Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: NZ news to 7/11/92
From: cctr123@csc.canterbury.ac.nz (Alan Murray, CSC Operations, Uni of Canty)
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 01:47:04 GMT
Organization: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

News for the week ended Saturday November 7

Hospital disputes seethe in SI
Junior doctors in Southland and hospital workers in Canterbury are putting 
pressure on the area health boards to settle outstanding collective employment 
contracts. Canterbury hospital workers who returned to work after a three day 
strike have warned of further industrial disruption in the region's hospitals 
next month. Workers represented by the Hospital Workers' Union will meet in the
next two weeks to decide on the next step in their bid to settle a contract 
with the Canterbury Area Health Board.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, Mr Upton, and the Minister of State 
Services, Mr Birch, said they will not interfere in the Southland doctors' 
strike which began on Saturday and is scheduled to last a month. Some services 
at Invercargill Hospital will grind to a halt. The Southland Area Haelth Board 
has cancelled elective surgery and outpatient clinics. Disruptions have already
occurred over the last three weeks as a result of two and three day strikes.

Fewer saving for retirement
Significantly fewer people are saving for their retirement today than there 
were two years ago, according to Heylen Research figures. Of those not yet 
retired almost 40 per cent had no retirement savings compared with about 25 per
cent two years ago, said the Life Officers' Association, which commissioned the
survey. The association's chief executive, Mr Arthur Davis, said the result was
disturbing and followed two other surveys last week which showed New Zealanders
were not doing enough to provide for their retirement. A Statistics Dept survey
showed that about half of all adults had no formal retirement savings plan. An 
earlier AMP Society survey showed that 51 per cent of those between 20 and 65 
years had no scheme. Mr Davis said such findings contradicted the Government 
view that people were taking responsibility for their own lives and had been 
increasing savings.

Bulk teacher grant delayed
The controversial senior management grant for teachers has been delayed for a 
term, according to a sudden announcement from the Minister of Education, Dr 
Smith. The grants announced in July went to the heart of subsequent secondary 
teacher industrial action. They would have introduced bulk funding for senior 
school management staff at the start of next year - although initially that 
funding would have been based on what each individual senior teacher earned. 
This would be until the end of the three year bulk funding trial, when boards 
would get a lump sum to allocate as they saw fit. The Cabinet has effectively 
kicked the grants proposal to touch, by agreeing there should be a delay until 
the second term next year.
The Government has made a point of citing administrative reasons for the delay.
These include when the legislation would be reported back and the ability for 
schools to have stabilised their staff requirements by the end of the first 
term. In his statement, Dr Smith attributed the change in timing to having 
taken into account the school consultative group's concerns. He was adamant, 
however, that the announcement was not a backdown and that the grants would 
proceed in May.

Former policeman backs gay officers
The police department is limiting itself by discriminating against homosexuals,
according to a former officer who is gay. The man, identified only as "Murray",
quit the force seven years ago after 15 years service and now lives in 
Hamilton. He said homosexuality in the service was a taboo subject and officers
often joked and made derogatory comments about gays.
"I only had a few close friends in the force who knew I was gay. Most of them 
were lesbians. If it had become known I was not straight then I would have been
 fired," he said. Murray kept his sexuality secret to keep his job and to save 
embarrassing friends and family. In some ways he believed he was a better 
policeman because he was understanding and sensitive.

Sealord deal cleared by court
The way has now been cleared for the Sealord Maori Fisheries settlement to 
proceed, with the Court of Appeal ruling against a protest by Maori groups 
opposed to the deal. The owner of Sealord Products Ltd, Carter Holt Harvey, is 
expected to decide within days whether to accept the joint Maori-Brierley bid 
for the country's biggest fisheries firm. It will choose between a Scandinavian
bid and the joint bid co-funded by the Government as full settlement of Maori 
commercial fishing claims under the Treaty of Waitangi. The Government has 
pledged to provide $150 million over three years for the Maori share of the 
Sealord purchase.
The court's decision clears the way for empowering legislation to give effect 
to the Deed of Settlement signed by Maori representatives and the Government 
of September 23. The legislation would be needed to bind those tribes and 
groups - representing perhaps 40 per cent of Maoridom - to the deal. The 
Appeal Court ruled that it was not the role of the Judiciary to determine 
whether legislation be put before Parliament. The decision of the court 
follows a three day hearing last month. Thirteen Maori tribes and sub-groups 
pleaded for the court to strike out the deed.

Some police, MPs gay - Meurant
Some police and MPs are homosexual, says the MP for Hobson, Mr Ross Meurant. 
The former policeman said there was no point in denying that a percentage of 
MPs and police officers were gay. His comments came after the news that the 
Cabinet is considering a Human Rights Bill which will ban the discrimination of
sexual minority groups. The Bill is scheduled for introduction before the end 
of the parliamentary session next year. Decisions have not yet been made on 
what grounds discrimination would be prohibited. Last week Mr John Banks, the 
MP for Whangarei, labelled transsexuals, bisexuals and transvestites as 
misfits. Mr Meurant agreed that transsexuals or transvestites had no place in 
the police force. However, it was difficult to legislate against homosexuals 
or bisexuals because some were already serving police officers.

Police crack drug-smuggling ring
The police have cracked a major trans-Tasman drug smuggling ring they say has 
been supplying LSD and speed to South Island and Auckland motorcycle gangs. 
Those accused of being the key players in the ring, a Waimate farmer and 
neighbouring couple, two Aucklanders, and two Sydney men were arrested on 
conspiracy and importation charges relating to lysergide and methamphetemine. 
Another Auckland man suspected of being a key player was being interviewed by 
detectives. Police say the Waimate connection of the syndicate supplied drugs 
to South Island gangs, while the Aucklanders distributed to a gang in that 
city. The gangs further distributed the drugs. The police are attempting to 
determine if the source of the drugs was Sydney, or if they were filitered 
through that city from the traditional outlets of Europe and the United States 
west coast.
The raids, involving over 100 police, came after drug couriers from Australia 
had been observed for the last 10 months arriving at Christchurch and Auckland 
airports. One of the Sydney men arrested was picked up in the late afternoon 
when he arrived from Sydney at Christchurch airport. Four packets of 
memthamphetemine were allegedly found strapped to his body. He has been charged
with importing the drug and will appear in the Christchurch District Court.

Australia Bank gets enough to buy BNZ
The Bank of New Zealand will definitely be sold to the National Australia Bank,
although well under half the individual shareholders in the bank have accepted 
the NAB offer. This follows an announcement that the NAB now had more than 90 
per cent of the shares in the bank. The NAB has yet to make its offer for the 
bank unconditional, but that is expected to be a formality. Under New Zealand 
law 90 per cent acceptance of a takeover offer gives the buyer the right to buy
the remaining shares compulsorily. Nonetheless, small shareholder opposition to
the bid has made its mark. With one day before the offer officially closes, the
NAB said it had acceptances covering 90.27 per cent of BNZ shares. "Acceptances
have now been received for approximately 14,200 of BNZ's 32,000 shareholders," 
the bank said.
Two shareholders, the Government and the merchant bank Fay Richwhite, own 82.9 
per cent of the shares, and all but two American institutional shareholders are
understood to have accepted the offer. The fact that almost 10 per cent of the 
share capital is not covered by acceptances at least suggests that there has 
been a stron element of rejection by about 19,000 small shareholders who have 
not accepted the offer. However, there is some prospect of NAB extending the 
acceptance date to allow objectors who see they cannot now avoid selling to 
get their money more quickly.
One of the sale's more vocal opponents, Mr Brian Gaynor, an Auckland investment
analyst, said he was disappointed the sale was going ahead, but believed the 
concerted oppostition to it had produced some benefits. He predicted the 
unusually strong small shareholder opposition would provide a "benchmark" for 
the behaviour of bidders and boards of directors in takeover target companies 
in the future.

Sale 'broken promise'
The Bank of New Zealand sale was another broken promise, National's MP for 
Taurangs, Mr Winston Peters, said. Mr Peters, who has campaigned for a public 
inquiry into the BNZ for the last four months, said the sale to the National 
Bank of Australia meant an enormous loss to New Zealand taxpayers. He quoted a 
statement by Mr Ian McLean, National's state-owned enterprises spokesman, in 
June 1989, when the party was in Opposition: "We recognise that its place in 
the financial system makes it a strategic asset. National will make sure that 
the ownership and control remains firmly in New Zealand hands." Mr Peters said 
the sale was contrary to National's pre-election promises.

Sealord buyer known soon
A decision by Carter Holt Harvey on which of the two bidders will get New 
Zealand's biggest fisheries firm, Sealord Products Ltd, is now expected next 
week. The Brierley-Maori bid of about $335 million would be part paid for by 
the Government, which is paying $150 million over the next three years for the 
Maori share of the deal in full settlement of commercial fishing claims under 
the Treaty of Waitangi. With Carter Holt Harvey's delay in announcing which 
deal it will accept there is speculation the second bidder has incresased its 
offer. The second bidder is the Ashlar Corporation representing Polar Products,
investment bankers Ord Minnett, and the Danish fishing company Royal Greenland.
The Waitangi Tribunal has recommended the co-funded deal the Government struck 
with Maori fisheries negotiatiors can go, but with certain privisos.The main 
one has already been rejected by the Government. That was that the legislation 
enabling the deal to proceed not extinguish treaty fishing rights. Instead the 
tribunal proposes a 25 year moratorium on claims against these rights.

Trade war could leave NZ a heavy loser
New Zealand meat, dairy products, and wine could be among the first casualties 
of an international trade war looming as the result of the stalled Gatt 
negatiations. "The problem with all wars is that they're unpredictable and it's
very hard to tell exactly what would happen," the president of Federated 
Farmers, Mr Owen Jennings, said. "But I suspect the area we're likely to be 
affected in if the issue is prolonged will be selected products like wines 
initially, but then meat and milk."
The United States fired the first shots of a possible trade war, triggered by 
a quarrel over European Community sudsidies paid to European oilseed farmers. 
The EC has been thrown into turmoil by the dispute, the Agriculture 
Commissioner, Mr Ray MacSharry, quitting his negotiating role because of 
alleged interference, from the European Commission president, Mr Jacques 
Delors, officials said.
New Zealand and other trading nations would inevitably be caught in the 
crossfire of any expanding trade war between two such huge players. "It's 
patently obvious to everyone there would be horrendous damage done," the New 
Zealand Dairy Board's public affairs manager, Mr Neville Nartin, said.

Alan Murray
CSC Operations
University of Canterbury
a.murray@csc.canterbury.ac.nz
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand