Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: News for the week ended April 11
From: cctr123@csc.canterbury.ac.nz (Alan Murray, CSC Operations, Uni of Canty)
Date: 15 Apr 92 15:35:20 +1200
Organization: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

News for the week ended Saturday April 11

Monday April 6
-------------
Police to target gang finances
The police crack-down on Timaru gangs will be "extremely comprehensive" and 
include close scrutiny of welfare benefits received by gang members, says the 
Minister of Police, Mr Banks. The way gangs financed their activities would be 
one of the main targets of the city's new crime control unit to deal with the 
warring Road Knights and the Devil's Henchmen, Mr Banks told "The Press" from 
his Whangarei home last night. "The role of the new crime control unit will be 
extremely comprehensive. It will be looking at all aspects of gangs and the way 
they live and operate. I want to serve notice that the police will be looking 
at their (the gangs') activities and how they fund them."

Tenant 'filth' sickens MP
A test of "good living" should be required of people before they are allowed to 
own homes or be tenants in State houses, says the Government MP for the Bay of 
Islands, Mr John Carter. He told his electorate's annual meeting at the weekend 
that he was appalled and often distressed at the condition of some homes he 
visited. The lawns were unkempt, and the houses untidy and in need of 
maintenance because of neglect and actual abuse by occupants who had bashed 
holes in walls and broken windows. "Worse than that is the sheer filth that 
sickens me," Mr Carter said. "At times I find unbelievable the conditions in 
which some of these people live." He wondered whether people seeking State 
homes should be tested on whether they had the ability to be fit home owners 
or tenants. The Opposition housing spokesman, Mr Paul Swain, described Mr 
Carter's remarks as "an unforgivable slur" on tens of thousands of decent New 
Zealanders.

Sick man to get card
A Christchurch man who has had both legs amputated, two strokes and 13 
operations is entitled to a high-use health card, the Minister of Health, Mr 
Simon Upton said yesterday. Mr Reg Dumpleton was told last week he was not 
entitled to a card because he had not visited his doctor six times in six 
months. Mr Upton said the Regional Benefits Payments Office in Christchurch 
searched its file and found Mr Dumpleton held a chronically-ill approval 
letter. The letter is the forerunner of the high-use health card and is valid 
until June 30.

Milford race alternative proposed
A multi-sport endurance event between Queenstown and Te Anau would provide an 
"excellent alternative" to a proposed endurance race over the Milford Track, 
says the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society. The society said plans by 
Mr Robin Judkins for a 1000-entrant race on the Milford Track next April could 
jeopardise its future as a world-class walk. Mr Judkins said he found the 
attitude of the society towards his planned race as "silly, ridiculous and 
loony". A field officer for the society, Mr Mike Harding, said yesterday he 
believed there were far better places to stage such an event.

Tuesday April 7
--------------
Budget deficit $1.607b
The Government recorded a Budget deficit of $1.607 billion in the seven months 
ended January 31, the Treasury said yesterday. The result compared with 
Budget-night projections of a $1.622 billion deficit for the period. In 
December the Government released revised projections of a $2.75 billion deficit
for the year to June 30 and the latest result was consistent with that outlook, 
the Treasury said.

Richardson's influence in doubt
Indications of a waning in the policy influence of the Minister of Finance, 
Miss Richardson, strengthened yesterday, with a lukewarm endorsement of her by 
the Prime Minister, Mr Bolger. He said a "realism" was now being injected, 
with the Government looking at its options. The philosophic integrity of what 
Miss Richardson called her "mother of all Budgets" last July has been 
unravelling for months.

Downplay school fire news - PM
The news media should consider toning down its coverage of school fires, the 
Prime Minister said yesterday. This suggestion had followed a letter written 
to him by an unnamed school principal that warned of the risk of copy-cat 
arsonists being encouraged by the high priority given to school fires in the 
news media. "I think it is something that news managers should reflect on: 
whether or not in their legitimate pursuit of news they are not in fact 
creating an environment where some other youngsters go out and copy."

PM disowns Carter's view
The Prime Minister says remarks by a Government MP, Mr John Carter, on the 
"filthy" personal habits of State housing tenants are unfair and do not 
represent Government policy. Mr Bolger described the remarks as "extravagant" 
and said that although he would not put his MP in "the public dock" he had 
read the relevant bits of Mr Carter's speech and would be "having a chat" with 
him.

Electricorp to shed 130 staff
Electricorp is shedding 130 middle and senior management staff in a big 
shake-up prompted by Government plans to split the national grid from the 
corporation's direct ownership and control. Staff are affected throughout the 
country and were told of the restructuring and cuts, the biggest in 
Electricorp's five year history, yesterday afternoon.

Wednesday April 8
----------------
Housing fiasco stuns workers
Government housing policy descended into chaos yesterday morning when Housing 
Corporation staff were told about 800 of their 1300 number would be offered 
redundancy by June. Three hours later the advice was cancelled. Corporation 
staff reacted with shock, disbelief, and hysteria, said a staff member who 
would not be named for fear of the future. The instruction from the Minister of
Housing, Mr Luxton, to withdraw a booklet advising of job losses, deepens the 
Government embarrassment over its handling of housing reforms in recent days.

Birch eulogy spurs enraged outburst
The Minister of Labour, Mr Birch, was accused yesterday of talking 
"unadulterated crap" at a conference for potential foreign investors. The 
Council of Trade Unions president, Mr Ken Douglas, made the accusation after 
Mr Birch had completed a eulogy to changing labour attitudes, including 
reference to the site agreements at the Fortex meat plants.
"That is bullshit," Mr Douglas interrupted. "It is unadulterated crap. The 
Fortex changes were not a result of the Employment Contracts Act. They were 
negotiated about five years or four years before you even became the Government.
So don't put up these bloody straw people for what your rotten Act's done, 
because it hasn't done anything except make workplace relations significantly 
more violent than they've ever been."

Chch police put bears on the beat
Teddy bears are now an important part of police equipment in Christchurch in 
what is a first for New Zealand. Christchurch officers were yesterday given 
1000 bears by the Good Bears of the World organisation to be passed on to 
children who had been in traumatic situations. Whenever an officer came across a
young person suffering from any kind of trauma they would be given a bear.

Havoc outside conference
A group of about 40 unemployed activists created havoc outside the Pan Pacific 
Hotel in Auckland yesterday morning where the Minister of Finance, 
Miss Richardson, was addressing a foreign investment conference. The protest 
started peacefully, but ended up invading the hotel car-park, setting off a 
fire alarm, bursting briefly into the hotel foyer, and then occupying the 
front-door area outside the hotel. Police were issued with long batons, but 
did not appear to use them despite several violent scuffles as the crowd 
attempted to get into the hotel.

MP joins attack on State tenants
Some Whangarei State houses are so poorly cared for that the Minister of Police,
Mr Banks, would not let his dog inside. Mr Banks was commenting on remarks by 
the member of Parliament for the Bay of Islands, Mr John Carter, over the 
"appalling" condition of some houses. Mr Banks agreed with Mr Carter that some 
State house tenants lived in squalor. "I know some Whangarei State tenants who 
have ripped up floorboards and torn wardrobes apart to burn on the fire and 
outside they have 50 or 60 beer bottles stacked up against the back wall. 
There are also people in some privately owned homes that live like pigs," 
Mr Banks said.

Govt irate at media 'nonsense'
Senior Government Ministers turned on the news media yesterday, describing 
interpretations of comments by the Prime Minister about a more pragmatic 
approach as "nonsense" and "irresponsible". Beehive sources, some of whom had 
previously been trumpeting Mr Bolger's statements as a demonstration the 
Government was softening its previous hard line, also closed ranks around the 
Cabinet yesterday. The Minister of Finance was fuming at a press conference 
called after she took part in a foreign investment conference in Auckland at 
which headlines suggesting a change in the Government's economic approach 
undermined her message of political stability to potential investors.

Thursday April 9
---------------
PM trades blame over housing mess
The Prime Minister and the head of the Housing Corporation's interim board 
traded blame yesterday for the fiasco over information about the future of the 
corporation. The spat follows advice given to staff on Tuesday that 800 of 1300
jobs would go in the restructuring of the corporation into a State-owned 
enterprise. Three hours later this advice was withdrawn with the Minister of 
Housing, Mr Luxton, saying a booklet containing it had been released before 
policy decisions were finalised. The search for a scapegoat for this, the 
latest in a series of embarrassments for the Government over its handling of 
the housing portfolio, went public yesterday. Mr Bolger - saying he sympathised
with the staff - blamed the corporation's interim board for given staff the 
booklet too soon. The board's chairman, Mr Dennis Ferrier, reacted to this 
charge saying Mr Bolger and his ministerial colleagues were culpable. 
The problems had been caused by them and were in no way the fault of the board.

Female teachers earn less
Female education workers outnumber their male colleagues yet only earn about 
70 per cant of men's salaries, according to a Ministry of Education survey 
released yesterday. The report presents the results of the 1990 Education 
Services Census. It was conducted among 64,218 employees of the State 
education sector, including clerical and administration but excluding 
university and private school staff. Women made up 67 per cent of all 
education employees in 1990, 74 per cent of relief and part-time teachers, and 
99 per cent of kindergarten teachers.

Friday April 10
--------------
French halt to N-tests praised
The Government has welcomed the suspension of French nuclear testing in the 
South Pacific, saying it is a good move towards a comprehensive test ban and 
will improve relations with France. "It is a step towards ending all nuclear 
testing in the South Pacific," said the Prime Minister, Mr Bolger. He noted 
that the French had called upon other nations to follow its lead, and said New 
Zealand had long supported a comprehensive test ban.

Housing boss quits over policy fiasco
The chairman of the Housing Corporation's interim board, Mr Dennis Ferrier, has 
been forced to resign because of his refusal to accept blame for the chaos 
surrounding Government housing reforms this week. He was yesterday unrepentant 
about the acrimonious and public exchange between himself and the Prime 
Minister as to who was at fault. Mr Ferrier described the events as a "charade".

Kiwis 'battle-hardened' for finals
New Zealand's America's Cup yachtsmen are sailing better than at any point in 
the regatta, says the skipper, Rod Davis. Tough racing throughout had left the 
Kiwis "battle-hardened" for the finals against Italy, Davis told "The Press" 
last night after New Zealand secured a finals berth, with a race to spare, by 
beating Ville de Paris, of France.

NZ given trade warning
New Zealand risks destroying its good will among Asian nations if it tries to 
get into a regional trade block with the United States and Canada which 
excludes Asian partners, says a visiting Japanese professor. The Government 
should also reconsider incentives to attract investment in new productive 
activity, Professor Masahiko Ebashi told an economists' conference in Dunedin 
yesterday. Professor Ebashi is a visiting scholar with the New Zealand 
Institute of Economic Research. He was critical of the lack of information 
available about New Zealand to the smaller and medium sized businesses which 
were tending to invest here.

Worry over missing cashier, money
The disappearance of a New Plymouth security firm cashier and $140,000 cash 
she was counting has left her family, employer, and police concerned for her 
safety. On Monday night and ADT Securitas cashier, Mrs Fiona Taylor, aged 29, 
told her family she was returning to the office to finish off her work for the 
day and neither she nor the cash has been seen since. Police believe Mrs Taylor,
employed by the company for four months, either took the money or that foul 
play intervened and both she and the money were taken by someone else.

Saturday April 11
----------------
Call for economic care
Caution over the speed and strength of economic recovery marked a speech by the 
Minister of Finance yesterday to the New Zealand Institute of Economic 
Research annual business economists' conference in Dunedin. With the Tokyo 
sharemarket tumbling, Miss Richardson drew attention to a series of local and 
international factors affecting the economic pick-up. Among these was the 
prospect that the economic recovery in Australia might prove unsustainable in 
12 to 18 months time, and that the long-term forecast recovery in the United 
States was still not strongly apparent.

Disease causes sport cancellation
The New Zealand Universities Easter Tournament has been cancelled because of 
fears of a meningitis epidemic, after recent outbreaks of the disease in 
Christchurch and Auckland. Two further cases of meningococcal disease were 
diagnosed in Auckland last night after two children were flown to hospital from 
Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf. The NZ Universities Sports Union decided 
to cancel the Easter tournament, to be held in Palmerston North, despite 
medical advice the event could proceed.

Experts probe office
Forensic experts were yesterday examining the office of a New Plymouth security 
firm after the disappearance of one of its employees and $140,000. Detective 
Constable Mike Hannah said that while no-one had seen Mrs Taylor at work on 
Monday night, her presence at 9:40pm was recorded by the company's internal 
security measures. Her car was left parked outside the office and their were 
no signs of a struggle in the building. "The longer it goes on the more likely 
it looks that somebody has done something to her," said Mrs Taylor's husband, 
Allan.

Alan Murray
CSC Operations
University of Canterbury
a.murray@csc.canterbury.ac.nz

NOTE - With the Easter break upon us this weekend news will not be posted
before Wednesday next week.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand