head office for clarification. 
Grey Power was helping recruit extras for the film as a fundraising effort. It will get $20 for each day a recruit works. 
Mr Coblenz said he did not want the family film's intentions misunderstood. 
The story, about the friendship between a young Pakeha girl and an old Maori woman, had a message that intolerance 
could be overcome by fighting prejudice and reaching out to those who were different. 
"Having produced many socially responsible pictures, I'm very aware and concerned about people's feelings," Mr 
Coblenz said. 
Don Selwyn, a veteran Maori theatre director who was a script consultant for the film, said he was intrigued people had 
withdrawn. 
"I don't consider it at all racist. I was impressed with the cultural integrity of the thing. 
"It's a film that should be made in New Zealand. It's got a lot of soul." _ NZPA 
 
French artist's connection of physical and spiritual 

Laure Thibaux de Juge Montespieu with some of her work 
  
  
 
THE physical and spiritual come together in a Wellington exhibition by French artist Laure Thibaux de Juge 
Montespieu this month. 
Inspired by the Bible through her study at Victoria University of the history of religion, her paintings are bold-coloured, 
layered acrylic and oil on wood. 
It's about turning the spiritual into the physical, Thibaux says. "For me it's painting what you don't see and the way you 
feel. Like a `soul' painting where you don't have any limits or boundaries. 
"I paint what I want and let people feel and dive into it and decide what it is they want to see." 
Nature and colour are big influences on Thibaux. Growing up in the south of France she was surrounded by the azure 
of the Mediterranean and masses of colour under soft light. 
"The colour is very important to me. It's my way of expressing something I can't really see but that I can feel." 
It took several years of being depicted on the canvas, as a model, and studying art history before Thibaux picked up a 
brush. A trek through the desert and a diving trip in Saudi Arabia, where she lived for two years, sparked her decision 
to start painting. 
"I decided there were so many beautiful things to [paint] . . . so why not try myself? It was a big, scary step." 
She spent three years working in a rented London studio teaching herself technique. Now married to a New Zealander, 
she splits her time among painting at her Karori home, studying religion at Victoria University, and lecturing in French. 
Her work has been exhibited in London, Abu Dhabi, Paris and Saudi Arabia. Physicality and Spirituality, at Newtown's 
Gallery on Riddiford, runs till November 24. 
 
 
  Greens galore for weekend 
  
  
 
VEGETABLES: Lettuces and cucumbers are the top green buys this weekend. 
New Zealand glasshouse tomatoes are improving and there is a good supply of mushrooms and spring onions. 
The first of the Oamaru Jersey bennes potatoes have arrived. Eggplants, capsicums and courgettes have shortened in 
supply. 
There are still some excellent Ohakune rua potatoes and good agrias from Opiki. However, Pukekohe remains the 
dominant supplier. Onions are in full supply. Kumara and pumpkins, mostly grey crown, continue in full supply. 
Beans are coming on well and all fresh herbs are in good supply. 
Beans (round variety) and green ginger are arriving from Australia, as are coconuts (Tonga) and taro (Fiji). 
Silverbeet and spinach are both good buying but asparagus and "wong bok" chinese cabbage have felt the effects of 
cooler temperatures. 
New season, good quality celery continues to sell to keen demand. The first of the green peas have arrived. 
FRUIT: Gisborne citrus supplies were short this week, including navel oranges, tangeloes and mandarins. Fortunately, 
there is a good supply of Australian valencia oranges. Kiwifruit and avocados should be plentiful for the weekend. 
Blackberries and blueberries should start next week. Apples and pears are showing signs of shortening as demand has 
been strong. Hawke's Bay continues to send more cherries, apricots, nectarines, and peaches. There are plenty of 
bananas and another good shipment of California grapes. Australia sent more rock, honeydew and "mini lee" 
watermelons. Pawpaws from Rarotonga remain in short supply. Tasty "Tommy Atkins" mangoes from Ecuador have 
arrived. 
FLOWERS: The alstroemeria remains the most economical buy. Asiatic and fragrant oriental lillies have shortened in 
supply. Roses have settled to a steady supply. The paeony rose is the flower of the week. Irises, tulips and freesias are 
all coming to an end. 
 
 
  VINTAGE MOMENT 
  
One of the first in the world to quaff the first drop of Beaujolais Nouveau 2000 was Wellington Alliance Francaise 
director Dominique Martin, who cracked open a bottle for the cameras yesterday. 
By French law, Beaujolais Nouveau cannot be released till the third Thursday in November. The wine, which makes up 
a third of the region's wine production, is best drunk in its infancy. 
The first Beaujolais harvest of the millennium had already gone down in history as a memorable one, Mr Martin said. 
"It was the earliest harvest in 30 years and was bottled just two months ago. September was very dry, consistently 
warm and particularly sunny. As a result the grapes were ripened to perfection and harvested in peak condition." 
Sixty million bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau are shipped to cities worldwide. 
Wine lovers will gather at the Banquet Hall in Parliament tonight to help drink 150 bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau, 
which arrived from the vineyard of Domaine Georges Michel yesterday. They were imported by Blenheim-based 
vintner Georges Michel, from his own vineyard in Beaujolais region. 
 
 
  Peace progress wiped out - adviser 

Dr Gissin 
  
THE events of the past seven weeks had reversed seven years of progress toward peace in the Middle East, a visiting 
former Israeli Government adviser said. 
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians were now at a level last seen before the historic Oslo peace accord in 1993, 
Raanan Gissin, a former army colonel and spokesman, said in Wellington. 
"The past seven weeks has wiped everything," he said. Trust and all coordination between both security forces had 
gone. 
Dr Gissin, invited to New Zealand by the Jewish National Fund, feared the war would "stretch on", but said the only 
way for peace was for the two countries to get back to the negotiating table. 
However, they should be less ambitious than in Oslo, he said. "You put the patient in intensive care and stabilise the 
situation. Don't shoot for the stars." 
Dr Gissin, who gave a lecture at the Institute of International Affairs at Victoria University yesterday, said war had 
taken on more subtle forms, causing Israel to review its approach to conflict. 
Perfecting the "lessons from Vietnam", some states no longer fought wars on the battlefield, but on television screens 
and over the Internet, he said. 
In this 21st century kind of war, "if you lose in the battlefield, you win in the media". 
 
 
  Maori being duped, says activist 
  
WELLINGTON environmental activist Ray Ahipene-Mercer has waded into a row surrounding the World Council of 
Whalers, claiming Maori were in danger of being duped by pro-whaling interests meeting in Nelson this week. 
"The conference is a covert mechanism to get sympathy to lay the groundwork for the pro whaling network and their 
illegal activities," he said yesterday. 
His comments clashed with those of former Waitangi Fisheries chairman Sir Tipene O'Regan who, before the 
conference, attacked critics who claimed its focus on indigenous people's right to traditional harvesting of whales was a 
front for commercial whaling by such countries as Japan and Norway. 
Sir Tipene, a keynote speaker at the opening session of the conference, referred to environmental "ayatollahs" who 
were "practising a new form of millennium religion". 
Before the conference he said Maori were irritated by people trying to rescue stranded whales, which should be left to 
die. Maori should then be allowed to use them for materials. 
"Maori see the . . . crowds of gleeful holidaymakers pushing whales back into the sea, and they get quite reasonably 
irritated about that when you get natural strandings in which they have an interest and then you see that all being 
moved out with the enthusiastic support of the central green bureaucrats." 
Mr Ahipene-Mercer said that Maori already had access to dead whales through an agreement with the Conservation 
Department. The reality was that the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission's hosting of the conference was an 
attempt to validate its existence and regain Maori confidence. 
"It is unacceptable that this struggle is resulting in Maori exerting power over the powerless." 
The question needed to be asked whether Maori were offered inducements, such as access to overseas fishing markets 
as a payback for hosting the conference, he said. 
"Is this the new form of colonialism?" 
Mr Ahipene-Mercer said a precedent for such capitulation was set earlier in the year when a former cabinet minister of 
Dominica, in the Caribbean, alleged that Dominica's representative voted against a South Pacific whale sanctuary 
The vote was so Dominica could get $7 million in Japanese aid for a fisheries complex, he said. 
Sir Tipene told the conference that suggestions that Maori could be led in such a manner were patronising. 
But Mr Ahipene-Mercer said the conference was merely indulging in the exploitation of endangered species as a result 
of the power struggle to gain some autonomy from the Crown. 
Government ministers and Green Party representatives have distanced themselves from the conference and tensions 
between whalers and environmentalists. 
Mr Ahipene-Mercer has twice been recognised by governments for his involvement in environmental issues. In 1990 
he was awarded the Commemorative Medal and in 1998 was named a conservationist of the year. 
 
 
  Parry decision next month 
  
  
 
WHANGAREI 
PENALTIES are unlikely to be imposed on disgraced Whangarei gynaecologist Graham Parry till next month. 
The Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal this month found Dr Parry guilty of disgraceful conduct for his 
treatment of Paihia woman Colleen Poutsma, who has terminal cervical cancer that he failed to diagnose. 
Tribunal secretary Gay Fraser, of Wellington, said yesterday that the independent prosecuting counsel for the Health 
and Disability Commission had 14 days to make submissions on Dr Parry's penalty, and his lawyers then had 14 days 
to respond. 
"Those submissions should all be in by December 1, all going well," Ms Fraser said. 
The tribunal had every intention of producing a decision on penalties before Christmas. She expected a decision to be 
reached before December 18. "But anything could happen before then. 
"Counsel for either party could ask for more time or there could be problems assembling all members of the tribunal 
early next month." 
The tribunal's verdict of disgraceful conduct cleared the way for Dr Parry to be struck off the medical register, or he 
could be suspended from the register for up to a year. 
Other penalties include imposing conditions on Dr Parry's employment for up to three years, censuring him, fining him 
up to $20,000 or making him pay all or part of his prosecution expenses. _ NZPA 
 
 
  Tourism NZ needs more money - Blumsky 
  
GOVERNMENT funding for Tourism New Zealand must be increased to attract more overseas visitors, Wellington 
Mayor Mark Blumsky has proposed in an open letter to the Labour-Alliance Coalition. 
The Government's investment commitment should be indexed to annual gst returns from international visitors which 
would be expressed as a certain percentage of the gst take, he said. 
"This way, our investment would increase in line with the predicted sustained growth in the industry." 
About 50 mayors and four chairmen and chairwomen of four regional councils have indicated that they support this 
formula to attract more overseas visitors, Mr Blumsky said yesterday in advance of the letter being sent later in the 
month. 
Tourism NZ chief executive George Hickton said there was more than one option but he was comfortable with the idea 
of being funded on performance. 
"My reaction is positive, demonstrating their support is great because we're starting to see from the country how 
important this industry is to us all and I welcome their support." 
Local investment in tourism reaped rewards like the positive publicity Wellington was enjoying, but was limited by the 
amount of work Tourism NZ could do at a national level to attract overseas visitors, he said. 
"Once a tourist is in New Zealand, we can work on enticing them to our city _ but only Tourism NZ can attract large 
numbers into the country in the first place. And there are strong indictions that Tourism NZ's budget isn't enough to 
keep pace with New Zealand's competitors." 
The benefits of civic delegations like that by Wellington City Council to China and Japan in September, could be fully 
realised only if they were complemented and reinforced by effective marketing. 
"Does Tourism NZ's current funding allow New Zealand to fully exploit the opportunities? I fear not." Tourism NZ's 
budget of $55 million was "meagre" compared to with the $500 million the Government reaped annually in visitor 
returns. 
Mr Blumsky said the consequences of the underfunding were visible in Japan where the budget for the Japan office 
buys only about half of what it did five years ago. 
 
 
  Road tunnel safety checks 
  
TRANSIT NZ is to boost safety in road tunnels after checks showed room for improvement. 
The checks follow three fatal tunnel fires in Europe in the past year. 
Operations manager David Bates said that though the checks showed New Zealand had high safety and maintenance 
standards, more could be done. 
There were plans to install cables in several tunnels _ including Wellington's Mt Victoria tunnel _ so vehicles could 
receive radio broadcasts while inside so emergency services could tell drivers what to do. 
There were also plans to put cameras in the Mt Victoria and other tunnels, and a sprinkler system and emergency 
lighting, similar to that in commercial aircraft, were being considered for the 1.7-kilometre Lyttelton tunnel. 
There would also be a study to see if escape routes should be installed in existing tunnels, though it was believed the 
cost would far outweigh the benefit. 
Mr Bates said the work would cost about $600,000 this year and could rise to $3 million if the sprinkler system was 
installed at Lyttelton. 
Tranz Rail spokesman Fred Cockram said there were no plans to improve the safety of train tunnels, which already had 
cables to allow radio contact. Staff were trained in safety procedures, and drills were conducted every few years with 
the Fire Service and other emergency services, he said. 
The Transit checks follow a fire in March last year in a road tunnel between France and Italy which killed 42 people, 
and a fire in an Austrian tunnel two months later which killed one and injured 49. At least 170 were killed last weekend 
when fire swept through a cable car in a tunnel in Austria. 
 
 
  Scooters, blue dogs, kitsch fish and PS2 top Christmas wishlists 
Author:         
  
IF YOU'RE going to be a fashion victim this Christmas, your presents must be a small blue dog, an aluminium scooter 
or a singing fish. 
That's the finding of an informal poll to find out the hot items in the shops this festive season. 
By far the most in-demand items are aluminium scooters, which are so sought-after that suppliers are having trouble 
keeping up with demand. 
Popularity with the under-fives is sure to keep sales high for television character Blue and her friends. 
The Queen appears to have inspired one of the other popular sellers, Billy Bass the singing fish. 
However, techno fans could yet trump those with the arrival in New Zealand of Sony's Playstation 2 at the end of this 
month. 
The hi-tech gaming console is the long-awaited successor to the best-selling Playstation, THE Christmas gift of 1999, 
which has been repackaged as a portable, cellphone and Internet-compatible gaming platform. 
But priced at about $1000, PS2 is not likely to push out those hip, shiny scooters, transport mode of choice for 
schoolboys and urban trendies alike, as the most popular present this year. 
The aluminium scooters, which have in-line skate wheels and fold down for easy carrying, range from the standard 
$149.99 models down to a Warehouse model priced at $79.99. 
A Wellington toy salesman said: "Scooters are definitely the hot item this year." 
Elsewhere it's looking like a kitsch Christmas, with shoppers deciding if it's good enough for the Queen, it's good 
enough for them. 
Reports that the Queen has been entertaining guests at Balmoral with her singing fish have sent sales of the aquatic 
crooner soaring. 
Stephen Vogtherr, a manager at Wellington's biggest Warehouse superstore, said the fish _ which sings Don't Worry, 
Be Happy (the Queen's favourite song, according to British newspaper The Sun) and Take Me to the River _ and its 
cousin the singing lobster, which gives a rendition of Rock the Boat, had been big sellers. 
"I'm not sure if the Queen has anything to do with it but they are very popular," he said. 
Following in the footsteps of the Teletubbies and Furbies as the preschool gift of choice this year is Blue, star of hit 
television show Blue's Clues. She and the paraphernalia associated with the American show are already big sellers. The 
range includes books, soft toys and games, and ranges in price from less than $10 to more than $70. 
For the more digitally minded, there is Nintendo's Gameboy and its range of Pokemon games, whose popularity 
continues to be driven by a televsion show and series of movies. The hand-held console retails for $149 and games are 
about $79.99. 
Retailers in Britain are already reported to be having trouble meeting Christmas demand for the Playstation 2 console, 
which is due in New Zealand on November 30. _ NZPA 
 
27 May 2000

King angrily stomps on `honeymoon' claim 

 Ms King 
  
 
 
HEALTH MINISTER Annette King has lashed out at allegations that her 15-day trip overseas with her new husband was a taxpayer-
funded honeymoon. 
ACT NZ MP Rodney Hide said the business-class flights to London, Geneva, Cyprus and Brisbane were a "golden honeymoon" with 
her husband, Ray Lind. 
The newlyweds, who return from the trip tomorrow, married at Easter. Mr Lind is Wellington City Council's "director of capability 
improvement". 
Mr Hide said the trip was ill-timed, an unjustifiable "honeymoon" and a slap in the face for people "living in agony" while on surgery 
waiting lists. He said the trip cost taxpayers $46,000. 
Ms King said the trip was her sole taxpayer-funded one scheduled this year and it was important. 
"Look, I've worked bloody hard, I've had one day off. This is no junket, this just pisses me off, hell I worked hard before I left," she 
said from Brisbane yesterday. 
Ms King said she had attended three international conferences and had forged "very important" links with overseas health ministers at 
top-level meetings. 
She had done some sightseeing while a guest of the Cyprus Government but had also strengthened relations between the two 
countries. 
Ms King said the trip was arranged before the marriage and it was "grossly unfair" to call it a honeymoon as she had hardly had a 
chance to see her husband because of the workload. 
"I've slept with Ray at night, I mean shit is that a sin? 
"The pleasure for me has been that I've had someone to talk to at night. Hell, I got married and went nowhere, I worked at Parliament 
till I left for this." 
Ms King was upset that her new husband had been dragged into political point-scoring. 
"Poor Ray, why should the fact that I be married be mentioned? How many husbands and wives have been on trips?" 
Ms King also defended flying business class. "You can't travel for 20 hours to go to a conference, in economy class." 
Prime Minister Helen Clark defended the trip, pointing out that she had also attended the Geneva convention when she was health 
minister.
 
  
 Speight to be declared a `prohibited visitor' 
  
 
 
FIJI coup leader George Speight is to be barred from New Zealand as part of moves to isolate him internationally. 
Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff said yesterday that he had moved to have Speight declared a "prohibited visitor". 
Other Fijians identified as having taken part in the "terrorist" capture of Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry would also be denied 
entry. 
Mr Goff said the move was in line with an Australian decision to revoke Speight's permanent residency and stop him entering 
Australia, a move that would affect him because he had interests there. 
He said he would present a paper to the Cabinet on Monday setting out a "smorgasbord" of measures New Zealand could take if the 
democratically elected government of Fiji was replaced by people such as Speight. 
Included among the options were economic, political and sporting sanctions and an examination of aid links. 
Fiji got a taste of what could be to come when the Council of Trade Unions called on the Rugby Union yesterday to boycott the final 
tournament of the sevens circuit in Paris because of the presence of the Fijian side. 
Union chairman Murray McCaw rejected the call, saying the situation in Fiji had no implications for New Zealand's participation in an 
event run by the International Rugby Board. 
But the Fiji Rugby Union had been told a proposed New Zealand tour by Fiji in June could be affected and Fiji's participation in the 
southern hemisphere under-21 tournament in Auckland the same month was also in question, he said. 
Sports Minister Trevor Mallard said he was happy with the "responsible line" taken by the union. 
The Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry has reissued advice to New Zealanders to avoid travelling to Fiji till further notice.
 
 Unions join call to change employment bill 
  
 
 
THE Council of Trade Unions says the Employment Relations Bill is not drafted clearly, and agrees with Prime Minister Helen Clark 
and Finance Minister Michael Cullen that changes should be made. 
"The reality is that there are some provisions in the bill that need to be changed or clarified," CTU president Ross Wilson said 
yesterday. 
The surprise gesture follows indications that Miss Clark and Dr Cullen want to soften aspects of the bill _ the brainchild of Labour 
Minister Margaret Wilson _ which is causing huge concern in the business community. 
Mr Wilson said blatantly misleading statements made about the bill had fuelled employers' concerns. 
But he said the bill was not as clearly drafted as it might have been, and some provisions needed to be changed or clarified. 
Most significantly, Mr Wilson said unions were prepared to compromise over the financial disclosure provisions, which require 
employers to reveal commercially sensitive information during the bargaining process. 
"We think that there is a need to address some of the employer concerns there," he said. 
Mr Wilson said there was also a need to clarify the provisions governing independent contractors and fixed-term contracts. 
However, he said the CTU would not like to see any change of the bill's emphasis on collective bargaining through unions. "We think 
the employers' criticisms have focused quite specifically on a range of issues that can be addressed," he said. 
Asked if the bill was not as well drafted as it could be, he said: "Correct. To be fair, that's always the case when you have a bill at 
select committee stage." 
Ms Wilson did not return calls yesterday. Associate Labour Minister Laila Harre is overseas and could not be reached for comment. 
But Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton said the Government would consider making changes to the bill once the select committee 
considering it had reported back. 
The bill may not be enacted on schedule by August 1. The select committee was due to report back to Parliament on June 20 but has 
asked for another week to digest the thousands of submissions it has received.
 
 Man with no name puzzles police 
  
 
 
A month-long investigation by Christchurch police trying to identify a man who has no idea who he is, has so far failed. Canterbury 
district police spokeswoman Maggie Leask said police were going public in attempts to identify a man who thought he might be called 
John Read/Reid and have originated from Wellington. Constable Jaydene Buckley of Christchurch police said that `John', in his mid-
40s to mid 50s, did not appear to have had an accident that might have affected his memory. "He would like to go on to a benefit. 
However, with no identity, this is not possible." Ms Leask said `John' _ who is understood to be intellectually impaired _ had walked 
into a helping agency late last month. He had not been hit on the head and appeared to have no injuries. He was still in the agency's 
care. She said photos of the man would not be available till tomorrow. He is 1.86 metres (6ft 1in) tall, of slight build with longish 
grey-white hair and a beard.
 
 Aussie `following NZ on trade' 
  
 
NEW ZEALAND'S progress on a trade deal with Singapore has brought Australia around to the idea of a trade pact with our Asian 
neighbours, says Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton. 
At a briefing yesterday on the Apec trade ministers' meeting in Darwin next month, Mr Sutton said Australia had considerably 
modified its position on bilateral agreements as a result of New Zealand's initiative. 
Australia was now "seriously, even enthusiastically" studying a closer economic relationship between Australia, New Zealand and the 
Association of Southeast Asian Nations. 
"It's always politically difficult [trade talks] and sometimes it just seems too hard for governments, but there's nothing like looking 
over the fence and seeing your neighbour making moves that might give them an advantage, and you might miss out, to get people 
interested in the process again, and I think this has definitely happened," he said.
 
 Principal faults school zone bill 
  
 
DISADVANTAGED pupils had the most to lose from tighter zoning restrictions, Auckland Grammar principal John Morris said 
yesterday. 
The Education Amendment Bill gives children the right to attend their local school, with geographical home zones to be set up for 
schools facing the prospect of overcrowding. 
Pupils from outside the area will be allowed to attend only after local children have a place. After priority has been given to certain 
categories, including those in Maori language immersion, remaining places must be balloted. 
Appearing before Parliament's education and science select committee in Auckland, Mr Morris, as chairman of the Education Forum, 
said zoning was often unfair on individuals. 
"Despite all the talk about the right of students to attend their local school, tighter zoning will primarily affect out-of-zone enrolments 
because most schools already give priority to local students," Mr Morris said. 
It was the least well-off pupils, including Maoris and Pacific Islanders, who had benefited most from out-of-zone opportunities. 
Zoning legislation might deal with some instances unfairness but it created many more, Mr Morris said. 
The Human Rights Commission welcomed the proposed changes, saying there was a problem of children with disabilities being 
refused admission to schools, often related to enrolment schemes with discriminatory criteria. 
Commissioner Chris Lawrence said removing schools' ability to set criteria that had the effect of admitting only the most desirable 
pupils should greatly reduce discrimination experienced by children with disabilities.
 
 Plans to make pokies `honest' 
  
 
 
TOUGHER controls on pokie machine lights and graphics could be on the way, as the New Zealand Government seeks to work with 
the New South Wales state government to counter problem gambling. 
Aristocrat gaming machines are one of New South Wales's biggest exports to New Zealand, an export that doubled in value to $40 
million last year. 
But the state government is seeking to control supposedly misleading artwork _ coins, dollar signs, gold nuggets and more _ and to 
shut down the machines for 10 minutes every hour. 
New Zealand Consumer Affairs Minister Phillida Bunkle, a long-time campaigner against gaming machines and casinos, hopes to 
hold talks with New South Wales Gaming Minister Richard Face about the proposed controls. 
"I would be very interested in exercising some control over the visual display to make sure that it does not deceive consumers, but 
accurately informs them," Ms Bunkle said yesterday. 
"They are set up so that they tell you you're getting a win, when you've actually lost some money. If you put one dollar on eight lines 
and you win one line, you get the reinforcement of a win _ but you've actually just lost seven dollars. 
"All the chink-chinking around you makes you think that everybody's winning, that you're in a winning environment. All of those 
things are actually used to distort your perception of reality. 
"Consumer protection should have meaningful price information, statement of expenditure _ so on the screen we've got net wins and 
losses totalling up _ modifying game features, consumer warnings, advertising and promotion, and the complaints process." 
The New South Wales Liquor Administration Board, which controls the technical standards of pokies, has asked hotel and club 
industry representatives to comment by June 9 on a proposal to create a pokie artwork code. 
The draft document gives eight suggestions on altering the artwork, including: "The adoption of enhanced controls over gaming 
machines artwork, with a view to ensuring the design and content of the artwork does not tend to encourage or promote irresponsible 
gambling behaviour, or induce in the player an unrealistic expectation that playing the gaming machine will result in significant 
financial gain." 
The biggest New Zealand survey of the prevalence of problem gambling _ a telephone survey of more than 6000 people, 
commissioned by the Internal Affairs Department _ is due out next month.
 
 Rates still demanded on Maori land, says Lee 
  
 
 
LOCAL bodies are failing to remit or postpone rates on Maori freehold land, despite an Appeal Court decision and a law change 
enabling them to do so, according to Local Government Minister Sandra Lee. 
"Maori remain subject to the will of the local authority on whether it grants them this relief," she told a conference on indigenous land 
resources in Wellington yesterday. 
Her expression of concern comes as the Maori Appellate Court prepares to decide if a Maori home on the southern shore of Lake 
Taupo can be defined as a meeting place, and so exempt from rates. 
Some local bodies, such as Rangitikei, Gisborne, Ruapehu, Rotorua and Clutha, have been writing off or discounting millions of 
dollars of rates on large amounts of land-locked or undeveloped Maori land _ while others are continuing to charge the full rates. 
The Court of Appeal decided, in a case taken by the Mangatu Incorporation against the valuer-general, that because owners of Maori 
land faced additional costs and difficulties in selling the land, the values of such land should be discounted by between 5 and 15 per 
cent. 
And Ms Lee said there was "a surprising lack of awareness" about changes to the Rating Powers Act in 1988, allowing local 
authorities to remit or postpone rates on Maori freehold land if they saw fit _ for instance, where land was undeveloped. 
"The breadth of this power potentially enables it to be used as a tool to devise and implement local solutions to a wide range of the 
issues which arise in relation to the rating of Maori land." 
Consultation had shown that the current rating regime was forcing Maoris to alienate their land, Ms Lee said, and that they were 
willing to pay their fair share of rates but not if they did not see the benefits. 
There have been long-standing concerns within Maoridom about Maori land being sold because its owners were unable to pay rates, 
and it was an issue emphasised by Dover Samuels when he became Maori Affairs Minister. 
But Local Government New Zealand has sought a "more equitable" approach to rating that would see include more Maori land and 
crown estate in the rating base.
 
 Two opposing reports on road by same consultant 
  
 
 
REPORTS drawing opposite conclusions on Transmission Gully for Wellington City Council and Wellington Regional Council were 
written by the same consultant. 
Opus consultant Clement Fisk, in his report for the regional council late last year, found that the whole region, including Wellington 
city, would benefit from the early completion of Transmission Gully. 
But another report by Mr Fisk written for the city council a few weeks later urged caution _ the motorway could encourage people to 
move out of the city and settle on the Kapiti Coast, have no effect on the city's economy and could place a big financial burden on the 
central business district. 
The terms of reference were different _ the regional council wanted the benefits to the whole region studied, while the city council 
looked mainly at the financial benefits of the road to the city. 
However, questions have been raised as to how such divergent opinions could be arrived at from reports written by the same 
consultancy firm, and by the same man. 
Mr Fisk was paid $5000 for his report to the city council and an unknown, but probably similar, amount by the regional council. 
City councillors decided this week to suggest that work on State Highway 1 and public transport improvements go ahead now and that 
the regional council look at whether if Transmission Gully was needed in a few years' time. 
That enraged the regional council, which wants the road built straight away. It said the city's conclusions were based on wrong 
information given to them by council officers _ part of which was Mr Fisk's report. 
Mr Fisk said he did not want to comment on the dilemma or be the "meat in the sandwich" between the councils, who were both his 
clients. 
He understood, however, why people might wonder how his two reports could be held up as evidence for two opposing views. 
But, he said, they "looked at things slightly differently". 
At the time he wrote the reports it was not clear what either council's view was, Mr Fisk said. 
Wellington city councillor Bryan Pepperell blamed the entire process of hiring consultants _ not necessarily the consultants 
themselves _ for leaving the public confused. 
Though he stood by the city's decision to delay Transmission Gully, he said: "There is a certain amount of ambiguity which they have 
both been exploiting." 
Victoria University senior economics lecturer Geoff Bertram said different conclusions could be reached when the assumptions 
presented to the consultant were changed. 
Something as apparently simple as the benefit versus the cost of a project depended on what was considered a benefit and what 
counted as a cost _ which came down to a judgment call, Dr Bertram said. 
Ultimately, people should be able to trust those they elected to to look after their interests, he said. 
Regional Council land transport committee chairman Terry McDavitt said the city's report was wrong because it did not take into 
account other road improvements planned as well as Transmission Gully. 
Options the city considered in the report had been rejected by the regional council well before the report was written. 
The city council, however, stands by its diagnosis. 
Chief executive Garry Poole rejected Mr McDavitt's assertion that the city's report was incorrectly scoped. 
He said the fact that they both used the same consultant meant Mr Fisk was well aware of the options and issues.

Fahey known as Dr Fingers 
  
 
 
CHRISTCHURCH 
ANSETT New Zealand did not sack its company doctor, Morgan Fahey, when it had concerns nine years ago because it considered 
him reputable and apparently trustworthy, Ansett said yesterday. 
Ansett is now offering counselling to staff who were among the 240 to 300 recruits examined by Fahey, whom staff called Dr 
"Fingers" Fahey. 
Had it known earlier of the 13 sex crimes Fahey admitted to in the High Court on Monday, it would have promptly dismissed him, 
Ansett chief executive Kevin Doddrell said. 
Fahey, 68, pleaded guilty to one rape and one sexual violation charge, plus 11 counts of indecent assault against 11 women, some of 
them Ansett hostess recruits. 
After his court appearance on Monday, Fahey was remanded to Paparua Prison, where he collapsed on arrival and was admitted to the 
medical unit. 
He has been transferred to a special care unit, where he is alone and under strict observation. 
The unit is normally used for inmates who have psychological or physical problems or are at risk from fellow inmates. 
Fahey is expected to stay there till sentencing on Thursday. 
Ansett recruits have complained that Fahey "groped" their breasts during medical examinations _ in one case reportedly to check if the 
breasts were even _ and made them take eye tests wearing only underwear. 
In 1991, Ansett management ordered Fahey to have a female chaperone in the room while examining flight attendants, as a result of 
three discussions with him. 
Former flight attendants manager William Wells, in a statement to November's depositions hearing made public this week, said he 
made it clear the chaperone was a "requirement", not an option. 
Ansett also sent a letter to staff at the time saying they had a right to have a female present during medical examinations. 
Complainants said Fahey did not offer to have a nurse present. Another refused a verbal offer because Fahey made the examination 
sound non-intrusive. 
Mr Doddrell said concerns were raised by staff on occasions, but no official complaints were made about Fahey's examinations. 
"Unfortunately, the company, like others in the community, proceeded on the basis that Dr Fahey was a reputable and apparently 
trustworthy medical practitioner, whose explanation regarding the clinical justification of his conduct seemed both reasonable and 
plausible," he said. "Had Ansett NZ any knowledge of the matters which Dr Fahey was charged with, it would have promptly 
terminated his engagement." 
Ansett finally dismissed Fahey in May 1999, two months before he was arrested by police. 
One Ansett victim said Fahey's examination "was like a groping session, not a breast examination". 
Terry Law, spokesman for the Flight Attendants and Related Services Association, said that the union knew "several years ago" that 
complaints had been made about the disgraced Christchurch doctor to the union and to Ansett. But he did not know how many 
complaints had been made to the union and forwarded to Ansett New Zealand management. 
"I can't be at all specific because it was dealt with by other staff members." 
Mr Law said that of the two staff handling the complaints, one had since retired and the other had moved to Australia. _ NZPA
 
 Corkery v Holmes in breakfast fight 

 Corkery;Holmes 
  
 
 
FORMER Alliance MP Pam Corkery will go mike-to-mike with breakfast radio's undisputed heavyweight champion Paul Holmes 
from Monday. 
Corkery will replace former National MP John Banks as Radio Pacific's breakfast show host for Auckland. Banks will continue to 
broadcast his four-year-old programme to the rest of New Zealand. 
Corkery returns to radio after a four-year break. Radio Pacific hired her to take on the lucrative Auckland audience _ and Holmes. 
Radio ratings, issued in April, showed Radio Pacific's 6am to 9am show had a 5.3 per cent market share of Auckland's weekday 
breakfast listeners. Holmes's 6am to 8.30am show attracted 19.8 per cent. 
Corkery said her show would be unashamedly Auckland-centric. "I think the issues are the same as nationwide ones, but I think 
Aucklanders do approach things in a different way" _ and the Auckland way should be celebrated. 
"I'm not going to be blindly chauvinistic about Auckland. But then I think: why not? I'd like to do something about us pumping up the 
volume. I think the rest of the country has made us apologetic." She will tackle the big issues, but radio should also be about 
entertainment, Corkery said. Aucklanders cared about transport, but "it's about the dullest radio in the world", she said. 
The arts and culture will get a good look in. 
"I'll be the total arbiter of taste. You know, I'm back where I should be. I'm like the George Speight [of radio]. I'm running the show, 
I'll say whether things are good or not." 
Banks said he was happy to hand over the Auckland airwaves to Corkery. His natural audience, he said, was outside of liberal 
Auckland. 
Corkery ruled out a return to talkback when she resigned from politics. Her bitter experience in politics _ her 1999 book, Pam's 
Political Confessions, accused Alliance leader Jim Anderton of being a bully _ would give her an "extra layer of knowledge", Corkery 
said. _ NZPA
 
 Four killed in road accidents 
  
 
 
FOUR people were killed in four accidents in the North Island yesterday. 
A man died when the car he was in collided head-on with a truck and trailer on State Highway 29 near Matamata. 
Waikato air ambulance staff said the man was trapped for about 45 minutes and died at the scene. 
Another person died about 3pm when a car failed to take a corner and rolled into a ditch near Kaikohe, in Northland. 
The third death happened when a car crashed on the Kaipara Coast Highway, north of Auckland, police said. 
No other details were available. 
A truck driver died after his vehicle rolled on a south Wairarapa road yesterday. 
He was Stacey James Hartnell, an employee of Martinborough Transport. 
Constable Peter Banks, of Martinborough, said a passing motorist who found the truck about 15 minutes after the accident alerted 
police. 
Mr Hartnell was dead when an ambulance arrived. 
"He was pretty well known and well-liked. It's a bit of a shock," Mr Banks said. 
Mr Hartnell was heading south toward Pirinoa in a light truck to pick up stock when the vehicle flipped after a moderate bend and 
landed in a paddock on the other side of the road. 
No other vehicles were involved and the scene was cleared about 11am.
 
 HAPPY MOMENT 
  
 
 
Corinne Blumsky reflects on her new status as barrister and solicitor of the High Court. 
Mrs Blumsky was among the 120 law students admitted to the bar in the High Court at Wellington yesterday. 
It had been a mad panic getting to the ceremony, Mrs Blumsky said. "I'm really delighted it's all over." 
Husband _ Wellington Mayor Mark Blumsky _ and daughter Kendra were there for the occasion: "She thought it was quite unusual to 
see mum in a wig." 
Mrs Blumsky works as a patent attorney at A J Park and Son and has spent six years gaining her law degree part-time. 
Justice Durie told the new lawyers they had a duty to their clients, their colleagues and most importantly to the public. 
"I think you will find the more you put into the profession of law, the more satisfaction it gives," he said. 
The privilege of service was one that they would enjoy, he told them.
 
 Fraudster jailed for high life of scams 
  
 
 
A FRAUDSTER who lived the high life by assuming the identities of dead children has been denied the chance of home detention 
after being jailed for 4<<1/2>> years. 
Having already pleaded guilty to 165 charges, Jo-Anne Cole, 44, hid her face behind her hair as she was led into the dock at 
Wellington District Court for sentencing yesterday. 
Crown prosecutor Kate Feltham said the type of offending adopted by Cole had not been seen before on this scale in New Zealand. All 
up, Cole's scam involved nearly $500,000 of spending on luxuries such as diamonds, cars, travel, furniture and appliances. The 
charges dated back to July 1995. 
No hope existed for any reparation other than about $100,000 of property that had been recovered, Ms Feltham said. 
"What we're dealing with here is a woman who set out to create a certain lifestyle for herself." 
She systematically and painstakingly created different identities, made up fictitious jobs, obtained Inland Revenue numbers, gained 
false passports and enrolled on electoral rolls to apply for student loans, get hire purchase items and credit cards, Ms Feltham said. 
"To say the offending was carefully thought out and well planned is an understatement." 
Cole had visited cemeteries to obtain details of dead children and clearly gave no thought as to the effect on these families, Ms 
Feltham said. "There's been no real indication of any remorse for her offending." 
Defence counsel Mike Antunovic argued that Cole was remorseful. She had "breathed a sigh of relief" when police arrested her at her 
home in Whitby this year, he said. 
"It seems she experienced very little satisfaction or happiness out of living what would have obviously been a high life." 
A gambling addiction and much sadness in her life had led her down the path of self destruction, he said. 
"Given the opportunity and given the chance, she could become a very valuable member of the community." 
The psychiatric report clearly indicated that a long prison sentence would do more harm than good and would not be in the best 
interests of the community, Mr Antunovic said. 
"There are a lot of other factors in this case that should persuade the court to seriously consider imposing a sentence of two years so as 
to allow leave for an application for home detention." 
Sentencing her on 138 fraud charges, Judge Patrick Keane said the "extraordinary sophisticated and detailed way" that Cole 
accomplished the fraud distinguished her case from others. 
She was also ordered to serve concurrent jail sentences of 18 months' for 10 passport offences and three months' for 17 offences under 
the Electoral Act. 
* Face of fraud p19
 
 Girl paid not to strip 
  
 
 
A 16-YEAR-OLD stripper has agreed to keep her clothes on for the next 12 months for $1000. 
The $1000 offer, made by the Classic Hits radio network, was accepted by the Rotorua girl yesterday, branding manager Graeme 
Edwards said. 
The girl won a beauty pageant and wanted to pursue a modelling career but lacked the money to have a portfolio put together. Prize 
money from a stripping competition would have helped her achieve that, he said. 
The teenager had stripped once at Alexandra's Massage Sauna and Strip Club in Rotorua and was to again on June 2 for the 
competition finals. The winner gets $1000. 
The girl's mother had given permission for her to take part and police were powerless to stop her. 
As long as she did not consume alcohol and was not paid for stripping she was not breaking the law. 
The radio network's offer was initially turned down by the girl and her mother because they had been offered money from a 
publication for photos from the competition, but they agreed to it after pressure from a disc jockey and listeners, Mr Edwards said. 
The girl had agreed not to strip on June 2 and not to appear naked in public for the next 12 months. 
Police are investigating the case. _ NZPA
 
 Worker dies 
  
 
 
An Auckland man has died after being crushed by a digger at a Henderson, west Auckland, subdivision site on Thursday. He was 
Robert John Boost, 24, of Mission Bay.
 
 
 Fake notes appear 
 
 
Fake $100 notes have surfaced in Wanganui this week and police are warning retailers to be careful. Constable Wayne Brew, of 
Wanganui, said the counterfeits were without a watermark, and were the old type of note. All had the serial number AC477453.
 
 Axe robber 
  
 
 
An axe-wielding robber escaped with the contents of the cash register at the Sunset Rd dairy in Rotorua on Thursday night. Senior 
Sergeant Dave Donaldson said police wanted to speak to anyone who saw a vehicle near Rotorua Veterinary Services or leaving the 
area shortly before 7pm.

Road toll drops 
  
 
 
The road toll is coming down, Land Transport Safety Authority figures show. This year's road toll stands at 185 compared with 218 at 
the corresponding time last year. Cyclists' deaths increased from two to 16.
 
 Fears for boy 
  
 
 
Police fear for the safety of a 14-year-old Porirua boy who ran away from home on Friday last week. Constable Karen McDonald, of 
Porirua Youth Aid, said a boy of his description was seen in Shannon on Sunday. He is European, of medium build with reddish hair 
and blue eyes.
 
 Poachers fined 
  
 
 
Two Porirua men were fined $4000 each when they appeared in Porirua District Court on paua-poaching charges yesterday. Savalinga 
Leota and Malosi Fane were jointly charged with taking paua without a quota and possessing paua for sale.
 
 Extra jail term 
  
 
 
A 21-year-old Mt Crawford prisoner was sentenced yesterday to an extra six months' jail for assaulting a prison guard. Graham Steen, 
who is serving an 18-month jail term, was sentenced in Wellington District Court. Steen punched the guard 10 times, knocking him to 
the ground.
 
 Driver cut free 
  
 
A 72-year-old man whose car hit a bank north of Plimmerton on State Highway 1 yesterday was flown to hospital by WestpacTrust 
rescue helicopter with moderate head and chest injuries. Police said fire crews had to cut the man from the wreckage.
 
 Maori appointment 
  
 
 
Victoria University is appointing Piri Sciascia its first assistant vice-chancellor, Maori. Acting vice-chancellor Roy Sharp said Mr 
Sciascia had been an adviser at Te Puni Kokiri.
 

 
  
 Hospital planning team 
  
 
 
AN INTERNATIONAL team of health planners and architects has been appointed to work on the new regional hospital in Wellington 
and redevelopments at Kenepuru, near Porirua. 
Capital Coast Health chief executive Margot Mains said the team, comprising Di Carlo Potts from Sydney, NBBJ from Seattle, Craig 
Craig Moller from Wellington and Haycock Klein from Auckland, was selected from an international field of more than 30 
submissions. 
A team of clinicians and management travelled to the United States and Australia to visit hospitals and interview staff about their 
working with the respective firms. 
"The selection panel, comprising of medical, nursing and Maori management representatives, was unanimous in its recommendation." 
The panel was particularly impressed by the emphasis the team placed on working with staff, responding to the aspirations of Maori 
and designing buildings flexible enough to respond to changing clinical practice, she said. 
Capital Coast health hopes to settle a contract within seven to 10 days, with the health planners starting on site about mid June.
 
 Fake auction bid claim dismissed 
  
 
MILLIONAIRE estate agent Michael Boulgaris has been cleared of claims that he used a fake bidder during an auction shown on the 
top-rating television show Location Location Location. 
But real estate agents and auctioneers were forced to justify the practice, with Consumer Affairs Minister Phillida Bunkle saying the 
use of "phantom bidders" was unfair to consumers. 
She said issues about the legality of the practice were a matter for the Commerce Commission to consider. 
The Auckland division of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand interviewed Mr Boulgaris yesterday but was satisfied the bid made 
on Location Location Location two weeks ago was genuine and that the bidder did not want to appear on camera. 
Mr Boulgaris, who would not comment on the finding, said last week that he was upset a voice-over during the programme suggested 
the bid was bogus. 
But Real Estate Institute of New Zealand president Max Oliver said the practice of vendor bidding, in which fake bids were made in 
an effort to push up the price, was acceptable and widely used by all auctioneers. 
"Most auctioneers that are experienced and astute use it whether they're selling horses, flowers, paintings or property," Mr Oliver said. 
The practice was used in real estate to get the best possible price as vendors paid large amounts of money to promote and sell their 
properties. 
A phantom bidder did not have to be physically present; the auctioneer could simply pretend a bid had come from someone in the 
room, Mr Oliver said. 
"If people are not bidding freely then the property is going to be passed in. It's not something that's used all the time but it is done to 
get the auction under way." 
In Australia, buyers were more confident dealing with auctioneers, Mr Oliver said. 
"Sometimes people challenge them and say, `Who did that, where was that bid?' and it's up to the auctioneer. He can say, `Well it's not 
yours' or he can say, `Well it was a vendor's bid' depending on how good he is and how he feels the bidding is going." 
Consumers' Institute chief executive David Russell said the practice was widespread and perfectly legal _ "it happens all the time". 
"It takes the form of either the auctioneer picking a bid out of the air, in other words there's no one bidding at all at that particular time, 
or the real estate agent having stoolies in the audience making phoney bids." _ NZPA
 
 Phoney bids used `to talk market up' 
  
 
 
PHANTOM bidding is under the spotlight after allegations that New Zealand's highest-profile real estate salesman used a fake bidder 
to help sell a property at nearly $1 million. 
Auckland salesman Michael Boulgaris was shown selling a property with a $950,000 reserve price at auction on the television 
programme Location, Location, Location. There are suggestions vendor bidding was used. 
However, Consumers' Institute chief executive David Russell said the practice was widespread and perfectly legal _ "it happens all the 
time". 
"It takes the form of either the auctioneer picking a bid out of the air, in other words there's no one bidding at all at the particular time, 
or the real estate agent having stoolies in the audience making phoney bids. 
"It's really talking up the market to get it to the reserve price and thereafter they obviously stop bidding, because if they make a 
phoney bid and it's knocked down to them then they're caught with it." 
Occasionally agents kept bidding past the reserve, Mr Russell said. 
"Some of these people are gamblers, you could use the term gamble, and if they sniff the market and if they think they can get another 
five grand out of it then they'll go for it," he said. 
Real Estate Institute president Max Oliver said vendor bids _ the industry's preferred term _ were part of the auctioneer's skills. 
"All astute and experienced auctioneers would use it because you're working for the vendor and unless you can get it up to the reserve 
price obviously you aren't going to sell it," he said. 
The list of rules read before each auction referred to vendor or auctioneer's bids, Mr Oliver said. 
In Australia, buyers were more confident dealing with auctioneers, Mr Oliver said. 
"Sometimes people challenge them and say, `Who did that, where was that bid?' and it's up to the auctioneer. He can say, `Well it's not 
yours' or he can say, `Well it was a vendor's bid' depending on how good he is and how he feels the bidding is going." 
Mr Russell advised buyers to go to auctions and watch the psychology before they got stuck in themselves. 
"It's really a matter of watching who's doing the bidding, who's talking to whom. 
"One of my staff went to an auction in Wellington and two-thirds of the people there were from the real estate agencies having a grand 
old time. 
"You can usually tell them, they'll talk among themselves, they behave in a confident way." _ NZPA
 
 Lobbying stopped my Taiwan trip - Blumsky 
  
 
 
WELLINGTON Mayor Mark Blumsky says he cancelled a trip to Taiwan next month in response to lobbying from the city's 
education industry, not bullying from China. 
While at a conference in Washington last week, Mr Blumsky said he received "a lot of very serious lobbying" from the industry, 
concerned that his trip put at risk about $3 million worth of education business. 
Tension between China and Taiwan has increased since the island _ which China regards as a renegade province _ held a democratic 
election this year. 
United NZ leader Peter Dunne accused Mr Blumsky of bowing to pressure from both the Chinese embassy and the Foreign Affairs 
Ministry when he called the trip off. 
But Mr Blumsky said neither China nor local Chinese groups had asked him to reconsider. 
Concern from high schools and other education groups teaching Chinese students had intensified in the past few weeks. 
"What people have missed is that we are earning a lot more economic activity off China than off Taiwan at the moment," he said. 
"I have acknowledged the importance of the whole education industry to the city. It's certainly a lot more tangible than any benefit we 
got from [Taiwan capital] Taipei." 
Mr Blumsky and three council managers were to travel on June 8 as guests of the city government of Taipei. 
While there, the two cities were going to sign a memorandum of understanding _ an arrangement which Mr Blumsky confirms is now 
on hold. 
The memorandum was the watering-down of an earlier proposal to forge a sister-city relationship that had been called off.
 
 Morbid fascination blamed for problems 
  
 
 
POLICE videotape producer George Brickell might have developed a morbid and unhealthy interest in scenes of violent death, his 
former supervisor told the High Court at Wellington yesterday. 
Inspector Matthew Fitzsimons said he formed this view after Mr Brickell repeatedly offered to show him videotapes depicting carnage 
and death. 
Mr Fitzsimons said he formed the view that Mr Brickell's enthusiasm for his work was at least odd. 
Police called Mr Fitzsimons to help rebut Mr Brickell's $385,000 damages claim. 
Mr Brickell alleges that repeated videotaping of horrific crime scenes and editing the tape into training videos has left him with post 
traumatic stress disorder, which forced him to leave his job. In addition he claims police were aware of the risks of the disorder and 
failed to take appropriate steps. 
He claims he was already suffering from the disorder when instructed to make a particularly horrific video about violent death called 
Death _ A Fact of Life. This was designed to educate police about the dangers of the disorder and how to avoid it. 
Justice McGechan is deciding the case, which will continue next week. 
Police defence lawyer Bernard Banks said Mr Brickell had been a non-sworn officer with the video unit from 1984 till 1997. 
He had a passion for his job and had done work of a high standard. 
His passion for his job was such that on his first date with his wife he had shown her a video tape of violent crime scenes. 
His problems had come from tensions between himself and fellow workers and the cramped conditions he worked in. 
Mr Brickell had been aware of the danger of the disorder and got psychological help when he needed it. 
When he took private psychological advice in 1996 his health had been damaged and he had already decided to sue, but that had not 
been through a failure of the duty police had to him. 
Mr Brickell was not entitled to the special retirement arrangements available to sworn police officers but that was not a legal matter, 
Mr Banks said. 
Another former police video producer, Beverley Tough, said she had been able to distance herself from the subject matter. 
She said that to cope with their work staff developed macabre references to some of the subjects they taped. 
The body of an elderly man they filmed after he had lain undiscovered for some weeks was known as "Black Billy". 
A younger man in a similar condition had been named "Maggotty Mike".
 
 Jail term upheld for `spiteful crime' 
  
 
 
A MAN who smashed up his estranged wife's most treasured possessions in what Justice Anderson called a mean-spirited and 
vindictive burglary must go to jail, the Court of Appeal has decided. 
In a decision issued yesterday, the court rejected Linus Kevin Constable's appeal against a one-year jail sentence. 
Constable, 51, of Wellington suburb Karori, had been found guilty of causing damage of more than $22,000 to his estranged wife's 
home and possessions. 
He smashed her heirloom china, stole her jewellery and treasured musical instruments and poured plaster of Paris and alcohol over her 
piano. Before leaving he turned on taps to flood the house. 
Justice Anderson said the "spiteful" crime deserved a deterrent sentence.
 
 Housewife gets suspended sentence 
  
 
WAINUIOMATA housewife Beverly Peebles, 42, who stole more than $37,000 from her former employer and received $24,000 in 
unlawful payments from Work and Income Support, was given a two-year suspended sentence yesterday in Wellington District Court. 
Peebles was sentenced to 12 months' prison, suspended for two years pending good behaviour. She was ordered to pay full reparation 
costs at $50 a week, undergo supervision, and take part in a compulsory drug and alcohol programme. 
Peebles was charged with 21 counts of theft as a servant, two counts of fraudulently using applications for a sickness benefit, and three 
counts of omitting to inform Income Support that she had married. She pleaded guilty to all charges. 
Judge June Johnston said Peebles's former employer had hired her through a recruitment agency, which had described her as reliable 
and hardworking despite her previous convictions.
 
  
 Police employee sues bosses 
 
 
A DISGRUNTLED non-sworn police employee has claimed more than $50,000 from police because he is paid about $15,000 less 
than a sworn officer would for the same job. 
Kelvin Campbell made his claim during a preliminary hearing before Chief Judge Thomas Goddard in the Employment Court at 
Wellington yesterday. 
Mr Campbell, who has worked as a non-sworn police legal adviser since 1994, is claiming $50,165 for alleged breach of legal 
obligation, including breach of contract, and personal grievance against the office of the police commissioner. 
Judge Goddard will decide if the case goes to a full hearing. 
Mr Campbell told the court a contract he signed in 1997 was unfair because it underpaid him by 32 per cent compared with a sworn 
member of the police. 
Sworn members of the police working in a legal advisory or administrative capacity hold the office of constable with all its legal 
powers, while non-sworn staff do not. 
Mr Campbell said a sworn member of police legal advisory staff could earn between $65,000 and $74,000 while a non-sworn member 
was on $49,000 to $66,000. 
In February, Mr Campbell signed a new contract that raised his annual pay, but not enough to bridge the gap between his and sworn 
police legal advisory staff salaries, he said. 
Appearing for the commissioner's office, Patrick Dymond from the Crown Law Office said Mr Campbell's argument was "fatally 
flawed and cannot possibly succeed". 
Once the parties agreed to a certain level of pay there was no obligation by the police commissioner to pay more than the contracted 
remuneration, Mr Dymond said. 
"He agreed to his remuneration some years back. He can't come along to the court now and claim his employer should pay him more." 
Certain aspects of the role of a sworn member of police staff such as early loss of income due to compulsory retirement at age 55 and 
the fact that non-sworn members do not have the legal powers of a police officer could justify the difference in salary, he said. 
Judge Goddard said it might be a question of the commissioner being entitled to have two separate policies of equality between sworn 
police members and equality between non-sworn police members but not necessarily between the two groups. 
He will give his decision next week.
 
 Watchdog out of pocket over casino hearing 
  
 
THE Casino Control Authority could soon be anxiously counting its spare cash if Hamilton's casino planners fight back after a High 
Court knockout this week. 
Riverside Casino Ltd is almost certain to ask the authority for a rehearing of its application _ but whether the authority has the money 
to cover another possibly lengthy and bitter hearing is in question. 
The High Court set aside the authority's December decision to grant Riverside Casino a licence, after finding one authority member, 
Michael Cox, to have apparent bias. Casino opponents sought a judicial review claiming two members were potentially biased. 
The authority had spent about $500,000 dealing with Riverside Casino's application, chief executive Trevor Garrett said. 
He considered Riverside Casino's application still alive, which meant it could not be asked for another non-refundable $450,000 fee. 
The authority had overspent by $50,000 on Riverside Casino's record 30-day hearing. Casino operator Sky City paid a non-refundable 
$340,000 licence application fee. 
Riverside Casino is still taking legal advice on its options after the judgment, but after spending at least $10 million on the application 
process so far, it seems likely to seek a rehearing. 
Mr Garrett said Hamilton's hearing had been the longest and most hotly contested in the authority's nine-year history. 
The authority, whose members are appointed by the internal affairs minister on behalf of the governor-general, had $550,000 in 
reserves, he said. 
It received no government money but collects levies each year from casino licensees. The authority was at present doing a levy round, 
Mr Garrett said. 
"But we don't budget for rehearings. We haven't gone through this situation before but we probably would be reluctant to charge 
existing licensees for a rehearing for a competitor." 
Internal Affairs Minister Mark Burton's office said taxpayers would not be asked to pay for a rehearing. He did not rule out Riverside's 
having to pay another application fee, saying it was "unclear" what the situation would be. 
Last year the levy for Sky City, the Auckland company that has a 55 per cent stake in Riverside Casino and would run the venture, 
was $1.89 million. The Christchurch casino paid $955,000, Dunedin $200,000, and each of the two new Queenstown casinos $18,000 
but this only for a month. 
The authority spent $1.54 million in the year to December. Its income was $3.9 million. Mr Garrett said revenue and expenditure did 
not match in any given year. The authority could start work on an application two years before a hearing. 
The authority pays its six members $500 each a day during an inquiry and has to meet legal and administrative costs involved with a 
hearing. The authority also pays for independent social and economic impact reports. 
Mr Burton's office said Mr Cox's future would be decided after the 28-day appeal period. Mr Cox's appointment expired in April last 
year.
 
 Maori culture to get slice of extra arts funding 
  
 
THE Maori cultural sector will benefit directly from the Government's $146 million arts recovery package during the next three years, 
Associate Minister for Arts and Heritage Judith Tizard says. 
Though there was no specific funding for Maori organisations in the package, about $5 million from Creative New Zealand's $20 
million one-off funding would be freed to support Maori art and culture, Ms Tizard said. "A significant amount of Creative New 
Zealand funding will go towards the `Seriously Maori' strategy that will strengthen and develop the infrastructure for Maori art." 
Maoris would also benefit from the $22 million film production fund and the $2 million cash injection to set up a music industry 
commission. 
Almost half of $3 million worth of funding for the New Zealand Historic Places Trust was earmarked to set up a Maori heritage 
development fund. 
However, National Maori Affairs spokeswoman Georgina te Heuheu said what looked like a wonderful gesture, in reality fell short of 
what the Maori arts and cultural sector had a right to expect. 
Given the concept of the package, which was aimed at building up New Zealand's cultural identity, it was surprising that there were no 
designated funds for Maori art and culture groups, she said. 
Ms te Heuheu said Maori culture was a vibrant and growing part of the community that should have been recognised with a specific 
allocation of funding. 
Maori Language Commission chief executive Haami Piripi said though the arts recovery package was good for New Zealanders on the 
whole, he, too, was disappointed that there was no amount specifically designated for Maori cultural organisations. 
Creative New Zealand spokeswoman Penelope Borland said the "Seriously Maori" strategy was No 1 equal priority with the "Future 
Strength" strategy, which aimed to stabilise the arts infrastructure.
 
 Hidden cameras used to discourage sex trade 
  
 
 
A DOZEN angry South Auckland residents are using hidden cameras to film men picking up transsexual and teenage street prostitutes 
in their neighbourhood. 
The Papatoetoe group, the Concerned Residents Association, installed the first of several hidden cameras yesterday in efforts to force 
the prostitutes out of the Hunters Corner area. 
The residents are disgusted that their suburban neighbourhood has been turned into a 24-hour red-light district by adult transsexuals 
and schoolgirl prostitutes as young as 12. 
Up to 20 sex workers are on the streets some nights. 
A spokesman said the group aimed to deter the male clients rather than the prostitutes, but did not know what it would do with any 
film that identified customers. 
The prostitutes were in "a pathetic situation", he said. 
Residents were also patrolling the streets at night to record suspicious activity, and had been given community board money for night 
security guards. 
A "good percentage" of the sex workers were teenage girls and some were on drugs and glue, the resident said. 
His comments support Manurewa Maori wardens who this month revealed schoolgirls were selling sex "for a packet of smokes and a 
tin of corned beef". 
But police say schoolgirl prostitutes in the area are a rarity. 
The residents' spokesman said Hunters Corner and its streets had become a haven for sex workers during the past year. 
The New Zealand Prostitutes Collective questioned last night the legality of hidden cameras. 
"That would be a breach of one's civil rights _ from the clients' perspective and the workers," spokeswoman Sharlene Te Whaiti said. 
Senior Sergeant David Simpson, the police officer in charge of Papatoetoe, said he had spoken to the group and sympathised with the 
residents. 
"It's not going to breach the law," he said. "It would depend on what the film is going to be used for." _ NZPA
 
 Woman, man, baby die in house fires 
 
 
 
A CHAIR leg resting on an electrical cord is thought to have caused a fire in which a Havelock North woman died on Thursday night, 
one of three people to die in house fires that night. 
Dorothy Muriel Sivewright, 64, died as she tried to flee her home. Her 70-year-old husband escaped with minor injuries, Hastings 
detective Mike Foster said. 
Eastern fire region commander Allen Procter said it was likely the fire was caused by the leg of an easy chair resting on a lamp's 
electrical cord. 
Meanwhile, alcohol and a lack of safety procedures were being blamed for the deaths of a young Bay of Plenty father and his baby son 
in a house fire early yesterday. 
Robert James Parapata, 25, and eight-month-old Honui Furious Tawhiti Parapata were asleep in their home in Maketu, northeast of Te 
Puke. A fire was believed to have been started about 1.15am by a firebox installed too close to its wooden surroundings. 
Neighbours heard a smoke alarm but it failed to wake Mr Parapata in time. Bay-Waikato Fire Service regional manager Jim Stephens 
said alcohol was believed to have delayed Mr Parapata's reactions. 
Police said the location of Mr Parapata's body suggested he had tried to leave the bedroom but was beaten back by flames. _ NZPA
 
 Police take new look at Claire Hills killing 
  
 
 
POLICE have begun a renewed hunt for the killer who burned alive Auckland restaurant manager Claire Hills. 
A team of up to five detectives is being formed to take a fresh look at the case and examine leads given to police during the past year. 
The move comes a month after the anniversary of Ms Hills's grisly killing and coincides with an Assignment television programme on 
the case on Thursday night. 
Ms Hills was abducted as she drove to work at Auckland airport's branch of McDonald's shortly after 3am on April 28, 1998. 
Police believe her assailant took her, unconscious, to the top of Mangere Mountain in Auckland, doused her and her car in petrol and 
set them alight. Ms Hills was probably sexually assaulted first. 
Detective Senior Sergeant Dayle Candy, who led the initial inquiry, said last month that she believed she knew who the killer was but 
could not prove it. That suspect was a man arrested about six weeks after the murder for a series of sex attacks. 
In a bizarre twist, the man's name was painted on the ground at the crime scene during filming of the Assignment story this month. It 
was discovered in front of Ms Hills's mother, Lois, as she took part in the programme. 
Counties Manukau CIB commander Detective Inspector Steve Rutherford said detectives wanted to speak to whoever wrote the name. 
"It's a horrific crime. I've had a look at it, I've refocused it. The team will focus on matters that have come in in the last 12 months," 
Mr Rutherford said. 
Lois Hills said from her Australian home that she was shocked to see the suspect's name at the murder site. The family desperately 
wanted police to make an arrest so the case could be resolved. _ NZPA
 
 Massey staff `living in fear' of the sack 
  
 
 
MASSEY University was said to be gripped by a "climate of fear" yesterday as staff and students began a campaign to overturn 
proposals to cut 116 academic positions at the university. 
More than 200 people received letters on Thursday telling them their jobs were under review. Most are aged in their late 50s and early 
60s, and earning about $60,000 a year. 
Vice-chancellor James McWha stressed that the proposals could change before they were adopted by the university council on August 
4 and said he hoped the final figure would be less as people were redeployed or took early retirement. 
Association of University Staff president Tony Lewis said meetings with staff would be held next week. Students leader Katy 
Hackshaw vowed to fight alongside teachers to prevent the cuts. 
Professor Lewis said the Palmerston North campus was in a climate of fear. "I am getting a hundred calls and e-mails from all sorts of 
people anxious for their future. They are particularly despondent. They are asking themselves if this is the sort of institution they want 
to work for." 
Professor McWha said on Thursday that the changes were forced on the university by falling student numbers, mainly in the 
humanities, social sciences and traditional agriculture and science courses. 
But Professor Lewis questioned the need for the job cuts, saying they would add $10 million to Massey's $2 million surplus. 
Professor McWha said the university was not "squirrelling away" its surplus in the bank. "A significant proportion will be invested in 
new directions. We are beefing up a chair of Maori education and putting more money into areas like advanced engineering."
 
 Fraudster gets six months' jail 
  
 
CONVICTED fraudster David Joseph Goodey, 57, a Paraparaumu tax consultant, was sentenced to six months' imprisonment when he 
appeared at Porirua District Court yesterday. 
Judge Marion Frater did not award an additional $14,427 in legal and accounting costs sought by police for his victims. 
Goodey was charged with defrauding Paraparaumu couple Don and Carol Vaughan of $67,802, which he has repaid, including 
$47,000 raised from Delphi Fishing, of which he was a director. 
Crown solicitor Fiona Guy told Judge Frater that Goodey had made no direct apology to his clients of 14 years, whom he had 
systematically defrauded over 4<<1/2>> years. 
"It's had a significant effect on the victims, personally and in business. According to a probation officer's report, he considered what 
had happened was bad business practice." 
The Inland Revenue Department was also seeking $148,000 from Goodey, and there was a possibility he might be declared bankrupt.
 
 Gold strike in floor 
  
 
 
DUNEDIN 
CARDRONA "Sheriff" Brian Gilbert struck gold yesterday. 
For two years Mr Gilbert, the former owner of the Cardrona Hotel, has been restoring the historic Paddy Galvin mud cottage, one of 
the few remnants of the 1860s gold era near the town, 26 kilometres northeast of Queenstown. 
While lifting rotted floorboards, he and friend Alastair Stevenson found a section that looked different from the rest. Underneath was a 
small china container with a rusty lid. Prising it off, Mr Gilbert was surprised to find a cache of gold nuggets. 
"There were several sizable nuggets and the whole lot weighed a pennyweight short of 1<<1/2>> ounces, 45 grams." 
Mr Gilbert said he did not know who might have hidden the gold but it was probably stashed in the 1860s, when the cottage was built. 
"The removable floorboard had obviously been purpose-built when the floor was laid as it was a snug fit and there was a box-like 
frame to hold it all in place." _ NZPA

Probe into police over injured man 
  
 
 
AN INVESTIGATION by the Police Complaints Authority is under way after a man was seriously injured in Hawke's Bay as he tried 
to outrun police. 
The 23-year-old ran off while being questioned by a constable and was being chased when he was knocked down by a car in Hastings 
about 4pm on Thursday. 
He was taken to Hawke's Bay Regional Hospital with serious head injuries. 
Police were now investigating an incident that occurred before the chase and an authority investigation had begun, Sergeant Bryan 
Smith said. 
Police had not yet spoken to the man, he said. 
Police had earlier been called to a disturbance in which a man had allegedly threatened others. _ NZPA
 
 Clinic opens, teen pregnancies drop 
  
OAMARU 
TEENAGE pregnancies in Oamaru have halved since a youth sexual health clinic opened in 1997. 
Teenage births made up 11.1 per cent of the total births in Oamaru between October 1996 and September 1997 but for the October 
1998 to September 1999 period, teenage births dropped to 5.8 per cent. 
The clinic was set up by public health nurses as an extension of the self-referral health clinics at Waitaki Girls' and Boys' High 
Schools. 
The students wanted contraception but the nurses did not have the mandate, nurse Stella Yaxely said yesterday. Oamaru's teenage 
pregnancy rate was twice the national average and the Southern Regional Health Funding Authority contracted the nurses to set up a 
clinic for students or low-wage earners under 25. 
"It's a real treat to see those who aren't quite sexually active. We are able to make them more aware of the consequences. We ask 
`What if he drops you?'. Of course they say `He would never drop me' but a week later they're back in and he has," Ms Yaxley said. _ 
NZPA
 
 Deka announces closure of Levin branch - 17 jobs lost 
  
 
 
DEPARTMENT store chain Deka is to close its Levin outlet on August 31 with the loss of 17 jobs. Staff were given notice of the 
closure on Thursday. 
Farmers Deka managing director Wayne Walden said the closure had been a difficult decision. The main concern now was to try to 
find jobs for staff. Deka took over the store in 1991, but it had become too small for the company's operational needs. _ NZPA
 
 Reward for return of museum relics 
  
A $10,000 REWARD has been offered by an insurance company for the return of historic artefacts stolen from a ship museum in 
Northland last month. 
The jewellery, coins and relics, worth an estimated $500,000, were stolen from the Tui Shipwreck Museum at Waitangi on April 8. 
A man charged with stealing the jewellery and relics, Keith Anthony McEwen, 23, is due to appear in Kaikohe District Court next 
Tuesday. A female associate is due in court the same day charged with being an accessory. 
The theft is being investigated by a private investigator. _ NZPA
 
 Drug case man on Surfers trip 
  
 
 
AN UNEMPLOYED Nelson man on bail on drugs charges has been given permission to go to Australia on holiday despite police 
opposition. 
In Nelson District Court Judge John Walker decided Dale Allan Linwood would be allowed to take a week-long holiday in Surfers 
Paradise with his partner. The couple plan to return on June 3. 
Linwood, 24, was committed for trial on a charge of conspiracy to supply morphine sulphate tablets, after a depositions hearing on 
May 3. He was remanded on bail, but was not required to report to police or surrender his passport. He is scheduled to appear in court 
again for a pre-trial hearing on June 20. 
His lawyer, Steven Zindel, told the court Linwood was arrested during Operation Rugby, a year-long drug operation by Nelson police, 
but was allegedly one of the minor players. He was also the nephew of convicted drug dealer Kenneth Murray Linwood, he said. 
Mr Zindel said his client had booked the $699 package holiday on May 19, without giving any thought to his bail conditions. He was 
taking the trip to console his partner who had lost her job, he said. Linwood had sold his car to pay his share of the non-refundable 
trip. 
Crown solicitor Aroha Puata told the court that police and the Crown opposed Linwood taking the trip because he did not have a job 
or property locally and was not originally from Nelson. They were concerned at the way it would look if a judge allowed someone 
facing drug charges to leave the country. 
The charge Linwood faced carried a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment, she said. 
Granting Linwood's application, Judge Walker said he had to decide if allowing him to travel to Australia would increase the risk of 
his failing to answer bail. 
Linwood had no history of breaching bail, there had been no initial opposition to bail by police and the only condition of it was that he 
give an address. He had disclosed a desire to travel, had a return ticket, children living in Nelson, and was entitled to the presumption 
of innocence, Judge Walker said. 
He told Linwood he must report to Nelson police on June 4. _ NZPA
 
 Suspensions as stabbing follows theft 
  
 
THREE Takaka Rugby Club under-15 players have been suspended after a meeting of club officials this week. 
The trio were allegedly involved in several off-field incidents, including the stabbing of a Motueka student, after their team was beaten 
90-0 by a Motueka High School team last weekend. 
They have been referred to the police youth aid section over two assaults after the game. A Motueka man has been charged with the 
theft of gear and money from the Takaka team's changing sheds. 
The club said it wanted to stress that the incidents happened off the field and were "ignited" by the theft during the game. _ NZPA
 
 Unpublished writer wins scholarship 
  
 
AUCKLAND writer David Glynn has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship by Random House New Zealand. 
Glynn won the Vintage 10th Birthday Scholarship ahead of hundreds of other applicants _ all unpublished writers _ on the basis of his 
submitted work. 
Wellington poet Bill Manhire, who judged the entries, said that Glynn's novel in progress was extremely compelling and that it was 
rare to see writing of such quality in a debut work. 
Glynn will use part of the scholarship for further research to complete his novel. 
Random House launched its Vintage imprint in 1990. Its authors include Salman Rushdie, Rose Tremain, J M Coetzee and, in New 
Zealand, Janet Frame, Alan Duff and Fiona Kidman.
 
they said it;milestones 
  
"I once saw a Monty Python skit like this of someone taking over a country with John Cleese and it was the same sort of quality." 
_ Michael Kidd, the lawyer who acted as intermediary early on in the Fiji coup. 
"My coup is better than your coup." 
_ Fiji coup leader George Speight boasts to 1987 coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka. 
"I thought the spilling of blood would not say the right thing." 
_ Speight explains how he considered assassinating Fiji's Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry. 
"He's unhappy and he's drinking grog." 
_ Speight's spokesman on why the coup leader would not hold a press conference that day. 
"All I want is to be away from the limelight." 
_ Rugby prodigy Jeff Wilson announces he is taking a break from the game. 
"I shut my eyes . . . and went for his legs, and, yeah, they're pretty big." 
_ Slim Northern United B fullback Graeme Poka describes the tactic that brought down Jonah Lomu, who was playing for his club, 
Wainui. 
"Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's the national psyche, but the Kiwi approach to fashion seems more cerebral than Australia's 
(compare and contrast The Piano and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert)." 
_ Sydney Morning Herald describes New Zealand designers at Fashion Week. 
"Couples don't have to have sex, some of them might just want to have a cuddle and a glass of milk." 
_ Corrections Minister Matt Robson on his proposal that prison inmates be allowed to have sex with their partners behind bars as a 
reward for good behaviour. 
-------------------- 
milestones 
-------------------- 
CONDEMNED: By New Zealand, Australia, the United States and the United Nations' Kofi Annan, the recommendation by Fiji's 
Great Council of Chiefs that Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, held hostage by George Speight's coup-attempt group, lose office 
and be replaced by an interim government, and that the constitution be changed to favour indigenous Fijians. 
QUIT: Team New Zealand skipper Russell Coutts and tactician Brad Butterworth, to join a Swiss challenge for the America's Cup in 
2003. 
BORN: To British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie, a boy, Leo. 
RESTING: All Black star Jeff Wilson, 26, taking an indefinite break from sport but not retiring. 
WITHDRAWN: Israeli troops from south Lebanon after a bloody 22-year presence in the "security zone" bordering Israel. 
RAISED: By ANZ and WestpacTrust banks, floating mortgage rates, by 0.7 percentage points to 8.8 per cent, after the Reserve Bank 
raised its official cash rate from 6 per cent to 6.5 per cent. ANZ also lifted its fixed mortgage rate. 
REJECTED: A parliamentary move by United NZ's Peter Dunne to rename Waitangi Day as Aotearoa New Zealand Day. 
ADMITTED: By former Christchurch deputy mayor and family doctor Morgan Fahey, 13 sex offences including rape. 
DIED: Dame Barbara Cartland, prolific queen of romantic fiction and the world's bestselling author, aged 98. 
* British theatre legend and Oscar-winner Sir John Gielgud, aged 96.


 
 
 
 Pilgrim route inspires mystery plot 
  
A MYSTERY journey to the end of the world is how Wellington performer Alan Brunton describes his latest work Compostela. 
The show is an interactive performance inspired by a journey along the famous pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela in north-west 
Spain and will showcase the talents of three Wellington experimental sound artists at Queen's Birthday weekend. 
The story begins in the hills of southern France and travels the pilgrim route to the Gate of Glory at the Cathedral of Santiago. 
Brunton re-enacts the legends and stories that have developed in the many villages he came across when he made the journey with a 
local theatre troupe in 1989. 
Vocalist Angeline Conaghan and musician Kieran Monaghan join Brunton in his depiction of the pilgrimage that thousands undertake 
each year. 
Compostela shows at Newtown's alternative venue The Space on June 3 and 4.

19 Oct 2000

High Court makes new driver licence ruling 

 Ms Sinclair 
  
THE new driver licensing laws are poorly drafted, the High Court says in a ground-breaking ruling that says a person with an expired 
licence is an unlicensed driver. 
Justice Heron, in the High Court at Palmerston North, made the comments in the continuing court battle between Cabinet Minister 
Sandra Lee's former press secretary, Moana Sinclair, and the police. 
Police welcomed Justice Heron's decision. 
National road safety manager Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald said the ruling clarified the driver licensing laws. 
Ms Sinclair was stopped by police near Marton in February after being caught driving at 138kmh. 
A police check showed she had not applied to upgrade to the new photo driver's licence and she was forbidden to drive. 
She drove off and was stopped by police near Foxton where she was issued with another traffic offence notice for failing to comply 
with the prohibition order. Her vehicle was seized. Ms Sinclair was also charged with resisting arrest. 
In Levin in July, District Court Judge Mark Perkins ruled that a driver whose licence has expired because of a failure to upgrade to a 
photographic licence was not an unlicensed driver and therefore Ms Sinclair could not be arrested. 
He dismissed both charges. 
Since the decision, drivers whose licences have expired in the past year have been fined $400 but have not been forbidden to drive or 
had their cars impounded. 
Police appealed against Judge Perkins's decision. 
In yesterday's decision, Justice Heron ruled that "the broad definition of `unlicensed' covers the situation of someone who has allowed 
his or her driver licence to expire". 
He sent the case back to the Levin District Court for hearing on the charge. 
Ms Sinclair's lawyer, Helen Cull, QC, said the facts of the case needed to be heard before any decision could be made or upheld. 
Only one aspect was considered by Justice Heron, she said. 
The case would be fought all the way. 
Mr Fitzgerald said police were studying the judgment and "it is unlikely we will make any procedural changes until the appeal period 
has expired". 
 
 
Katie discovers a life worth living 

Ms Paton and Katie share a laugh before Project K's Wellington launch 
  
  
 
THREE years ago, Katie Wysoczanski wasn't facing a very bright future. In fact, she says she wasn't facing any future at all. 
She was 14, deeply depressed, failing at school, and was consumed by loneliness and wanted to die. 
Luckily, she was chosen to be part of one of the first groups of teenagers put through Project K, a programme that dragged her quite 
literally through the wilderness and taught her that life was worth living. 
Last night, the once painfully shy 17-year-old Aucklander spoke to hundreds of people including Prime Minister Helen Clark at the 
Wellington launch of the programme. 
Ms Wysoczanski now plays representative netball for North Shore and is preparing to sit her final bursary exams _ two goals set while 
she was on the programme. 
"Looking back, it's quite scary _ seeing how I am now compared to what I was before. It's just such a huge change," she said. 
"I feel a lot more confident, not as depressed, and I know that there are people who I can talk to _ people who have most likely felt 
like I am feeling." 
Project K selected form 4 students from all backgrounds who showed potential but were not achieving it, the organisation's general 
manager, Di Paton, said. It developed their potential and confidence through a three-week wilderness adventure, two weeks of 
community work and a year of mentoring by a trained adult. 
Selected community agencies took up the programme and ran it through schools in their area. 
It was begun by adventurer Graeme Dingle and his partner Jo-Anne Wilkinson in Auckland four years ago but had recently been 
started in the central North Island. Project K was expected to be up and running in parts of Wellington, beginning with Porirua, next 
year after United Networks agreed to sponsor it. 
It has been chosen by Miss Clark as one of her most admired programmes for helping teenagers and has also gained the support of 
Wellington's All Blacks, and Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson. 
Ms Paton, who is herself a personal mentor for a South Auckland girl in the project, said research showed it was remarkably 
successful. 
 
 
 Doctors warn of foetus test disaster 
  
NEW ZEALAND is risking another health screening disaster by not monitoring maternity tests that can detect foetal defects, doctors 
have warned. 
Auckland and Wellington obstetrics bosses have written to the Health Ministry and Health Funding Authority raising concerns about 
inadequate monitoring of the genetic abnormality test, called nuchal translucency. 
The test is a specialised ultrasound performed at 10 to 14 weeks, and measures swelling in the neck of the foetus _ an indicator of 
chromosomal defect. Downs syndrome babies have extra folds at the neck. 
The test can be performed with women thinking they are receiving the standard ultrasound. 
Wellington maternal and foetal medicine specialist Jeremy Tuohy told New Zealand Doctor magazine that women may not be 
adequately counselled before screening, that test results may be misinterpreted, and that radiologists performing the tests may be 
inexperienced. 
In a chilling reference to the Gisborne cervical screening inquiry, he said the profession could be poised for another screening disaster. 
He said he had seen women who had had abnormal tests reported as normal, normal tests reported as abnormal, and women who did 
not want screening and were unaware they were being tested. 
Medical Association chairwoman Pippa MacKay said the consequences of such incidents were serious. Some women did not want to 
know if their foetus had an abnormality, and all women having the test needed intensive counselling about its limitations and what the 
results meant. 
Nuchal translucency could be a precursor to more invasive tests to check the foetus, she said. A false negative could mean women 
were falsely reassured, and false positives could put them through unnecessary follow-up testing, which could put them at risk of 
miscarrying. 
The association would support a pre-natal screening programme that laid out appropriate audit and quality control measures, Dr 
MacKay said. 
Patients were regularly asking for the test because of increasing awareness about its availability. 
Dr Tuohy said the ministry and the HFA had given "no significant response" to doctors' concerns. 
HFA maternity services manager Barbara Browne said she was concerned at any inappropriate use of screening, and the HFA was 
willing to work with obstetricians and radiologists to draw up guidelines. 
Robert Sim, convener of the ultrasound subcommittee of the New Zealand branch of the Royal College of Radiologists, said the 
college would discuss screening protocols at its annual meeting in two weeks' time. Nuchal translucency training could become a 
requirement for accreditation to the college, Dr Sim said. 
 
 
Man's arm impaled on manuka branch 
  
  
 
A deer hunter, 52, walked for four hours through dense bush in the Kaweka Range after his right arm was impaled on a three-
centimetre-wide manuka branch. The Auckland man was hunting along the Mohaka River, between Turangi and Napier, on Tuesday 
when he stumbled down a bank and impaled his arm on the branch. He freed himself and walked to a hut to use a radio to call for help. 
Tranz Rail rescue helicopter pilot Shamus Howard said the man had managed to control the blood loss by putting a tourniquet on his 
arm. "He was looking fairly pale but was still able to walk." He had surgery and was in a satisfactory condition in Rotorua Hospital. 
 
 
  Baby disappears, river searched 
  
  
 
Lower Hutt police were interviewing several people early today about the disappearance of an 11-month-old baby last night. At the 
same time, Wairarapa police began helicopter and foot searches of the Ruamahanga River near Featherston. 
 
 
  Computer rage 
  
A Lower Hutt constable who went to his first computer rage incident said he found the "offender" desperately trying to print his CV 
for a job interview. Police went to a Colson St house to investigate a report of domestic violence on Tuesday night, and after checking 
out a few houses saw a man sitting in his window typing on his computer. Constable Andy Owens said the man told him he had 
written his CV for a job interview the next day, and when he had trouble printing it, he threw the printer out the door. "There were bits 
of printer on the deck. Then I looked in the kitchen and there was a smashed-up printer." 
 
Children's advocates start work 

Mr Davis, left, and Mr Bryan, the two new child advocates 
   
 
TEACHERS spend just one hour learning about sexual abuse throughout their entire three years training, Rod Davis, one of two new 
child advocates employed by the commissioner for children, said this week. 
Mr Davis, formerly a lecturer in health at Wellington Teachers College, wants it to be made easier for schools to report and recognise 
abuse among their students. 
He and former Department of Child, Youth and Family Services manager Bobby Bryan joined the newly expanded office of the 
commissioner as child advocates this week. 
Commissioner Roger McClay said the Education Ministry had provided about $200,000 for the office to beef up its involvement in 
schools. 
It was using the money to fund the new positions and set up a training scheme for community groups to offer a mediation service for 
schools, their students and parents. 
Mr Davis, known for speaking out after losing his son Jody in the Cave Creek tragedy, would focus on education issues such as 
suspensions, child rights, discipline policies, and abuse. 
Mr Bryan will work in the Maori sector and address the Government's closing-the-gaps policy. 
 
Helpline overwhelmed after controversial suicide programme 
   
 
A CONTROVERSIAL programme on youth suicide that screened on TV3 last night sparked a deluge of calls from viewers. 
Lines to the channel and a helpline were jammed, even before the show ended. The response to the two-hour special Questions _ a 
play about suicide followed by a panel discussion _ overwhelmed counsellors taking calls on an 0800 number with 50 lines. Services 
around New Zealand have combined to run the helpline, 0800 563 56, till 8pm tonight. 
Lifeline director Bruce Macky was too busy taking calls to comment last night. TV3 spokeswoman Raegan Houldridge said the 
channel's switchboard had also taken hundreds of calls. Reaction was mainly positive. 
"One man who had recently lost a friend to suicide rang in and said: `This programme will go down in history'." 
Commissioner for Children Roger McClay and some youth suicide experts were worried the programme might lead to "copycat" 
suicides. Director Ross Jennings was pleased with the positive reaction. "Its obviously going to have people think and people talk and 
it will help people. And that's what it was designed to do." _ NZPA 
 
 
  Environment role for former MP 

 Ms White 
   
 
PALMERSTON NORTH mayor and former Labour MP Jill White has been appointed chairwoman of the Environmental Risk 
Management Authority. 
She takes up the position on November 1 and is being joined by two new authority members, Tony Haggerty, hazardous substances 
adviser to the Fire Service, and Prudence Kapua, a partner at law firm Walters and Williams. 
They replace chairman Bill Falconer, and members Professor Barry Scott and Terry Lomax whose terms expired on July 31. 
Environment Minister Marian Hobbs said that the authority's work would change early next year as a result of changes to the 
Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act, and the authority needed people with expertise in that area. 
The authority would have less work related to genetic modification because of the voluntary moratorium in place while the Royal 
Commission of Inquiry on Genetic Modification completed its work. 
The new members had knowledge of Maori and community issues, environmental law and expertise in dealing with hazardous 
substances. 
"We now have members from a wide range of fields and experience _ from human health and environment, to industry and business, 
to community, to the sciences," she said. 
The authority's primary purpose was to protect people from risks by assessing, approving or declining applications to import or 
manufacture new organisms and hazardous substances, Ms Hobbs said. _ NZPA 
 
 
Gene crops health-risk claims disputed 
  
  
 
WIDESPREAD claims by genetic engineering opponents of serious health risks from a common plant virus could only be the result of 
misunderstanding or "deliberate misrepresentation", the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification was told yesterday. 
A plant and health development scientist at HortResearch crown research institute, Daniel Cohen, referred to a "concerted campaign" 
highlighting dangers of the cauliflower mosaic virus. 
But the virus was naturally one of the most widespread infections in leaf brassicas _ affecting 10 per cent of brassica crops in Britain 
and being present in high rates in New Zealand. 
Brassicas are vegetables of the cabbage and turnip types. 
Though it was true that, on very rare occasions new strains of virus could evolve, the opponents had wrongly extrapolated health risks, 
including of cancer, from laboratory data, Dr Cohen said. 
There had been no evidence of these occurring in the field. On the chances of accidental gene escape from plant bacteria into soil 
bacteria, known as horizontal gene transfer, he said: "The chances of this would be like winning a European lottery twice, on 
successive weekends." 
Naturally occurring, low-level cross-pollination between crop plants and their wild relatives, however, had contributed "to the richness 
of biodiversity". 
During the past 50 years, science had learned with standard breeding methods to transfer pest and disease resistance from wild 
relatives into crops. "Most of these methods are acceptable to the organic plant breeders." 
Two other crown research institutes _ Crop and Food and Forest Research _ also gave evidence that any risks from the new 
technology were negligible. 
Crop and Food scientist Tony O'Connor, whose modified potatoes were destroyed by the "Wild Greens" group in 1998, said his trials 
had repeatedly established that modified potatoes behaved in the same manner as regular potatoes. 
Crop and Food's and Forest Research's submissions argued that potential risks to the environment from genetically modified product 
were not due to the nature of the product, but the way in which the product was used. 
 
 
German tourists want genuine Maori experiences, says survey 
  
 
GERMAN tourists think they're missing out on the "genuine" Kiwi experience, a study shows. 
The Otago University report, based on a survey of 1100 people in the German city of Frankfurt, found that 17 per cent believed 
service in tourist hubs such as Queenstown was "rather artificial, lacking genuineness", co-author Juergen Gnoth said. 
"German tourists [are] disappointed at a lack of genuine taha Maori experiences and find that New Zealand is not as clean and green 
as . . . expected." 
More than a third were critical of "places like Queenstown, which they find too commercialised and beyond their price range", Dr 
Gnoth said. 
A similar survey last year showed that 19 per cent of United States visitors did not rate the quality of service or accommodation in 
New Zealand. 
Dr Gnoth said better training, with Kiwis "being themselves rather than giving fast-food-style service patter", providing more 
authentic Maori experiences and developing destinations that were less commercial would go some way to solving the problem. 
Germany is New Zealand's fifth-biggest tourist market, with 44,000 visitors in the year to June. 
 
 
  Lisa's father buoyed by discovery of suitcase 
  
 Ms Blakie 
  
THE father of murdered Timaru woman Lisa Blakie is hopeful a suitcase found in a Canterbury water race belonged to his daughter 
and will help find her killer. 
"I'm hoping it is hers and that it may contain some forensic evidence that may help with the case," Doug Blakie said yesterday. 
It would be wonderful to get back some of his daughter's possessions, including her clothes, photos and other personal items, he said. 
Ms Blakie, 20, disappeared on February 2 after thumbing a ride from Yaldhurst, on the outskirts of Christchurch, to visit friends on the 
West Coast. 
Her body was found in the Porter River, near a layby on State Highway 73, four days later. 
Detective Inspector Rob Pope said police would take the suitcase to Christchurch for forensic examination. 
It "checked" with a suitcase belonging to Ms Blakie but till it was thoroughly examined police could not be sure it was hers, Mr Pope 
said. 
The suitcase was found on Tuesday by contractors cleaning a water race near the Old West Coast Rd, the main road between 
Christchurch and the West Coast. 
It was in a "fairly inaccessible place" about 25 kilometres from where Ms Blakie's body was found, and appeared to have been there 
for some time, Mr Pope said. Police and army personnel would probably complete a scene examination today. 
Mr Blakie said the investigation into his daughter's death was taking a long time and news of the suitcase was tough on the family. 
"You sort of get on with life a little bit but every day you think of Lisa and the case . . . It's very hard when something like this comes 
back up," he said. "As soon as I heard, I thought that was the case," he said, praising police efforts. 
"It's been a very, very hard process but the people police are dealing with don't want to be caught and have closed ranks and it's going 
to be a long, hard process to get someone to crack or get the evidence [police] need." 
He was hopeful the suitcase might provide that. 
Mr Pope said police were making progress and though they had more work to do, their inquiries were now "very specific". Later, at a 
press conference, he said he was not surprised the suitcase had not been found earlier as it was tucked away. 
Police had not made a detailed search of the area before but had canvassed residents in the area and would continue that as well as 
speaking to passing motorists. _ NZPA 
 
 
  Race on to build next power plant 
         
  
  
 
A RACE is on to build the next power plant in New Zealand with state-owned Genesis Power announcing yesterday that it was 
considering a new 400-megawatt plant at Huntly. 
Four months ago TransAlta's new owners Natural Gas Corporation said TransAlta was conducting a feasibility study into a 400-
megawatt station in the North Island. 
Listed company Contact Energy has also signalled it is evaluating building another power plant. 
There is more supply than demand but Genesis chief executive Murray Jackson said yesterday that this would reverse by 2005. 
The Government's approval would be needed for the investment of about $350 million. 
Genesis had only light debt and could fund the new plant from its earnings and increasing debt, he said. 
Genesis was evaluating two options. One was to build a standalone 400-megawatt combined cycle gas turbine at Huntly. The other 
was to add 500 megawatts by upgrading two existing turbines at Huntly. 
The first would increase the efficiency of the Huntly power station to 58 per cent from its present 36 per cent and the second would 
increase it to 52 per cent. 
 
Beware mortgage fraudsters - SFO 
  
THE Serious Fraud Office is warning people against being taken in by mortgage and investment fraudsters. 
Director David Bradshaw says in the SFO's annual report, tabled in Parliament yesterday, that despite warnings about investment 
fraud it was not unusual to discover millions of dollars had been "invested" by New Zealanders in non-existent schemes, mostly 
overseas. 
He has observed a similar trend with mortgage frauds for housing. 
"People, frequently from lower-income backgrounds, are being told that they can own their own home without the need to save for a 
deposit," he says. 
"Through a series of dishonest schemes, fraudsters are putting people into houses that the individual can often not afford. 
"The fraudster takes his or her cut from the deal, frequently leaving the victim to face a mortgagee sale of their home and a significant 
financial loss." 
Victims did not always welcome the SFO investigating and prosecuting suspected fraudsters. 
In many cases, the involvement of the SFO was the signal an investment had been lost. 
For some there was the embarrassment of being defrauded, for others there was the forlorn hope the suspect _ which might well be a 
trusted friend _ if left alone by the SFO would put things right. 
"The trust and the credibility that enabled the fraud to be perpetrated in the first instance will sometimes be used by the fraudster in an 
attempt to discredit the office in the eyes of the victims. 
"Victims may be persuaded not to cooperate." 
Mr Bradshaw says the number of prosecutions started by the SFO has risen in the past few years from about 12 to 15 a year to about 
18 to 19 a year. _ NZPA 
 
 
Actor faces charge of drink-driving 
  
  
 
ACTOR Julian Arahanga appeared in Wellington District Court yesterday charged with drink-driving and was remanded without plea 
till November 1. 
Arahanga, 29, of Alicetown, Lower Hutt, starred in Once Were Warriors and its sequel, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, as well 
as in the international blockbuster The Matrix. He was charged with excess breath alcohol in Wellington on September 27. He blew 
553 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, above the legal limit of 400mcg. 
 
 
  Masked posties foil magpie 
 
Posties Judy Formby, left, and Teresa Speksnijder wear their anti-magpie masks 
  
  
 
HAMILTON 
CAMBRIDGE posties need eyes in the back of their heads to fend off an aggressive magpie _ so they have bought some. 
The posties have discovered the magpie leaves them alone when they wear masks with cutout eyes on the back of their heads. 
The rogue magpie's dive-bomb attacks _ pecking the posties' bike helmets as often as 30 times on one delivery run _ caused six NZ 
Post staff to quit the round. 
Only team leader Judy Formby was brave enough to take on the Grey St area. 
Mrs Formby said a trial run wearing a $4 plastic mask on the back of her helmet on Monday was a success. "He followed me from tree 
to tree the whole way, eyeing me up, but he never bombed me . . . if this carries on, it'll be a dream." 
The idea came after a Waikato Times story on the magpie on Saturday. Mrs Formby had more than 20 phone calls about how she 
could ward off the bird. A suggestion that she paint eyes on her helmet sparked the mask idea. 
Yesterday, other staff members braved the beat with masks and returned unscathed. Lisa Parnwell, who was traumatised when the bird 
got tangled in her ponytail during one aerial raid, said the mask had worked a treat. 
Waipa District Council environmental safety manager Ross McNeil said the council would abandon its investigation into the magpie's 
attacks. 
 
 
Millions for Rimutaka Prison work 
  
  
 
MORE than $28 million is being spent providing 160 more beds at Rimutaka Prison. 
Construction of a high-medium security block would begin in January, for completion by the end of November, the Corrections 
Department said yesterday. 
The unit, which will house three 40-bed units, has been budgeted to cost $21.4 million. It was announced earlier this year that a 40-
bed unit for vulnerable youth was being built at the prison. The $7 million unit is due to open in February. 
Corrections Minister Matt Robson said it was crucial for Wellington prisoners to serve their sentences closer to home as family 
contact was an important factor in curbing reoffending. 
Forty extra staff will be hired for the units, the building of which will require 80 construction workers. 
The Corrections Department was given a $34.8 million boost in Labour's first budget, delivered in June. 
Upper Hutt Mayor Rex Kirton said he was delighted with the extra work the unit could provide. 
"I think it will be great as there will be a number of benefits for Upper Hutt, including increased employment, and it gives further 
opportunities for subcontractors." 
 
 
Jury finds man guilty of sexually enslaving his daughter for 23 years 
  
 
A 66-YEAR-OLD man was found guilty yesterday of subjecting his daughter to more than two decades of sexual slavery. 
A jury in the High Court at Auckland deliberated for more than four hours before convicting Ronald Van Der Plaat on representative 
charges of rape, indecent assault, and various forms of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection. 
Justice Randerson remanded Van Der Plaat, of Te Atatu, in custody for sentencing next month. 
Thanking the jury, Justice Randerson said it had been a particularly difficult and horrific case. 
He lifted name suppression on Van Der Plaat at the request of the daughter, who has a different name and lives in Germany. 
The Crown said the woman was subjected to 23 years of sexual slavery by her domineering father. Outside the court the investigating 
officer, Detective Rob Hanna, said Van Der Plaat had effectively "brainwashed" his daughter into staying with him. 
The court was told the offending began in Vanuatu, when the girl was nine, after her mother left. 
The sexual activities became more bizarre and depraved when Van Der Plaat and his daughter, now 40, came to New Zealand in 1983. 
The offending continued till 1992. 
Sometimes he would feed her alcohol and drugs before sex. Other depraved sex acts were described to the court by the daughter. 
She eventually became pregnant to Van Der Plaat but had a miscarriage. Van Der Plaat was also said to have gone through a mock 
marriage ceremony with his daughter when she was 16. 
Partners of the man gave evidence of his sexual preferences, which included bondage and his being suspended, bound and naked, in a 
door frame. 
The offending against the daughter, who was born in New Zealand, continued till she was 32. 
In his summing up, Justice Randerson said it was the Crown case that the man's degree of control over his daughter amounted to 
enslavement. "She said she felt she had no option because of his control of her and because of the fear that he would punish her 
physically if she did not consent." 
Van Der Plaat acknowledged taking photos of his daughter naked and semi-naked but denied the sexual allegations. 
He said she had made up the story as a way of getting money out of him and that her new husband had put her up to it. _ NZPA 
 
 
  Interest in air show 
Author:         
  
  
 
Up to 35,000 people are expected in Taupo next March for a planned air show tentatively titled Wings Over Lake Taupo. Air show 
chairman Roy Marsden said there had been an overwhelming response from aviators throughout New Zealand and overseas. 
 
 
  Not guilty plea 
  
 
Michael James Stark, 32, pleaded not guilty yesterday in Auckland District Court to a charge of threatening to damage Justice 
Minister Phil Goff's home and one of misusing a telephone. Police allege Stark phoned Mr Goff's electorate office and threatened to 
blow up Mr Goff's home if he was not given a state house. He was remanded in custody to reappear next month. 
 
Emergency landing 
 
 
A United Airlines Boeing 747 flying from Melbourne to Los Angeles made an emergency landing in New Zealand last night. The 
plane, with 296 people on board, diverted to New Zealand after its captain declared an electrical emergency. The aircraft landed 
safely. 
 
 
Rape inquiry dropped 
  
  
 
A Wellington police inquiry into the alleged rape of a woman in the toilets of a Courtenay Place bar at the weekend has been dropped. 
A police spokesman said the woman, 21, no longer wished to press charges. 
 
 
Boat driver named 
  
  
 
The jetboat driver who died after an accident on the Waitaki River on Tuesday was Ewen Walker, 59, of Christchurch. Mr Walker 
died in Dunedin Hospital a few hours after the boat he was driving crashed into the concrete support of a railway bridge during the 
third day of the New Zealand jetboat marathon. Boat co-driver Nigel Oliver suffered a shoulder injury. 
 
 
Falls biggest killer 
  
  
 
Falling from a height was the biggest workplace killer in New Zealand last year, taking the lives of 14 people. In the Wellington 
region two construction site workers died after falls at work. Occupational Safety and Health have set up the "Safe Work at Heights" 
roadshow to combat the problem. 
 
 
Robbery charge 
   
 
An unemployed Wainuiomata man, 19, will appear in Lower Hutt District Court this morning charged with aggravated robbery after 
the owner of the Hardy St Dairy in Waterloo, Lower Hutt, was threatened with a hammer during an attempted robbery on Tuesday 
night. The shopkeeper wrestled with his attacker before chasing him down the street. 
 
 
Mayor to head Erma 

 Palmerston North Mayor and former Labour MP Jill White has been appointed chairwoman of the Environmental Risk Management 
Authority. She takes up the position next month and is being joined by two new authority members, Tony Haggerty, hazardous 
substances adviser to the Fire Service, and Prudence Kapua, a partner at law firm Walters and Williams. 
 
 
  Anchor move 
  
An eight-tonne, 5.6-metre by 3.3-metre sea anchor, believed to be the biggest in New Zealand, will be raised from the bed of 
Wellington harbour beside the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa, at 11.15am on Saturday. The anchor is believed to be from a 19th 
century warship. 
 
 
  Defence lawyer seeks more time 
  
 
THE lawyer acting for David James Gates, the man accused of murdering Wellington law student Gavin Dash, told Wellington 
District Court yesterday that the case was a complex one. 
In asking for an extension to a February 5 pre-depositions date, defence lawyer John Rowan, QC, said he would need time to study 
forensic evidence from 250 exhibits. 
The evidence, taken from seven sites and involving five scientists, was due to be disclosed in late December, he said. 
Judge Richard Watson acknowledged Mr Rowan's concerns but rejected the application, saying the pre-depositions date was for the 
police to establish a prima facie case. 
Gates, 26, unemployed, did not appear in court yesterday and has been remanded in the custody of Porirua Hospital mental health unit 
till the pre-depositions date. 
 
 
  Barnardo's care varies, says ERO 
 
 
BARNARDO'S home-based care projects in Wellington, Porirua and Kapiti vary widely educationally, from high quality to limited, 
according to the Education Review Office. 
The office visited a sample of caregivers' homes for its reports on Barnardo's in Johnsonville, Mana, western suburbs, Kilbirnie, 
Miramar peninsula, Tawa, Porirua, Kapiti, Newtown and Island Bay. 
All the reports found that in the homes visited, care was of a quality appropriate to meet children's physical needs, but early childhood 
education varied from very good to limited. 
"Planning in general is minimal and for some caregivers not done at all," the Johnsonville report says. 
"Coordinators are aware of the shortcomings in the project and are working with caregivers to raise the standards of education 
provided. As well, they are encouraging them to make clear links to the needs of the children." 
Barnardo's caregivers look after about 6000 children in New Zealand. They are classified as voluntary workers and are paid $3.20 an 
hour for each child in their care. This compares with $7.55 an hour for the adult minimum wage. 
The office notes wide variations in the depth of programmes, with Maori language and custom not reflected in programmes. 
Caregivers in all projects got a good mark for hygiene. Reports noted that children enjoyed their time with the caregivers. 
However, the office notes that in some instances the amount of space being approved needs reviewing. It says the Newtown project, in 
attempting to meet a high demand, has approved some minimal spaces. "This can result in four small children spending most of their 
day in a relatively confined space, and in some cases, without easy access to the outdoors." 
Barnardo's group manager Colleen Singleton acknowledged there was criticism that some caregivers were not up to the level ERO 
might expect and Barnardo's would be working on that. 
 
 
  Pharmac boss attacks drug firms' `slick advertisements' 
  
PHARMAC medical director Peter Moodie has fired a shot at drug companies and the media, accusing them of hyping up so-called 
"medical breakthroughs", without first checking the facts. 
Speaking at the publication of the government drug funder's annual review, Dr Moodie said the "magic bullet approach" to 
pharmaceutical marketing in New Zealand "increased desperation as much as optimism". 
These claims raised false expectations, particularly in the most vulnerable members of society, he said. 
The most extreme cases usually centred around cancer-beating claims, such as last year's publicity stunt involving Lyprinol, a green-
lipped mussel extract, he said. 
But drug companies also advertised "second- and third-line treatments", which would normally only be used when other medicines 
had failed, as new and first-line treatments. 
"Coming to terms with any illness requires recognition of one's own mortality. The sudden mirage of a lifebelt can be unhelpful _ both 
to the patient and their relatives. 
"With this kind of exposure we can be sure that when a genuine magic bullet is discovered, we will all hear about it. The question is 
can we survive the blanks?" 
Dr Moodie said patients had an "absolute right" to full information about new treatments and it was the responsibility of the media and 
doctors to provide it. 
"The reality is that patients aren't going to get this from slick advertising which is there to persuade not inform." 
 
 
  Bullying programme revamped 
  
A REVAMPED anti-bullying programme developed by police and schoolteachers is being launched tomorrow in Wellington. 
Schools first began using a Kia Kaha (Stand Strong) anti-bullying programme in 1992, and the Police Youth Education Service and 
teachers have now developed three programmes aimed at junior, middle and senior primary school students. 
Assistant police commissioner Paul Fitzharris said the aim of the programmes was to help schools create communities where everyone 
felt safe, valued and respected. Bullying could have lifelong implications both for those who bullied and those who were bullied, and 
it was a problem that must not be tolerated. The underlying principle of Kia Kaha was that people should treat others as they would 
like to be treated. 
 
 
  CUT FOR CANCER 
   
 
Barbara Roberts, with her hair dyed pink, snuggles up to her boss, Nick Foster, in Palmerston North yesterday after they lost their 
curly locks in aid of teenage cancer patients. They joined about 30 other MidCentral Health staff in shaving their heads, beards and 
moustaches to raise funds for CanTeen, which runs programmes for the patients.  
 
 
  Prisoner on home detention found at hotel 
  
  
 
TAURANGA 
A MT MAUNGANUI woman on home detention ran foul of the law again after taking her children to a hotel rather than a hospital. 
Rachael June Whitehead, 31, was arrested on Monday when she was found, with her two children, aged eight and 10, in the Anchor 
Inn Hotel at Mt Maunganui, Tauranga District Court was told. 
Senior Sergeant Ross Bielby said Whitehead, who wore a security anklet, had been given authority to take her daughter to hospital. 
Corrections Department spokesman Andrew Bristol confirmed Whitehead was given written permission to attend the hospital but by 
entering the hotel had breached her home detention conditions. 
She was further remanded on bail. 
Whitehead was sentenced to 18 months jail on August 29 on charges of driving while disqualified, drink-driving, assault and theft. 
She was freed on home detention on September 20. 
Since home detention became available a year ago 513 people throughout New Zealand had served, or were serving, custodial 
sentences in their own homes, Mr Bristol said. 
There had been nine breaches in that time. _ NZPA 
 
 
Genesis joins race to build next power plant 
   
 
A RACE is on to build the next power plant in New Zealand with state-owned Genesis Power announcing yesterday that it was 
considering a new 400-megawatt plant at Huntly. 
Four months ago TransAlta's new owners Natural Gas Corporation said TransAlta was conducting a feasibility study into a 400-
megawatt station in the North Island. 
Listed company Contact Energy has also signalled it is evaluating building another power plant. 
There is more supply than demand but Genesis chief executive Murray Jackson said yesterday that this would reverse by 2005. 
The Government's approval would be needed for the investment of about $350 million. 
Genesis had only light debt and could fund the new plant from its earnings and increasing debt, he said. 
Genesis was evaluating two options. One was to build a standalone 400-megawatt combined cycle gas turbine at Huntly. The other 
was to add 500 megawatts by upgrading two existing turbines at Huntly. 
The first option would increase the efficiency of the Huntly power station to 58 per cent from its present 36 per cent and the second 
option would increase it to 52 per cent. 
It aimed to have it operating by the end of 2004. 
Huntly has a capacity of 1000 megawatts and is the biggest power station in New Zealand. 
 
 
Hiker recalls clothes of man with Terri King 
  
  
 
SHOOTING victim Terri King was in the Tararua Ranges with a man wearing clothes resembling those his alleged murderer William 
Jan Haanstra owned, the High Court at Wellington was told yesterday. 
Teenage tramper Richard Joseph McNamara said he was eating breakfast outside Powell Hut on Mt Holdsworth on April 13, last year, 
when two men carrying rifles appeared. 
One man gave his name as Terri. The other was wearing a blue Fairydown jacket and red, white and blue shorts. The court has already 
been told police found similar items of clothing in Haanstra's Miramar flat. 
Shown the clothing from the Miramar flat, Mr McNamara could not say it was exactly the same as the man wore. 
He said he talked to Terri but the man with him did not say much. Terri had said they were hunting but Mr McNamara said the clothes 
they wore were not the usual hunters' camouflage. 
On June 27 he had seen a television news item about the discovery of a body near Powell Hut and recognised Mr King as the man he 
had talked to. 
Mr McNamara's evidence came on the ninth day of Haanstra's trial on a charge of murdering Mr King by shooting him in the head. 
Haanstra, 23, a male model, has pleaded not guilty. 
Earlier, Bronwyn Anne Eichbaum gave evidence of interviewing Haanstra for a talent agency. 
Haanstra was looking for modelling work and had worked overseas for a prominent fashion house, the name of which she could not 
remember. 
He was also interested in working on The Lord of the Rings film production. 
He told her he had been training for the Olympics in a water sport but had had to give up because of injury. 
Haanstra claimed to have done 20 bungy jumps and 10 sky dives and said he was into water polo, snowboarding and judo and had the 
added advantage of speaking Dutch. 
But when asked to do a catwalk demonstration Haanstra declined. 
Miss Eichbaum said she told him his skin was not up to standard and decided that while he had a good "look" he was "full of crap". 
 
 
Aussie mozzie spray programme begins 
 
 
A SPRAY control programme to stop the spread of the disease-carrying southern saltmarsh mosquito has begun at Gisborne Airport. 
Commercial and private aircraft leaving the airport, which is within the flying range of the mosquito, will be treated with an 
insecticide containing the same active ingredient as household flyspray. 
The programme is part of a battle against the latest infestation of the Australian mosquito, which also includes spraying 36 hectares of 
wetland around a local lagoon. 
Health workers found the saltmarsh larvae at the Wherowhero Lagoon near Muriwai, 20 kilometres south of Gisborne, during routine 
sampling. 
The aircraft disinfection programme would continue till such time as the full extent of the incursion of the southern saltmarsh 
mosquito was known, a spokesman said. 
That would not be known till after a significant rainfall or very high tide in the district. 
The Government is already involved in a four-year, $6 million-plus campaign to eradicate the mosquito from 650 hectares (1600 
acres) of salt marshes close to Napier. 
The mosquito can spread Ross River virus which causes a disease known as epidemic polyarthritis, and in some people can cause 
chronic fatigue and lethargy for up to a year. _ NZPA 
 
 
Development agency vote postponed 
  
 
WELLINGTON City Council has postponed a decision on helping fund a proposed regional economic development agency. 
A condition of the $120,000 to help start the agency is that at least two other local authorities in the Wellington region also contribute. 
Councillor Allan Johnston said that just as Wellington had led the way with the council's tourism trust, Totally Wellington, it needed 
to present a united front to attract and keep business investment in the region. 
"The environment is right . . . we're all too small to work alone and compete against each other," he said. 
In a report considered by the council's city development and business committee yesterday, economic development group manager 
Tony Watson said that though a three-year rolling funding basis was recommended, till there was a firm commitment from other 
councils, funding should be for one year. 
The committee did not vote on the proposal yesterday, referring it to a full council meeting early next month. 
The proposed regional development agency was the result of work by the Start-Up Group. A report from this group recommended that 
eight local authorities provide $475,000 in total to establish the agency and pay its first-year costs. 
Wellington would pay 44 per cent of the start-up costs, $210,472, Lower Hutt nearly $100,000, Kapiti and Porirua councils about 
$45,000 each, and Upper Hutt $35,000. 
The districts of Masterton, Carterton and Wairarapa combined should provide $40,850, it was recommended. 
The outcome of each council's review is expected by late this month 
The structure proposed for the agency is a charitable trust as the main governance body, with the trust board comprising 10 members, 
six from the contributing local authorities, two from the business sector, one from iwis and one from central Government. 
 
 
Levin library management system used worldwide 
  
 
AN AWARD-WINNING library management system developed as a gamble in Levin is now being used by 1000 libraries throughout 
the world and its website is receiving 200 hits a day. 
Horowhenua Library Trust won the 3M Award for innovation in libraries with the system which is free for anyone to use. The award, 
won jointly with Katipo Communications, was announced on Monday night at the Library and Information Association of New 
Zealand Aotearoa's annual conference. 
The trust and Katipo Communications developed the open source library management system in which users can download the 
computer system and run it without paying a cent to the originators. 
Horowhenua head librarian Rosalie Blake said the system was developed using Internet technology and as a result could be 
downloaded and adapted by any library in the world. 
The system was chosen because the library needed one that was fast and could be used as open source. 
Since it was introduced in July it had been downloaded 1000 times and the website was getting 200 hits a day. 
The system runs the entire library, from cataloguing to ordering new books and membership. 
Developing the system was a gamble, Mrs Blake admitted. 
"We made a decision to do it a year ago and we only had a year to implement it because we had Y2K issues. 
The trustees knew it wasn't a risk- free system but we've pulled it off." _ NZPA 
 
 
  Lawless and locals salute Xena 
  
TELEVISION'S most famous female warrior Lucy Lawless is philosophical about hanging up her sword, but residents of Bethells 
Beach and Waitakere, where the show is filmed, are sad to see it axed and the extra income lost. 
Yesterday Lawless described making Xena: Warrior Princess, which ends production next April, as "like capturing lightning in a 
bottle and we've been doing it for six years". 
"The show has changed my life in every way. Not only did I meet my husband Rob, the man of my dreams, I also had the privilege of 
working with the most gifted and hard-working crew imaginable. 
"I'm sure I'll look back on Xena as having been one of the most challenging and happiest times of my life." 
Though disappointed, residents of Bethells Beach, on Auckland's west coast, were not surprised. 
Surf lifesaving club vice-president Henry Backhouse-Smith said the series had been good for the small community and had brought in 
extra income. However, "the film industry is like that. We knew that it was only a short-term thing", he said. 
Most of the beach's 2000 residents had worked on the show either as extras or building sets or transporting camera gear around. 
The club made about $5000 a year from the production through the hiring of facilities and use of club members for their water safety 
skills. 
The beach was also used as a location for Hercules and Mr Backhouse-Smith said he expected it to be used again in future. 
Waitakere City Mayor Bob Harvey said the show had generated about $15 million a year for Waitakere and the profile it gave the 
region overseas was priceless. "We've even had tourists coming here wanting to see Xena country." 
Waitakere still had "plenty on the go", he said. Disney is shooting a $15 million feature film in Henderson, Shortland Street has moved 
to Waitakere and two other feature films are soon to start filming there. 
 
 
 Off-duty police in pub brawl will not be charged 
  
BRAWLING off-duty Nelson police officers will not be charged or disciplined after they were involved in a bar fight that had to be 
broken up by on-duty colleagues. 
Tables and chairs were knocked over during the midnight fight involving at least eight people, including four officers, at the Victorian 
Rose Pub on Monday. 
Bar staff tried unsuccessfully to stop the brawl before throwing the fighting group out on the street and calling police. 
A detective and constable involved in the fight were seen on Tuesday with bruised faces. 
The fight comes after police announced a crackdown on disorderly behaviour in the town this month, saying they had "zero tolerance" 
for offending. 
Nelson Bays police area manager Inspector Jim Wilson described the brawl as a "brief altercation" between four police and another 
group of at least four people whom the officers did not know. 
Mr Wilson did not know who started the fight, which involved at least two detectives and one constable, or what triggered it. 
He said no one was charged after the incident and the officers would not be disciplined. 
"I don't know who started [the fight] and I'm not laying blame with anyone in either group, but every person is entitled to defend 
themselves. 
"As long as reasonable force is used, everyone is justified to protect themselves." 
He was satisfied with the actions of the two on-duty police officers who attended the incident, and said the fighting officers were not 
getting preferential treatment because of their occupations. 
"It's certainly not one law for the police and one law for everyone else, and I think to suggest otherwise is a bit mischievous." 
He said no one was charged after the fight because no complaints had been laid. 
"Just because police attended doesn't mean charges would be laid. If there's a fist-fight or an assault you have to have a complainant 
[before charges can be laid]." 
As part of the Nelson police crackdown on disorderly behaviour, about 50 people have been charged with various offences during the 
past three weeks, including assault, resisting arrest and intentional damage. At least 20 had been charged with fighting in a public 
place. 
Pub duty manager Paul Davenhill said yesterday he did not know what started the fight but described it as a typical altercation with 
people standing around "pushing and shoving". 
"It was an argument that broke out between a couple of individuals that unfortunately happens from time to time." _ NZPA 
 
 
  Park centres to be opened 
  
VISITOR centres renovated to mark the centenary of Egmont National Park are being opened tomorrow. 
Conservation Minister Sandra Lee will first open the North Egmont centre, then Prime Minister Helen Clark will open the Dawson 
Falls centre. Upgrading the centres cost more than $1.5 million. 
Egmont, the second oldest of New Zealand's 13 national parks, had been established to stop native forests and other natural resources 
from being plundered or destroyed, Ms Lee said yesterday. 
"It is appropriate that the prime minister and I should be celebrating 100 years of preserving natural resources . . . in the same week 
the Government passes legislation to safeguard the crown-managed West Coast indigenous forests," she said. 
 
Witness urges signs to mark new road paint 
  
THE stretch of road where Wellington cyclist Samuel George Raphael was killed was a "notorious black spot" and signs should have 
been posted to indicate the lanes had been repainted, Wellington Coroner's Court was told yesterday. 
Bicycle mechanic Oliver Brooke-White told an inquest into Mr Raphael's death that the spot where he died was regarded as hazardous 
by experienced cyclists because of the danger of merging traffic. 
Mr Raphael, 28, died on February 20 after being hit by a car when he fell from his bike on the southbound area of State Highway 2 
just before the Korokoro lights. 
The accident led to an investigation of the road paint after it was believed Mr Raphael may have skidded on the line between a 
breakdown lane and the traffic. 
Mr Brooke-White, an experienced competitive cyclist and bicycle mechanic, examined Mr Raphael's cycle after the accident. He said 
damage to the right-hand handlebar extensions, the gears and the seat were consistent with it having slipped from under him. 
It was improbable Mr Raphael had hit the curb or been hit by a vehicle while on his bicycle, Mr Brooke-White said. 
Mr Raphael had travelled the stretch "hundreds" of times in wet weather but would not have known the lanes had been repainted 
recently with thermo-plastic paint, which he said could become "very slippery" in wet weather. 
Asked by Coroner Garry Evans whether there should be signs marking painted lanes, Mr Brooke-White said: "I think they should be 
mandatory." 
Earlier, Peter Schofield, who was a passenger in a car behind Mr Raphael when he fell, said the road had been "dry, rather than wet". 
Mr Schofield, who has 25 years' experience as a truck driver, said it was unlikely it was wet enough for oil or fuel on the road to cause 
a slick. 
 
 
Cat overlooks babies' big ears 

The two orphans snuggle up to their surrogate mum, Steinie 
  
HAMILTON 
STEINIE the cat is finding motherhood confusing. As if looking after six kittens of her own wasn't enough, she's also foster mum to 
two baby rabbits. 
Steinie suckles and cleans them and rounds them up to return to their basket whenever they hop off behind the couch. 
The rabbits, L C and Vege-eater, arrived in the student flat last month. Now they're part of the model nuclear cat family, settling in 
well with their foster-siblings. 
The family sleeps in a basket at the bottom of a storage closet in the Hillcrest student flat of Conrad King, 20, Mark Hanlen, 20, and 
James Lumsden, 19. A dog at a friends' flat killed the rabbits' real mum and six siblings, prompting the students to expand Steinie's 
brood. _ NZPA

Stoppages take 21,000 days 
  
 
MORE than 21,000 work days were lost because of work stoppages in the year to June, according to latest statistics. 
The figures, issued yesterday by Statistics New Zealand, showed 10,452 employees were involved in 31 work stoppages _ with a loss 
of 21,365 work days and an estimated $4.6 million in pay. 
In the year ended June last year, 29 work stoppages involved 4498 employees, with the loss of 6851 work days and $900,000 in pay. _ 
NZPA 
 

Man admits to road rage assault 
   
 
"I CAN'T understand why he hit me." 
They are the only words Auckland road rage victim Jim Ellyett has ever spoken to friends about the unprovoked assault which nearly 
killed him in August. 
Mr Ellyett, 58, was left with massive brain injuries. 
His attacker, Tenene Nelu, 38, pleaded guilty in Auckland District Court yesterday to a charge of injuring Mr Ellyett under 
circumstances that, if death had been caused, he would have been guilty of manslaughter. He will be sentenced next month. 
The police summary said Nelu punched Mr Ellyett after they collided in central Auckland. 
Mr Ellyett drove past Nelu, who was reversing his Toyota into a parallel park. Their wing mirrors clipped each other. Mr Ellyett's was 
shattered, but Nelu's was not damaged. 
Mr Ellyett went to exchange names but was "king hit . . . with a right upper cut", the police summary said. 
The blow snapped Mr Ellyett's head backwards. He fell and hit his head on the road. 
Police said the attack was unprovoked but defence lawyer Robert Khee said Nelu had been provoked, a matter he would elaborate on 
at sentencing. 
Nelu faces a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment but also faces deportation by the Immigration Service for being an 
overstayer for two years and working illegally in New Zealand. _ NZPA 
 
 
Treaty claim by radio station 
  
 
HAMILTON 
TOKOROA radio station Raukawa FM has lodged a Treaty of Waitangi claim over the town's post office. 
Claimant Whiti Te Ra Kaihau said the station had learned the building was to be sold and decided to put the claim in "mainly because 
there is a need for the radio station to have a bigger building". 
Though a portion of the building was still being used as a post office, Mr Kaihau said since it was Crown-owned the radio station 
"ought to have access" to the rest of it. 
"We would rather have that than go through a tender process and it would end up in the hands of a private developer," he said. 
"Then it would cost us even more to get it back." 
Mr Kaihau said the Crown had no right to tender the building, which has a current valuation of $610,000. 
"It should go to the claimants. It [the Crown] owes the local people," he said. 
The claim was lodged with the Waitangi Tribunal in August, with the radio station also considering going directly to the High Court to 
gain access. 
"There are precedents for that course of action and we are adamant the Crown is completely wrong." 
Mr Kaihau said the claim had been lodged without consultation with local Maori because "we weren't aware it was an SOE till we 
entered the tender process". 
"Sometimes you just have to make these decisions." _ NZPA 
 
 
Rail-lease funding decision unlikely 
  
AUCKLAND local bodies appear to be over-optimistic about getting $35 million of taxpayers' money today from Transfund to lease 
Tranz Rail's Auckland rail corridors for a possible rapid-transport project. 
Transfund chief executive Martin Gummer said yesterday his agency almost certainly would not make a decision today on whether to 
put money into the scheme. It raised too many issues, not the least the fact there were no proposals for using the rail corridors once 
they were leased, he said. 
Infrastructure Auckland decided on Tuesday to put $30 million toward the $65 million which Tranz Rail wants for the lease of the 
city's run-down corridors. The private company acquired them in 1993 when the state-owned railway system was sold. 
Tranz Rail runs railcars on the lines but said last week it wanted to get out of running passenger trains. 
Several Auckland local body politicians want to use the corridors for a rapid-transit system, which could use electric trains, trams, 
light rail or buses, but no detailed planning has been done. But others, such as North Shore Mayor George Wood, oppose the lease 
plan. 
The deadline for the deal is December 8. It depends on Transfund (New Zealand's road funding agency) adding $35 million to 
Infrastructure Auckland's $30 million. The Aucklanders expected Transfund to make a decision at its meeting today. 
But Mr Gummer said a detailed proposal had been put to Transfund too late to be worked through by today. A rapid transit scheme 
could also make further, much bigger calls on Transfund. 
Auckland local bodies have talked of spending $1 billion on a rapid transport system using the corridors. 
Mr Gummer said the Aucklanders were yet to demonstrate that more people would use a rapid system than the railcars. The trains 
carried only as many passengers as the popular inner suburban bus route, The Link. 
"This raises the question of whether the best approach might be to improve services in stages, for example doubling the [single] track 
on the western rail corridor, increasing train frequencies and seeing if that increases patronage, before making a decision on the other 
corridors," he said. 
 
 
Whitebaiter hits jackpot 
   
 
DUNEDIN 
TED NEILL once joked that if he caught four kilograms of whitebait in a scoop he would have a heart attack, fall into the river and 
die happy. 
It is a lucky thing the 59-year-old from Otokia, near Dunedin, is still alive, considering that he pulled 10kg of whitebait out in one 
scoop from the Taieri River on Monday _ and a total haul for the day of 14kg. 
When he began pulling the net in, Mr Neill initially thought it had caught on weeds. He said he was "cursing like mad" till he noticed 
something frothing in the net, which he thought was a fish. 
"It then kicked up like a washing machine all agitated and my heart just about stopped." 
The "frothing" emerged from the water as a seething mass of whitebait, much to Mr Neill's delight. 
"It was exhilarating, out of this world. I've never seen anything like it in 30 years of whitebaiting. 
"I've heard about it on the West Coast but not on the good old Taieri." 
Unable to lift the net, he called for his wife to lend a hand and only then were they able to half-fill a big bucket. "It was better than the 
season in one scoop." _ NZPA 
 
 
Aussie turtle caught in net 
   
 
WHANGAREI 
A NORTHLAND commercial fisherman is becoming something of an expert in catching wayward Australian turtles. 
Jack Price caught two turtles in January and February last year and this week hauled his third out of his flounder net off Portland, near 
Whangarei. 
Mr Price suspected the green turtle got caught in currents and came up the harbour chasing jellyfish. It was freed after being inspected 
by Conservation Department officer Glen Coulston, who said the 46-centimetre-long turtle _ which could grow up to 1.4 metres long 
_ appeared to be in good health. 
The department received between 10 and 20 reports of turtles a year, with regular sightings coming from Whangarei Harbour and the 
Ngunguru River, northeast of Whangarei. 
Mr Coulston said the turtles were protected in New Zealand waters and came from the northeast coast of Australia, near Queensland. 
They usually kept to the coastline. 
It was likely they had been caught in strong ocean currents and swept to New Zealand. They fed on seaweed, crustaceans and jellyfish. 
_ NZPA 
 
 
24 July 2000 

Hospital forgets patient's cancer 

Frank Prince, 92, gets a hug from Tui, his wife of 61 years 
  
 
WANGANUI Hospital has admitted it forgot to diagnose an elderly man's cancerous tumour till he collapsed and was rushed to 
hospital four months later. 
The man, retired farmer Frank Prince, 92, was told by his doctor late last week that the cancer had now spread to his lungs and was 
inoperable. 
Hospital chief executive Sue DeGilio admitted the mistake and said she wanted to explain it to Mr Prince and his family. But the 
family has refused to accept an apology. 
Mr Prince's daughter, Jo Morris, said she believed the hospital refused to follow through because of her father's age and because he 
suffered from mild dementia. 
But Mrs DeGilio said it had been an oversight. Mr Prince should have had a scan when the tumour was first discovered. 
Mrs Morris said her father had been in pain and urinating blood since having a hernia operation in March. "We thought it was 
associated with the operation and would go away," she said. 
But when Mr Prince was taken to hospital this week after collapsing at home, his family was shocked to be told that he had a 
suspected cancerous tumour behind his kidneys and that it had been noted by the surgeon who performed his hernia operation. 
"Mum and I were just blown out of our chairs by this," Mrs Morris said. "To think, all this time Dad has been in pain, passing blood 
and he's been left with no help, no medication." 
Her mother, Tui, 81, was frail but managed to look after Mr Prince with the aid of home help. 
Mrs Morris said she had had to plead with the hospital to have the hernia operation performed in March. "They said he was too old, 
but I said, `He's crying out with pain, Mum has to put the hernia back in three or four times a day, can't you please do something?' 
"There might have been nothing they could do about the cancer, but they should have told my mum or me. They had our numbers." 
Mrs DeGilio said the hospital was treating the matter seriously. Her investigation had found that a scan should have been done when 
the tumour was found, but hospital staff forgot to do it. 
It was not till Wednesday last week, when staff received the results of a scan done on Monday, that the tumour was found to be 
cancerous. 
Mrs Morris said she would not accept an apology from the hospital. 
"It's too late for that now. He's been treated shabbily. No apology will make it right."
 
 CURLED AND CLIPPED 
  
 
 
Kate Robinson, left, and Kirsty Ioata, of Lower Hutt, were all smiles as, with 166 other models, they put their heads in the hands of 
the region's top hairdressers at the Fashion Hair Design Awards in Wellington's Town Hall yesterday. 
Organiser Dave Wilcock said the 98 
competitors were the strongest field yet in the event. They vied for best designer titles in six categories, including creative street 
fashion and consumer colour. 
Apprentices Tania Gunning and Donna Magele, and senior stylist Karen McKay were selected to compete in the supreme awards in 
Auckland later this year.
 
 Laser aimed at eyes of Bok kicker 

 Van Straaten 
  
 
THE Rugby Union is to investigate the use of laser pointers at matches after a beam was trained into Springbok kicker Braam van 
Straaten's eyes as he lined up to take a penalty during Saturday's tri-nations match against the All Blacks in Christchurch. 
"I did notice it in my eye on that kick I missed from near the left touchline," van Straaten said yesterday. 
A Rugby Union spokeswoman said the union was not aware of the incident but would discuss it at its next security meeting within the 
next two weeks. 
The South African rugby team had not lodged a complaint. 
Wellington optometrist Peter Turner said the laser was most likely a type used as a blackboard pointer, and was unlikely to harm.

 
 All Blacks deny drunken scuffle 

 Umaga 
  
 
 
THE All Black management has defended star wing Tana Umaga after he was accused of being involved in a drunken scuffle in 
Christchurch early yesterday. 
Team manager Andrew Martin said Umaga, 27, had drunk too much, but did not physically assault anyone. 
Mr Martin said Umaga was involved in a "verbal exchange" after he was insulted and had his dreadlocked hair pulled throughout the 
evening while celebrating the All Blacks' 25-12 win against South Africa on Saturday. 
"Towards the end of the evening he was involved in an exchange of verbal insults. The cumulative effect of the earlier insults had 
made him a bit sensitive and he reacted angrily. There was no physical confrontation." 
TV3 ran footage of an apparently drunk Umaga being led away from what it said was a "scuffle". 
Mr Martin said: "We are very disappointed and Tana is equally, if not more, disappointed." 
* Cullen closes in, back page
 
 200 stitches for boy after dog attack 
  
 
 
A savage dog attack put a 10-year-old Rotorua boy in hospital yesterday where he received more than 200 stitches to his legs and 
groin. Senior Sergeant Mike Wright of Rotorua said a neighbour, alerted by the boy's screams, found him bloody and naked being 
attacked by a German shepherd and a ridgeback on a reserve at 10.45am. He managed to chase the dogs off with a stick and took the 
boy to his home, Mr Wright said. "Obviously it was quite timely, and gutsy. He left the dogs in no doubt that it was better to leave 
than stick around." The boy was transferred from Rotorua to Waikato Hospital yesterday afternoon and his condition was serious but 
not life-threatening, Mr Wright said. Police managed to shoot the ridgeback, but the German shepherd escaped and was still loose last 
night. Police were having difficulty finding the owners because the dogs were not registered. When the owners were found they could 
face prosecution under the Dog Registration Act, Mr Wright said.
 
 Parents' clout over teachers could grow 
  
 
 
DISSATISFIED parents should be able to complain directly to the new Education Council, according to a consultation document 
issued by Education Minister Trevor Mallard yesterday. 
A working group set up in May to provide advice on the council, to be set up this year, replacing the existing Teacher Registration 
Board, has made detailed recommendations to Mr Mallard, most of which are expected to be accepted. 
Many of the recommendations, including mandatory reporting of teachers dismissed or warned for misconduct or incompetence, and 
police checks of all staff at schools and early childhood centres, have already been promised by the Government. 
According to the document, to be sent to schools and other organisations for comment this week, parents and teachers who are 
concerned about the performance or behaviour of a teacher must at present direct their concerns to the employer. 
"It is proposed that, while the school or service should continue to be the first avenue for any complaints, parties who are dissatisfied 
with the final response should have the opportunity to approach the Education Council directly. 
"It is also proposed that, in certain limited circumstances, the council could be the first avenue of complaint, for example, if a 
complainant believes there is a conflict of interest in the school or service reporting structure. 
"This might arise if a teacher in a small rural school wished to complain about the principal but was aware that the principal was a 
personal friend of the board chairman." 
It recommends a wider range of sanctions to deal with teachers. At present the board can only deregister a teacher, but the document 
recommends some less severe sanctions, including suspension of a teacher's practising certificate for a specified period and imposing 
specified conditions in order that the teacher can continue to teach. 
It also proposes wider registration requirements for teachers, to ensure that all teachers, including those in kura kaupapa (Maori 
immersion) and early childhood education services, are registered. 
It wants legislation to clarify the reporting obligations of employers regarding teachers. Under existing legislation, employers are 
required to advise the board where a teacher is dismissed or resigns within 12 months of being given written notice that the board was 
dissatisfied with, or intended to investigate, a teacher's behaviour or performance.
 
 
 School fees reprisals `rare' 
  
 
 
COMPLAINTS about schools withholding leaving certificates or sending debt collectors after unpaid fees were rare because most 
knew their legal obligations, School Trustees Association president Owen Edgerton said yesterday. 
He was commenting on a Wellington Community Law Centre report that evaluated 547 inquiries to the Parents' Legal Information 
Line set up by the centre last year. 
Complaints listed in the report include schools using debt collectors to collect school fees, refusing to send out school reports, give out 
art portfolios or issue an exam attendance slip because fees had not been paid. 
One principal proposed that a upil should work at school during the holidays to pay off the fees owed by his parents. 
Mr Edgerton said such heavyhanded action was unusual. 
"Every now and then a story like this blows up, but it is unusual. We encourage schools, when they send their accounts out, to make 
sure they say what they are actually for, and that they are voluntary. 
"If schools explain what they use the money for, people feel more comfortable about paying up." 
Schools engaging in that type of action would be doing so for a whole range of reasons, Mr Edgerton said. That was why next month's 
review of the operations grants, examining how schools were funded, was so welcome. The present formula was developed in 1989 
and things had changed a lot since then. 
According to an Education Ministry circular, state schools are entitled to ask parents for a donation or activity fee, but they cannot 
force parents to pay them.
 
  
 Tax breaks for research still a `live issue' 
  
 
TAX breaks for research and development remained a "live issue", but there was no guarantee the Government would replace the 
much-criticised grants, Research Science and Technology Minister Pete Hodgson said yesterday. 
Prime Minister Helen Clark and Finance Minister Michael Cullen promised to take a fresh look at "r and d" write-offs after the budget 
disappointed business with a "grants" system instead of tax breaks. But a month after promising this review, ministers have still to 
formally meet business representatives. 
Mr Hodgson, who has been asked to try to put together a viable tax deduction scheme, said the issue was under active consideration 
but there was no guarantee anything would happen. 
"I'm not saying that in the next two weeks, months or years that there will be progress on this but I am saying that it is being actively 
considered by me and that I'm actively involved in talking about it with individual businesses and with representatives of business. 
"It's a live issue." 
Labour proposed tax breaks for capital expenditure on development before the election to tackle low levels of investment on research 
and development. 
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries spend on average 2 per cent of gross domestic product on r and d, 
but the level in New Zealand is half that, mainly because of low private-sector investment. The business sector has blamed that on 
New Zealand's tax laws which, unlike those in most OECD countries, do not allow businesses to write off capital expenditure on 
development in the year it is incurred. 
Labour backed off a change after Treasury officials warned it that it risked seeing $100 million to $120 million disappear into a "black 
hole" of tax avoidance. 
Instead the Government set aside $11 million in the budget for development grants. 
Manufacturers Federation chief executive Simon Carlaw said yesterday that the "piddling" amount on offer did not signal the 
Government was serious about regearing the economy. 
"Their underlying commitment to transforming the economy is the same as the previous administration's _ quite heavily rhetorical." 
He said manufacturers were frustrated that a government that placed great store on honouring its pre-election promises had chosen to 
break the one promise that would have benefited them. 
He had asked Dr Cullen and Mr Hodgson to convene a meeting at which officials and manufacturers could debate the issues so that 
the ministers heard first- hand "what actually happens, rather than what advisers tell them". 
He had yet to hear back from the ministers, he said.
  
Eftpos to pay for e-goods 
  
CONSUMERS may soon be able to pay by eftpos for goods and services bought over the Internet, ending the stranglehold that credit 
card companies have enjoyed over business-to-consumer e-commerce. 
Adapting eftpos for the Net will be good news for New Zealand dotcoms, which will be able to avoid the commission on sales charged 
by the likes of Visa and Mastercard. 
Consumers could use smart cards or specially designed software. 
* Details, NZ InfoTech Weekly
 
 Teenager faces axe charges 
  
SOUTH AUCKLAND police arrested a teenager last night after a tomahawk attack that left a man with life-threatening injuries. 
A 19-year-old man would appear in Otahuhu District Court today on assault charges, Detective Senior Sergeant Geoff Jago said. 
Police were called to an Otara address about 1.15am yesterday, after a fight at a 21st birthday party. A 23-year-old man found there is 
in a critical but stable condition in intensive care. 
Police and detectives from Counties-Manukau have carried out a scene examination and interviewed more than 40 witnesses. _ NZPA
 
 CUTTING A RUG 
  
Michael Harris and Nicola Wild, of Wellington, compete in the senior amateur section of the New Zealand ballroom dancing 
championships in Wellington yesterday. They were among 100 couples competing in the 50th New Zealand Amateur and Professional 
Ballroom and Latin American Dancing Championships at the Indian Centre in Kilbirnie.
 
 Shark-bite man attends cocktail party 
  
 
A MAN who suffered a shark bite while scuba diving near Tonga has recovered enough to attend a party. 
The 69-year-old New Zealand-based South African, who wanted to be known as Christian, arrived in Nuku'alofa a week ago and on 
Friday night attended a cocktail party on the navy ship Resolution. The ship picked him up off the New Zealand-skippered yacht 
Donella after he was attacked south of Tonga on July 13. _ NZPA
 
 Coke spurns town's suspect water 
  
 
 
COCA-COLA Amatil will no longer use water from Waiuku, south of Auckland, in its products after discovering the town's supply 
failed 18 tests for faecal bacteria since last year. 
A Coca-Cola spokesman said it had used "relatively small quantities" of the water since January. Despite having "100 per cent 
confidence" in its water purification, it would, "in light of recent information", use water from another source. 
He could not say how much of the water had been used or in which products. 
Auckland Healthcare medical officer of health Donald Campbell said he wanted Franklin District Council to treat the water because 
Waiuku residents were being exposed to "unnecessary risk". Waiuku water was graded E, making it the worst supply in the Auckland 
region, he said. 
Waiuku community board chairman Bill Deed said Coca-Cola's decision was disappointing, but would not change the town's view that 
nothing was wrong with its water. _ NZPA
 
 Trustees lose appeal over sacked teacher 
  
 
 
WANGANUI Collegiate's board of trustees has lost an appeal challenging the award of damages to a former art teacher who was 
sacked for allegedly falsifying marks for an assessment that never happened. 
Lorraine Lewis successfully sued the college for unjustified dismissal and was awarded $25,000 in damages by the Employment 
Tribunal. She also received another $10,000 for lost wages and 10 weeks' wages in lieu of notice. 
In the original decision in October, the tribunal said the compensation was justified on the grounds of the humiliation, loss of dignity 
and injury to feelings that Mrs Lewis suffered. An appeal against this decision was dismissed in a reserved judgment in the 
Employment Court in December. 
In a judgment issued last week, the Court of Appeal dismissed the board's latest bid to challenge the ruling and ordered it to pay $5000 
and costs. 
On appeal, the Employment Court found no error of law in the Employment Tribunal's decision, nor any fault in its approach to the 
assessment of evidence. 
The court agreed with the tribunal that the headmaster had relied on insufficient evidence in finding Mrs Lewis to be guilty of 
misconduct and had not given her an opportunity to respond to the allegations. These centred on whether Mrs Lewis handed in a mark 
book that recorded a recent marking of some work, which senior staff believed never happened. The assistant deputy principal 
prepared a report on the matter at the request of the headmaster. 
The report concluded, after meeting some of Mrs Lewis's pupils, that there were grounds for thinking that the mark book handed in by 
her contained an assessment of an event or assessment that, according to the pupils, had not taken place. 
The assistant deputy principal took no notes of the meeting and the headmaster never met the pupils to verify their account. 
The court said further that Mrs Lewis had been given no opportunity of having any input into the report. 
That the employer's belief was honestly held did not overcome the deficiencies in the headmaster's investigation process, the court 
said. 
The court also dismissed the appeal under section 135 of the Employment Contracts Act 1991, which is restricted to questions of law. 
The employer failed to establish any error of law and the questions sought to be raised were in reality challenges to findings of fact.
 
 Police free woman trapped under car and charge man 
  
 
 
A MAN is facing drink-driving charges after allegedly backing a van over his girlfriend after a domestic dispute in Rotorua, police 
said yesterday. 
Police were called to a Rotorua address shortly after 1am on Saturday, where they found a woman trapped beneath the rear axle of a 
van. 
Senior Sergeant Mike Wright of Rotorua said a passer-by had rung police after hearing the woman's screams. 
She was freed and taken to hospital, but her injuries were not life-threatening. 
The van driver is facing drink-driving charges. 
Mr Wright said police were still investigating the accident and could not say if the woman was deliberately run over. The couple 
appeared to have had an argument before she was run over, he said.
 
 Stolen car import syndicate cracked 
  
 
 
TWO alleged members of an international syndicate importing stolen Japanese cars have been arrested in New Zealand after a 
combined operation with Singapore and Malaysia. 
A further three suspected syndicate members were arrested in Singapore and 62 of the stolen cars have been seized, the Singapore 
Criminal Investigation Department said on Saturday. 
The two-year-old and three-year-old cars were mostly Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs and four-wheel-drives such as the Mitsubishi Pajero. 
Most were being sold privately in New Zealand, at prices well below market value, through outlets such as car fairs or trade 
magazines. 
New Zealand Independent Motor Vehicle Dealers Association chairman John Nicholls said he wanted authorities to work to prevent 
the trade in stolen vehicles. 
The stolen cars were smuggled into Singapore over the border with Malaysia. After being reworked, the cars were passed off as new 
and shipped to New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia with forged shipping documents and log books. 
"We were aware of what was happening about 18 months ago when the quantities of vehicles began increasing. We've been working 
with customs, in particular trying to devise means of identifying the vehicles," Mr Nicholls said. 
Once investigators had access to Japanese police records it was easy to tell if a car being sold in New Zealand was stolen. "All we 
knew originally was that the chassis numbers were being tampered with, and we had to use various means of getting cooperation with 
the authorities in Japan." 
Mr Nicholls said he had heard stolen Japanese cars were held in big warehouses in Dubai and Singapore awaiting shipment. 
"There's a very clear connection between Japan, New Zealand and Dubai. We've seen the whole operation very carefully orchestrated 
out of Dubai. 
"We want to see some prosecutions in New Zealand and overseas." 
Mr Nicholls said he calculated that between 500 and 1000 stolen Japanese vehicles had been shipped to New Zealand in the past 18 
months. 
The association had worked closely with the Japanese used motor vehicle dealers' association, police and customs. 
"Everyone's much more wide awake as to what's happening. We want to see if we can persuade the Japanese authorities to tighten 
things up at the ports." 
Mr Nicholls is visiting Japan next month for discussions with authorities.
 
 Uni student-staff ratio `worst in 20 years' 
  
 
 
CHRISTCHURCH 
UNIVERSITIES lost staff at a faster rate than they lost students last year, leading to the worst student-to-staff ratio in nearly two 
decades. 
A comparison of university annual reports by the University of Otago's financial services division showed that four of New Zealand's 
seven universities had a reduction in teaching academics last year, with Canterbury, Lincoln and Massey the only universities to 
increase staff numbers. 
Across the sector, the number of academic teaching staff dropped from 5400 fulltime equivalents in 1998 to 5304 last year _ a fall of 
1.81 per cent. 
At the same time, the number of equivalent fulltime students fell by only 0.29 per cent, leading to the worst student-to-staff ratio in 18 
years. 
A report issued earlier this month by the Association of University Staff and the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors Committee shows 
that between 1980 and 1998, the student-staff ratio rose by 48 per cent. 
From an average 12.5 students for each academic staff member in 1980 the student-staff ratio rose to 18.4 in 1998. 
New Zealand University Students Association co-president Sam Huggard said: "The biggest irony and annoying factor about this is 
that fees have been going up at the same time that the quality of [students'] educational experience has reduced." 
The worst student-staff ratio last year was at Victoria University, which had 20.3 students for each teaching academic. _ NZPA
 
 Government support for TV `lagging' 
  
 
 
GOVERNMENT funding for New Zealand television is lagging well behind other countries, an international survey shows. 
The Television Regulations and Local Content in Six Nations report, commissioned by the New Zealand Television Broadcasters 
Council, examined the regulations, commercial issues and local content levels of six countries similar to New Zealand. 
New Zealand had the lowest level of government funding for television of all the countries surveyed, which included Canada, Britain, 
Australia, Finland, Ireland and France. 
The New Zealand Government paid $12 gross a head in funding compared to Britain, which rated highest, with $144 a head. The 
governments of Canada, Australia, Ireland and France contributed between $40 and $57 a head. 
However, the survey says that despite the low level of public funding for programmes in New Zealand, there is still a relatively high 
level of local content available to viewers of the three main free-to-air channels, NZTBC executive director Bruce Wallace said. 
"It is to their credit that they manage to achieve a creditable performance with so little assistance." 
Mr Wallace said the framework in New Zealand, even with its low level of government funding, had produced a level of local content 
that was better than Ireland and France. 
Britain showed the clear relationship between the amount of government funding and local content, achieving the highest levels on 
both counts, Mr Wallace said.
 
 Bunkle acts over fear of more botch-ups 
  
 
GOVERNMENT minister Phillida Bunkle is seeking assurances that health authorities are prepared if another medical laboratory is 
found to have misdiagnosed cervical smears. 
The Gisborne cancer inquiry was told at the weekend that another privately owned "community laboratory" was under investigation. 
All details of the laboratory were suppressed by inquiry head Ailsa Duffy, QC. Ms Bunkle, the Alliance's health spokeswoman, said 
she accepted the suppression order. 
She said if faults were confirmed at another laboratory it was better for women to learn of potential problems from the Health Funding 
Authority than through the media. 
It was also important that when it contacted women the HFA had processes ready to help them and she would seek assurances that the 
HFA was conducting the investigation quickly. 
The investigation confirmed her concerns about the HFA not making sure quality was a feature of its contracts with private 
laboratories. It was concerned only with quantity and price, she said. 
Also at the weekend, the inquiry was told that between 1991 and 1994 four laboratories reported lower rates of high-grade 
abnormalities than the Gisborne laboratory run by pathologist Michael Bottrill. 
HFA spokesman David Graham said he could not comment while HFA audit team member Jim DuRose was on the stand. It was Mr 
DuRose who revealed, during cross-examination, that a complaint had been made against another laboratory. 
According to a report he presented to the inquiry on community laboratories, significant coding errors affecting cytology and 
histology have been identified in several of the 17 labs surveyed. 
Other less-than-desirable practices that emerged from the HFA review were home screening of cytology slides, understaffed labs with 
too few screeners, and some pathologists reading only high-grade slides instead of all slides showing abnormal cells. 
Mr DuRose admitted that reporting statistics formerly sent to laboratories were not as useful as they could be. 
Statistics sent to Dr Bottrill in 1996, for example, indicated that his reporting of high-grade abnormalities was within normal limits. 
The inquiry continues today.
 
 Murder charge 
  
 
 
A woman, 21, charged with murder, will reappear in Rotorua District Court today after being remanded in custody on Friday. She was 
arrested after a 25-year-old man was stabbed on Friday afternoon and died soon after. The woman's name has been suppressed.
 
 Bridge fall 
  
 
Hamilton police are investigating the death of a man who seemed to have fallen on to Grantham St from a bridge yesterday. He has 
not been identified.
 
 New snow 
  
 
 
Ski-field operators on Mt Ruapehu were chuffed yesterday after fresh snowfalls pushed the snowbase over the magic one-metre mark 
at Turoa. Mt Ruapahu got 30 centimetres of new snow on the upper slopes at Turoa, and Whakapapa got similar amounts.
 
 Pedestrian killed 
  
 
 
Troy Rhys Death, 17, died and two people were seriously hurt in a road accident at Manaia, Taranaki, yesterday. Police said he and 
another pedestrian were hit by a car. The pedestrians and the car's driver were taken to hospital in New Plymouth, where Troy died.
 
 Plumber hurt 
  
 
 
A plumber working at Parliament fell four metres off a ladder just before 3pm yesterday. A Wellington Free Ambulance spokesman 
said the man, 58, was taken to Wellington Hospital with moderate to serious head injuries.
 
 Hotel robbery 
  
 
 
Three armed men robbed a Napier hotel last night, stealing an undisclosed sum of money. Inspector Craig Tweedie of Wellington 
police communications said the men burst into the Westshore Hotel, on Main Rd in Westshore, about 9.10pm. It was not known if 
anyone was hurt or what the weapon was. The hotel owners were interviewed by police last night.
 
 Suspicious fire 
  
 
Police are investigating a possible arson in a shipping container loaded with furniture belonging to Hazelwoods in Upper Hutt last 
night. The alarm was raised about 8pm.
 
 Poisons database 
  
 
The National Poisons Centre has a new database with information on 57,000 poisons, hazardous substances and treatments. The 
system compiles information the Dunedin-based centre uses to answer the 22,000 calls it gets a year.
 
  
  
 Cigarette sales drop after price rise 
  
 
 
CIGARETTE sales have plummeted since prices rose steeply in May, a survey says. 
New Zealanders are now smoking about two million fewer cigarettes a week, the survey by Auckland researcher Murray Laugesen for 
the Smokefree Coalition shows. 
The study compared supermarket sales of loose tobacco and cigarettes in the weeks before the May increase of $1.30 a packet and 
afterward. 
The sharp drop in sales meant smokers were either cutting back or giving up, Mr Laugesen said. Previous surveys indicated the drop 
would not be a short-term reaction to the price rise, he said. 
Since 1998 stronger health warnings and the Quit Campaign had gone national, factors that would reinforce the drop in smoking, he 
said. _ NZPA
 
 Bovine TB eradication zone planned 
  
 
 
AN "ERADICATION zone" will be introduced in north Wairarapa as part of steps to achieve a bovine tuberculosis-free area in the 
Wellington region. 
The zone would be introduced as part of Wellington Regional Council's 2000-01 bovine tuberculosis programme and would gradually 
be extended, council biosecurity manager Wayne O'Donnell said. 
The Animal Health Board has approved funding for three new areas, including the "eradication zone" possum and ferret control work, 
Ruamahanga River possum control, and ferret control work in the Otaki coastal area. 
To be classified as an eradication zone, the area must first be free of feral-related tuberculosis breakdown for at least two years. It 
must remain free for a further three years before achieving TB-free status.
 
 Appeal over sacked teacher lost 
  
 
WANGANUI Collegiate's board of trustees has lost an appeal challenging the award of damages to a former art teacher who was 
sacked for allegedly falsifying marks for an assessment that never happened. 
Lorraine Lewis sued the college for unjustified dismissal and was awarded $25,000 by the Employment Tribunal. She also received 
$10,000 for lost wages and 10 weeks' wages in lieu of notice. 
In the original decision in October, the tribunal said the compensation was justified on the grounds of the humiliation, loss of dignity 
and injury to feelings that Mrs Lewis suffered. An appeal against this decision was dismissed by the Employment Court in December. 
In a judgment issued last week, the Court of Appeal dismissed the board's latest challenge and ordered it to pay $5000 and costs. 
On appeal, the Employment Court found no error of law in the Employment Tribunal's decision, nor any fault in its approach to the 
assessment of evidence. 
The court agreed with the tribunal that the headmaster had relied on insufficient evidence in finding Mrs Lewis guilty of misconduct 
and had not given her an opportunity to respond to the allegations. These centred on whether or not Mrs Lewis handed in a mark book 
for an assessment that never happened. 
The assistant deputy principal prepared a report on the matter at the request of the headmaster. The report concluded, after meeting 
some of Mrs Lewis's pupils, that there were grounds for thinking that the mark book handed in by her contained an assessment of an 
event or assessment that, according to the pupils, had not taken place. 
The assistant deputy principal took no notes of the meeting and the headmaster never met the pupils to verify their account. 
That the employer's belief was honestly held did not overcome the deficiencies in the headmaster's investigation process, the court 
said. 
The employer failed to establish any error of law and the questions sought to be raised were in reality challenges to findings of fact.
 
 City life in NZ `cheap' 
  
 
 
NEW ZEALAND cities are among the cheapest in the world to live in, according to a British study. 
The Economist intelligence unit's latest survey of the cost of living in 127 cities says Tokyo and Osaka in Japan remain the world's 
costliest, but Wellington and Auckland rank 90th and 100th of the most expensive places. Both cities are slightly cheaper to live in 
than last year. _ NZPA
 
 Screening-scare worker back 
  
 
 
DUNEDIN 
THE worker at the centre of the Dunedin breast screening unit data scare has returned to work though the breast screening programme 
is still suspended, Healthcare Otago has said. 
Chief executive Bill Adam confirmed in a written response to media questions that the worker had returned to work. 
The worker and the programme were suspended at the beginning of Healthcare Otago's inquiry this month. 
Dr Adam said the inquiry was not over. 
An independent Health Funding Authority review team is investigating the unit. 
Though the HFA review was in progress he would not comment on a briefing he had with the HFA team on Thursday, Dr Adam said. 
The review team had not told Healthcare Otago when the programme could start again. "Healthcare Otago is still working to resolve 
all issues, as soon as possible, for the women involved," he said. 
Alliance health spokeswoman Phillida Bunkle renewed calls for a national cancer control strategy during a visit to Dunedin on Friday. 
The worrying incidence of breast cancer _ "we are the 22nd worst in the world" _ was evidence that a cancer control strategy was 
needed, she said. 
"The national breast screening programme is not working. Organisation, not medical technology, is letting it down." 
New Zealand's breast screening programmes were set up independently from one another and could not be called a "national system", 
Ms Bunkle said. 
"That was the way the last government chose to do it but it doesn't work that way." 
There was growing evidence a national cancer control strategy was needed, and Ms Bunkle said she believed David Skegg and Brian 
Cox, from the Dunedin School of Medicine's preventive and social medicine department, would present evidence on that soon to the 
Gisborne cervical screening inquiry. _ NZPA
 
 East rail link threatened 
  
 
TRANZ RAIL may mothball the main trunk line between Napier and Gisborne because it is losing money. 
Tranz Rail senior executive Murray King told a private meeting of east coast mayors and politicians on Friday that the Napier-
Gisborne line was losing money and Tranz Rail was seriously considering its future. 
The leaders _ the five east coast mayors, Hawke's Bay Regional Council chairman Ross Bramwell and MPs _ decided to write to 
Transport Minister Mark Gosche asking that the Government consider subsidising the line. 
Napier list MP Anne Tolley said it had been well known that the Napier-Gisborne line was "marginal". 
Gisborne Mayor John Clarke said east coast leaders would not let the rail link close without a fight. "We'll be approaching Mr Gosche 
and looking at what additional opportunities there are for rail freight [between Napier and Gisborne]." _ NZPA
 
 Scientists blow up stout myth 

Mrs Race has facts on Guinness, a carpet tack and iron 
  
PREGNANT women prescribed Guinness by doctors to boost their iron levels have had their medical excuse for drinking alcohol 
removed. 
The popular myth holds that there is more iron in a pint of Guinness than in the average carpet tack, allegedly prompting some British 
doctors to recommend a dose of stout. But East Anglia University scientists Imelda Race and John Nicholson told an Upper Hutt 
science fair that a person would need to consume about 40 pints to match the iron in a tack. 
On a mission to demystify and promote science as fun for children and adults, the pair joined other scientists to meet hundreds of 
children in an Upper Hutt mall. 
While others drew gasps with their experiments, Mrs Race and Dr Nicholson concentrated on the misconceptions that have grown up 
around iron, a necessary part of the diet but sometimes over-used. 
With the Guinness out of the way, the pair turned to other myths _ such as the mistaken belief that high levels of iron make people 
more resistant to disease. 
But it was true that many breakfast cereals contained enough magnetic powder to be extractable by a magnet _ and it was harmless, 
Mrs Race said. 
The scientists have been working on making science popular for the past 10 years, trying to encourage children into, and adults back 
to, science. "We need to look at how science is taught," Dr Nicholson said. "It needs to be through application more than the difficult 
concepts, at least to start with. The concepts can come later." 
As science rolls in schools fell, the work had an urgent edge. Earlier, at the Central Institute of Technology, they had been told the 
chemistry laboratory was about to be closed. "Not enough student numbers."
 
 Comedy for troops in East Timor 
  
 
A "CRACK TEAM" of comedians and performers will go to East Timor next month to entertain the 660 New Zealand troops 
stationed there. 
The Project Timor team, organised by comedians Mike King and James Elliott, will travel to Darwin, Dili and the Suai region between 
August 13 and 20 after a series of shows this month for the families of military personnel who are separated from their loved ones. 
The line-up includes King, fellow comedians Ewen Gilmour, Brendhan Lovegrove and Cal Wilson, and singer Ainslee Allen. 
A TV1 film crew will accompany the team to make a documentary about Project Timor, a charitable organisation which has sent 
sports equipment, snacks and reading matter to the troops and East Timorese children.
 
 Highway group not impressed 
  
 
 
MEMBERS of the Coastal Highway Group calling for urgent action on the road toll on State Highway 1 north of Wellington remain 
unimpressed with emergency measures to reduce the accident rate. 
A string of fatal crashes on the road near Pukerua Bay has led to roading authority Transit NZ promising immediate action on 
improving the coastal section of the road. 
Five people were killed in two separate crashes on Thursday. 
But the Coastal Highway Group says that Transit's efforts to increase camera surveillance of driver behaviour, reducing the speed limit 
to 80kmh and lighting the centre line are not acceptable as permanent solutions to the problems. 
The group is also "distressed" that some members of Wellington Regional Council have suggested that Transmission Gully is the only 
option for a safer alternative highway. 
"Our concern is that the council's preoccupation with the distant dream road may mean that only minor improvements will be made to 
Centennial Highway," Coastal Highway group member Dick Jessup said. 
Transmission Gully motorway does not yet meet funding criteria and will cost about $250 million to build over six to 10 years. 
Mr Jessup said the Coastal Highway Group wanted urgent action on the Pukerua Bay bypass, more detailed study into the feasibility 
and cost of four lanes from Pukerua Bay to Paekakariki, and "radical" improvement where Beach Rd and Hill Rd meet State Highway 
1 at Paekakariki. 
Kapiti Wellington Regional Council member Chris Turver said the road safety improvements in no way limited any separate goals by 
Transit for making improvements to the outdated roading design of the seven kilometres of coastal highway. 
The coastal highway could never be four-lane along its length because of cost and environmental factors, he said.
 
 Culling of seals considered 
  
 
THE question of whether or not South Island seals should be culled was considered at the New Zealand recreational fishing 
conference in Nelson yesterday. 
Recreational Fishing Council president Steve Penn said that the council was not promoting the killing of seals, but wanted open 
discussion of the issue. He said he could understand the frustrations of commercial fishing operators thwarted by catch-poaching seals. 
Seals rip through fishing boat nets and break through nets around salmon farms to get at fish to eat. _ NZPA
 
 Mixed response to sea fishing licence 
  
 
THE idea of introducing licences for recreational sea fishing has drawn a mixed response from the recreational fishing sector. 
The proposal was raised in a discussion document at the New Zealand Recreational Fishing Council's annual conference in Nelson. 
The document, drafted by the council and Fisheries Ministry representatives, put forward three options to better manage marine 
recreational fishing. 
The licence was suggested as a way of funding one of the options, establishing a formal recreational fishing right. 
Under this option, recreational management groups would be set up to recommend daily bag limits and minimum size limits. 
But Nelson fishing columnist Daryl Crimp said he did not think the licence proposal would be warmly received by the recreational 
fishing sector. 
"I think there would be quite a backlash. It would galvanise recreational fishers," he said. 
Mr Crimp said sea fishing was one of the few activities that the whole family could do at little cost, and licences would increase that 
cost. 
Licences would be difficult to police because of the huge area of coastline, he said. 
The system of setting daily catch limits for fish species worked well, so there was no reason to change it, Mr Crimp said. 
NZ First leader Winston Peters also criticised the proposal, saying the ability to go fishing was New Zealanders' "birthright". 
The licences would just create another bureaucracy, he said. 
However, the owner of Nelson company Cat O Nine Charters, Barry Shirtcliff, said action was needed to protect fish stocks from 
being depleted. 
The other options put forward in the discussion document were to keep the status quo, or set aside a proportional share of the total 
allowable catch for recreational fishers. _ NZPA
 
 Possum price `bad' for kiwis 
  
 
 
THE rise in possum fur prices is good news for trappers but may be bad news for kiwis, according to the Conservation Department. 
Poorly set possum traps were a deadly threat to New Zealand's native bird, Turangi-based conservation officer Cam Speedy said. 
There had been two recent cases of kiwis with severe leg injuries being handed in to the department's Ruapehu area officer, Mr 
Speedy said. "Possum trappers make a valuable contribution to protecting our native species and habitats, but every kiwi is precious 
and trappers must be aware of kiwi-safe trapping techniques." _ NZPA
 
 Locomotive leaves tracks 
  
 
A TRAIN driver was slightly hurt when his northbound locomotive derailed at Te Maunga Junction, near Te Puke, about 7.30pm on 
Saturday. 
Tauranga police said if the locomotive had derailed on the other side of the track it would have ploughed through a group of children 
and a car. 
The locomotive left the tracks just south of the junction and travelled for about 50 metres off the rails, going through a traffic island 
and coming to rest on its side. 
Tranz Rail was investigating the derailment.
 
 Longer non-parole call for cop-killer 
  
 
ROTORUA 
AN EXTENDED non-parole period for Mangakino constable Murray Stretch's killer would deter others from the "evil" act of 
attacking unarmed police, the Crown has told a High Court judge in Rotorua. 
The Crown has applied to extend the period of non-parole for Carlos Namana, sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to 
Mr Stretch's murder, from the mandatory 10 years. 
"An extended non-parole period will signal to the community of New Zealand the evil of . . . attacks against police officers," crown 
solicitor John McDonald said. 
Justice Nicholson, who heard the application and arguments against by Namana's lawyer, Paul Mabey, QC, reserved his decision. 
Mr Stretch died of head injuries suffered during a struggle with Namana after he apprehended Namana, then 20, for burglary on May 
26 last year. 
Namana was sentenced immediately after his plea of guilty, in October last year, after which the Crown indicated it would seek an 
extended non-parole period. 
In November, Justice Anderson ruled that the sentencing process for Namana had been completed the previous month and the 
application could therefore not go ahead. The application should have been made before sentencing, he ruled. 
A Court of Appeal decision in April this year ruled against Justice Anderson's decision and allowed the Crown to make its application. 
In the High Court at Rotorua on Friday, Justice Nicholson heard more than six hours of submissions from Mr McDonald and Mr 
Mabey. 
Mr Mabey submitted that the court should not take the victim impact reports into account in considering the application. 
In its reasoning for applying for an extended non-parole period for Namana, the Crown was saying that a police officer's life was 
worth more than that of other people in the community, Mr Mabey submitted. 
Justice Nicholson said he would deliver his decision in Rotorua to ensure that people affected would be able to attend. The decision 
would have priority, he said. _ NZPA
 
 Beaten man `left for dead' 
  
  
 
 
A MAN was in a serious condition in Auckland Hospital last night after he was assaulted at a bus depot. 
Auckland police said they were looking for two Polynesian men in their 20s or 30s in connection with the attack, which happened 
about 2am yesterday in New Lynn. 
A witness who alerted police said the man was punched and kicked and "looked like he had been left for dead", police said.
 
 `Sensible' approach to ACC plan urged 
  
 
 
THOUGH some nurses might object to singling out patients they thought could be violent, the Nurses Organisation favoured a 
"sensible" disclosure policy, national director Brenda Wilson said yesterday. 
ACC has written to health providers asking them to place safety stickers on the files of clients they had concerns about. 
Such claimants might be "disturbed, violent, threatening, depressed or of a similar disposition", notes with the stickers state. 
ACC says the stickers are part of a simple design system to identify claimants who might pose a risk to themselves or others. 
"If you are concerned your patient may pose a risk, place a sticker in the white box on the ACC copy only of the ACC45 form. You 
can do this discreetly after your patient has left. 
"On receipt of a form with a sticker, an ACC staff member may call you and ask you what your concerns are. ACC will take what 
steps it can to prevent injury or harm." 
But one nurse who contacted The Dominion said medical professionals should not be expected to label a patient for ACC or for any 
other organisation. 
ACC's move follows the death last year of Auckland ACC worker Janet Pike, who was stabbed to death while dealing with a man who 
believed the ACC owed him money. 
Ms Wilson said the organisation did not have an official line on the stickers and labelling, but favoured "sensible" disclosure policies. 
She cited the 1995 killing by Dion Gardner of Lower Hutt woman Carol Ann Shaw, after she was employed as caregiver for the brain-
damaged Gardner while his parents went on holiday. 
An inquest into Ms Shaw's death focused on issues such as what information was held on Gardner's potential for violence, if it was 
recorded, and whether or not Ms Shaw was warned about that. 
Ms Wilson said there had to be a sensible way that the privacy commissioner could ensure that information about people with a 
tendency to violence could be shared if other people had to care for them in one way or another.
 
 Jorgensen alive, says former girlfriend 
  
 
 
CHRISTCHURCH 
THE former girlfriend of Bassett Rd machinegun murderer Ronald Jorgensen, who mysteriously disappeared in 1984, says he is alive 
and living overseas. 
Ann Douglas is sceptical about reports that Jorgensen was seen by a former prison officer at the Kumeu Show in West Auckland on 
March 11, two years after officials declared him dead. 
"I think he would still be alive. But I couldn't imagine how he would be back in New Zealand, especially at a show in Kumeu," Ms 
Douglas said. 
Several sightings of Jorgensen in Perth between 1986 and 1990 were more likely to be true, she said. 
Ms Douglas was in a relationship with Jorgensen for the 18 months leading up to his disappearance. 
His car was found at the bottom of a Kaikoura cliff on December 18, 1984, but his body was never found. He was last seen the day 
before. 
"He certainly didn't die in the car crash. He definitely planned his disappearance," Ms Douglas said. She believed the crash was a ploy 
by Jorgensen to escape restrictive parole conditions that forced him to live with his father, with whom he did not get on. The 
conditions restricted Jorgensen's relationship with Ms Douglas and interfered with their plans to move in together. 
Ms Douglas said she introduced herself to Jorgensen, whom she recognised from news reports, in a Christchurch pub. He looked "lost 
and forlorn". 
There were signs leading up to his disappearance that he was planning to leave. He returned her letters and gave her "everything else 
that mattered to him". 
She last saw him two weeks before his disappearance, and had a feeling she would not see him again. "I looked back and he looked so 
sad." On December 16, 1984, she received a letter from him ending: "Whatever happens, I love you." She had not heard from him 
since. 
Jorgensen entered criminal folklore in 1964 when he was sentenced to life in jail with John Frederick Gillies for his part the year 
before in a mafia-style murder of Frederick George Walker, 38, and Kevin James Speight, 26, at a sly-grog house in Bassett Rd, 
Auckland. _ NZPA
 
 Goff backed on NZ judges 
  
 
 
THE Law Society has backed Justice Minister Phil Goff's call for retired New Zealand judges to carefully weigh up their continued 
involvement in Fiji. 
Mr Goff said it was important that New Zealand continued to have a role in Fiji's judicial system. 
But the judges had to balance that with working in a country that had a racist, undemocratic government with no concern for human 
rights, he said. 
The Convener of the New Zealand Law Society's international committee, Ian Haynes, said he agreed New Zealand judges were 
"invaluable" to Fiji at the higher levels of the judiciary. 
"But on the other hand I'm sure [that] on an ongoing basis the judges concerned wouldn't wish to have continued involvement unless 
they are satisfied the justice system in Fiji is operating properly and independently." 
In any democracy, it was"absolutely axiomatic" that the judges could work free from any political pressure, Mr Haynes said. 
Retired New Zealand judges, along with those from Australia, have traditionally played a big part in the Fijian judiciary. 
But that involvement ground to a halt after the coup in May after which former chief justice Sir Thomas Eichelbaum and justices Rod 
Gallen and David Tompkins left the islands. 
Justices Sir Ian Barker and Robert Smellie were also on the rota, in which judges are invited to Fiji for usually a two-to-three-week 
stint. 
Mr Haynes said the judges would probably wait to see what happened in the "highly volatile situation".
 
 Respected unionist dies 
  
 
TONY NEARY, one of New Zealand's most respected trade union leaders of the movement's heyday, died in Wellington on Friday, 
aged 77. 
His time as national secretary of the Electrical Workers' Union spanned three decades from 1952 till the unions' gradual decline in 
influence in the late 1980s. 
He served under Federation of Labour presidents Fintan Patrick Walsh, Sir Tom Skinner and Jim Knox. 
His biographer, Jack Kelleher, who published his life story, Price of Principle, in 1986, said Mr Neary was a fiercely independent 
operator who did not let his trade union affiliations influence his personal beliefs. "He was vigorously anti-communist and stood apart 
from the FOL." 
Mr Neary's straight-talking style mixed with a warm Irish brogue and wit won him the respect of employers at the round-the-table 
negotiations that were a trademark of New Zealand's industrial relations of the day. 
His sphere of influence stretched beyond the union he represented. He also stepped in to negotiate terms on behalf of the journalists' 
union, intern doctors and pilots' union. 
Mr Neary is survived by his wife, Joan, a son and four daughters. 
His funeral service will be at St Theresa's Catholic Church, Plimmerton, at 11am on Thursday.
 
 FAMILY TIES 
  
 
 
The army chief of general staff, Major General Maurice Dodson, left, catches up with his nephew on a recent trip to visit New Zealand 
peacekeeping troops in East Timor. Private Matthew Dodson is the commanding officer's driver in East Timor.
 

Women like it clean 
  
 
WOMEN don't mind handing over the vacuuming and dishes to others, but when it comes to the laundry, they prefer to 
do it themselves to ensure it gets done properly, according to new research. 
The survey, carried out for washing powder manufacturer Lever Rexona, found 93 per cent of the 95 New Zealand 
women interviewed were responsible for the laundry. Many said they did not enjoy it but felt others could not do it as 
well as they could. 
The most hated household chore was doing dishes. Cooking and grocery shopping rated as the most enjoyable, and 
lawnmowing, usually the domain of men, was rated highly. _ NZPA

Costly flooding 
 
Damage from the worst floods to hit parts of Canterbury in 40 years could run into the millions of dollars. Transit New 
Zealand North Canterbury area engineer Barry Stratton estimated the cost of repairing damage to roads in the region at 
more than $700,000. The cost of the damage to railways, farms, and stock losses has yet to be determined.
 

 
 Spill threatens birds 
  
A serious oil spill in a Wainuiomata creek had threatened bird life and damaged plants, Wellington Regional Council 
said yesterday. A large amount of what looked like diesel and lubricating oil has entered Black Creek. Pollution 
response officer Kathryn Hooper said she believed the oil came through the stormwater system but the source of the 
pollution had yet to be traced.

War and peace inseparable says US envoy 
  
 
 
ON THE eve of the Government's expected announcement that it will forgo a $445 million upgrading of Orion 
surveillance aircraft, United States ambassador Carol Moseley Braun warned it against making a distinction between 
combat and peacekeeping roles. 
The Government is widely tipped to confirm tomorrow that it will reject a tender to upgrade the six Orions and instead 
announce spending on army equipment in accordance with its focus on peacekeeping activities. 
Prime Minister Helen Clark said yesterday that the Cabinet had made decisions on defence spending but wanted time to 
contact New Zealand's security partners before making an announcement tomorrow. 
Miss Clark predicted her Government's first big defence decision since its cancellation of the F16 jet fighters in March 
would find favour with Australia and the US. 
"Without foreshadowing the content of the announcement can I say in general that my advice is that the Australians, 
who are of course close allies, and the Americans, who recategorised themselves as friends, do not in the normal course 
of events comment on what items New Zealand decides to purchase. 
"What they look at is the overall quantum of spending. And what has been of concern to them right through the 90s was 
the significant rundown in spending. It has fallen to this Government to endeavour to redress that. And we are 
redressing it. And I think that people will see that the decisions being made are very substantial." 
But Ms Moseley Braun said the real issue was the contribution that New Zealand was prepared to make to regional 
security. 
"Without prejudging what she's going to come up with, I don't think you can separate combat and peacekeeping in that 
way. I don't think you can just make a fire wall between combat activities and peacekeeping activities, because if your 
peacekeeping forces are not protected you're just sitting ducks," Ms Moseley Braun said. 
The army, which is expected to take the lion's share of defence spending, has sought about 100 light armoured vehicles 
but may have to settle for fewer, because of rising costs. 
National defence spokesman Wayne Mapp has said a decision not to proceed with the Orion project could put New 
Zealand on a collision course with Australia and US. 
ACT NZ leader Richard Prebble said such a move would be interpreted as a statement that the Government was not 
prepared to fulfil New Zealand's contribution to the western alliance.
 
 Donald vows to fight proposed road link 
  
 
 
GREEN PARTY co-leader Rod Donald says it is his personal crusade to ensure a road link between Karamea on the 
South Island's West Coast and Collingwood near Nelson never goes ahead. 
Tasman Mayor John Hurley, Nelson Mayor Paul Matheson and Buller Mayor Pat O'Dea unanimously support plans for 
the road. 
Mr Hurley said he intended to raise the issue at a Local Government New Zealand zone meeting in Dunedin this week. 
Mr Donald said the Green Party was strongly opposed to it. 
"By putting a road link through there it will just create a South Island race track with petrol stations and fast food 
outlets getting all the business. 
"From a tourism point of view it is a flawed concept." _ NZPA
 
  
rising 11 points to 45 per cent and the perception that she is a capable leader dropping eight points to 77 per cent.
 
 Cannabis review strikes hitches 
  
 
 
THE Government's promised review of the legal status of cannabis has run into problems over its failure to reach 
agreement on how the revamp should be conducted. 
Prime Minister Helen Clark said yesterday that the review was necessary, but the Government had struck problems, 
including the terms of reference and whether a select committee had broad enough powers to handle the review. 
Two years ago, the health select committee voted unanimously to review cannabis laws but the matter has since rolled 
on without being addressed. The Government has said it intends to complete the review in its first term in office. 
A UMR Insight poll, conducted on behalf of The Dominion, found widespread support across the political spectrum for 
softening cannabis laws, with 60 per cent favouring either decriminalising or legalising the drug. 
Miss Clark, who favours instant fines for personal cannabis use, said the review should be undertaken by the health 
select committee. 
"We accepted the recommendation of the health select committee . . . that there should be a review of the legal status of 
cannabis. And there should be, but we're just having a little difficulty getting cooperation in the terms of reference." 
Problems struck included whether the health select committee had a wide enough scope to conduct the review, which 
covered ground also canvassed by the justice and electoral or law and order select committees, Miss Clark said. 
She did not believe the issue was one of the more pressing for the Government. 
"I wouldn't rate it terribly highly as a priority, there are one or two other things to do." 
Health Minister Annette King declared herself unavailable to speak on the subject, and health select committee 
chairwoman Judy Keall declined to comment, saying she did not want to speak if Miss Clark had commented. 
* Editorial, Hubbard's view p6
 
 Union giants seal merger deal 

 Mr Wilson and Ms Gay put trade union differences behind them 
  
NEW ZEALAND'S two biggest trade union organisations buried the hatchet with a public reconciliation yesterday as 
their respective leaders signed off a heads of agreement to start the process of merging. 
With Associate Minister of Labour Laila Harre looking on, Council of Trades Union president Ross Wilson and Trades 
Union Federation president Maxine Gay said the passing of the Employment Relations Bill meant the best way of 
advancing their interests was with a united front. 
"Together we will focus on rebuilding a new union movement, which is appropriate for the 21st century and which 
reflects the diversity of the New Zealand workforce," Mr Wilson said. 
They agreed that the combined organisation would provide an even stronger voice in dealings with employers and the 
Government. 
It is all a far cry from the early 1990s when predominantly blue collar unions broke away from the CTU partly in 
response to what they regarded as its meek opposition to the introduction of the Employment Contracts Act. 
The Trades Union Federation was the result in 1993 but Ms Gay said that after seven years' hard labouring to meet a 
point of mutual agreement that time had arrived. 
"It's [the merger] such a good thing for working people if we can throw our collective resources together. It'll be such 
an advantage." 
Ms Gay said the repeal of the ECA would enable trade union organisations to speak as a single entity for the first time 
in the movement's history when under the old Federation of Labour they were divided along different sector lines. 
"Embracing workers' interests fits squarely with TUF beliefs . . . and as an organisation we feel we've completed our 
task." 
The amalgamated organisation will be known as the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. It will have a combined 
and growing membership of about 330,000.

Mother tells of boy's fear 
  
 
 
TOVIA LAUFAU was so determined to avoid going to hospital for cancer treatment he twice tried to jump from a 
moving car, his mother told the High Court at Auckland yesterday. 
During tearful testimony, Tovia's mother, Faafetai Laufau, said the boy had to be restrained as he tried to leap from the 
car. 
When he finally agreed to go for treatment months after he was diagnosed as having cancer, it was too late _ he died 
that day, September 7 last year. 
Laufau, 41, and her husband, Peni Laufau, 52, both of Mangere, are accused of the boy's manslaughter and the 
alternative charge of failing to provide the necessaries of life for Tovia. 
The Crown says that despite a warning that the 13-year-old's condition would eventually kill him, the couple refused to 
get him medical treatment. 
In an opening address yesterday Ian Tucker, representing the Laufaus with Frank Hogan, said that the Laufaus were 
respecting the "clear and unequivocal wishes of their much-loved son". 
Faafetai Laufau said yesterday that they had taken the boy for treatment to his doctor, to a specialist, to Middlemore 
Hospital and had been referred to the Starship children's hospital. She told the court of her son's fear when he learned 
he had cancer and how he refused treatment. 
She said her son told them he would never forgive them if they took him to hospital. 
Laufau said that on many occasions she had tried to persuade him to go to hospital, but he refused. 
Cross-examined by crown prosecutor Mark Woolford, Laufau said she had been told by hospital authorities that if 
Tovia had treatment he might live or he might not. She did not recall being told that he would definitely die if he did 
not get treatment. 
Laufau said that only on the last day of his life did Tovia ask to be taken to the hospital. 
Evidence has been given that a cancerous 15-kilogram tumour on his leg spread to his lungs. 
Mr Woolford repeatedly asked Laufau why she gave her 13-year-old son the choice, when she knew that without 
treatment he would die. 
She said she did not want him to die without forgiving them. 
Mr Woolford: "Don't you accept that sometimes children don't want to do things but they have to regardless _ they just 
don't have a choice? You as a parent have a responsibility to do what is best for your children and sometimes they don't 
have a choice." 
The trial continues today. _ NZPA
 
 Screaming `best thing victim could do' 
  
 
SCREAMING at the top of her lungs was the right thing for a young woman attacked in central Wellington to do, 
police said yesterday. 
The woman, 21, fought off an attacker on The Terrace early on Saturday morning. She was "badly shaken" and 
suffered a serious cut to her eye and superficial cuts to her nose during the 2.30am attack, Senior Constable John 
Goddard said. 
The woman had earlier left a social function in Brooklyn, walked into the central city for some food, and was on her 
way home when she noticed a man following her on Lambton Quay. 
She turned up Woodward St and on to The Terrace. Realising he was still behind her she ducked into an alley. The man 
followed her. He punched her in the face and threatened to kill her, Mr Goddard said. 
The woman struggled trying to fight him off, screamed at the top of her lungs and made a big fuss, he said. 
"She did the best thing she could _ scream." 
The man was about 1.8 metres (6ft) tall and even a martial arts expert would have trouble fighting off someone that 
size, Mr Goddard said. 
In the past five weeks there have been about four or five attacks in the central city, most on intoxicated people who 
were usually walking home. 
Mr Goddard said he was not sure whether Saturday's victim had been drinking. 
Anyone going out late at night should keep to well-lit areas, stay sober enough to get home, and if possible stay with a 
sober friend or take a taxi. If attacked, scream as loud as possible saying something like: "Help I'm being attacked."
 
 Electricity customers start charging for time 
  
 
 
CHRISTCHURCH 
FRUSTRATED power consumers have started charging electricity retailers for their time sorting out company mistakes 
and for delays in switching customers to competitors. 
Christchurch TransAlta customer Mike Van Lokven, sick of reminders from the company for an account he had already 
paid by electronic funds transfer and unable to reach TransAlta by telephone, fax, or e-mail, has begun billing his time 
at $100 an hour. His actions follow those of a Wellington consumer who billed another power company for his time _ 
and got a cheque. 
Consumers Institute chief executive David Russell said a precedent was set in Whangarei last year, when a complainant 
argued in a Disputes Tribunal case that his time was valuable and worthy of compensation. 
"I hereby notify you that from this day forward we will be paying your company at 10 per cent less than we would be 
paying our chosen supplier First Electric till our account is moved to them," Mr Van Lokven wrote to TransAlta. 
"Non-communication within seven days from August 15 will be deemed to be automatic acceptance of our terms." He 
has yet to hear back. _ NZPA
 
 FLOWER POWER 

 
 
 
Daffodil grower John McLennan prepares for the New Zealand Cancer Society's 10th annual Daffodil Day on Friday, 
which marks a decade in which ways to successfully treat cancer have been found. 
Treatment now cures about 40 per cent of people suffering from cancer, and the percentage is increasing, the Cancer 
Society says. 
Society spokesman Tony Schramm said that though there was no silver bullet for all cancer, steady improvements in 
therapies would save many more lives over time. 
"Cancer research is opening up exciting new frontiers, particularly in the study of the genetic causes of cancer," he said. 
"At the same time, people with incurable cancers are living longer with better quality of life." 
Mr McLennan began picking thousands of daffodils yesterday. He said that, with the warmest July on record, they had 
been flowering earlier than usual, but the recent cold snap would mean there would be slightly fewer flowers than last 
year. 
Money raised on Daffodil Day goes to researching the causes of and cures for cancer, supporting patients and cancer 
prevention through education.
 
 Small boost for Victoria finances 
  
 
AN INCREASE in student numbers over the second trimester means Victoria University's finances will be in slightly 
better shape than expected at the end of the year. 
Acting vice-chancellor Roy Sharp told the university council meeting yesterday that the figures had increased by about 
900 between March and July, slightly more than anticipated. 
In July the figures were down by 2.9 per cent compared to last year's and by the end of the year were expected to be 3.4 
per cent less than last year's. 
However, the figures had been analysed carefully and were now expected to be slightly higher than suggested, he said. 
Much of the increase was in international students.
 
 Police check facts on death 
  
 
 
MASTERTON police were seeking some "significant facts" relating to the killing of Carterton toddler Hinewaoriki 
Karaitiana-Matiaha, the police officer heading the homicide inquiry said yesterday. 
The child died on July 23 after suffering sexual assault, burns and beatings. 
Detective Inspector Rod Drew said: "There are a few significant facts that we haven't clarified." 
Detective work, mainly interviewing, would provide the answers, he said. 
Two of Hine's aunts have been charged with unrelated assaults on children.
 
 Violence stretches Palmerston North police 
  
 
 
THE workload of the Palmerston North police has ballooned with three assaults in four days. 
A 20-year-old farm worker was discovered by his flatmate beaten and unconscious on the bathroom floor on Sunday 
morning. 
Detective Sergeant Ross Grantham said the man was attacked while walking home from the inner city, where he had 
been drinking with friends. He was followed to his home, where he was again beaten. 
A 19-year-old male student has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and will appear 
in Palmerston North District Court today. 
The victim was taken to Palmerston North Hospital with welts and cuts on his back and shoulders, and head injuries. 
He was recovering at home yesterday. 
Two attacks occurred last Friday morning when two men smashed their way into a Palmerston North home and 
attacked the male occupant, who was asleep in bed. Mr Grantham said the attackers were not known to the victim. 
A Palmerston North man has been arrested and charged with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Police are looking 
for the other attacker. 
A man and a woman were taken to Palmerston North Hospital earlier on Friday with stab wounds after a domestic 
dispute. 
Police said that because of the heavy workload, routine matters may take longer than normal to be dealt with. Mr 
Grantham said the three incidents were all being treated as unrelated, but all involved alcohol. 
Last week, after a spate of sexual violation allegations, Palmerston North police said young women needed to "buddy 
up" with friends when they went drinking.
 
 Massey staff vote to strike over pay offer 
  
 
 
MASSEY University staff have voted to strike for 24 hours on September 1 in support of their pay talks. 
Joint unions' action committee spokeswoman Karen Rhodes said yesterday that members had overwhelmingly voted to 
reject the university's 1.25 per cent pay offer to general and academic staff. They had also voted to conduct an 
industrial campaign, starting with a withdrawal of goodwill and a 24-hour strike from September 1. 
Massey University registrar Adrienne Cleland said the strike decision was disap pointing. 
The university had offered a 1.25 per cent pay increase to individual salaries, an offer following on from two years of 2 
per cent pay increases.
 
 Doctors strike `symptom' of ailing system 
  
 
 
A PLANNED strike this week by junior doctors over pay and staffing claims is a symptom of a widening health crisis, 
the Medical Association says. 
The health staffing crisis facing the Government had been developing for years and was largely created by the free-
market policies of previous governments, New Zealand Medical Association chairwoman Pippa MacKay said 
yesterday. 
"But years of low pay, excessive hours, unreasonable conditions and the increasing need to cover staff shortfalls, now 
combined with high student debts, are driving junior doctors overseas." 
Though she was pleased Health Minister Annette King had accepted a need for long-term workforce planning and 
development, urgent short-term action was needed to prevent the health system from being affected by extended 
industrial action. 
The junior doctors' association said yesterday that strike action proposed for four hospitals in the next week could 
widen to national action. 
A strike by doctors at Whangarei Hospital seemed likely to go ahead today after management and the Resident Doctors 
Association were unable to reach agreement. Junior doctors in Wanganui and Palmerston North planned to strike 
tomorrow and those at Waikato Hospital in Hamilton next Monday. 
Capital Coast Health's junior doctors were likely to decide this week whether or not to strike. 
The doctors are asking for a 20 per cent pay increase, paid training, extra costs for senior registrars, paid leave for 
conferences and accelerated salary progression when doctors pass exams. 
The 17 hospitals negotiating a collective contract for junior doctors made a final offer of a 5 per cent pay increase this 
year, 4 per cent next year, and agreed to meet the doctors' training costs. 
The three Auckland hospitals, where more than half of New Zealand's junior doctors work, were negotiating separately. 
Resident Doctors Association secretary Deborah Sidebotham said employment contracts for all New Zealand's junior 
doctors would have expired by the end of this week, and there were suggestions the strike could widen. 
"That is a decision our doctors are making at the moment. Given employers' failure to make an offer that will resolve 
the problem we have, it is always a possibility," Ms Sidebotham said yesterday. 
Meanwhile, the senior doctors' union, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, urged its members not to 
overwork themselves covering gaps left by striking junior doctors. 
It sent a letter to its members urging them to make it clear to management that they and senior nurses could not fill the 
gaps left by absent junior doctors, and normal services should not be attempted during the strike. 
Association executive director Ian Powell said if strike action became widespread there would be no way remaining 
staff could cope because there would be no backup from nearby hospitals. 
Whangarei Hospital responded to the industrial action by cancelling all elective surgery till August 30. 
It was urging people with minor ailments to see their GP rather than go to the hospital. _ NZPA
 
 Tourism runs hot 
  
 
The tourism industry has had the best winter on record, Tourism NZ says. More than 327,000 people visited New 
Zealand in the May-till-July period, a jump of 13 per cent on the corresponding period last year. The extra visitors had 
spent an extra $55 million in July alone.
 
 Crash investigation 
  
 
 
Police are investigating what caused a tanker carrying 24,000 litres of highly flammable ethanol to overturn on State 
Highway 5 between Rotorua and Taupo about 10am yesterday. The driver escaped with a knee injury. The highway 
was reopened shortly before 3pm.
 
 Wine centre 
  
 
A wine education centre, estimated to cost $2 million, is to be built at the Eastern Institute of Technology in Taradale, 
Napier. The institute's council approved yesterday the first stage of a wine and rural sciences centre. Stage 1 should be 
completed by the middle of next year.
 
 Road-rage arrest 
  
Police have arrested a man in connection with a road-rage incident last Thursday in which a Hastings cyclist was 
allegedly chased and run down. The Hastings man, 20, facing charges of causing grievous bodily harm, failing to stop 
after an accident and failing to ascertain injury, will appear in Hastings District Court on Friday.
 
 Victims named 
  
 
The two people who drowned after their car overturned in a flooded ditch near Dannevirke on Sunday were named by 
police yesterday. They were Barbara Mathews, 45, of Waipawa, and Buster Wainohu, 50, of Norsewood.
 
 Lock, stock, barrel 
  
 
Thieves who stole a gun collection from a south Auckland house last week carried off the heavy safe that housed them, 
police said yesterday. Some of the guns have been recovered.
 
 Signs of summer 
  
 
 
The sun has finally returned to Antarctica and to mark the event a United States cargo jet made the first flight of the 
new season from New Zealand yesterday. Antarctica NZ said the sun skimmed the horizon on Saturday from 12.04pm 
till 1.49pm, the first time it has been seen at Scott Base and McMurdo Sound since April 23.
 
 Netting those fines 
  
People can pay court fines over the Internet from today. Courts Minister Matt Robson started the Fines On-Line site, 
which offers people easy access to information about fines, including speeding or parking infringements, and the ability 
to pay by credit card.
 

Bio-ethicist beats ruling 
  
 
CHRISTCHURCH bio-ethicist Darryl Macer may be the only individual to have won the right to appear in person 
before the royal commission on genetic engineering. 
Professor Macer has broken through a "group" requirement to qualify, with his application under the name of Eubios 
Ethics Institute. He has qualified because he is a pre-eminent bioethicist working for Unesco, at Japan's University of 
Tsukuba. 
The commission announced the 109 successful applicants, out of 265, permitted to appear personally after screening 
applicants in Wellington last week. 
It has taken a tough line on individuals hoping to qualify but has been more flexible than many people feared in its 
rulings on applications from companies and organisations. 
The Green Party, which opposes genetic engineering, is included despite the commission's rejection of political 
interests. Pro genetic engineering science group Life Sciences Network has also been accepted despite suggestions that 
its contribution would merely mirror the opinions of constituent groups that would appear in their own right. 
The National Council of Women, without a "focused" mandate, was refused the right to appear, but Rural Women of 
New Zealand will be permitted to put its views on what could "potentially impact significantly on the rural sector". 
Commission chairman Sir Thomas Eichelbaum announced yesterday that the inquiry's consultation would begin with a 
series of public meetings from September 18, the first in Invercargill. 
Formal hearings will begin in Wellington on October 16. 
People still have the right to make written submissions. 
The approvals to appear personally have been granted in categories, including relevant public interest groups; 
organisations whose main aim is to support or oppose; umbrella organisations whose members would otherwise have 
difficulty taking part in the debate; Maori organisations with cultural or spiritual concerns; organisations whose 
purpose or livelihood may be directly affected; and groups whose members have a direct interest. 
Among the diverse groups that will address the commission are the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, GE Free 
New Zealand, Federated Farmers, New Zealand Maori Congress, Interchurch Commission, Monsanto New Zealand, 
Organic Federation of New Zealand and Diabetes Youth New Zealand. 
An extra hearing will be held on September 5 to hear 21 late applications.
 
 Big cities to demand Rosson's head 
Author: HAINES Leah 
  
 
MAYORS from New Zealand's nine biggest cities are poised to demand Local Government New Zealand boss Louise 
Rosson resign before agreeing to stay with the organisation, a source said last night. 
Christchurch mayor Garry Moore said yesterday that during a conference call on Friday, none of the nine wanted to 
break away from Local Government NZ. 
However, a source said the mayors also agreed during the call that the price of their staying with the organisation 
would be Ms Rosson's head. 
Wellington Mayor Mark Blumsky initially suggested that Dunedin, Christchurch, Lower Hutt, Hamilton, Waitakere, 
Manukau and North Shore set up a separate group or seek changes at Local Government NZ to improve their stake at a 
national level. 
He resigned from the organisation's national council last month in protest at the treatment of its chief executive Carol 
Stigley who was given a $140,000 golden handshake. 
Mr Blumsky also called publicly for Ms Rosson to resign. 
The nine mayors have held off making a public statement about their position till lower North Island representatives 
met tomorrow. 
Ms Rosson will face tomorrow's meeting and be expected to explain herself over her treatment of Ms Stigley. 
In the meantime, Hutt City Council has already resolved to express its lack of confidence in her leadership. It also 
formally resolved last night only to stay with Local Government NZ if the big cities were given better representation. 
During tomorrow's meeting Wellington councillor Bryan Pepperell plans to speak against any suggestion that the nine 
metropolitan mayoralties form a break-away group. 
Mr Pepperell, Mr Blumsky and councillor Sue Piper are the Wellington council's representatives on the zone 4 
committee which represents local government interests in the lower North Island. 
They will join colleagues representing Kapiti Coast District Council, Porirua City Council, Hutt City Council, Upper 
Hutt City Council, and the Masterton, Carterton and South Wairarapa district councils.
 
 Man admits importing Ecstasy 
  
 
 
ONE of two Wellington men facing charges relating to importing and distributing 900 pills of the Class B controlled 
drug Ecstasy, has admitted importing the drug. 
During a brief hearing in Wellington District Court yesterday Benton Lawrence, 38, unemployed, pleaded guilty to one 
count of importing the drug, a hallucinogenic amphetamine. 
Lawrence entered no plea to two further charges to be heard during a depositions hearing on September 11. A fourth 
charge was withdrawn. 
He was remanded in custody for sentencing on the importing charge on September 8. 
John Coleman, 47, the organiser of the 1997 Wellington Food and Wine Festival, entered no plea when he appeared on 
the same charges. 
He was remanded on bail for the depositions hearing.
 
 Cuts mar `momentous' day 

 At the hearing, from left, James Russell and David Mitchell of Ngai Tahu, tribunal director Morrie Love and member 
Roger Maaka, and Ngai Tahu leader Sir Tipene O'Regan 
  
 
 
THE start of Waitangi Tribunal hearings into Maori claims over Marlborough and Nelson yesterday _ called "a 
momentous occasion for all iwi at the top of the South Island" _ was marred for claimants by cutbacks in the hearing 
dates. 
Ngati Rarua presented its opening submissions in Blenheim, supported by more than 150 Maoris from the seven other 
"top of the south" tribes, and from Ngai Tahu, which received $170 million compensation from the Crown for the land 
it lost in the rest of the South Island. 
But the tribunal will hear only three weeks of evidence this financial year, cut back from a proposed eight weeks, after 
it was refused increased funding by the Government in June's budget. 
Ngati Rarua claims manager John McEnteer said his iwi was lucky enough to be first off the blocks for the hearing of 
its two weeks of evidence, but it was discussing with the other tribes how the hearings could be hastened. 
The top of the south hearings, originally expected to be completed within two years, could now take up to six years _ 
and tribunal director Morrie Love does not expect all the claim reports to be completed till 2014 at the earliest. 
"I think the resourcing going in is quite ludicrous," Mr McEnteer said. "The top of the south is ready for hearings . . . 
but the resources are not flowing from the Crown to fund the tribunal." 
Te Runanga o Toa Rangatira chief executive Matiu Rei, whose iwi Ngati Toa will probably not now be heard till 2002, 
said he was unhappy that the Government was focusing on closing the gaps and direct negotiations at the expense of 
hearing Treaty claims. 
"Until there is an honourable coming together of the indigenous people and the Government, it doesn't matter how 
much you throw at the social problem _ you won't be able to solve it." 
Ngati Rarua lawyer Tim Castle said: This is a momentous occasion for all iwi at the top of the South Island. In a 
contemporary setting, it is probably the single most momentous event for the people of Ngati Rarua." 
Mr Castle told the tribunal that the iwi should now be enjoying mana over 1.36 million hectares (3.3 million acres) of 
the upper South Island, but only about 800 hectares remained in iwi hands. 
"Evidence to be produced to this tribunal will trace the alienation of the people of the iwi from their whenua [land] . . . 
and the consequent loss of mana, strength, unity and identity as a result of such deprivations," he said. 
The iwi had arrived at Totaranui with Te Rauparaha's Ngati Toa war party in 1827 or 1828, and by 1839 had 
"widespread mana at the top of the South Island". But that year the New Zealand Company negotiated with Ngati Toa 
and Te Atiawa to buy big amounts of land for European settlers, ignoring Ngati Rarua's rights. 
"Within a year Rarua saw that land and resources _ such as coal _ were being used in a manner that was contrary to 
their understanding of the transaction into which they had entered . . . They were met with animosity and violence from 
European settlers, culminating in the Wairau incident, with the result that the relationship between Rarua and the 
Crown, who failed to prevent it, was severely affected."
 
 Tranz Rail `shuts out' steam trip 
  
 
A WELLINGTON tourism operator says monopolistic behaviour by Tranz Rail has "shut him out" of New Zealand and 
forced him to look overseas for investment opportunities. 
Engineering company owner Ian Welch said Tranz Rail had repeatedly refused him permission to run a steam train 
service between Christchurch and Arthur's Pass. 
Mr Welch ran trips in other parts of New Zealand but some Tranz Rail senior management viewed steam trains as 
competition and had shut his business out of the spectacular South Island route, he said. 
"Everyone says a service to Arthur's Pass is a wonderful idea, but it's no-go. Tranz Rail won't have a bar of it. It is 
fiercely holding on to its monopoly." 
Mr Welch said because of Tranz Rail's refusal to cooperate, he had invested $1.5 million to set up a train service 
between Cairns and Kuranda in northern Queensland. "That's money that should have gone into New Zealand." 
Tranz Rail spokesman Fred Cockram said he did not want to comment because the matter was before the Commerce 
Commission. 
Mr Welch said despite Tranz Rail resistance, he had organised a new tour, from Auckland to Bluff and back, which 
would begin in October.
 
 Miscarriages prompt warning about listeria 
  
 
PREGNANT women are being warned off foods such as fresh oysters and pate after two Wellington women suffered 
listeria-induced miscarriages. 
The miscarriages drew attention to a lack of knowledge about listeria and foods that could carry it, Regional Public 
Health said yesterday. 
Many women were blind to the risks of eating chilled or precooked fish or seafood, pate, precooked or chilled chicken 
and meat, stored salads and coleslaw and unpasteurised milk, medical officer of health Jane O'Hallahan said. 
Since January, two women have miscarried in Hutt Valley and another gave birth prematurely after catching listeria. 
Regional Public Health interviewed the three families but had not determined how they caught listeria _ a bacterial 
infection that has mild symptoms in healthy adults but can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, meningitis or blood poisoning 
in foetuses. 
Dr O'Hallahan said she was concerned that many women did not know what foods caused listeria, and the serious risk 
to foetuses. 
"I would expect lead maternity carers to be giving this information to their patients," she said. 
"I am not sure that that is happening to the extent that we want it to happen." 
A Hutt Valley midwife said many women referred to her knew nothing of listeria and she believed New Zealand 
needed a public education campaign. 
Public Health officers in Auckland are assessing the advice given on listeria at antenatal classes. Auckland Healthcare 
public health physician Greg Simmons said the study, about four months off completion, would help Public Health and 
the Health Ministry identify gaps and develop key messages. 
Dr O'Hallahan urged women who needed information about listeria to ask their midwife or doctor, or contact Regional 
Public Health.
 
 Rush for lpg as petrol prices rise 
  
 
THE spiralling cost of petrol had led to New Zealand motorists swamping the lpg industry with requests for conversion 
to the alternative fuel, suppliers said yesterday. 
With motorists now paying about 68 cents a litre for lpg compared to $1.18 a litre for unleaded 91 petrol, the industry is 
handling its biggest jump in sales since the boom days of the mid-1980s. 
There had been a big leap in applications for conversions, Shell lpg manager Mario Vulinovich said yesterday. 
"We're talking about a large increase in conversions, from basically very, very quiet to having the phone ringing red hot 
. . ." Mr Vulinovich said. 
Shell offered interest-free terms for business customers to convert. The most keen were high users like taxis. However, 
there had been interest from private and commercial drivers from throughout New Zealand. 
For the average late-model car, conversion would cost about $2500 to $3000. As lpg was produced in New Zealand, the 
price was likely to be less volatile than petrol, Mr Vulinovich said. 
Rockgas national marketing manager John Goddard said the company had noticed a big jump in inquiries recently. 
With the cost of petrol and conversion costs a driver would need to travel about 30,000 kilometres before savings 
would be made. 
LPG Association executive director Peter Gilbert said interest had increased enormously during the past two months. 
Ford New Zealand would bring out its lpg-dedicated Falcon in September and had had a lot of interest, spokeswoman 
Lisa Franklin said. 
Inquiries were linked to rising petrol prices, she said. 
The Taxi Federation said it had noticed a trend to convert vehicles during the past year or so. 
General secretary Gavin Dobie said the petrol price increases had had a big impact and many taxi owners were 
considering lpg conversion or using the new lpg-dedicated Falcon. 
Conversion garages said taxi operators, couriers and high-mileage drivers had been moving back to lpg since the price 
of diesel _ now about 80c plus road tax _ climbed above lpg. 
Government subsidies made conversion to cng (compressed natural gas) reasonably popular in the mid-80s, but now 
most garages have removed cng compressors. 
Drivers can expect to pay nearly a dollar a litre for cng, if they can find a source. 
The alternative fuels industry no longer regards cng as viable for new conversions.
 
 Institute accepts student fee deal with reluctance 
  
THE Eastern Institute of Technology decided yesterday to accept the Government's fee stabilisation deal, under protest. 
The deal would save students money but would cost the Taradale-based polytechnic more than $320,000 a year, the 
institute council meeting was told yesterday. 
Chief executive Bruce Martin said he was "not happy at all" that the institute was virtually forced by political pressures 
to freeze student fees and accept the one-off 2.3 per cent increase in tuition subsidies. The institute had already done its 
best to keep fees down for this year. 
"I feel we're being beaten up unfairly," Mr Martin said. It would be "an horrendous prospect" if the freeze continued 
into 2002. 
The freeze does not mean that students will pay the same fees next year. Study right support is being removed and the 
fees averaged out. This means students on study right will pay more next year, and those without study right will pay 
less. About 50 per cent of the institute's students had study right, Mr Martin said. 
Council member Barbara Arnott said the Government seemed to have no strategic plan for funding tertiary education 
and was making "ad hoc decisions that go nowhere". 
The council will write to the Government about its concern.
 
 Police swoop on housie games 
  
 
INTERNAL Affairs Department investigators and police busted a big commercial housie game in a New Plymouth hall 
on Sunday and seized $28,000. 
About 400 people were in the hall at the time of the raid. Many had been bussed in from Hamilton, Wellington, 
Auckland and Palmerston North to take part in the allegedly unlicensed housie session. 
Police were interviewing three women, two from Hamilton and one from New Plymouth. 
Internal Affairs gaming inspectors said prizes of up to $5000 were being offered. This far exceeded the normal 
maximum payout of $700. Gaming compliance manager Warwick Hodder said inspectors had been investigating 
reports of large-scale commercial housie sessions, offering sizable sums in prizemoney, for several months. 
The sessions were held secretly in different places throughout the North Island. 
They attracted participants from legitimate housie sessions and effectively deprived licensed community groups of 
many thousands of dollars, Mr Hodder said.
 
 Shoppers spend their dollars in Wellington 
  
 
 
SHOPPERS from Palmerston North and Wanganui are spending $180 million a year in Wellington, according to a 
research report. 
The report, by Auckland consultants Hames Sharley for Palmerston North City Council, says $1 in every $10 spent by 
the region's shoppers goes to Wellington. "By national standards this is huge expenditure," it says. 
The worst leakage was in electrical and household appliances, furniture, personal items and sporting goods, for which 
up to $3 in $10 was leaving the region. 
The report was commissioned to help the council understand a reduction in shoppers visiting the city in the past 10 
years. The proportion of out-of-town shoppers in Palmerston North has fallen from 33 per cent in 1991 to 19 per cent in 
1999. 
Eleven per cent of total retail spending leaves the Manawatu-Wanganui region, the report says. 
A 5 per cent leakage would be acceptable, and achieving that would bring $90 million back to the region. 
Palmerston North attracted people making impulse buys and buying consumer goods such as food and fashion but was 
losing out on the big-ticket items for which buyers spent time choosing between different products. 
In solving this issue, the emphasis should be on enhancing local retailing, the report says. 
"Attracting out-of-town shoppers may well be the natural downstream effect from satisfying local demand." However, 
this was not all that was needed. 
"The solution was going to come from reinforcing Palmerston North as an interesting, cosmopolitan centre which 
provides both the range of shops and an equivalent `retail experience' of the competing major centres." 
In the meantime, Palmerston North remained vulnerable to new retail developments in Wellington and outside the city 
boundaries. 
Council economic analyst Dean Tilyard said yesterday the report quantified what the council had known for the past 
two years and had already started to act on. 
"The figures might seem horrific, but the report is not a negative for the city and can be turned into a positive. We 
know the money is there, so the retailers have to go out and get it." 
The central business district was being revitalised with redevelopment of gardens in the Square and the surrounding 
streetscape. 
The report would be discussed at a workshop with retailers and economic development agency Vision Manawatu. 
Wanganui Economic Development Corporation chief executive Neil Blackburn said Wanganui may have lost a few 
sales to Wellington but was also gaining from Palmerston North. 
"Whenever we have a big event here it is interesting to walk up our main street, which is a very popular drawcard, and 
see the huge number of cars from out of town," he said.
 
 Farmers pay for flood information 
  
 
FARMERS and other people wanting telephone information about river flood levels in Wairarapa now have to pay 12 
cents a minute on an 0800 number. 
The service, which covers three locations on two main rivers, was previously provided free by Wellington Regional 
Council. 
The council's Wairarapa division general manager Colin Wright said yesterday there was only one line into each of the 
location phones and these quickly became overloaded during floods when farmers living alongside the rivers needed 
information in a hurry. 
Angela Calvert, who runs a dairy farm with her husband, Russell, on the banks of the Waiohine River, near Greytown, 
said the pay system suited farmers because the free system had been dominated by town people usually when farmers 
needed it most. 
The new service provided 200 telephone lines and was well worth the charge, she said.
 
 Air show lineup 
  
 
THE NZ Sports and Vintage Aviation Society is seeking displays for its show at Masterton on January 28. It hopes to 
get a Hawker Hunter fighter jet, the Red Checkers aerobatic team and a navy Seasprite helicopter.
 

 
 Vigilantes force five from homes 
  
 
 
THREE prostitutes, a convicted paedophile and a repeat burglar have shifted from their Auckland homes amid vigilante 
"name and shame" tactics. 
The unknown people behind the campaign, in Mt Wellington, have struck twice in the past month, with letter-drops 
giving the convicted paedophile's name and address and inciting residents to "do something about" prostitutes working 
from a house on the same road. 
Two years ago, a concerted campaign was waged against a youthful burglar living in a neighbouring street. 
It forced his family to move. 
Police say the latest incidents do not seem to break any laws, though the vigilantes could be sued for defamation if they 
are wrong. 
The 51-year-old paedophile is four months into a six-month suspended jail term and six months' periodic detention 
after admitting he made, supplied and possessed objectionable publications and prepared to commit a crime. 
He was arrested at public toilets after using the Internet to try to arrange to meet a 13-year-old boy there. Police found 
petroleum jelly and condoms in his car. 
Two months ago he moved into a Mt Wellington house with an engaged couple. They knew nothing about the vigilante 
letters giving their address till a newspaper told them yesterday. 
They said the man shifted away about three weeks ago. He had no access to children, but tried to set up an Internet 
account while living at their home. 
The prostitute letter reads: "Guess what? Your neighbour is operating a brothel. There are three Thai prostitutes living 
there. This is not a joke. Are you happy about this? Do something about it then." It also gives the address and cellphone 
number of the women. 
If it was a brothel as named in the leaflet, it has been abandoned. Two Asian women at the cellphone number refused to 
answer questions yesterday. 
A former president of Casualties of Sexual Allegations, Felicity Goodyear-Smith, has said that name-and-shame letters 
victimise people who have already served sentences and jeopardise their chances of rehabilitating. _ NZPA
 
20 Sept 00

  Zip-zappers lift card debt to $2.56b 
   
 
NEW ZEALANDERS' love affair with credit cards intensified last month, taking outstanding card debt to more than $2.56 
billion _ up almost 22 per cent on a year earlier, Reserve Bank figures issued yesterday show. 
Last month, Kiwis zip-zapped $1.07 billion of fresh credit card bills, despite average interest rates on outstanding debt 
sitting just above 19 per cent. 
Banking sources blame the ready availability of credit, aggressive marketing by credit card companies and a 
determination by many customers to avoid rising fees on eftpos transactions for the increase in spending. 
"It's an enormous amount," Consumers Institute chief executive David Russell said yesterday. "People are looking for 
more credit and using it as an alternative to other forms of paying. Some companies are targeting big purchases and 
reducing the interest rates on them. 
"And banks are very prompt at lifting credit limits, even if you don't ask for it." 
Annual credit card spending has posted double-digit percentage growth every month for more than two years, at least 
partly reflecting a broader appetite for borrowing among households. 
Because of the high interest rate, budget advisers have previously warned against using credit cards unless the 
outstanding debts can be repaid in full at the first due date. 
They have also reported some people running six or seven cards to their credit limit with no way of repaying them. 
Almost 60 per cent of the $2.56 billion in outstanding credit card debt last month had been unpaid from previous months. 
Bank of New Zealand chief economist Tony Alexander said the growth in card debt was easily outstripping the 3.5 per 
cent growth in overall retail sales, confirming that much of it stemmed from spending being redirected from other forms of 
payment. 
He had not looked at whether some of the surge in card spending was from people keen to take advantage of an interest-
free period and avoid eftpos-related charges. 
Credit card debt had broadly kept pace with a doubling in household debt during the past 10 years. It remained a relatively 
small 3.4 per cent of all household debt, Mr Alexander said. 
 
    Prisoner pulled out of half marathon 
  
  
 
A prison inmate who has been jogging through the streets of New Plymouth has been pulled out of the half marathon that 
he was training for by the Department of Corrections. Regional manager John Jamieson said Kevin Moore's escorted 
training runs had been put on hold because of public alarm. Moore, 40, a former Black Power leader, is serving a seven-
year term for conspiring to defeat the course of justice after allegedly getting a witness to lie at a murder trial. 
 
Role of consumers stressed 
  
  
 
STRONG warnings that consumers rights must be heeded in decision-making on food safety issues were given at a food 
safety forum in Wellington yesterday. 
Pamela Chan, president of Consumers International, a group representing more than 250 consumer organisations from 
111 countries, told the forum organised by the Agriculture and Forestry, Health and Consumer Affairs ministries that New 
Zealand must lead the way in empowering consumers. 
Consumers had to be fully equipped with the necessary knowledge to contribute because there was an inevitable tension 
between experts assumed to have all the knowledge and "non-expert members of the community". 
She also identified difficulties in safeguarding national interests when a country was pursuing open-trade policies. 
"In order to ensure full consumer input and representation, it is crucial that national consumer movements are able to 
participate at all three levels _ national, regional and international." 
Ms Chan urged close working relationships between groups and individuals in society, the sharing of experiences 
internationally, and greater international representation by consumer groups worldwide. 
"New Zealand has demonstrated through its actions in the past that it is an innovator in social action and economic reform 
. . . I am witnessing an opportunity here to demonstrate similar innovation in the field of consumer empowerment." 
Earlier, Consumer Affairs Minister Phillida Bunkle told the forum that a food agency planned by the Government must give 
"equal weight and opportunity to be heard" to consumers. 
 
 
 Timor envoy appointed 
  
NEW ZEALAND'S representative to East Timor would be career diplomat Jonathan Austin, Foreign Affairs Minister Phil 
Goff said yesterday. 
Dr Austin, at present deputy high commissioner to Tonga, would start in November when New Zealand's liaison office to 
the East Timor transitional authority opened. The office would run till East Timor became fully independent. _ NZPA 
 
One in four give up on IRD 
  
  
 
ONE in four people ringing Inland Revenue give up before the phone is answered. 
Finance Minister Michael Cullen, replying to written parliamentary questions from ACT NZ MP Rodney Hide, said that 
between June 19 and the beginning of this month, the department had received 1.25 million calls. While 940,000 were 
answered, 300,000 people abandoned their call. 
The lowest number of calls received in a week was 82,000, with 76,000 calls answered. The highest number in a week 
was 158,000, with 96,000 answered and 62,000 callers giving up. In July, the department left about 3000 calls 
unanswered one Saturday as an unexpected flood of callers tried to query their new personal tax summaries. More staff 
were hired to cope. 
Dr Cullen also said that last month the department cleared some of its backlog of correspondence. 
In July, it had 40,000 letters awaiting action or reply, including 14,500 that had been waiting for more than four weeks. 
Last month, this had reduced to 33,000 with 12,700 more than four weeks old. 
 
 
Blasts fail to clear Nevis slip 
 
DUNEDIN 
A MASSIVE blasting operation failed to clear the stubborn Nevis slip in Central Otago yesterday. 
State Highway 6 through the Kawarau Gorge is unlikely to open till tomorrow afternoon. 
Helicopters dropped water on the slide in an effort to dislodge it but were grounded by high winds about 5pm. 
Earth-moving equipment, on standby since Sunday, has not been used for fear of further slips. _ NZPA 
 
 
  Bomb scare joke costs man $1750 
   
 
A WELLINGTON property developer who sparked a bomb scare at Auckland airport when boarding an Air New Zealand 
flight has been ordered to pay the airline $1000 for causing a 30-minute delay. 
Hayim Nachum, 42, caused a bomb alert on March 3 when he boarded a flight to Wellington and told a flight attendant: 
"My friend has a bomb in his bag." 
The pilot called in airport security and a bomb dog handler to check the aircraft before taking off. 
No bomb was found and Nachum was taken off the flight and charged with providing false information relating to the 
safety of an aircraft. 
In a written sentence by Judge John Strettell delivered through Otahuhu District Court yesterday, Nachum was fined $750 
and ordered to pay Air New Zealand $1000 for causing the delay. 
Nachum, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, said he had been joking and was simply trying to get a reaction from his 
friend, Eyal Aharoni. 
Both Mr Aharoni and Wellington and Hurricanes rugby player Inoke Afeaki had previously testified on Nachum's behalf 
that he was a fun-loving man with a sense of humour. 
Judge Strettell said he accepted that Nachum was playing a joke but the remark had distressed the flight attendant. _ 
NZPA 
 
 
    Prison for cannabis-selling cop 

Former constable Pigott, convicted of selling cannabis 
   
 
FORMER Levin constable Leon Gary Pigott tried yesterday to explain his cannabis dealing by telling the High Court at 
Palmerston North he had been attempting a freelance undercover operation. 
Justice Heron sentenced Pigott, 29, to 18 months' jail. He granted him leave to apply for home detention. 
Pigott had been caught with 226.8 grams of cannabis in a police undercover operation that also netted his uncle, Michael 
Vinsen, in July. He admitted two charges of selling cannabis and another two of supplying it for sale. 
Pigott's lawyer, Peter Coles, said Pigott had made an ill-conceived and ultimately disastrous attempt to "bring off some 
coup of his own". His family and friends could not believe that someone who had worked as hard as he did to become a 
police officer would just throw it away. 
But police lawyer Peter Butler said police completely rejected Pigott's explanation. He had not told his supervising officer 
of his intentions and since his arrest had offered no information to support this explanation. 
Justice Heron said he did not know what to make of Pigott's explanation. "There is no evidence to support that. I have to 
put it to one side." 
He said the penalty had to reflect that Pigott had brought the police into disrepute. 
* `I'm stupid' p13 
 
 
Nurses vote today on strike 
  
  
 
NURSES and midwives stop work for two hours today in a possible precursor to strikes at Wellington and Kenepuru 
Hospitals. 
Their union had issued notice of a 16-hour strike from 7am on Sunday, October 1, and nurses would vote today to 
endorse or withdraw the notice, union organiser Russell Taylor said. 
Capital Coast Health said yesterday it had begun planning for the strike, which would in effect cover two shifts. 
The union said it issued the strike notice on Friday to turn up the heat before Capital Coast Health put its final offer to the 
union yesterday, but it failed to engender the results that nurses wanted. 
"We got a slight improvement in the offer but essentially the main difference is still there," Mr Taylor said. 
Capital Coast is offering 5 per cent on the base rate but nurses want 7 per cent on base and penal rates. The 
management also wants a two-year contract but nurses want fresh contract talks next year. 
Chief executive Margot Mains said hospital bosses were deciding a contingency plan and would tell patients and the 
public how services would be affected. 
The Nurses Organisation has named 550 nurses who will take part in the strike. Capital Coast Health employs 1180 
nurses. 
Capital Coast has about 45 vacant nursing positions and it has been unable to appoint nurses for planned extensions to 
services _ including new surgical contracts requiring 82 extra nurses. 
The union for specialist doctors said yesterday that it had "overwhelming sympathy" for the Capital Coast nurses. 
"Doctors work alongside nurses and I've had many specialists talk to me about their concern at the way in which nurses 
have been devalued," Association of Salaried Medical Specialists director Ian Powell said. 
 
 
  `Little hope' of finding climber alive 
  
HOPES of finding alive a climber missing for two days in Aoraki-Mt Cook National Park were fading after an aerial and 
ground search yesterday failed to find any trace of him, police said. 
The search for Douglas Bryant, 27, a public servant from Wellington, was called off yesterday afternoon because of 
deteriorating weather. 
Mr Bryant is overdue from a trip in the Mt Sefton and Mueller Glacier area. 
Mr Bryant's family, who were due to arrive in Twizel today, knew of the dwindling hopes police had of finding him alive, Mr 
McCrostie said. 
Meanwhile, police said that a missing Otaki tramper was probably dead and the search for him would be scaled down 
today. 
Senior Constable Brett Swanson said Maurice Alan Bradley, 44, who was due to come out of the bush at Manakau, 10 
kilometres southwest of Levin, last Wednesday, had probably been the "victim of misfortune". Police divers searching the 
Otaki River yesterday were unsuccessful. 
The search, which at its peak involved 40 police and volunteers, began on Saturday after Mr Bradley had been in the 
bush for six days. A scaled-down search would continue today. 
Mr Swanson said the odds were against finding Mr Bradley alive but inquiries into his disappearance would continue. 
 
 
Church's housie licence cancelled 
  
  
 
THE Internal Affairs Department's gaming section, after its third investigation, has cancelled the housie licence of a 
Porirua-based Samoan church after it said the funds raised had been misused and the games run outside the rules. 
The housie, run by the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa-Ketesemane Porirua City's youth group, was found to 
have misspent $11,578 of profits. Internal Affairs investigators also found, on visiting the housie on July 1, that more super 
house cards than housie cards were sold, more than 1000 super house cards were sold, the actual number of cards sold 
could not be determined, and a raffle was held at halftime. All these breached housie regulations. 
The investigation, the third into the church's housie operations, was started when the church was dissolved as an 
incorporated society this year for failing to table its annual accounts. 
Wellington Companies Office manager Paul Carroll said the church had since applied to be reinstated and had supplied 
accounts to the office. A decision on reinstatement had yet to be made. 
In September last year Internal Affairs found the church was running an illegal game of chance by offering big tins of 
corned beef as housie prizes instead of cash. 
Three months later it found the church had misused youth group funds to buy a $68,000 four-wheel-drive vehicle for the 
pastor and a $42,000 trip to Hawaii and Samoa for the youth group. 
Because the housie proceeds were supposed to be used for church maintenance the housie licence was suspended for 
two months for the breach. 
After its latest investigation the department cancelled the group's housie licence from September 16. 
Gaming compliance manager Warwick Hodder said that after requesting audit documents from the group three times the 
department found $11,578 of profit was not spent on authorised expenditure or authorised purposes. 
Of that, no verification was given for a sum of $9900, $1178 was paid for church vehicle expenses and $500 was money 
withdrawn for shopping in June. 
This $500 payment was made after the church had been officially wound up as an incorporated society so it was difficult 
to accept it was used legitimately. 
In a letter to the group Mr Hodder said: "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that [these latest breaches] in 
conjunction with problems previously experienced with the society, leave me with no alternative but to cancel the society's 
licence." 
 
 
Buyer for Incis computer 
  
 
POLICE have decided on the sale of the mainframe computer used to store criminal intelligence as part of the failed Incis 
project _ for less than a seventh of its original cost. 
Police general manager of finance Bruce Simpson said yesterday that the computer would be sold to international firm 
EDS, with the deal likely to be closed in the next month. 
He would not disclose how much EDS was paying for the computer, saying the information was "commercially sensitive". 
However, it is understood the mainframe is likely to fetch no more than $1 million after its value was dramatically reduced 
as part of a $66 million writedown in the worth of Incis assets this year. It originally cost $7.6 million. 
Mr Simpson said EDS would assume responsibility for maintaining the computer, and police would lease back the 
capacity to continue storing intelligence on it. 
He was aware that some would criticise the sale, but insisted it was the most cost-effective end to the Incis debacle. 
"We made a bad decision and we've been slammed for it. What we are doing now is looking forward and saying what's 
the most cost-effective way of providing the capacity [to store intelligence data]," he said. 
"The big point about this sale is not actually what we can get for it but that we are going to lower our maintenance and 
management costs big-style." 
The Incis project, designed to overhaul the way police store and access criminal intelligence, was canned last year after 
contractor IBM pulled out after continued cost overruns and delays. 
The final cost was about $107 million, but the writedown reduced the value of the hardware, software and other assets by 
$66 million. Incis is to be replaced by a nationally networked investigation system costing about $500,000. 
Mr Simpson said the sale of the mainframe _ recommended in a report into the Incis project _ would go through once 
issues such as the service requirements on EDS were settled. 
Cash from the sale would go toward other police computing projects scheduled in the next three years, though he 
declined to details these for commercial reasons. 
 
 
  German man jailed 
  
A German man who had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of a Bay of Plenty couple in an accident 
near Turangi in May was jailed yesterday. Frank Stielow, 33, a German national who has been in New Zealand about a 
year, was jailed for two years and disqualified from driving for three years when he appeared in Taupo District Court. 
 
 
Union moves meeting 
  
  
 
Because of a high interest the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union is to move the venue for tomorrow's 
meeting for Wellington employers, anxious to hear how the Employment Relations Act will work, from the union's head 
office in Bouverie St, Petone, to the Petone Working Men's Club. 
 
 
Cocaine seized 
 
  
 
Police seized more than 200 grams of cocaine, with a street value of $70,000, yesterday and arrested two men after 
searches in Christchurch, Dunedin and Timaru. Two Dunedin men, aged 41 and 38, were arrested and charged with the 
importation and supply of the Class A drug. A Dunedin man, 37, was charged with supplying the hallucinogenic drug lsd. 
Further arrests were likely. 
 
 
German jailed 
  
  
 
A German man who had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of a Bay of Plenty couple in an accident 
near Turangi in May was jailed yesterday. Frank Stielow, 33, who has been in New Zealand about a year, was jailed for 
two years and disqualified from driving for three years when he appeared in Taupo District Court. 
 
 
Kidnap charge 
  
 
A 36-year-old Waitarere Beach man was arrested yesterday on six charges, including kidnapping, assault and threatening 
to kill, police said. Five of the six charges relate to an incident on Foxton Beach on May 9. The man is to appear in Levin 
District Court on Friday. 
 
 
  Prayer breakfast 
  
More than 300 people combined eating and praying at the Wellington Town Hall yesterday morning. The Council of 
Wellington Churches hosted the 2000 Capital City prayer breakfast to encourage continued prayer for New Zealand. 
Prayers for the nation, city and church were given and Governor-General Sir Michael Hardie Boys gave a speech about 
leadership. 
 
 
Fire damages house 
  
 
The kitchen-dining area of a house in Lincoln Rd, Masterton, was badly damaged in a fire yesterday afternoon. The Fire 
Service said a closed door between the kitchen and bedroom areas had prevented the fire from spreading. There were no 
suspicious circumstances. 
 
 
Inmate waits 
   
 
Child-sex offender Stephen Staynor is expected to learn early next month whether he will be freed from prison or kept 
behind bars. He was due to be freed yesterday after serving two-thirds of a nine-year sentence for offences against an 11-
year-old Wanganui boy. The Corrections Department applied late last week to detain him longer. The Parole Board will 
meet to consider the application. 
 
 
  Toxic gas leak 
  
A toxic gas leak forced staff and patients to evacuate Family Planning's clinic in Victoria St, Wellington, yesterday. Five 
fire trucks were called to the building about 9.30am when a chemical used in the sanitising equipment began producing an 
acid-like gas. No staff or patients were injured and they were able to return to the building after two hours. 
 
 
  Counting the cost of road accidents 
  
  
 
THE cost of vehicle crashes in Masterton district last year was estimated at $18,980,000, of which $9.92 million was from 
accidents on state highways and $9.06 million from crashes on local roads. 
Masterton District Council policy and finance committee was told last night that the number of injury crashes last year 
increased to 55 from 47 the previous year and fatal crashes fell from three to two. 
Speed on rural roads was a continuing problem and the crash rate was above the New Zealand average. 
The most frequent driver casualty age group was 15 to 24 years. 
 
 
  More opt for bail with electronic tagging 
   
 
HOME DETENTION as a bail condition is increasing in popularity _ for those who can afford it. 
So far, only a handful of defendants have been allowed bail in home detention _ wearing an electronic anklet to monitor 
their movements. 
The downside is that they have to pay for it themselves. 
The system is the same as that used by the Corrections Department for certain prisoners sentenced to less than two 
years in jail and those approaching the end of their jail terms. 
One of those who paid for electronic surveillance while on bail was Wellington businesswoman Anita Faisandier, who 
spent 10 months in home detention before being found guilty on 20 charges over the creation of $40 million in false credit, 
though the actual loss was $833,000. 
Another is Hing Hung Wong, a Hong Kong businessman based in Auckland who was accused of masterminding a 486-
kilogram shipment of heroin to California in 1991. 
He successfully resisted extradition in that case but is on bail awaiting an extradition hearing on an application by Hong 
Kong police in relation to other drug charges. 
In addition to the electronic anklet monitoring, Wong is under 24-hour surveillance by security guards. 
In another case before the High Court at Auckland, an accused man had to pay a $40,000 bond. 
The actual cost of the system to the user is about $15 a day and installing a monitoring unit costs about $175. 
Auckland lawyer Murray Gibson has one client on home detention but failed yesterday in his application for a second at a 
High Court bail hearing before Justice Tony Randerson. 
Mr Gibson was enthusiastic about the system. "It is effectively a person being in custody but having to pay for it himself 
rather than having the taxpayer being put to the expense," he said. 
John Haigh, QC, who represents two people on home detention, including Wong, said the system was being used more 
widely. 
He suggested authorities might chip in. 
"If it cost the public less to have people on home detention, yet still ensured that they met the terms and conditions of bail, 
maybe it would be feasible for the Corrections Department to consider contributing towards the cost." 
Ross Gibson, national operations manager for security firm Chubb, which runs the system for the Corrections 
Department, said six people, all in Auckland, were on bail in home detention. 
No one on bail had been reported to police for breaching home detention. Chubb staff could detect attempts to tamper 
with the anklet or leave the restricted area. _ NZPA 
 
 
Lincoln aims to outwit grape-feasting birds 
 
FAKE grapes are being used in a research programme at Lincoln University which could lead to ways of stopping 
expensive bird damage in vineyards. 
The artificial grapes have been made from agar and gelatine by Valerie Davies as part of her doctoral degree studies. 
She is using food colouring in the grapes to find out what attracts certain birds to grape varieties and it is hoped this will 
lead to finding ways of deterring birds from interfering with fruit-bearing vines. 
Dr Mike Trought of the university's centre for viticulture and oenology said birds were the main grape vine pest and cost 
New Zealand grape growers millions of dollars a year. 
Without bird control in the university's experimental vineyard there would be no grapes left by harvest time, he said. 
Researchers knew that birds damaged some grape varieties more than others, but not why. 
Bird behaviour changed as fruit ripened. The sugar content rose and acid content decreased, and some grapes changed 
colour. There could also be other more subtle changes. 
It was already known that blackbirds, silvereyes and thrushes all caused significant damage to grape crops, but the 
behaviour of each species differed. 
Blackbirds and thrushes plucked grapes and ate them whole, but silvereyes pecked holes in them without taking them 
from the bunch. 
The university believed that a better understanding of what attracted birds to crops and how to stop them would have 
applications worldwide, Dr Gahaam Hickling of the university's ecology and entomology group said. 
 
 
Former policeman sues Social Welfare 
  
  
 
DUNEDIN 
A FORMER policeman wants $200,000 in damages from the Social Welfare Department for a prosecution five years ago 
that he said was malicious and an abuse of process. 
The man, whose name was suppressed, had been charged with breaching a restraining order by raping his teenage 
daughter. As a result, he was humiliated and suffered enormous anxiety. His reputation was damaged, along with his 
relationship with his family. 
The man's claim against a social worker and attorney-general, on behalf of the department, began before Justice Young 
in the High Court at Dunedin yesterday. 
The man denied the allegation when he appeared in Dunedin District Court on June 30, 1995. 
Four weeks later, the departmental prosecutor failed to appear in court and the charge was dismissed "without prejudice", 
which meant it could be laid again. It never was. A subsequent police investigation overseen by the Police Complaints 
Authority resulted in no criminal prosecution. 
The court was told that the man's daughter told a senior Dunedin police officer last year that the allegations she had made 
were untrue. 
Judith Ablett-Kerr, QC, appearing for the man, said his daughter had been having psychological problems for some time 
before she was referred to Social Welfare. 
She had made an allegation of sexual abuse by another male relative and had referred in her diary, left open for her 
mother to read, to sexual abuse by her father in 1994. The girl's parents were separated. 
Police agreed to start an inquiry but before they could start, the department laid a charge against the man. 
Mrs Ablett-Kerr said there was no prospect of success because no breach had occurred. In laying the information, the 
defendants showed their underlying malice by not merely alleging a breach of the restraining order but by alleging rape. _ 
NZPA 
 
 
  Pensioner murder arrest made 
   
 
A HAMILTON man was arrested last night and charged with the murder of pensioner Paropkari Lal on Friday night. 
The 31-year-old unemployed man will appear in Hamilton District Court today. 
Detective Inspector Bruce Scott said a knife believed to have been used in the killing had been recovered. 
Mr Lal's body was found at the bottom of a steep bank near Hamilton's band rotunda on a riverside reserve early 
Saturday. His throat had been cut. Police said the 70-year-old might have died close to where he was found, though he 
had been dragged down the bank. 
Police said they were still looking for a man, aged about 18, with blond spiky hair, who was seen in a distressed state near 
the murder scene early on Saturday. 
"We don't believe he was involved in the homicide itself but only he can tell us what upset him," Mr Scott said. _ NZPA 
 
Millionaire snaps up ceremonial gold sword 

 Webb's jewellery consultant Chris Devereaux with the sword 
   
 
A JEWEL-encrusted sword that has graced the walls of royalty, a prime minister and a convicted murderer found a new 
wall to hang from last night. 
The ceremonial sword and its solid-gold scabbard was sold for $38,000 by Auckland's Webb's Auctioneers to millionaire 
Sir Roger Bhatnagar. 
It is the second time in a week that Sir Roger has dabbled in the collectables market. 
Last week, he sold his McLaren Formula One racing car for $1.8 million, a New Zealand record for a used road car. 
Sir Roger was not at the bidding. 
The actual price paid, including gst and buyer's premium, was $42,275, Webb's said. It had a reserve price of $30,000. 
Previous owners include the Emir of Bahrain, who gifted it to Labour prime minister David Lange, and convicted murderer 
John Barlow. 
The last owners, Wairarapa businessmen Rick Long and Paul Henry, decided to sell after failing to persuade the Museum 
of New Zealand, Te Papa, to display it. It had been sitting in a bank vault in Carterton. 
The sword was given a melted-down value of about $23,000 in 1995, the gold valued at $15,000 and the pearls worth 
$8000. 
However, its intrinsic value was difficult to determine, but could be worth between $50,000 and $100,000, Mr Long said. 
The pair bought the sword for $20,000 as an investment in 1995 from Barlow, then facing charges of murdering 
Wellington father and son Gene and Eugene Thomas. Barlow, who sold the sword to help pay for his defence, had paid 
$550 when he bought it at auction from Mr Lange in 1992. 
 
 
  Harre tells women, youth to speak up 

Ms Harre, right, talks to Youth Forum representatives from Napier and Hastings 
   
 
WOMEN and young people needed to be more vocal in promoting their own interests, Women's Affairs and Youth Affairs 
Minister Laila Harre said in Napier yesterday. 
At a Suffrage Day breakfast, Ms Harre said that despite all the earlier progress toward equality for women, the present 
generation of women workers had suffered setbacks in the past two decades. 
"I think it's fair to say that the organised movement for women's equality has lost momentum and the result has been very 
little progress towards true social and economic equality in the last 15 or 20 years." 
Women were trailing men economically because they took time out from their careers to have babies and not enough 
women were agitating for paid parental leave. 
"What has been missing from the public debate is the voice of women themselves. No matter how supportive or 
sympathetic the government is, these are issues that cannot be changed without broad public support." 
Last night she was to attend a function in Auckland to introduce a campaign to revive the push for paid parental leave. 
Later, Ms Harre told a gathering of Youth Forum representatives from Napier and Hastings that there were not enough 
young women coming through to take the positions gained for them by the previous generation. "I see a big gap coming 
up," she said. 
Teenagers' health had declined in New Zealand while the health of all other age groups had improved. 
Problems facing teenagers included high rates of youth suicide, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, road 
casualties, and abuse of alcohol and drugs. She called the student loans scheme "a hopeless failure". 
Communities had a big role to play in tackling the underlying causes of such problems _ and so did the young people 
themselves. 
"It's really important that young people start agitating for things themselves. The message is that youth participation has to 
be about pushing the limits," she said. 
 
 
The bug that makes a meal of mealybugs 

 Pseudaphycus maculipennis 
   
 
BUGS that make a meal of mealybugs are set to start helping New Zealand fruit-growers. 
The tiny wasp P-mac _ scientists' shorthand for Pseudaphycus maculipennis _ is the first new organism introduced into 
New Zealand under legislation requiring hearings before the Environment Risk Management Agency. 
If it does its job of chomping up the mealy bugs, it will save fruit-growers millions of dollars, make their fruit more 
attractive, and improve the acceptability of New Zealand fruit to overseas markets by reducing the use of pesticides, 
HortResearch scientists believe. 
The mealybug that does the damage _ attacking apples, grapes, and summer fruit such as nectarines and peaches _ is 
an accidentally introduced species known as the obscure mealybug, up to 4.5 millimetres long. 
New Zealand has more than 100 native species of mealybug, which live mainly on native vegetation. Almost all of these 
species have their own specialist parasites, insects that lay their eggs inside the mealybugs. 
P-mac specialises in eating the obscure mealybug, but it has not managed to get to New Zealand under its own steam. 
Now some Hawke's Bay orchardists, supported by HortResearch, are preparing to hit the obscure mealybug with its 
natural enemy. 
John Charles of the Mt Albert HortResearch station in Auckland, tested P-mac with the New Zealand mealy bugs and 
discovered that it was not interested in eating any of them. He also tried several closely related native species. 
"P-mac was first found in the Canary Isles, and is also found naturally in the south of France," Mr Charles said. 
"It has been introduced into the Republic of Georgia and recently into Australia, where it seems to be controlling the 
obscure mealybug." 
Mr Charles's laboratory is breeding P-mac so there will be enough to free early next year. 
Jim Walker of the HortResearch station in Havelock North estimated that the obscure mealybug cost fruit-growers about 
$9 million a year. 
The bug leaves honey-dew on fruit which can develop into a sooty mould, and the insect itself also hides under the calyx 
(top) of apples. 
It has become very difficult to find acceptable pesticides to combat the pest, Dr Walker said. In any case, growers were 
looking for "greener" ways of producing their fruit. 
Once P-mac was established it should be self-sustaining, so the only costs would be in monitoring its effectiveness. 
HortResearch presented evidence for a group of growers at a hearing in May, when the Conservation Department and the 
Royal Forest and Bird Society opposed the introduction of P-mac. 
Three months later the Environmental Risk Management Agency gave the go-ahead and Dr Walker said this decision 
showed that the new system was working well. 
Taradale orchardist Di Gillum who plants for a group of growers throughout Hawke's Bay, said some had been hit hard by 
mealybugs and whole shipments could be rejected from export if the bug was found at a port of entry. 
There was only one effective spray they could use, and even then they were allowed to use it only before flowering 
because of regulations in the United States, the main market. 
The group was looking for a safe biological control, as it now uses for most other pests. 
"We're just hoping this little fellow can do the job _ we won't know till harvest 2002," she said. 
 
 
Elderly man faces murder charge 
  
CHRISTCHURCH 
POLICE will charge an elderly man with murder after the death of a fellow rest home resident earlier this month. 
Detective Senior Sergeant Peter Read said the man would be charged with murder at a special sitting of Christchurch 
District Court today. 
The charge follows the death of Alicia Doreen Grant, 93, whose body was found in her bed in a specialist dementia unit at 
the Santa Maria rest home in suburban Beckenham on September 4. 
Mr Read refused to give any details about the man accused of Mrs Grant's murder. 
It is understood the resident is an elderly man who was being cared for in the dementia unit with Mrs Grant. 
Mr Read said it was inappropriate for him to comment further with court proceedings now imminent. 
Police began a homicide inquiry after an autopsy on Mrs Grant's body on the afternoon she died. 
After interviewing rest home staff they were awaiting the results of a medical assessment on the elderly man before 
deciding if he should face criminal charges. 
Police also sought advice from the Crown Law Office on the appropriateness of laying charges against him. 
They said he was not considered a danger to others. 
Police are also preparing a file for an inquest into Mrs Grant's death. 
Santa Maria rest home proprietor Tui Ward said yesterday she was "absolutely shattered" at the police decision to charge 
the man with murder. 
Police had warned her it was a likely outcome of their inquiries, but she doubted they would go ahead and lay the murder 
charge, she said. 
"I cannot see how they can justify such a charge since the person was suffering such severe dementia," Mrs Ward said. 
"I think the public needs to know that this man cannot be held responsible for what he's done." _ NZPA 
 
 
    Employee stole computer parts, court told 
  
  
 
WHEN Quay Computers employee Christopher Lagrange left to set up a website he took $7000 worth of computer 
memory modules with him, Wellington District Court was told yesterday. 
His former boss, Peter James Haig, said this at a hearing to decide if Lagrange, 26, should be tried for theft. The hearing 
will continue on October 13. 
When a supplier asked for payment for the modules that Mr Haig had ordered to be returned, he began a search for them 
but they could not be found. 
He said his firm built computers and it was possible they could have been used in a computer assembly, as had 
happened in the past, though that was unlikely. 
 
 
TB survivor gets story off her chest 

Mrs Knapp with one of her sculptures 
   
 
AT 71, Pauline Knapp is coming out of the closet. 
"Just like gay people, I've come out and I'm talking about TB," says the Palmerston North grandmother and sculptor. 
The stigma she associates with tuberculosis has kept Mrs Knapp in the closet for 50 years. She is talking about it now for 
the first time to help efforts to improve immunisation rates. 
The Immunisation Advisory Centre is collecting and recording the stories of Mrs Knapp and others like her because it is 
concerned many parents, and even doctors, have never seen the illnesses that vaccination can prevent. 
Tuberculosis rates in New Zealand are creeping up _ they hit a worrying 19-year high last year with 452 reported cases 
and 10 deaths. 
One in three New Zealand children is not fully immunised. 
"I can't believe people can be blase about it," Mrs Knapp said. 
"People tend to think it's only people from poor areas who get TB, but it's not. It can happen to anyone." 
Mrs Knapp was a 17-year-old trainee nurse when she caught tuberculosis from a patient in Christchurch in 1947. 
She was bed-ridden for six months and quarantined for two years at Christchurch's Coronation Hospital. 
"We were young and we were told not to go out, not to get tired. I missed out on an awful lot in life. I loved sport and I 
loved tennis," she said. 
"I went back to tennis again after I had two children but I started having nightmares about coughing blood." 
Though she was contagious for only six weeks, the stigma haunted her for years. "I can remember my aunt coming to visit 
and she sat 10 feet away . . . people kept children away. You tend to feel like a leper and not tell anyone," she said. 
The centre said it was collecting stories like Mrs Knapp's to inform doctors and parents about vaccine-preventable 
diseases. It is also collecting stories on diphtheria, polio, influenza, complications of measles or mumps, whooping cough, 
hepatitis B, congenital rubella and tetanus. 
 
 
  Maoris rally to save violence conference 
  
A FAMILY violence conference cancelled after a Maori women's group complained it clashed with the anniversary of the 
invasion of Parihaka will go ahead as planned, thanks to strong support from Maori groups and individuals. 
Organisers of the Beyond Violence conference, planned for New Plymouth from November 6 to 8, cancelled it last week 
after the local Tu Tama Wahine group brought in a Parihaka kaumatua who ordered it stopped because November 7 was 
the anniversary of the sacking in 1881 of Parihaka Pa, at the foot of Mt Egmont, by government troops. 
But conference coordinator Andrea Needham said yesterday that the tremendous Maori support since news broke of the 
cancellation meant the conference would go ahead. 
So far most of the speakers and 500 delegates contacted had said they could still attend, though many had cancelled 
advance-purchase air tickets and now had to re-book at higher fares. 
Invited speakers include Women's Refuge chief executive Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, commissioner for children Roger 
McClay, principal Youth Court Judge David Carruthers, Dunedin QC Judith Ablett-Kerr and New Plymouth paediatrician 
and child abuse specialist Robin Fancourt. 
Ms Needham resigned from the conference committee in protest last week but said she had now rejoined. Extra members 
had also joined to speed up the organising work. 
New Plymouth District Council was looking at giving money for a paid helper. 
 
 
  Inmate seriously injured in sawmill accident 
  
  
 
A SAWMILL accident in which a Rangipo Prison inmate suffered serious injuries to a hand is being investigated by 
Occupational Safety and Health. 
The 24-year-old inmate from the minimum-security prison near Turangi was flown by Taupo-based Tranz Rail rescue 
helicopter to Waikato Hospital for emergency treatment yesterday. 
Helicopter spokesman Shamus Howard said the inmate suffered serious and multiple lacerations to the hand that could 
require specialist surgery. 
A Corrections Department operations manager, David Bremner, confirmed Occupational Safety and Health had been 
notified. A post-accident review had been completed, he said. 
"What has happened is that this guy ignored warnings and went ahead and poked a stick in the extraction unit . . . the 
extraction unit had been blocked, it had been switched off and as it was slowing down the inmate approached it with a 
stick. The inmate was told to step back but he didn't and his glove got caught and drew his hand in." 
 
 
  Auckland City crime rate soars ahead of Wellington 
  
EVERYTHING you ever thought about Auckland being New Zealand's crime capital is true _ and the latest police statistics 
prove it. 
Auckland's crime rate is half as much again as Wellington's and considerably more than anywhere else in New Zealand. 
Only the Bay of Plenty and East Cape-Hawke's Bay regions come anywhere near Auckland's figures and they are still well 
behind. 
These statistics do not give the raw number of crimes committed _ Auckland has the most crimes by virtue of having the 
biggest population. It wins the high-crime stakes thanks to figures which show the number of crimes committed for every 
10,000 residents. 
This enables a meaningful comparison to be made between crime rates in different centres. 
And we are talking about just the main Auckland isthmus, the area covered by Auckland City Council (which is the 
Auckland police district), not the greater metropolitan area. The North Shore, West Auckland and supposedly crime-ridden 
South Auckland have substantially lower crime rates than central Auckland _ though many of the people who commit 
Auckland's crimes come from outlying suburbs to do so. 
The figures for the number of crimes per 10,000 residents were issued as an appendix to the national crime statistics for 
the year to June, published last week. 
Auckland City had 1575 crimes for every 10,000 residents. By comparison, the Wellington police district, which covers the 
entire region north to Otaki, had 1026 crimes for every 10,000 people. 
But acting Auckland district commander Superintendent Peter Marshall said 42 per cent of those committing crimes in 
Auckland City lived outside it. "Also, half of those actually apprehended for burglaries live in a neighbouring or nearby 
policing district." 
Thus Auckland's North Shore-Waitakere police district recorded just 887 crimes for each 10,000 residents, by far the 
lowest in New Zealand, while the Counties-Manukau district (South Auckland) recorded 1174 crimes for each 10,000 
residents. Their residents will no doubt be relieved many of their criminals head for central Auckland to commit their 
crimes. 
The Bay of Plenty police district had the next-worst crime rate behind Auckland with 1283 crimes per 10,000, followed by 
the Eastern police district (East Cape and Hawke's Bay) with 1281, Waikato 1225, Central (Taranaki-Wanganui-
Manawatu) 1175, Northland 1155, Southern (Otago-Southland) with 1098, Canterbury 1088 and Tasman 1020. 
 
 
  Police go door-knocking over Nelson stabbing 
  
NELSON police are carrying out door-to-door inquiries in the area where an elderly woman was stabbed on Saturday 
night. 
The 81-year-old was knocked to the ground and stabbed with a steak knife while walking home on Shakespeare Walk at 
7.30pm. She activated a personal alarm before she was stabbed. The knife blade snapped off and was left embedded 6.5 
centimetres into her back. 
The woman was yesterday in a comfortable condition in Nelson Hospital. 
Detective Terry Milton said police began a door-to-door search of the area. 
They were not ruling out the possibility that the attacker might not live in Nelson, Mr Milton said. 
"Nelson is a fairly transient place _ there are people coming all the time, especially with the port," he said. 
The attacker was described as about 1.85 metres tall, (6ft, 1in) light-skinned, of slim build with fine facial features. 
He was wearing a dark beanie, a dark waist-length jacket and dark pants. _ NZPA 
 
 
Women still have a long way to go, says official 
  
 
WOMEN in New Zealand had made big advances since winning the vote 107 years ago, but still had a lot to achieve, 
Women's Affairs Ministry acting chief executive Ann Clark said yesterday. 
She told a Suffrage Day celebration in Wellington that more women were becoming managers and directors of boards, 
and 30 per cent of parliamentarians were women. 
Areas still needing improvement included access to justice, employment equity and the lives of Maori and Pacific women, 
Ms Clark said. 
Labour Minister Margaret Wilson told another Suffrage Day celebration in Wellington it was a good time to reflect on 
women who had gone before and what they had done. But women should not get carried away about advances made 
because many of the same issues were still cropping up, such as the fight for paid parental leave. 
The repeal of the Employment Contracts Act and introduction of the Employment Relations Act had been priorities 
because it provided for the economic equality of women. 
About 20 women wearing colonial costumes began a campaign on Parliament's steps yesterday for 14 weeks of paid 
parental leave. 
Events to mark the beginning of the campaign were held in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin with the theme: "First to get 
the vote _ last to get paid parental leave." 
 
 
Youth jailed for 11 burglaries 
  
A 17-year-old Porirua youth was jailed for 18 months when he appeared in Porirua District Court yesterday on 11 burglary 
charges, including the theft of a braille computer. 
Stacy Iobu Tekahurangi Taitapanui, unemployed of Linden, committed 11 burglaries, nine of them between April and July. 
Taitapanui was also convicted of three charges of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and a theft charge. 
Judge Patrick Keane said reparation costs were believed to be about $35,000. 
Defence lawyer Craig Smith said Taitapanui started the burglaries to pay his rent because he had lost his job. 
Judge Keane granted Taitapanui leave to apply for home detention. 
 
 
Banned doctor convicted 
  
A DOCTOR struck off the medical register for fraud has fallen foul of the law again while working as a medical 
receptionist. 
Andrew McNab, 47, was convicted in Hamilton District Court on Friday and sentenced to 2000 hours community service 
for continuing to treat patients at the Raglan Medical Centre after being deregistered. 
McNab was removed from the medical register in 1996 and spent seven months in prison for medical benefit fraud. 
The court found his benefit claims for 80 patients a day could not be substantiated. 
He returned to the Raglan Medical Centre in 1998 as a receptionist, but a Health Ministry audit that year found he had 
written prescriptions. 
"I agree I just overstepped the mark," said McNab, who pleaded guilty at the hearing. 
He admitted checking an asthmatic girl's breathing with a stethoscope, giving two women contraceptive injections, 
prescribing antibiotics on two occasions, and checking a friend's back problem. 
"I'll make sure I won't do it again," he said yesterday. 
McNab said his family owned the medical centre, which had no permanent doctor or nurse when he returned in 1998. 
While working as a receptionist, he said he "prepared" patients for visiting doctors, filling the role of a nurse. 
He is still helping out unpaid at the clinic a few hours each week, but a nurse had now been employed, he said. 
Health Ministry senior adviser Steve Anthony said several agencies had expressed concern that McNab was was treating 
patients despite written instructions from the Medical Council that he was not permitted to. 
"There was no doubt that McNab knew what he legally could or could not do." 
 
 
Fugitive may sell drugs say police 
  
 
FUGITIVE Daniel Eliu is thought to be armed and financing his run from the law by selling drugs on the street. 
Eliu fled from Otahuhu District Court in South Auckland nearly two weeks ago. Police said he was dangerous and should 
not be approached. 
Detective Sergeant Neil Grimstone said yesterday that Eliu's de facto wife was thought to be helping him and would be 
charged when found. 
Eliu was probably carrying a handgun, or a sawn-off rifle or shotgun, Mr Grimstone said. 
He was probably selling drugs to finance his fugitive lifestyle but was not believed to have committed robberies since his 
escape. _ NZPA 
 
 
Gully petition presented 
  
 
WELLINGTON people have been invited to Parliament this morning for the presentation of a petition calling for an early 
start to the construction of the Transmission Gully motorway. 
Ohariu-Belmont MP and United New Zealand leader Peter Dunne is presenting his 24,000 signature Do it Now petition to 
the transport and industrial relations select committee. 
People were invited to meet outside Parliament at 10.30am to provide a "symbolic and practical" show of support for the 
Linden to McKays Crossing motorway. 
This would add weight to the already strong regional support and be a great opportunity to demonstrate the urgent need 
to make Transmission Gully a reality, Mr Dunne said. 
 
 
Deepening mystery over unidentified man's body 
Police hope someone will recognise clothing worn by a man whose body was found on September 12 
   
 
AUCKLAND 
TWO words are all that police are asking for in the deepening mystery of an unidentified body found in bush west of 
Auckland last week. 
"All we need is a name _ a surname would be an excellent start, a Christian name and a surname would be even better, 
two words are all we need," Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Franklin said yesterday. 
"Someone's life has been taken. If someone feels they want to speak to us we would be more than happy to speak to 
anyone on a strictly confidential basis." 
Mr Franklin said that since September 12 when the decomposing body was found where it had been dumped and covered 
in foliage, the mystery of the man's identity had deepened. 
Police and pathologists were convinced the man had been murdered and that he was probably from West Auckland but 
little else was known about him, he said. 
No details of how the man died would be published till he had been identified. 
However, Mr Franklin said that from studying the man's teeth, police now believed he was between 20 and 30 and not 
between 20 and 40. 
The man's body was so badly decomposed it was impossible to say if he was Maori or European. He wore a blue nylon 
jacket with "Nokia" on the collar, a black T-shirt with the words "Coed Naked Rock & Roll The Harder You Play The 
Louder You Get", blue Real McCoy jeans, and Reebok boots. 
Mr Franklin said with each day the mystery deepened and it was difficult to understand why no one had reported the man 
as missing. He might have been involved in gangs and drugs and people who knew he was missing might also be scared 
to tell police for fear of receiving the same treatment. 
"The gut feeling is this man is a young local chap." Today police would fill the area where the body was found with police 
and notices, seeking public help. There may be more than one killer though the body might have been dragged into the 
bush by one person. _ NZPA 
 
Police eye hi-tech option to identify murder victim 

 Police hope someone will recognise this T-shirt and pendant worn by a man whose body was found on September 12 
  
 
DETECTIVES struggling to identify a West Auckland murder victim could use computer technology to produce a digitally 
enhanced image of the man's face. 
They have sought advice from officers who used the photo imaging techniques in the unsolved murder case of Japanese 
tourist Kayo Matsuzawa. 
The body of a man, thought to be a European or part-Maori in his 20s, was found in the Waitakere Ranges nine days ago 
by a woman walking her dogs. 
The body had been there for up to two months. Only one thumbprint was lifted and police did not find a match in their 
computer database. 
Police said the case was "bamboozling" and admitted it was beginning to frustrate them. 
The officer in charge even suggested whoever killed the man was involved in a conspiracy to keep the victim's identity a 
secret. 
"I cannot believe that after a week's publicity someone hasn't come forward with a name," Detective Senior Sergeant 
Mark Franklin said. 
"It's starting to give me the distinct impression that the people who are involved in this are doing a pretty good job of 
covering up the identity and somehow preventing it coming to us." 
Mr Franklin said his team had talked with the officers who investigated the murder of Miss Matsuzawa, whose naked body 
was found in a cupboard in Auckland two years ago. The body had been there 10 days and decomposition proved an 
obstacle to identification. 
With the help of a pathologist who took skull measurements and estimated muscle and tissue thickness, graphic artists 
using computer software provided police with a digitally enhanced image of Miss Matsuzawa, which was used on fliers. 
Mr Franklin said he was keen to use that technology, though he was still hopeful someone would come forward as 
publicity about the victim's distinctive clothing and Maori pendant would normally have resulted in a positive match. 
Police are refusing to say how the man died till they have identified him. _ NZPA 
 
 
  Maharey bans CYFS boss from National's child abuse meeting 
   
 
SOCIAL Services Minister Steve Maharey has banned the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services's chief social 
worker from a conference on child abuse organised by National. 
The Stop The Hurt conference on October 27 is supposed to be a debate about mandatory reporting of child abuse. 
But while National maintains it is a non-political forum for sharing ideas, Mr Maharey says it is part of the party's policy 
development process. 
His refusal to let chief social worker Mike Doolan attend "sickened" National's social services spokesman Bob Simcock 
who had personally sent the invitation last month. 
"Mr Maharey is playing the lowest form of politics with this issue and it's an issue which is far too serious for that sort of 
asinine behaviour," Mr Simcock said. 
In his invitation, Mr Simcock told Mr Doolan that debate on mandatory reporting needed Child, Youth and Family input. 
He said there was no predetermined outcome for the conference and MPs of all parties were invited but would not present 
papers. 
Mr Maharey's response to the conference also upset and confused Commissioner for Children Roger McClay who has 
agreed to chair it. 
Mr McClay had earlier criticised National's marketing of the conference for linking him with the political party. But last night 
he said he had never heard the conference described as a forum to develop opposition party policy. 
He would ask Mr Maharey and the State Services Commissioner for some ground rules about what conferences or talks 
he was allowed to attend. 
"If people perceive that I am being party political in this job it will detract from my ability to do it." 
Mr Maharey said Mr McClay was an independent officer _ "a different kind of public servant than Mr Doolan". 
The Goverment was opposed to mandatory reporting and Mr Doolan was delivering Government policy. It followed that 
being at the conference would be uncomfortable for Mr Doolan. 
"Its a no-brainer," Mr Maharey said. 
 
 
      School scraps playtime for three weeks 
  
CHILDREN at Wellington's Berhampore School are being made to go without morning and afternoon breaks in a trial the 
Educational Institute says could breach health and safety regulations. 
But principal Mark Potter said yesterday that the three-week trial of no morning or afternoon playtime breaks for senior 
children was already producing positive results. 
The trial was of a system used commonly overseas, in which children learned in three-hour blocks. 
The NZEI confirmed that it had been asked to look into the matter. 
Field staff regional manager Carol Parker said the union had 10 members at the school, including two support staff, 
teachers and the principal. 
"We are monitoring it and when someone formally asks us to do something about it then we will meet with the principal 
and staff. At this stage, we have written to them and we are waiting to see what their response is," Ms Parker said. 
There was nothing in the teachers' collective employment contract requiring morning and afternoon tea breaks, though 
there was such a provision for support staff. 
"Teachers get breaks because children have breaks so even though we would consider that it is not healthy for students 
not to have a small break, what we can do is talk to the board about health and safety issues for our members and for the 
children," she said. 
Teachers who had been rostered for playground duty, or who had to supervise during wet weather, could go the whole 
day with barely a break at all. 
Mr Potter said senior syndicate teachers had approached him to ask if they could trial the system, under which children 
could still stop for a snack at certain times, but could not go outside "for a free-for-all and run-around". 
Junior classes were not involved in the trial, only years four, five and six (standards two, three and four). 
Next term, teachers would meet to discuss whether the system had meant gains in areas such as behaviour and 
concentration. 
He had not had any complaints from parents or children about the trial, and had also been getting favourable reaction 
from teachers. 
"We are already seeing good results," Mr Potter said. 
"We have a system here, Steps, where children are placed on steps, like a detention system, for inappropriate behaviour. 
Already we are noticing a huge reduction in the number of seniors being placed on it." 
That was probably for two reasons, he said. First, pupils' work cycles were not being interrupted. Second, they were not 
going out at playtime to run around for 15 minutes and getting into difficulties which teachers had to sort out when they 
came back in. 
"It seems to have some real benefits." 
If teachers wanted a break, they could have drinks brought to them in the classroom, ask for cover if they needed to go to 
the toilet, or, if their class was settled enough, leave the class without cover. 
"In some ways, it has given greater flexibility to teachers," Mr Potter said. "Instead of waiting till 10.30am, especially for 
women holding on, they can go when they need to." 
One class had been using the system since the start of term two, but that was a class of children who had come through 
from a Montessori preschool which had the same philosophy. 
The board of trustees chairwoman could not be contacted for comment yesterday. 
 
D'Urville subdivision rejected 
   
 
A PROPOSED subdivision on d'Urville Island in the Marlborough Sounds has been turned down because of 
environmental, heritage and cultural concerns. 
The subdivision would have created six sections on a block of land on the foreshore of Greville Harbour on the island's 
west coast. 
The land is believed to contain the remains of Maoris killed in battle in the late 18th century. 
The plan had been opposed by local tribes, the Historic Places Trust, the Archaeological Association and the 
Conservation Department. A Marlborough District Council committee rejected it. _ NZPA 
 
 
Sex on stage outlined to court 
  
  
 
CHRISTCHURCH 
A CHRISTCHURCH massage parlour licensee is to stand trial on three charges of presenting an indecent show after a 
21-year-old birthday boy allegedly had sex on stage at a strip show. 
A woman named Monique had oral sex and then intercourse on stage with the unknown 21-year-old at Atami Bath House 
on October 28, last year, a depositions hearing in Christchurch District Court was told yesterday. 
Atami Bath House licensee Russel Dillon Horlor, 49, a company director, has been committed for trial, with a pre-trial 
conference set down for November 7. 
Police witnesses told of a range of sex acts performed, including some audience members being given oral sex by the 
performers or encouraged to perform oral sex on the women. 
In evidence, Sergeant Jeffrey Bland said the 21-year-old had been propelled on stage by his noisy mates, who were the 
main group at the show. 
Detective Douglas Parker said he had spoken to Horlor and his wife, who was also involved in the parlour, after the shows 
in 1998 and received an undertaking they would give guidelines to the performers about what was acceptable. 
_ NZPA 
 
 
  First apprenticeships 
   
 
THE first industries to benefit from the Government's Modern Apprenticeships scheme were announced yesterday. 
Boating, building and construction; dairy; electrical; engineering; hospitality; printing and telecommunications would have 
modern apprenticeships available from January, Skill NZ general manager Max Kerr said. 
The industries were chosen because they had identifiable skills shortages, he said. 
A gradual "rollout" across other industries in the next 18 months to two years would follow with the aim of having 3000 
modern apprentices in training by early 2002. 
There had been a positive response from employers and potential apprentices to the concept, Mr Kerr said. 
Modern Apprenticeships was started in March to provide more opportunities for people aged 16 to 21 to enter 
apprenticeship training. 
The scheme is intended to complement the Government's existing Industry Training Strategy. 
 
 
EMPTY-HANDED 
   
 
Police divers search the Manawatu River yesterday as part of the inquiry into the murders of Christine Lundy and her 
seven-year-old daughter Amber. 
The search failed to find anything relating to the inquiry, police said last night. 
Mrs Lundy and Amber were found bludgeoned to death in their Kelvin Grove, Palmerston North, home on August 30. 
Detective Sergeant Mark Painter said that, acting on information received, the divers spent the past two days searching 
the waters below Opiki Bridge on the road that links State Highways 56 and 57 south of Palmerston North, 20 kilometres 
from the Lundys' home. The results were disappointing, though police were feeling positive about other inquiry lines, Mr 
Painter said. There were no plans to search the river again today. 
Police were building a profile of the events that led up to the murders. "We're going to get this person, I am extremely 
confident of that," Mr Painter said. 
 
 
  Marlborough awaits algal bloom monitoring results 
  
MARLBOROUGH residents anxiously waiting to learn if their region's $100 million dollar mussel industry is clear of the 
toxic algal bloom that is spreading down New Zealand's west coast, will have to wait a bit longer. 
Latest results have confirmed a slight movement south of phytoplankton gymnodinium catenatum, which is responsible for 
the bloom. 
It has been measured in low numbers 15 kilometres from the entrance of Marlborough Sounds. 
Nelson-Marlborough health protection officer Alan Campbell said yesterday that so far no results had been returned for 
the paralytic shellfish poisoning in shellfish flesh _ the first of these were expected "in the next couple of days". 
Shellfish industry spokesman Paul Lupi said the nearest marine farms to the bloom were in Tory Channel. They farmed 
salmon, which is not affected by the bloom, paua, oysters and mussel spat. 
"To date, the bloom has not affected any mussel production areas," Mr Lupi said. "The bloom has not moved into the 
outer sounds but is lying offshore in an encirclement from The Brothers islands to the Chetwode Islands." 
A further monitoring programme had been carried out on Monday and these results would be available this morning. 
Meanwhile, Havelock's representative on the Marlborough District Council, Graeme Barsanti, is predicting that the entire 
Marlborough region will suffer if the Havelock-based green-lipped mussel industry has to be shut down. 
The industry employed many people from throughout Marlborough, from Rai Valley to Blenheim, he said. 
If mussel harvesting was halted because of the bloom and paralytic shellfish poisoning, the flow-on effects would be felt 
more widely. "It would be devastating for the whole of Marlborough." 
So far the spread of the bloom _ which can produce the paralytic poison saxitoxin _ down the west coast of the North 
Island and across Cook Strait has closed mainly shellfish beds used for recreational fishing. 
 
 
  Tulip Sunday in the capital 
  
WELLINGTONIANS are being invited to tiptoe through the tulips _ all 26,000 of them _ at the Botanic Gardens on 
Sunday. 
A longstanding tradition at the gardens, Tulip Sunday has drawn thousands of visitors for more than 30 years. Staff have 
planted 26,000 bulbs in readiness for this year's event, also the grand finale of the Spring Festival. 
New tulip varieties this year include the glowing tomato red Abba, the creamy white and carmine red flame of Burning 
Heart and the cherry red Doorman with its fine yellow edge. Along with old favourites such as Black Diamond, Spring 
Green and Pandion, they will be accompanied by musical entertainment at the Soundshell and Dutch food in the 
Treehouse. 
Music gets the free event under way at 12 noon. 
 
Ant eradication options explored by ministry 
  
BIOSECURITY officials are considering calls from Forest and Bird for the eradication of the Argentine ant, but say they do 
not believe at this stage that the ant can be eradicated. 
The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry's biosecurity authority director, Barry O'Neil, met Forest and Bird and Conservation 
Department officers to discuss options. 
Forest and Bird biosecurity awareness officer Karli Thomas said the Argentine ant was the second-most serious ant pest 
in the world, and spread rapidly with human assistance such as taking pot plants from one area to another. 
"The ants feed on honeydew, a substance produced by insects like aphids and leafhoppers," she said. 
"This creates problems for orchardists, particularly organic growers and others who use natural predators to control 
pests." 
She said the ant had "caused alarm bells to ring" for the Conservation Department when an infestation was discovered on 
Hauraki Gulf's Tiritiri Matangi Island, an important conservation island. 
"This ant can have serious impacts on native species, including wiping out native insects, competing with species that 
feed on honeydew and nectar, and is even known to kill fledgling birds in their nests," Ms Thomas said. 
Argentine ants were first found in New Zealand in 1990 at the Auckland Commonwealth Games site, and Forest and Bird 
says there are now populations through much of Auckland and in Northland, Bay of Plenty and Christchurch. Earlier this 
year, the ants were found at a Kelburn home. 
But Mr O'Neil said the ministry had decided in 1990 that the ant could not be eradicated, but would refer Forest and Bird's 
concerns to the Pest Management Strategy Advisory Committee. 
 
 
  AA-like benefits but all at sea 
  
  
 
COASTGUARD is hoping boaties will join a national membership scheme it likens to the Automobile Association. 
The scheme, which began on Monday entitles members to two free non-emergency callouts a year for $49.95. 
Coastguard business development manager Glen Rutherford said it hoped boaties would join as a precautionary 
measure, much like AA. 
Already 57 people had joined and it aimed to have 10 per cent of recreational boaties, or 30,000 people, as members by 
the end of the year, he said. Non-members would still be given assistance but would be asked for a donation. 
Coastguard attended up to 1500 non-emergency callouts a year, ranging from fuel shortages to boats not starting. At 
present, coastguard units asked for a donation for non-emergency callouts. 
Each of New Zealand's 67 coastguard units had members, but there was no standard joining fee. 
Having a national membership scheme would increase membership and provide greater surety of funding. "We never 
have enough funds." 
Coastguard was a voluntary organisation and did not receive government funding, Mr Rutherford said. 
"Here's a way boaties can give themselves peace of mind . . . and we'll have more people helping coastguard along the 
way." 
Coastguard chief executive Kevin Rangi said the new initiative aimed to provide greater safety for recreational boaters. 
"Even experienced boaters can suddenly be faced with a failing engine or some other mechanical fault. And, although the 
weather might be perfect when a breakdown occurs, conditions can deteriorate very rapidly, turning a mishap into a 
potential disaster if not attended to with all due speed." 
Members would also receive concessions on boating and sporting products, insurance, and boating and fishing magazine 
subscriptions. 
 
 
  Neighbours wait for all-clear 
   
 
ROTORUA 
NEIGHBOURS of the latest hot pool to erupt in Rotorua are waiting to be told if it is safe for them to stay in their home. 
The new hole erupted on Monday, the Ruhi family, who live next to the now-steaming area, said. Their kitchen looks out 
to a gaping hole in the ground. 
"It was quite a beautiful blow," Puti Ruhi, who has lived in the house for almost 40 years, said. 
"I was quite scared when it happened and I am waiting to talk to the experts before deciding what to do. If they say it is 
safe it is safe, if they say move then I'll move." 
Hare Ruhi said the family would wait till an assessor from the Earthquake Commission visited before deciding if it was 
safe to stay in the house. 
Mrs Ruhi said she told Rotorua District Council last week that grass was dying in the area of the new hole and that heat 
was starting to come through the ground. 
A concrete bathhouse was built in the early 1960s on the land where the hole erupted, but after she noticed the ground 
heating up Mrs Ruhi said she decided to have the building removed. 
Environment BOP spokesman Paul Dell said the removal of the building might have been a factor in the eruption. _ NZPA 
 
 
Softer law won't end drug abuse - expert 
  
  
 
DECRIMINALISING cannabis will not guarantee an end to the black market in the drug nor a drop in abuse and 
dependency, a Wellington public policy expert says. 
Karen Baehler, a public policy lecturer and researcher at Victoria University's school of business and public management, 
says cannabis buyers would still rely on criminal sources, and dependency could increase unless law changes were 
accompanied by more resources to combat abuse. 
Writing in NZ Institute of Public Administration journal Public Sector, Dr Baehler says MPs should have clear goals before 
changing drugs laws, such as saving money by reducing police time and resources spent arresting and prosecuting users. 
Another valid goal would be to respond to changing public attitudes toward cannabis use, though any law changes should 
not be based solely on public opinion. 
Dr Baehler told The Dominion that two of the main benefits advanced by proponents of changing the legal status of 
cannabis _ ending the black market and associated crime and reducing abuse _ were unlikely to come about simply 
because of a law change. 
"What you don't accomplish is a solution to either of the major social problems associated with cannabis," she said. 
"It's not at all clear from the current evidence that we have done enough to try and fund treatment programmes for people 
who need it, and if it is illegal for individuals to grow their own cannabis or for commercial growers to supply it then the 
only place you are going to get it is on the street." 
Even if cultivating cannabis was made legal, few users were likely to grow their own in the same way that few beer 
drinkers brewed their own, she said. 
Parliament's health select committee chairwoman, Judy Keall, announced last week an inquiry into cannabis and the 
health issues associated with its present status. The inquiry is seen as a first step toward decriminalisation of the drug, 
possibly to make possession a ticketing offence, like speeding. 
A review of the law is scheduled for this term of Parliament. 
 
 
Police okay break-in at the highest level 
   
 
CHRISTCHURCH 
POLICE authorised a break-in by a distraught tramper who lost his tent and camping gear in high winds above Alexandra. 
John Turnbull, 24, called police on his mobile phone about 11.30pm on Monday from Central Otago's Old Man Range, 
saying his tent and other gear had blown away. 
Inspector Warren Kemp, of the police southern communications centre, said the Otago University student had only his 
sleeping bag and a ground cover and was cold and wet from driving snow. "The winds were so strong he couldn't stand. 
He wasn't very happy." 
Police were considering assembling a rescue squad to head into the area on a snow cat. Instead, Mr Turnbull was 
directed to a Television New Zealand repeater station. TVNZ was "most helpful" in detailing how he could break in to the 
strongly barricaded shelter, Mr Kemp said. 
Normally, police would not authorise a break-in, but the unusual circumstances warranted an innovative solution, he said. 
_ NZPA 
 
 
  DRINK-DRIVE CONVICTIONS 
  
DRINK-DRIVE convictions for the week to September 15. Breath-alcohol limits are 400mcg per litre of breath, or 150mcg 
for people under 20 years of age. Blood-alcohol limits are 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood, or 30mg for people 
under 20. 
  
 
 
  Schiers hope to return despite `run-around' 
   
 
THE deported Schier family still wanted to return to New Zealand, but felt they were "getting the run-around" from 
Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel, Green Party co-leader Rod Donald said yesterday. 
Guenther and Petra Schier, and their three New Zealand-born daughters were deported last year after Mr Schier had 
failed to declare two drug convictions in Germany when he entered New Zealand a decade ago. 
The family, who once owned historic Reids Store in Maruia, are now living in a village near Munich. 
Ms Dalziel's office said last month she wanted the family to explain concerns she had about their case before deciding on 
their future. 
Mr Donald said he spoke to the family about two weeks ago, and they had not, at that stage, heard anything from Ms 
Dalziel. 
Mr Schier had a job in the Audi car plant and did not have to travel so far to work. But Bianca, the oldest daughter, was 
still not happy and desperately wanted to return to New Zealand. 
"I note with interest proposals for loosening up criteria for the business migrant scheme to get more young entrepreneurs 
to come to New Zealand," Mr Donald said. "Probably the best option for the Schiers is that scheme, and I wish Lianne 
Dalziel would answer my letter of February 3 asking whether that is the scheme under which they should apply to come 
back." 
Ms Dalziel's spokesman said on Monday that a letter would go to the Schierswithin the next a couple of weeks. Ms Dalziel 
wanted to send a "please explain yourself" letter, because when she had represented them as an Opposition MP, Mrs 
Schier had denied having involvement in drugs. 
However, after she had taken their case to then Immigration Minister Tuariki Delamere it was found the couple had been 
charged with possession of cannabis in 1997, but not prosecuted. 
National MP David Carter submitted a written question to Parliament yesterday about Ms Dalziel's delay in ruling on the 
case. 
He said she needed to make a decision. "These things don't go away." 
 
 
  Elderly man may have fought back 
  
  
 
AN ELDERLY Hamilton man who had his throat cut late on Friday night may have fought his attackers, police say. 
However, Paropkari Lal's killer or killers would have got away with little or no money. 
Mr Lal, 70, was last seen about 11.15pm on Friday in a Hamilton TAB. He had a small bet but did not collect any winnings 
and had little money on him, Detective Inspector Bruce Scott said. 
"We don't think he was rolled for his money." 
Mr Lal's body was found at the bottom of a steep bank near a band rotunda on a riverside reserve early Saturday 
morning. 
He had extensive throat injuries and police said he may have died close to where he was found though he had been 
dragged down the bank. 
Mr Scott said police were still trying to find out exactly what happened. Mr Lal may have fought his attacker or attackers 
before he was killed and dragged down the bank. "It's hard to say." 
The autopsy revealed the throat injuries were fatal but Mr Scott said police were still awaiting forensic tests to determine if 
Mr Lal had been knocked unconscious by a blow to the head before he got his throat injuries. 
Police had not found a murder weapon, possibly a knife, and were appealing to anyone who had seen anything 
suspicious in the southern area of Victoria St or by the river late on Friday night. 
Mr Scott said police were investigating Mr Lal's background but it seemed he had few if any enemies and was not 
involved in anything illegal. 
"He was a pensioner who enjoyed a drink and a flutter on the gee-gees. He was no mastermind criminal or anything." 
Mr Lal's son-in-law, Vijay Sharma, said he was a harmless man who wanted to live out his years alone in his Hamilton 
East flat. 
Mr Lal had lived in Hamilton since immigrating from India about 18 years ago. _ NZPA 
 
 
Call for helmets and pads for scooter riders 

 Safety experts want helmets compulsory for scooter riders 
   
 
HELMETS, and knee and arm pads should be compulsory for scooter riders, a child safety campaigner said. 
Child Safety Foundtion executive officer Gael Brooks said yesterday that the explosion in popularity of lightweight, 
foldable scooters emphasised anomalies in safety laws which made New Zealand children vulnerable. 
The new scooters, similar to a skateboard with a handlebar, have small, low-friction wheels like those on in-line skates, 
and can reach high speeds. 
Ms Brooks said since the huge growth in the popularity of the scooters in the United States the accident statistics were 
"frightening". 
"There has been a rise in mishaps there of 700 per cent since May. In all 9500 injuries have been reported so far this year 
with over 4000 reported in August, which is their summer." 
She said most scooter accidents in the United States had been to children under 15. 
"We should be training children to wear helmets from the time they ride tricycles. Whenever they are on wheels they 
should wear a helmet and safety pads." 
"If parents are going to buy anything on wheels for their children let us train children because of the balance of weight in 
their bodies, the chances are their heads are going to hit. Is it worth it?" 
The scooters have already led to scores of accidents and one death in Australia when a male motorcyclist collided with a 
woman on a scooter in Sydney. 
Ironically, the motorcyclist _ a Sydney Games worker who was wearing a helmet _ died and the woman survived with 
multiple fractures. 
Now the New South Wales government is considering making helmets compulsory for all scooter riders. 
The present Australian national regulations contain an anomaly in that only scooter riders over 12 have to wear a helmet 
(although almost no one does). Children under 12 are not bound by that rule because, in their hands, a scooter is 
classified as a toy. 
Christopher Webber, of Sydney Children's Hospital, said 65 children had been treated in his hospital alone this year for 
scooter injuries. 
Ms Brooks said helmets, elbow and knee pads should be compulsory for scooter riders. 
Children under eight should not be allowed on scooters without supervision, she said. 
Earlier this month the Accident Compensation Corporation issued guidelines for the scooter use. 
ACC spokesman Richard Ninness said the corporation had no record of scooter accidents in New Zealand and was 
studying overseas data. 
"It's relatively new. We have not had a chance to see what injuries are coming through, and whether we can target 
something specific to them," Mr Ninness said. 
ACC encouraged users, parents, schools and retailers to try to minimise the risk of injury, he said. 
Users should follow transport bylaws, and should wear protective equipment, such as helmets, and wrist guards. _ NZPA 
 
 
Back to basics on Raoul Island 

Mr Noakes, looking forward to a year without cars, radio or television 
  
DAVID NOAKES will board the navy tanker Endeavour on October 30 _ and leave civilisation behind for a year. 
He will sail for four days to an uninhabited island in the Pacific to live at close quarters with five other people he barely 
knows. 
It's not the latest survivalist television series _ not that Mr Noakes, 39, would have trouble surviving that sort of ordeal. 
Mr Noakes, a Hamilton probation officer, has been chosen to lead a team of conservation workers on remote Raoul Island 
halfway between New Zealand and Tonga. The lush, sub-tropical outpost is part of the Kermadec Islands, owned by the 
New Zealand Government and managed by the Conservation Department. 
Mr Noakes and his team will begin a yearly weed control programme and maintain roads, tracks, huts and other 
department equipment. They will also monitor volcanic and meteorological activity. 
Mr Noakes said the prospect of leaving behind an easy life with modern conveniences was appealing, rather than a 
deterrent. 
"I've always been an adventurer and this sounded perfect. The whole thing is so Boys' Own and romantic _ I was 
completely enthralled with the idea. 
"No cars, no radio, no television _ the isolation is totally appealing." 
Mr Noakes has a formidable military background. He spent seven years in the British Army training recruits and instructing 
in arms and unarmed combat. 
Against the army's wishes, he joined the French Foreign Legion. He was posted to the 2nd Parachute Regiment and saw 
active duty in Chad, central Africa. 
He was then court-martialled by the British for his year's absence without leave. After spending nine months in England's 
Colchester military prison, he rejoined the British Army and served with the Special Air Service. 
He has tutored leadership management courses, worked as a European coach holiday tour guide, freelance photographer 
and outdoor education instructor and led African safari expeditions. _ NZPA 
 
 
Poplars becoming popular 
   
 
NEW ZEALAND poplar timber is proving so popular a Hawke's Bay merchant is exporting it to the Netherlands to make 
clogs. 
Poplar timber was being sought by many European markets as their own supplies dwindled, Phillip Yalden, manager of 
Hortresearch's poplar nursery at Palmerston North, said. 
A Hawke's Bay man was supplying poplar wood for clogs to the Netherlands, and the English were seeking poplar for use 
in plywood-type packaging, he said. 
Poplar might also become more widely planted as animal health concerns prompted farmers to plant shade trees for stock 
in summer. 
Though poplars had traditionally been used to prevent soil erosion, their uses were increasing. Varieties such as kawa 
could provide firewood after three to four years and the trees were finding favour on lifestyle blocks. _ NZPA 
 
 
  Verdict relief for train driver 
  
CHRISTCHURCH 
DUNEDIN train driver David McKie took a well-earned day off yesterday after being cleared of manslaughter. 
A High Court jury took just over two hours on Monday to find McKie, 45, not guilty of causing the death of fellow engine 
driver Graham White at Waipahi, South Otago, last October. 
During a six-day trial, McKie denied that by permitting the unauthorised entry of his train on to a section of track where a 
southbound goods train was waiting to cross he was guilty of gross negligence. 
Justice Young discharged McKie after the verdict. 
McKie said he was "relieved" at the verdict. He had had tremendous support throughout the trial and after the accident 
last October 20 when his northbound train hit Mr White's stationary freight train on the main line, 27 kilometres east of 
Gore. 
Mckie said he held no grudge against the Crown, which brought the manslaughter charge. "They had no real option but to 
charge me," he said. 
Tranz Rail came under fire from the defence over the effects of its work roster and the lack of backup for its track warrant 
control system at the time of the accident. The defence said McKie was suffering the effects of extended shiftwork when 
he made a mistake about where he had been authorised to pass the southbound train. Tranz Rail is understood to have 
changed its roster system since the accident. _ NZPA 
 
 
Fahey case prompts brochure for women 
  
 
FAMILY PLANNING is preparing a brochure for women on what's right, and what's not, in doctors' consulting rooms. 
The investigation that led to the conviction this year of serial abuser, Christchurch doctor Morgan Fahey showed many 
women did not know what to expect during sexual examinations, Family Planning said. 
"We believe information is power. Women should know what is happening," clinical spokeswoman Christine Roke said. 
"A lot of people trust their doctor and if their doctor does something unusual they may not recognise it as being 
unacceptable." 
Family Planning hoped to have the brochure on its website and in doctors' rooms by the end of this year. 
It will detail when breast checks and internal examinations should be done and how doctors usually did them, Dr Roke 
said. 
It would also tell women who to contact if their doctor did anything they were unhappy with. 
"I don't know if it would have made a difference in Dr Fahey's case," she said. 
"It would have been good if the brochure was there before but often it is only when a gap is highlighted like this that you 
realise it is there. 
"Unfortunately there are bad doctors, just like anything else." 
Medical Association chairwoman Pippa MacKay said that though the brochure would be useful, patients needed to know 
there were often legitimate variations to examination procedures. 
"It is up to all of us to communicate with our patients and make sure they know what to expect," Dr MacKay said. 
"It is important that people realise that these things are necessary and they have to be done for a purpose." 
Fahey, a former Christchurch deputy mayor, was jailed for six years in June for rape, sexual violation and indecent 
assault. He sexually abused 11 female patients over 30 years. 
The Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal meets on October 12 to consider what action it will take against Fahey, 
including whether to strike him permanently from the medical register. 
Tribunal secretary Gay Fraser said no one could assume Fahey would be struck off. 
The tribunal also had the options of censuring Fahey, removing him from the register for a limited time, or imposing 
conditions on his practice. 
 
 
Inquiry names Northland lab under scrutiny 
  
 
THE Gisborne cervical cancer inquiry lifted suppression orders yesterday to disclose that one of the laboratories under 
investigation by the Health Funding Authority is the Northland Pathology Laboratory. 
The laboratory read the cervical smears of Bay of Islands woman Colleen Poutsma who is now dying of cervical cancer. 
Inquiry head Ailsa Duffy, QC, gave permission for the laboratory to be named. 
The Health and Disability Commissioner has already found that serious failures occurred in the care Whangarei 
gynaecologist Graham Parry gave to Mrs Poutsma, 47. 
Yesterday, Mrs Poutsma's husband, Jack, urged Northland women who had smear tests read before 1998 to have them 
redone. He said up to seven of his wife's smears read at Northland Pathology Laboratory may have been misread 
between 1989 and 1998. 
An application for lifting the suppression was made by Alliance MP Phillida Bunkle. She has called for the naming of six 
laboratories studied by the HFA and reported to the Gisborne inquiry in July. 
The HFA found that six community laboratories had performed at a substandard level in the early 1990s. All were 
accredited. 
The inquiry was told in July that one of the laboratories had since been cleared, but five continued to work with the HFA 
because their reporting rates for high grade abnormalities had been lower than the benchmark of 0.5 per cent. Three of 
them were still reporting at a rate which the HFA has deemed too low. 
One laboratory was advised to stop reading cervical cytology and another remained under scrutiny. The HFA admitted 
that some women might still be at risk. 
Yesterday, Ms Bunkle said she had spoken to two Northland women with similar histories of incorrect readings of cervical 
smears. 
Stuart Grieve, QC, representing affected women in the Gisborne hearings, told the inquiry there had been a great deal of 
publicity about one of the Northland women. There was considerable interest in that case and suppression of the 
laboratory names was not necessary. 
The HFA's acting general manager for personal health, Win Bennett, said it was appropriate to confirm that the Northland 
laboratory performed the original readings on Mrs Poutsma's smears. 
Pathologist Edgar Johnson, co-owner of the laboratory at the time Mrs Poutsma's smears were read, said yesterday 
smears were not an ideal diagnostic tool and were often hard to read properly. 
The laboratory had assured its quality by becoming registered and adhering to Health Ministry guidelines, he said. 
The laboratory is now under new ownership. _ NZPA 
 
 
Development agency cost put at $1.5m a year 
   
 
THE annual cost of an economic development agency for the Wellington region could be $1.5 million, according to a 
report for Masterton District Council's policy and finance committee. 
The report, prepared by a regional steering group, says the agency would be responsible for most local authority 
economic development efforts in the region and should be the provider of all activities within the next three years. 
The agency will be set up as a charitable trust to establish a regional strategy under a chief executive with a suggested 
salary of $150,00. 
The agency's objectives would be to retain and grow existing businesses and attract new ones to the region. 
It says the set-up cost will probably fall initially on local authorities. Government funding is likely to be available for 
projects that would hopefully attract private sector sponsorship. 
A two step approach to funding is proposed, with a draft budget of $375,000 in the first half of next year, and $1.5 million 
for the following full operating year. 
Masterton Mayor Bob Francis said organisations such as the Masterton Business Enterprise would remain over the top of 
the agency to drive regional initiatives. 
 
 
A housing solution for Timor troops 

Warrant Officer Darryl Lark watches Sappers Joseph Kingi, left, and Robbie Ross work on the building 
 
  
 
ARMY engineers at Linton near Palmerston North have taken up a "blokes and sheds" theme to produce what could be a 
home for the Kiwi soldiers in East Timor. 
A year into peacekeeping operations, many New Zealand soldiers and airmen are still living under canvas, on 
groundsheets. Tent material lasts about a year in East Timor. 
The simple utility building has been designed by retired Auckland civil engineer Robin Francis as a possible answer in all 
respects _ quality of life for the occupants, durability, cost _ to lifting living conditions for the soldiers. 
Mr Francis, an engineer with the United Nations for 20 years, said the "house" was an example of backward design, 
starting with limited off-the-shelf merchant products _ plywood, framing and roofing _ and seeing what could be done. The 
project was undertaken with mainly disaster relief organisations and operations in mind, he said. 
A further "plus" is that when the soldiers have gone, there are portable utility buildings left behind for the local people. 
A "prototype" has been built by construction trainees at the School of Military Engineering at Linton. 
Engineer Regiment commander Lieutenant Colonel Paul King is keen to see it formally assessed as a low-cost, long-life 
way to "get our guys off the ground". The tin-roofed wooden building which can house up to 10 soldiers can be built in a 
day by a carpenter and two hammer-hands. _ NZPA 
 
 
Dying woman sparks concern about lab quality 
  
 
WHANGAREI 
QUESTIONS are being asked about the quality of cervical smear testing at Northland's sole pathology laboratory between 
1989 and 1998. 
Yesterday, Paihia man Jack Poutsma, whose wife Colleen is dying of cervical cancer, urged Northland women who had 
smear tests read before 1998 to have them redone. 
Up to seven of Mrs Poutsma's smears might had been misread between 1989 and 1998. 
They were read at the Northland Pathology Laboratory, which was owned by pathologists Reese Jones and Edgar 
Johnson till 1995 then by Dr Johnson from 1995 till last year. The laboratory is now under new ownership. 
Dr Johnson said yesterday that smears were not an ideal diagnostic tool and were often hard to read properly. 
However, the Northland laboratory had always been at the forefront of assuring its quality by becoming registered and 
adhering to Health Ministry quality guidelines, he said. 
He was not aware of any other questions relating to the quality of the laboratory's work from when he was working there. 
"We have always adhered to the standards of quality control and ongoing education on cervical cytology [study of cells]," 
Dr Johnson said. "We carried out all tests to the guidelines laid down by the Royal College of Pathologists that are 
generally accepted in the profession." 
He said cervical smears were not the ideal way of diagnosing cervical cancer, but were used as a screening test. "The 
test itself is not up to standards as a diagnostic test." 
There was a better test to detect cervical cancer, but it cost twice as much as the smear test and generally health 
authorities would not pay for it. 
Smear tests taken at the laboratory when he owned it were often read by at least two people before he looked at them. 
Smear tests were notoriously difficult to read. It might be that just one of the tens of thousands of cells in a sample was 
abnormal. About 15,000 smears were read each year at the laboratory, Dr Johnson said. 
The possibility Mrs Poutsma's smears had been misread emerged during the Gisborne cervical cancer inquiry. 
A subsequent retesting of her smears found one read as normal in 1993 had signs of low-grade abnormalities and 
another in 1996 had high-grade abnormalities. 
Doctor George Hitchcock, who reread the smears, said the 1996 smear should have led to Mrs Poutsma's urgent referral 
for a colposcopy. This was not done and Mrs Poutsma later developed cervical cancer. 
The Health Funding Authority is having Mrs Poutsma's smears reread again. _ NZPA 
 
 
  Hard job for tourism heads 
  
  
 
THE new chairman and chief executive of Totally Wellington are expecting a tough baptism because of economic gloom 
among domestic businesses and consumers. 
Totally Wellington, tourism and events arm of Wellington City Council, announced yesterday that Michael Volkerling would 
Murray McCaw who stepped down as chairman earlier this month, and acting chief executive Rob MacIntyre would 
become permanent. 
Dr Volkerling said he expected the domestic travel market to slow this year. "We are working in a much tighter domestic 
travel market, influenced by dropping business confidence, higher fuel costs, interest rate uncertainty and hotel 
discounting in other areas." 
During the "inevitable consolidation period", Wellington would continue to be an aggressive player, he said. 
Mr MacIntyre said though business had been slow for six months, he was expecting a busy summer. 
 
 

