Plans for floating hospital in Pacific

A floating hospital boat is being proposed to bring hi-tech medical treatment to the Pacific Islands. Plans have been drawn up to build a 72-metre catamaran with an operating theatre, CT scanner and an area for public education. Mark Eager, from Mobile Surgical Services, says the hospital ship could visit 12 Pacific Islands every five weeks and treat a variety of health problems. He says the scheme is starting to get some political traction and it is an efficient way of delivering health care in remote locations.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Old NZ money sells for big bucks at Australian auction

NZPA / David Rowland
If you are looking to invest in old New Zealand coins or banknotes, an Australian sale has the goods but you will need deep pockets. A three-day auction of important Australian and world coins, medals and banknotes which began in Sydney today, features a range of New Zealand currency, long withdrawn from circulation but often selling for thousands of times their face value. A 1935 threepence was expected to sell at the Noble Numismatics auction for at least $2000. An extremely rare one pound note issued by the Bank of Auckland in 1865, was likely to sell for $12,500. It had some rips, had lost both upper corners and had minor edge tears but was otherwise on very good condition. Another one pound note, issued by the Colonial Bank of New Zealand in 1891, was expected to bring $14,500 while a ten pound note issued by the Bank of New Zealand was likely to bring $17,500.

NZ Idol finalist to sing at US country music festival

NZPA/Ross Setford
New Zealand Idol finalist Ashley Cooper is to sing at the world's biggest country music festival in Nashville in June. The 21-year-old Tauranga singer will perform at the Global Artists Party at Nashville's legendary Honky Tonk Strip on Broadway on June 8. The concert is a precursor to the main festival to run from June 11-14 attended by more than 200,000 people and featuring some of the world's biggest country music stars. Cooper won the 2008 Horizon Award at New Zealand's National Country Music Awards.

John Key to visit China, attend East Asia Summit

Prime Minister John Key will attend the East Asia Summit in Thailand on April 11 and 12 and then visit China, it was announced today. Mr Key will join leaders from the 10 Asean (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries at the summit. Also attending will be the leaders of China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, India and Australia. Asean member nations are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Mr Key said the summit would discuss the global economic crisis and would also be an opportunity to build on the Asean, Australia New Zealand free trade agreement signed last month. Between April 14 and 18 Mr Key will visit China to meet leaders including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.
NZPA

Oxford's "rowing eight" Waikato bound

The rowing fraternity at Waikato University is mobilising quickly to put up strong competition against Oxford University. The UK institution "the rowing eight" is heading to New Zealand in late September for The Great Race on the Waikato River - complete with New Zealand crewman George Bridgewater. George Bridgewater will become the first to row for both Oxford and Waikato universities.
© 2009 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

Netballer Langman reunited with stolen Games medal

NZPA / David Rowland
New Zealand netballer Laura Langman has been reunited with her 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medal, stolen in a burglary just over a year ago. The medal was found by a carpenter cleaning out a vacant Auckland state house last week, The Waikato Times said today. Langman said she was "absolutely ecstatic" at the news the medal had been recovered. It sported a few marks as the thief had apparently tried to scratch the medal to see if it was real gold. Langman's Tamahere home, nine kilometres south east of Hamilton, was burgled in February last year.

Australia heading for recession, says central bank

The Reserve Bank of Australia has indicated for the first time it expects Australia's economy to sink into recession this year. The central bank's deputy governor, Ric Battellino, said gross domestic product is likely to be negative in 2009. In its quarterly statement on monetary policy in February, the bank tipped growth of 0.5%. Mr Battellino said on Tuesday that recent interest rates cuts and other measures had gone a long way. However, he said the reality is Australia cannot fully insulate itself from what is happening elsewhere in the world.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Organic NO, sustainable NO, clients misled

A Waikanae catering company has been given a warning by the Commerce Commission for falsely dressing up its menu. An investigation into Seasoned and Dressed has found it misled clients at several functions by passing off bacon as prosciutto, batch made carrot cake as organic, and standard chicken as corn fed. It is also been reprimanded for advertising as Wellington's only sustainable caterer and falsely claiming more than 70 per cent of its produce came from within 100 kilometres of Wellington. It also made multiple claims its produce was organic when it was not. The company has catered for a number of exclusive Wellington functions.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Prices for Queenstown hotels down 35 percent

NZPA/Ross Setford
Queenstown had the third biggest drop in city hotel prices in the world in the three months to Christmas, according to hotels.com Hotel Price Index. The index looked at hotel prices for October to December, 2008, compared to the same period the year before. It revealed hotel prices fell 41 percent in Mumbai, 36 percent Reykjavik, 35 percent in Queenstown, 32 percent in Manila, and 31 percent in Las Vegas. The website's president, David Roche, said hoteliers were being forced to lower their prices in order to fill rooms. "This year really will be the year of the deal." The website found hotel prices fell 12 percent globally, in 2008.

Olympic committee meets in Queenstown

A meeting to consider submissions from cities hoping to host the games 2016 Olympic Games begins in Queenstown on Tuesday. The two-day gathering of the Oceania National Olympic Committee General Assembly will also hear from representatives of sporting codes vying for inclusion. The codes short-listed for inclusion are softball, baseball, squash, karate and rugby sevens. Also attending are representatives from Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, which are bidding to host the 2016 Olympics.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

NZ-registered company accused of Ponzi scheme

An American man is being pursued by hundreds of angry US investors who are seeking money from one of his companies which was registered in New Zealand. Jeff Lowrance is being sought by more than 500 investors, whose lawyers claim he was operating a giant Ponzi scheme, or pyramid scheme, part of which was based in New Zealand. One of Mr Lowrance's companies, First Capital Savings and Loan, had its registered office in Auckland. A lawyer in South Dakota acting for 220 of the disgruntled clients, Wanda Howey-Fox, says some people have lost as much as $US750,000 and had invested their life savings and college education funds with Mr Lowrance.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Sydney power blackout causes chaos

SYDNEY (Reuters) – A severe power blackout brought chaos to downtown Sydney on Monday afternoon, causing peak-hour traffic jams as street signals failed and leaving workers stranded in lifts as they tried to make their way home. Failures at four high-voltage power cables virtually paralyzed Australia's biggest city, with the Sydney Harbor tunnel partially closed to traffic and the Sydney Opera House forced to cancel all performances for the evening, local media said. Office towers lost all power, paralyzing some elevators, at around 4:45 pm local time (0545 GMT). Up to 70,000 homes and businesses, including some inner suburbs, were blacked out, said state broadcaster ABC, which was running on back-up power.

Trial before NZ judge begins in Phnom Penh

NZPA / Maggie Tait
Families of victims of Pol Pot's torture prison Tuol Sleng, a few survivors, international media and observers crammed the world's biggest court today as Cambodia's first long-awaited killing fields warcrimes trial began. Former teacher Kaing Guek Eav, or Duch as he is known, is on trial before two international judges, New Zealand's Dame Silvia Cartwright and Frenchman Jean-Marc Lavergne, and three Cambodians, Nil Nonn, Ya Sokhan and Thou Mony. Together they form the "Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia", more commonly the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, which is trying senior leaders of Pol Pot's brutal regime under which 1.7 million Cambodians died between 1975 and 1979. The court seats 494 and is, an ECCC official says, the largest in the world.

NZ helps Tokelau cope with flu-like outbreak

New Zealand health authorities are working with Tokelau’s officials to manage an influenza-like outbreak affecting more than one in every ten people on the country’s three atolls. Tokelau has about 1500 residents spread over three atolls, and around 150 people heve reported ill with influenza. The New Zealand ministry of health says the school on Atafu, the northern-most atoll, has been closed, public gatherings halted, sick people advised to stay home and hand washing messages reinforced.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Cricket-Laxman scores ton as Napier test ends in draw

Vangipurappu Laxman scored his 14th test century after Gautam Gambhir had batted for almost 11 hours to ensure India secured a draw in the second cricket Test against New Zealand on Monday. India, who had been forced to follow on, declared their second innings closed at 476 for four shortly after Laxman had scored his century. With New Zealand needing 163 to win in less than 17 overs, both captains agreed to call the match off at McLean Park in Napier. Laxman was unbeaten on 124, while Yuvraj Singh was 54 not out for India, who lead the three-match series 1-0 after a 10-wicket victory in the test at Hamilton.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Daylight saving ends Sunday

Daylight saving ends next Sunday when 3am becomes 2am. The Department of Internal Affairs said today that people may find it convenient to put their clocks back by one hour before going to bed on Saturday, April 4. As well as changing clocks, the end of daylight saving was an opportune time for people to check their household emergency plans and survival kits and home smoke alarms, the department said. Daylight saving runs from the last Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April. This year daylight saving will start on September 27.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Pregnancy makes women forgetful - study

NZPA/Wayne Drought
A new study has revealed absentmindedness in pregnant women may not just be a popular stereotype but rather a scientific fact. The cross-sectional study, to be presented at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists annual scientific meeting in Auckland today, found memory and attention were compromised in the third trimester of pregnancy. Stereotypical forgetfulness in pregnant woman had not been widely analysed with objective neuropsychological tests, RANZCOG spokeswoman Lenore Ellett said. "The study demonstrates that pregnant women do have poorer memory function than non-pregnant women, particularly with regards to auditory memory. "This is important given that information given to pregnant women is usually verbal."

Mild end to autumn

The end of autumn and the start of winter looks likely to be mild, the national climate centre says. As the La Nina weather system weakened, above average temperatures were likely on average over the next three months in several regions of the country, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) said. "It is not likely that any major region will be cooler than normal over the three months as a whole, although this does not rule out occasional cold spells," principal scientist James Renwick said. The outlook covering April, May and June and showed average or above average temperatures in all regions, Dr Renwick said.
NZPA

Australian airports at standstill

Qantas workers have brought airports to a standstill and disrupted flights around Australia in a strike over security concerns. Up to 300 workers formed a blockade outside Sydney's international terminal this morning, while colleagues walked off the job in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, the ABC website reports. The baggage handlers, caterers, cleaners and ground crew are striking for four hours over plans by Qantas subsidiary Jetstar to outsource 100 baggage handling and check-in jobs at Sydney International, Hobart and Launceston airports.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Old clinics to go in $10.4m dental boost

By Martin Johnston
Old dental clinics serving children of more than 120 schools in Auckland City will close over the next three years as Government agencies revitalise and expand oral health care. In a $10.4 million construction plan intended to expand treatment and reduce delays, the Auckland District Health Board will build 13 community clinics. This is part of a $116 million national plan to replace clinics considered outdated, too small and in some cases hazardous, with fewer, generally larger community clinics and more mobile clinics. Health Minister Tony Ryall said yesterday his Government was proceeding with Labour's plan to rebuild the school dental service.

Togs planned for Muslim women

By Lincoln Tan
A group of refugee women have produced designs for Islamic bathing costumes to help Muslim women in New Zealand learn to swim. The sewing group, NZ Somalian Inc, presented their idea at the Auckland Cultural Festival at Wesley War Memorial Park yesterday. "Many Muslim women don't learn to swim because the strict rules of Islam forbid them from wearing the swimming costumes sold in New Zealand shops," said Fadumo Ahmed, chairwoman of the group. The cover-all swimming costume drew its inspiration from the two piece "burkini", which is popular in the Middle East and introduced to Australia two years ago.

New Computer virus warning

An April Fool's Day virus is about to hit New Zealand computers. It is stage two of one of the most destructive computer worms ever known - a conficker worm dubbed the "cyberworm of mass destruction". Domain name commissioner Debbie Monaghan says measures have been put in place to try to counter it, but she is issuing a warning to all computer users both at home and in the workplace. She says it is imperative that everyone download the latest "windows" update to make sure you are protected.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Police Minister pushes for car-crushing legislation

NZPA / Anthony Phelps
Legislation is being drafted to allow courts to order boy racer cars to be crushed, Police Minister Judith Collins says. It would be a punishment for repeat offenders but the Government had not yet secured sufficient support in Parliament to get it through, she said today on TV One's Q&A programme. Ms Collins, who got the nickname "crusher" for talking about it soon after she became a minister, said whether it went ahead would depend on support from other parties. "It will allow a court to, in fact, order a car to be crushed for a recidivist offender," she said.

Mysterious nuclear ships survey

It seems someone's trying to find out how we'd feel about nuclear-powered ships coming back into New Zealand waters. Unite union leader Mike Treen says workers at a market research company have been doing phone polls to gauge public opinion on the idea. Mr Treen released the information during a pay dispute with the company, Oceania Customer Interaction Services, which was resolved last night. Unite pointed the finger at the National Party, which has denied any involvement. Nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed ships were banned from New Zealand ports in the 1980s.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Supermarket bag campaign launched

A nationwide campaign to introduce a levy on plastic supermarket bags has been launched. The 'Get Real' campaign is demanding that Progressive Enterprises and Foodstuffs start charging for plastic bags at their supermarket counters. The campaign has the support of environmental organisations around the country. Sophie Ward, who is the general manager of Sustainable Wanaka, says the most effective way to reduce plastic bags is to stop giving them away free.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Courses to intensify for trainee midwives

New midwives will be required to birth 40 babies under supervision, instead of the current 30, before being allowed to practise on their own. The Midwifery Council, which oversees training, has decided to increase the practical component of courses partly because of concerns from the public that graduates need more experience before handling births on their own. Trainee midwives will also have to check on more than 200 mothers and babies before they can get their registration. Trainees from a Canterbury-Otago midwifery school started teaching the more intensive training course this year.
The Press

Brits flee to Godzone (NZ)

Anna Rushworth and Jonathan Leake
New Zealand is becoming a "lifeboat island" for environmental refugees, fleeing climate change that they fear will make the larger land masses of the Northern Hemisphere barren and uninhabitable. One of the world's most distinguished environmentalists, Professor James Lovelock, says in his new book, The Vanishing Face of Gaia, that New Zealand could be one of the world's last havens as global warming fundamentally changes the planet. And scientists at the Copenhagen climate science conference this month warned that equatorial regions in Asia and Africa would not be able to grow enough food, forcing a rush of eco-migrants to more temperate nations like New Zealand.

Gale warning for coastal Southland

MetService is warning of strong winds becoming severe gales around coastal Southland from early Sunday. Forecasters say parts of Stewart Island, exposed headlands like Bluff, and the lee of the hills near Riverton and the southern Catlins could be severely hit. They say homeowners are being warned of possible damage to trees, powerlines and insecure roofs.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Position of enrolled nurse may be reinstated

The Nurses Organisation is welcoming a decision to consider reinstating the position of enrolled nurse more than a decade after the job description was disestablished. At present it is only possible to be a registered nurse or a nurse assistant. Health Minister Tony Ryall has asked the Nursing Council to consult with district health boards, the Ministry of Health, nurse employers and nurses - a process expected to take six months. Nurses Organisation chief executive Geoff Annals says he fully supports reinstating the position of enrolled nurse.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Zoo shut after long-legged wildcat escaped

Wellington Zoo was shut down on Saturday afternoon while staff re-captured an escaped Serval. The zoo says the African cat, named Shanti, ran off when she was frightened by a loud sound as she was being returned to her enclosure. The spokesperson, Stephanie Gray, says the Serval is hand raised and is often taken out on the leash to mix with visitors.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Otago University graduate wins US research award

Otago University graduate Rob Knight has won a United States award worth more than $US1.5 million ($NZ2.6 million). Prof Knight, 32, is one of 50 US-based scientists who will have their salary paid for six years, plus a research budget of $US1.5m, from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Prof Knight is assistant professor of chemistry, biochemistry and computer science at the University of Colorado, in Boulder. His research focuses on the evolution of the composition of biomolecules, genomes and communities. "We all share more than 99 percent of our genomes, but only a tiny fraction of our microbial species so understanding the sources and roles of these microbes is crucial," he said.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Test for online IQ testers

By CLAIRE MCENTEE - The Dominion Post
Taking online IQ tests can be a dumb move, the Commerce Commission says. The watchdog investigated 20 complaints from people who had unwittingly signed up for text subscription services when taking online IQ and love compatibility tests. Complainants typically answered an online quiz and were asked for their cellphone numbers so results could be texted to them. They were then given a pin number to enter on the website and received the results by text. Unbeknown to the complainants, they had subscribed to a text service and received three to five texts a week costing between $3 and $5 each. "If you want to check your IQ, the first test you should pass is knowing to read the terms and conditions."

NZ family seek justice at UN trials

On Monday, his brother, rowing great Rob Hamill, expects to see the first flickers of accountability as one of the largest criminal hearings of modern times opens. Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, ran the most notorious torture centre during the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror. It was where Hamill was killed, along with two friends and thousands of Cambodians. Eav faces charges of crimes against humanity before the United Nations-backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, which has New Zealand judge and former governor-general Dame Silvia Cartwright among its five members. "It's more accountability and to see that some sort of justice has been done. It's been over 30 years now and it's about time," Rob Hamill said.
The Press - with NZPA

Doctors first rural hospital specialists in NZ

Ten country doctors are being recognised as New Zealand's first specialists in rural hospital medicine. The Medical Council created the new category of specialist last year to recognise the skills of doctors working in the area. The Royal College of GPs says the doctors being recognised at a function in Wellington on Friday have been assessed over the past few months, but have years of experience. The chairperson of its Division of Rural Hospital Medicine, Garry Nixon, says the new specialty will also help to solve staff shortages by giving younger doctors a career path.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Rugby-Maori Team may get to play in South Africa

South Africa's changed its rules to resurrect the chance to host the New Zealand Maori rugby team. The original proposal was for a match in June in Soweto, which was blocked by racism laws. A government ruling prevents the Springboks from playing racially selected teams. But the president's council of the South African Rugby Union has instructed its staff to try to organise a match between a South African side and the Maori as a warmup for the Springboks' series against the British and Irish Lions.
© 2009 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

Spooky goings-on at 100-year-old hut

Mountain guides have reported spooky goings-on at a 100-year-old hut in the South Island's Aoraki-Mount Cook National Park. They say they have been visited by the ghost of a former guide who is believed to have built the Hooker Hut in 1910. The Department of Conservation guides and a helicopter pilot have reported strange bumps in the night in the hut on the Hooker Glacier. And residents of Mt Cook Village have also been reporting paranormal activity. DoC mountain guide Jane Morris told Checkpoint that she was staying in the two-room hut last Friday with a colleague when they heard the noise of someone arriving. Ms Morris says she heard a billy lid and pot getting rattled around, as well as the bolt on the door being nudged and shuffling in the room. When the pair checked the room, no one else was there. Ms Morris says she believes the sounds were made by the ghost of mountain guide Darby Thompson, who built the first Hooker Hut in 1910.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Households 'well insulated' against recession

A Reserve Bank paper has found households are in a strong financial position to cope with the economic downturn. It says despite household debt rising substantially from 2001 to 2007, that does not pose a significant threat to financial stability in New Zealand. The paper argues most households are reasonably well insulated against the worst effects of recession.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Kiwi men jump up the charts in China

By Lincoln Tan
New Zealand men have become the third most sought-after foreign husbands by Chinese women, a survey found. A nationwide survey by the Chinese matchmaking agency hongniang.com shows that Chinese women considering foreign husbands now prefer men in countries which are not the wealthiest, but are less likely to be hit by the financial crisis. The free-spending culture in rich societies like the United States is a cause for concern in these troubled times, and the respondents said they found New Zealand men to be less extravagant.

NZ climate good for long life, frog study finds

New Zealand's climate is much better than Australia's when it comes to living a long life, according to research from a study of frogs. Victoria University of Wellington has revealed that the tiny Maud Island frog, a threatened amphibian, can reach the grand age of 37, the oldest recorded age of any frog out of captivity. Professor Ben Bell, a researcher on the study, said similar long lives could be seen in other animals in Godzone (NZ). "In frog terms, it's very comfortable here and it helps them to live longer. Australia has some amazing frogs that do very interesting things, but I don't know of any as long lived as these ones. "There's something about the very comfortable climate, the few extremes in weather, that works for them and allows them to just keep on going."
AAP

Landmark buildings switching off lights

New Zealanders are being encouraged to join the millions worldwide who are expected to turn off their lights tomorrow night. Forty-four New Zealand cities, town and districts are taking part in Earth Hour, when people are encouraged to power down from 8.30 at night to show support for action on climate change. Project director Dairne Poole says it is symbolic event which helps raise awareness about climate change through energy saving. She says it also brings the community together to celebrate the earth for an hour.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Organic yoghurt selling like hotcakes

A Christchurch producer of organic dairy products has US companies lining up to stock its organic yoghurt. Serra Natural Foods has joined forces with two Hawke's Bay firms to distribute to nearly 300 Whole Foods Markets stores in America. Serra's CEO, Jim Small says Whole Foods Markets are interested in Serra's cyclops Greek style frozen yoghurt. He says the nutrition products market he is tapping into is worth around $100 billion. Serra now has three other US chains wanting to stock its yoghurt.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Rumble strips to be extended on highways

Another 750km of state highway will have life saving "rumble strips" installed, Transport Minister Steven Joyce announced today. He told the Automobile Association's annual conference at Waitangi that the NZ Transport Agency had been given an extra $4 million in funding to accelerate the installation of the "rumble strip" road markings on the state highway network. Formally known as "audio tactile profiled markings", rumble strips are raised road markings used along road edges and centrelines. When vehicles drive over the markings the rumbling effect acts as a wake-up call, alerting drivers that they are veering out of their lane.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Kiwi awarded Peruvian order of merit

New Zealander Ross Wales who acts as honorary consul to Peru in Auckland has been awarded the Order of the Diplomatic Merit of Peru. Mr Wales, who has held the position since 1973, was awarded the order by Peruvian Ambassador to New Zealand Carlos Zapata. Mr Wales had contributed to integrating the Peruvian community in Auckland and promoted the commercial and financial links between Peru and New Zealand, Mr Zapata said.
NZPA

Helen Clark confirmed as head of UN agency

The former Prime Minister, Helen Clark, has been officially named to become the head of the United Nations' Development Programme. Following days of speculation, her appointment was announced early Friday morning in New York by a UN spokesperson. Michele Montas says member nations have already been consulted, and the General Assembly is expected to quickly approve her appointment. The Government is congratulating the former Prime Minister, Helen Clark, on her appointment. The Prime Minister, John Key, says he's delighted. He says it will be the highest diplomatic position held by a New Zealander, and Miss Clark has credibility on the world stage. The job of running the Development Programme is the third highest job at the UN after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Telecom announces Bebo partnership

Telecom is launching a new partnership with the social networking site Bebo. From June, Telecom users will be able to access the site's content and services. This means people will be able to upload photos, give virtual gifts, get updates via text messages and interact with friends. Bebo has been pairing up with mobile phone providers across the world since the beginning of the year.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Goff off to Chile for economic conference

Labour Leader Phil Goff is off to Chile for a international meeting on the global economic crisis. He leaves today to go to the Policy Network event in Vina del Mar which will host politicians and economic experts from around the world. Among those attending are UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and US Vice-President Joe Biden.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Labour shortage in Hawke's Bay

A seasonal labour shortage has been declared for Central Hawke's Bay, Napier and Hastings. It means travellers can have their visitor permits amended so they can work in the region's horticulture or viticulture sectors. The declaration will remain in effect until the end of April. Work and Income regional commissioner Lindsay Scott says finding local labour will remain their priority, but there's concern there are not enough New Zealanders to fill the vacancies.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Healthy eating a struggle for Pacific Islanders

Pacific people in New Zealand can't always afford to eat healthy food which could lower their high obesity rates, a report released today says. The report, Food Security for Pacific Peoples in New Zealand, from the Obesity Action Coalition, said Pacific New Zealanders were finding it harder to access healthy and affordable food which meets their cultural and social needs. Healthy food was more expensive, not as easy to access and often not as tasty as less healthy food, the report said. Pacific people were two and a half times more likely to be obese than the general population, and local and central governments must actively support access to healthy food, the report's lead author, Professor Elaine Rush from AUT University, said.
NZPA

Record Australasian stamp price reached

NZPA/Wayne Drought
A New Zealand stamp dealer's Australian branch says it has sold one of the world's first airmail stamps for a record Australasian price. Mowbray Collectables sold the stamp, an 1870 Siege of Paris Balloon Post Cover sent from France to Australia, for $238,625 at an auction in Sydney yesterday. Its value had been estimated at $A50,000 ($NZ62,500), and managing director John Mowbray said it was a record price for any philatelic item sold in Australasia. He said the stamp was sent while Paris was under siege from the Prussian army in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71. Some envelopes were sent out of Paris in a hot air balloon, and then by sea mail once the balloon landed.

Breast cancer device to be tested

By REBECCA TODD - The Press
Human trials have begun, using breakthrough technology for breast-cancer screening developed at Canterbury University. Post-doctoral fellow Thomas Lotz was awarded a Foundation for Research, Science and Technology grant last week, along with 11 other researchers nationwide. The three-year scholarship, worth nearly $300,000, has allowed him to begin trialling technology that uses vibrations to detect breast cancer. The system, called Digital Imaging-based Elasto-Tomography (Diet), is non-invasive and does not need to be administered by trained professionals, making it cheap and accessible. Lotz said if successful, the new device could test women earlier and more frequently, and could be easily taken to rural areas where regular testing was problematic.

Hospital has 'too many nurses'

By NATALIE AKOORIE - Waikato Times
Waikato Hospital has too many nurses, according to managers who say they must be better rostered to benefit patients and avoid overtime. The comments fly in the face of claims by nurses that shortages have dogged the profession for years. Waikato Hospital group manager Grant Howard, who was standing in for chief operating officer Jan Adams, admitted it was controversial to say the hospital had too many staff, particularly nurses, but he said evidence in a management plan supported the fact. "I think that we're over-staffed to deliver the amount of service we're currently delivering." Dr Howard told yesterday's Health Waikato advisory committee meeting that management needed to get smarter about how it organised hospital staff.

Land sought in NZ for Asian burial ground

New Zealand is being explored as a burial ground for Asians, who have a tradition of honouring their dead and worshipping their ancestors. Cremation is not an option for some Buddhist and Taoist who want their bodies kept intact after death because of their belief in reincarnation, but cities such as Tokyo and Singapore are running out of cemetery space. A group of Singapore businessmen toured the North Island last month looking for land on the Hibiscus Coast for a cemetery and have appointed an agent to explore the possibilities of establishing burial grounds.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

National MP named in beautiful female politician poll

A National Party MP has been named in an international internet poll to find the world's most beautiful female politician. List MP Melissa Lee was named number 50 in the poll, run by Spain's 20 Minutos newspaper. Ms Lee was in a select committee and unavailable for comment this morning, but a spokesperson said she had a laugh at being named in the list. Peruvian politicians Luciana Leon and Mercedes Araoz were ranked first and second, Sarah Palin was 24th and Hillary Clinton was 34th.
NZPA

Major coup for NZ animation company

A Dunedin company is providing the graphics for this year's Formula One racing car series for the BBC. Staff at Animation Research, of Dunedin, have worked 16-hour days to put together graphics for Sunday's Formula One season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, The Otago Daily Times reported today. Managing director Ian Taylor said the contract was a "major" coup.
NZPA

Greymouth surgical ward reopens

NZPA/Ross Setford
An increase in nursing numbers has allowed a surgical ward at Greymouth's hospital to reopen. West Coast District Health Board said that as of Monday it would reopen Barclay Ward at Grey Base Hospital as a Monday to Friday surgical ward. The reopening of the ward would enable an increase in the amount of inpatient elective surgery performed, WCDHB community liaison officer Bryan Jamieson said.

All TVNZ channels now available on Sky TV

NZPA/Ross Setford
All TVNZ channels will now be available to Sky TV viewers after an agreement was signed today. The agreement makes TVNZ6 and 7 available to Sky viewers from July 1, as well as high definition (HD) versions of TV One and TV2 for MYSKYHD viewers from June 1. Previously the two networks had a contract only for TV One and TV2. The move would secure a foothold for all TVNZ channels and would protect the network well into the future, TVNZ chief executive Rick Ellis said.

Announcement near on Clark for UN job

An announcement is expected soon on whether former prime minister Helen Clark has secured one of the top jobs at the United Nations. Miss Clark applied for the post of administrator of the UN Development Programme, the biggest of the independently funded UN agencies, earlier in the year. An interview panel has been considering its decision, which is due soon and is widely tipped to opt for Miss Clark. It is the third-highest position in the world body.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Cyclone's progress being tracked

Weather forecasters are tracking the progress of a tropical cyclone which is now battering New Caledonia. Jasper made a dramatic explosion into life yesterday. Weatherwatch analyst Philip Duncan says it is currently only a category two cyclone but has strengthened overnight and is tracking south or southeast. New Zealand is protected from it for the next few days by a large high, but those conditions may change after the weekend. But Philip Duncan says it is frustrating trying to track Jasper because separate authorities in the southwest Pacific (Australia, Fiji and New Zealand) are monitoring it. Yesterday, Jasper was an Australian storm but now it is in Fiji's area.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Field Days underway today

The latest farming gadgets will be on display today at the 58th annual South Island Field Days in Christchurch. The oldest Field Days event in New Zealand runs until Friday and more than 20,000 people are expected at the Lincoln University's seven-hectare site on Weedons Rd. Chairman David James says this year's event has a record number of exhibitors and up to 100 demonstrations will be held each day. He says as 64 percent of New Zealand's merchandise exports come from the primary sector, Field Days is a barometer of how the economy is faring.
© 2009 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

French compo deal too late for many - Greenpeace

Greenpeace says a French compensation deal for people who suffered health problems from nuclear testing in the Pacific has come too late. The environmental group says many of the military and civilian staff involved have already died. France carried out nuclear tests from the 1960 until 1996. Former Greenpeace campaign leader Stephanie Mills says survivors will also find it hard to get a payout. The compensation package is worth about $24 million. On Tuesday, the French government said it would compensate victims of past nuclear tests with an initial fund of nearly 10 million euros.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Employment worries for migrants

Migrant workers are concerned they will be the first on the chopping block when their employers look to cut jobs. A group representing Filipino migrants, Migrante Aotearoa, is urging employers to uphold International Labour Organisation standards. National coordinator Dennis Maga says tensions are growing in workplaces because people think migrants should be the first to go. He says a fair and transparent process should be followed when selecting workers who will made redundant. Mr Maga says migrants make a significant contribution to New Zealand's economy.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

UMR Good Life

City suburbs and small country towns are where the good life is, if the results of a UMR Research survey are anything to go by. 90% of respondents living in rural areas liked where they lived. While around 75% of people living in the suburbs and small towns are happy. In contrast, only 64% of central city dwellers wanted to live there. The survey says younger people tend to opt for the central city and Maori long for the rural life, more than other ethnicities.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Poisonous berries kill dog

A dog's death has prompted a public health warning over a poisonous native plant. The dog died from eating karaka berries in an Auckland park. Auckland Medical Officer of Health Dr Simon Baker says the long oval green and orange berries fall from trees at this time of year and are attractive to both children and dogs. He says parents need to be aware of what plants around their homes are poisonous and teach their children not to eat or gather any berries or plant material without adult supervision.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

NZ teens to take part in robotics competition in US

Twelve New Zealand teenagers are heading to an international robotics competition in the United States next month after sealing victory at the national event at the weekend. Two teams, one made up of Avondale College pupils and the other of home-schooled children in Auckland, will battle it out at the Vex world championships in Dallas, Texas, on April 30. The two groups were declared tournament champions from a field of 31 teams in a fast and furious final of a robotics competition at the Massey University, Albany campus at the weekend.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Rarotonga hopes for NZ help to help repay loan

NZPA/Ross Setford
The Cook Islands government says it hopes that New Zealand taxpayers will help it repay the big US$28 million (NZ$50.35 million) China has just lent it to upgrade the water supply system and roads on Rarotonga. On Australia's ABC Cook Islands Deputy Prime Minister Sir Terepai Maoate was asked: "Are the Cook Islands going to be in a position to be able to pay this loan back later on?" Sir Terepai said: "We hope New Zealand will be at our aid to assist us with this". The Cook Islands has also been given a further US$11million (NZ$19.8million) in grants for projects in the outer islands, the ABC reported.

Live sheep exports to resume

The Government intends ending the six-year moratorium on live sheep exports but says it will have to be assured the animals are properly treated on the trip to Saudi Arabia and when they get there. Agriculture Minister David Carter has confirmed shipments would resume under those conditions, distressing the Green Party and animal rights activists. TV3 News reported the sheep were being bred for export in Napier by a company majority-owned by Saudi Arabian interests. Mr Carter said live sheep would not leave the country unless there was an assurance of their treatment on the water and when they arrived in Saudi Arabia. Live sheep exports were stopped in 2004 after 5000 sheep died on an Australian ship bound for Saudi Arabia, provoking international protest and disgust.
NZPA

New Zealand able to withstand recession - IMF

A delegation from the International Monetary Fund says New Zealand is well placed to weather the deepening economic storm. IMF delegates have been meeting government officials and business and union representatives as part of a routine visit over the past week. The head of the mission, New Zealander Ray Brooks, says low government debt and sound banks are the economy's biggest strengths. He says these will encourage foreign investors to keep lending to New Zealand, and the floating exchange rate will cushion the economy from falling demand for exports. Mr Brooks says Government debt is low by international standards, and rising deficits should be addressed once the economy has recovered.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Geogie Pie comeback

Ten years after the last Georgie Pie was sold, North Shore baker Martin Gummer is making a bid to bring them back. MacDonalds bought out Georgie Pie, then closed it down, turning most into their own burger sites. Now Mr Gummer has been trying to buy the rights off MacDonalds but says they are ignoring him. A Facebook campaign in support has more than 17,000 Georgie Pie fans. Martin Gummer says Georgie Pie has a nostalgic appeal to a whole generation of New Zealanders.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Early season for kiwifruit

The Bay of Plenty kiwifruit season is off to an early start - with fruit shipments now on their way to Japan. Zespri says the first shipment of 140,000 trays of the Gold variety is due to arrive in Kobe in early April. This is almost two weeks ahead of the 2008 season start date. The first shipments of kiwifruit to China are expected to arrive mid April - and in Europe at the end of next month.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Government dumps stupid law

The Government has scuttled what has been described as a stupid law introduced by Labour. Changes to the copyright laws could see websites being closed down after someone complained about copyright being breached. ACT's Rodney Hide said it was guilt by accusation and breached the principle of natural justice. The industry was given until Friday to come up with a workable code of practice but has failed to do so and Prime Minister John Key says the law change will not now go ahead.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

UK blogger arrives in NZ as part of his "Twitter-trip"

A British blogger arrived in New Zealand today in his attempt to travel as far around the world as possible -- relying on the generosity of users of social networking website Twitter. British journalist Paul Smith left his home in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on March 1 and has already travelled via Amsterdam, Paris, Germany and the United States. He touched down in Auckland on a free flight from the US and a hotel is putting him up for a free night's accommodation tonight. Smith plans to make his way around New Zealand as part of his 30-day world-wide trip. He is relying on the goodwill of other Twitter users to put a roof over his head and show him around New Zealand. Smith is also raising money for a non-profit organisation called Charity: Water, which helps bring clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.
NZPA

Big drop in tourism to Fiji

Tourists stayed away from Fiji in droves this summer, with a quarter of would-be visitors deterred by torrential rain and tighter purse strings. Tourism Fiji chairman Patrick Wong predicts tourist numbers for the first quarter of 2009 will be down 25 per cent on last year - a record drop. The tropical storm that hit in mid January, killing 11 people and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses, ruined the holidays of hundreds of New Zealanders and Australians. It also deterred hundreds of other potential summertime travellers.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

'Food miles' minor element of carbon footprint - scientist

A Welsh scientist who has studied the food miles debate says the distance that food has to travel to market is largely irrelevant in establishing the carbon footprint of food products. Gareth Edwards-Jones from Bangor University, who is on a speaking tour of New Zealand, says other factors play a far greater part in determining the energy used, such as how food is grown, processed and transported. He says the way food is cooked is significant, as the energy used in the kitchen can be greater than that used in every other stage up to that point. Mr Edwards-Jones isn't yet prepared to buy the argument that New Zealand lamb shipped to the UK has a lower carbon footprint than lamb produced in Britain. He told Saturday Morning that factions in both countries are making their own decisions using different research methodology, so the science is unproven.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

NZ Post to stop weekend collections from street mailboxes

Snail mail is set to become even slower with New Zealand Post deciding it will no longer collect mail from street boxes on a weekend. The company will cut its collection days from six days a week to five days a week from mid April. New Zealand Post says there has been a significant drop in the amount of mail posted in street boxes on a weekend, and 95% of mail is sent on weekdays.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

World Potato Congress opens in Christchurch

The seventh World Potato Congress opens in Christchurch on Monday with 550 scientists, growers and industry representatives expected to attend. The last congress was held in Idaho in the United States, but it's the first time it's come to New Zealand. Last year was dubbed "International Year of the Potato" by the United Nations, to highlight the potential that spuds have for feeding the world. The congress will finish on Wednesday.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Tough times for car dealers

The car industry is being driven into a ditch as many New Zealand dealers stockpile vehicles rather than sell stock at a loss. As carmakers in the United States and Europe are on the verge of bankruptcy and pleading for government bailouts, dealers in New Zealand say buyers cannot get credit to purchase cars and the market is saturated with imports. Last month one of the Wellington region's largest car dealerships, Williams and Adams, went into receivership. The company had been operating for more than 80 years.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

National cycleway could cost $300m, says engineer

A group of engineering consultants says the Government's proposed national cycleway could cost more than six times more than initially suggested. Prime Minister John Key has indicated a 3000-kilometre national cycleway from Cape Reinga to Bluff would cost $50 million and employ 4,000 people. The idea emerged at the Government's job summit. Trevor Butler of outdoor recreation engineers Frame Group Ltd says that number of jobs is unrealistic. Mr Butler says a concrete cycleway costs about $100 a metre, which would mean the proposed national trail would cost about $300 million. That does not include costs for bridges, crossing points, signage or land purchase.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Property expert urges caution

A seasoned property investor is urging caution in the housing market, despite a rebound in sales numbers and prices. Both median house prices and the volume of sales rose in February, after very low figures in January. Investor Olly Newland is warning it is unlikely we have seen the end of the housing slump. He hopes people will not rush at the market just because there has been a blip in the figures. Mr Newland believes we are headed for a winter of discontent in the property sector, with prices falling further as more people lose their jobs. He says it is always hard to pick the bottom of the property market, but if people can be sure they have found a bargain they will be cushioned against those falls.
© 2009 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

Schools told to rethink discipline

CATHERINE WOULFE - Sunday Star Times
A new book about trouble-making teens says schools need to turn their entire discipline systems upside down - and detentions, time out of class and trips to the principal's office should be first to go. This is because children who break the rules thrive on being told off in public, as it makes them more popular. Teens in the studies said detention helped them make new friends. Time out, or getting sent out of class, became a game of who could be sent out the quickest and stay there the longest. And they enjoyed being sent to the principal because other students saw them there and knew they had done something bad. Peter Gall, principal of Papatoetoe High School and head of the New Zealand Secondary Principals' Association, agrees schools need to reassess their tactics. The authors (of the book) point to a computer program called Mindfields, which was developed at the University of Queensland. Mindfields is a six-session program where young people work their way through realistic day-to-day decisions and learn how to deal with them in a more thoughtful, informed way.

England beats NZ to win women's cricket World Cup

England have beaten New Zealand by four wickets to win the women's cricket World Cup in Sydney. Chasing New Zealand's total of 166, the England victory was set up by a 79 run partnership between Sarah Taylor and Caroline Atkins for the first wicket. They lost wickets after that but Nicky Shaw with 17 not out steered England to their first World Cup title since 1993. Earlier, Shaw had been the chief destroyer of the New Zealand innings, taking four for 34. At 101 for seven the White Ferns were in serious trouble but Lucy Doolan hit a career best 48 off 57 balls as she and Nicola Browne put on 63 runs for the eighth wicket. Doolan followed up her good batting by taking three wickets for 23 from her 10 overs with the ball.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

First oral health survey in 20 years to take place

The first oral health survey in more than 20 years is underway to measure the state of nation's teeth. The Ministry of Health will interview and examine 2000 adults and 1000 children across the country between now and November. The Ministry says the survey will show whether it's succeeding in reducing the levels of decay and tooth loss. It will also establish who visits the dentist and how much strain might be put on the dental health service in the future.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Big money for piece of history

A piece of the flagstaff Hone Heke repeatedly chopped down is going up for auction. It is believed to be just one of three pieces still in existence. The Ngapuhi chief chopped down the pole flying the British flag at Russell in 1844. It is expected to fetch between $20,000 and $30,000.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Women flock to fertility testing

y EMMA PAGE - Sunday Star Times
Hundreds of women anxious to know if they can have babies are visiting fertility clinics for a new blood test that reveals how long they can expect to be fertile. Some are taking the test, which measures levels of an ovarian hormone, as part of IVF treatment or because of fertility fears following an illness. The simple test measures the level of Anti Mullerian Hormone (AMH) present in a woman's blood, indicating how many eggs she has left - a key factor in deciding when to have children or which fertility treatment to pursue. Private fertility clinics around the country say interest in the $50 test has been high, especially from women in their 30s trying to plan their lives around their remaining fertile years. It has been available abroad for several years but in New Zealand only since late last year.

Labor wins Queensland election

Australia's Labor Party has won a fifth term in office in Queensland. Premier Anna Bligh also made history in the process, becoming the first woman in Australia to be elected to the position. A surge in support of almost 4% towards the Liberal National Party was not enough to change the result. Ms Bligh called the election six months early, saying she needed a new mandate with the state facing growing unemployment and rising debt, due to the downturn and falling prices for Queensland's coal and mineral exports.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

New Zealand certain of a gold in World Blind Sailing Champs

New Zealand seems certain to receive one gold and two silvers in the IFDS World Blind Sailing Championship, even before the fleet sails its final two races on Saturday. New Zealand skipper Paulien Eitjes is assured of a gold medal in the B2 fleet, despite missing her first win of the series today. The most exciting race today in the B3 fleet came in the last race where New Zealand just led Great Britain around the first mark. In the run to the line, Great Britain became engaged in a duel with Japan, allowing New Zealand to slip through to take the win. After today's races, Italy retains its lead in the B1 fleet on 20 points, New Zealand is in second place on 28 points and Norway still in third place on 33.5 points. In the B3 fleet, Great Britain holds onto its lead at the top of the table on 14 points, with New Zealand in second place on 24 points and the United States in third place on 35 points.

Hamiltonian wins Spelling Bee

A 13-year-old from Hamilton Boys High School is the country's Spelling Bee champion for 2009. Christopher Jury will now represent New Zealand at the US Spelling Bee final in Washington DC in May. His winning word was iterative. Runner up Aiden Brock from Scots College in Wellington tripped over the word pecuniary. Third was Amanda Tan from Rangitoto College in Auckland, who misspelled peloton. Thirteen finalists, five girls and eight boys, competed in this afternoon's final in Wellington.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Kiwi released from Pakistan detention

New Zealander Mark Taylor has been released from detention in Pakistan and deported, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said on Saturday. Taylor, 35, was detained by Pakistani security forces on February 11 after trying to enter a tribal region on the Afghan border, identified as a Taliban and al Qaeda stronghold, without permission. "It is completely understandable that Pakistan authorities were concerned by Mr Taylor's presence in a prohibited area, and the New Zealand Government is grateful that they kept us informed of Mr Taylor's situation, and his well-being," McCully said. Taylor was prohibited from returning to Pakistan.
Copyright © 2009, Television New Zealand Limited

New DNA will swell databank

By Patrick Gower
Increased DNA testing of crime suspects is likely to double the size of the national databank in the next five years. The expansion stems from a Government plan allowing police to take compulsory samples from anyone they intend to charge with a wide range of offences. Even allowing for a gradual drop-off in numbers as police catch repeat offenders, the databank is likely to at least double within five years from 90,000 to 180,000 profiles - about 4 per cent of all New Zealanders.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Simon and Garfunkel tipped to visit

There are rumours Simon and Garfunkel could be heading this way. The duo won rave reviews last week when they reunited for just three songs at New York's Beacon Theater. Since then Paul Simon's manager has told Rolling Stones magazine the pair are talking about another comeback tour. In 2003 their Old Friends tour grossed an impressive $123 million. There is speculation New Zealand could be the first country to host them, before they head west to Australia and Japan.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Brain damage fears for world's malnourished children - NZ aid conference

A conference on overseas aid in Wellington has been told that 40% of children in the world's poorest countries, could suffer permanent brain damage as a result of malnutrition during the financial crisis. The conference at Victoria University is discussing ways of maintaining New Zealand's overseas aid commitment during the global downturn. More than 300 politicians, researchers, aid agencies and government officials are discussing how to continue sending aid offshore.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Cook Strait conquered on first attempt

A Rotorua woman has swum Cook Strait in nine hours 23 minutes, becoming the oldest person to do so. Pam Dickson, 55, completed the swim on Friday on her first attempt, despite suffering hypothermia for the last leg and swimming in a circle for the last 800 metres because she was so cold and disoriented. Her guide, veteran Strait swimmer Philip Rush, says Ms Dickson's crossing was a "great effort" in gusty winds that made conditions difficult for both the swimmer and her support crew. Ms Dickson, a massage therapist and grandmother of nine, says she's jumping with joy at her feat.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Mystery deaths strike zoo's penguin colony

By Eloise Gibson
Auckland Zoo is down to one blue penguin after a series of deaths that has baffled keepers. Four of the zoo's six penguins have died of a mysterious ailment in the past six months. A fifth penguin drowned in a bucket while trying to escape from an emergency enclosure keepers made to keep it safe. Zoo veterinarian John Potter said the zoo would like more penguins to replace Ani, Henry, Lucy, Pluto and MacGonagal. The last penguin, Coral, was lonely, and the enclosure would be improved in an effort to make her and her new companions more comfortable. But he said staff were "stumped" about what had happened to the other penguins. Tests of their swimming water had not found any possible cause of the problem.
Copyright 2009, APN Holdings NZ Limited

Free travel to The Who

Veteran British rock group The Who are taking to a New Zealand stage tonight for the first time in 40 years. The group is doing a one off show at Auckland's North Harbour Stadium. Also in the line up are Americans Counting Crows and local band Hello Sailor! Doors open from 5pm and the first band is due on stage at around 6.30pm. Free train and bus transport is being offered to passengers who present a valid concert ticket. Trains on all lines to Britomart will link up with bus services to North Harbour Stadium. After the show, special buses will travel directly from North Harbour Station to Britomart stopping at all Northern Busway stations. The Who is in the Guinness Book of Records as the World's Loudest Band. The only two surviving original members are Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

First tuatara (lizard) to hatch in wild in two centuries found

The first tuatara to hatch in the wild on mainland New Zealand in two centuries has been found in Wellington. The hatchling, now about a month old and eight centimetres long, was found during routine maintenance work in the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. Sanctuary staff suspect the new arrival was probably one of a clutch of eggs laid 16 months ago. Conservation manager Raewyn Empson was "absolutely thrilled" by the discovery tuatara were breeding in the wild on the mainland. "This is an extremely significant discovery," she said. "It means we have successfully re-established a breeding population back on the mainland, which is a massive breakthrough for New Zealand conservation."
NZPA

Search for Australian bushfire victims ends: final toll is 210

The Victorian coroner's office says the final death toll in the Black Saturday bushfires stands at 210. All searches of the regions are now complete. Sixty six victims of the fires on 7 February have been identified. However, the ABC reports that the coroner reiterated in a statement that the identities of some victims may never be known. Deputy police commissioner Kieran Walshe says the coroner's office has now finished its work in Marysville - where at least 45 people died. More than 4000 buildings and structures were searched. The entire town was designated a crime scene. Residents of Marysville are now allowed back there. The ABC reports the town remains closed to the general public.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Ex-pat GPs looking to come home

A group representing rural doctors and nurses says a skills shortage is starting to ease as the global recession propels ex-pat New Zealanders home again. For the first time in two years, the number of New Zealanders leaving for Australia is declining and more people are returning home. The Rural General Practice Network says the number of approaches received from New Zealand-trained doctors and international-trained graduates has increased markedly over the last quarter. However, chief executive Michelle Meads says many people wanting to move here are being hampered by difficulties selling homes and businesses in Britain or Australia.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Update-New Zealand-born soldier killed in Afghanistan

A New Zealand-born soldier in the Australian Army has been shot dead in Afghanistan. Corporal Mathew Hopkins, 21, who came from Christchurch, was shot in an intense firefight with Taliban insurgents near the village of Kakarak, 12km north of the Australian base at Tarin Kowt, on Monday. He was the third New Zealander in a foreign force to die on active duty in Afghanistan. The others were former Aucklander Sean Patrick McCarthy, 25, a member of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) killed when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb, and Labour leader Phil Goff's nephew, United States Army Captain Matthew Ferrara, 24, killed in an ambush.
NZPA

Agricultural college Flock House reunion

Agricultural students who trained at Flock House 50 years ago are heading back there for a reunion this weekend.Flock House, near Bulls in the Rangitikei region, operated as an agricultural training institution from 1918 -1988. Since then it's struggled to continue as a conference centre under a series of owners and was recently sold again. Reunion organiser, Errol Ashby, who farms at Darfield, has managed to track down all except four of his fellow trainees from the class of '59. Twenty five people, including former classmates and their partners are attending the gathering, which starts on Friday night.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Pacific website to ease money transfers

The Pacific Islands Affairs Minister is launching a new website aimed at reducing the cost of sending money from New Zealand to the Pacific. Georgina te Heuheu says remittance to the Pacific amounts to more than $784 million a year. She says Pacific people sending money back home from New Zealand and Australia play an important part in supporting sustainable economic development in many Pacific countries. But she says transaction fees to send money is costly and in some cases can be up to $25 for every $100 sent. WEBSITE-CLICK HERE - a joint New Zealand and Australian aid funded project - will compare cost, transfer methods, speed and exchange rates of different remittance providers. The website provides details for transferring money from New Zealand or Australia to Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

NZ Air Force rescues boat crew off Tonga

The New Zealand Air Force has helped rescue four people stranded on a boat off the Tongan coast, including a top dignitary. An Orion has dropped radios and equipment to the stricken aluminium boat on Friday, which was overdue by two days. The Governor of Ha'apai and his staff were on the boat. A Tongan patrol craft is now sailing to their aid.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Recruits sought for massive flu trial

New Zealand researchers are recruiting for one of the largest flu trials ever conducted in the South Pacific. Clinical studies and medical centres in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin will gather information on the effectiveness of a vaccine designed to protect against influenza. Investigators aim to recruit 7,500 men and women between the ages of 18 and 64, who are in good health and have not received a flu vaccination in the last six months. Dr Rod Ellis-Pegler says between 10 to 20 percent of New Zealanders are infected with influenza each year. He says just three years ago 652 people were admitted to hospital with influenza. To find out more about the trial call 0800 262 385.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Tongan earthquake prompts tsunami fears

New Zealand was briefly on tsunami alert this morning, after a large earthquake near Tonga. The Ministry of Civil Defence Emergency Management issued a tsunami advisory for all coastal regions soon after the 7.17am earthquake which measured 7.9 Richter scale. The alert meant a tsunami was possible, but had not yet been confirmed. It was cancelled at 9.08am, after being in force for 98 minutes. The Hawaii warning centre initially said a tsunami warning was in effect for Tonga, Niue, New Zealand, the Kermadec Islands, American Samoa, Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, and Fiji. It had been cancelled for all territories. The earthquake was at a depth of 10km, 210km south of the Tongan capital of Nuku'alofa.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Polyfest gets underway

By IMOGEN NEALE
More than 9000 students from 59 Auckland schools are today entertaining crowds in the largest cultural festival of its kind in the world. More than 85,000 spectators are expected at the ASB Polyfest at the Manukau Sports Bowl which runs through until tomorrow. The Polyfest highlights school students competing in traditional music, dance, costume and speech-making awards. The festival started 34 years ago as a friendly competition between four schools – Seddon High, now known as Western Springs College, Mangere College, Hillary College and Aorere College. This year students from 59 schools are battling it out over different stages – Cook Islands, Maori, Niuean, Samoan and Tongan – and the overall winner has to perform convincingly across all five.
© Fairfax New Zealand Limited 2009

New offshore exploration permit awarded in Taranaki Basin

New Zealand Oil & Gas and its partners in the Tui oil fields development have been awarded a new offshore exploration permit in the Taranaki Basin. The permit area is next to a site it's already exploring. NZOG is hopeful the area may contain gas and oil, though no seismic data has been taken since the early 1980s.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan

Another Australian soldier has been killed in Afghanistan - the second this week. He was killed while trying to defuse an improvised explosive device. Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said he was trying to clear the route of an Australian patrol. The ABC reports he was the 10th Australian soldier to die in Afghanistan since February 2002.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Cheese school expands range of courses

A specialty cheese school has expanded its range of courses to cope with demand from commercial cheese-makers and hobbyists. The school at the Over the Moon Dairy Company opened at Putaruru in South Waikato about a year ago. It is the first in New Zealand. Enrollments came from as far afield as Europe and Asia. Director Sue Arthur says about 70 industry people and 160 home cheese makers were trained in the first six months. She says people taking courses include those who are planning to set up their own cheese factories, before they commit large amounts of money.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Australia and NZ to look at harmonising emissions schemes

Australia and New Zealand are to investigate coordinating their schemes for dealing with greenhouse gases. Climate Change Minister Nick Smith has been meeting his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, in Canberra. They have agreed on terms of reference for a working group to explore harmonising the design of Australia's carbon pollution reduction scheme and the New Zealand emissions trading scheme. Officials have been asked to look at a range of options, up to adopting a single scheme for both countries.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Extra fee on NZers for UK work or study visas

New Zealanders moving to Britain to work or study will have to pay $NZ130 extra for visas, as part of attempts there to help areas struggling to cope with immigration. People from outside the European Union will pay the extra visa cost for the two year scheme. Communities Minister Hazel Blears says it will help fund more police support and translators for areas which have seen a big influx of immigrants in short periods of time. Policy anyalst Jill Rutter says most New Zealanders in Britain do not use public health and translation services.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Spending on internet advertising up 43% last year

Advertising through the internet is continuing to defy the global downturn. The latest report from PricewaterhouseCoopers shows online advertising spending jumped 43% to $NZ193 million in 2008 compared to the previous year. The dominance of classified adverts continues to slip, while the use of search engines such as Google has jumped dramatically IAB New Zealand chief executive Greig Buckley says companies are shifting more of their spending on advertising towards the internet as people spend more time using it and the sites themselves get better.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Less work available for older tradespeople

The recession is drastically reducing the work available to older tradespeople. The Greyskills franchise employs 25 independent tradespeople over the age of 35. Wellington franchise owner Rob Donald says he's receiving half as many enquiries as he did a year ago, and the work being done is only immediate maintenance. He says his tradespeople are working on very few bigger projects such as house renovations. Mr Donald says many of the other franchises around the country are experiencing a similar fall-off in new work.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

New Russian, Thai ambassadors

The appointment of two career diplomats as ambassadors to Russia and Thailand were announced today. Foreign Minister Murray McCully said Ian Hill, deputy ambassador in Washington DC, would head to Moscow in August to replace Chris Elder. Meanwhile, Bede Corry, who has recently acted as director of the Australia division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, will replace Brook Barrington in Bangkok. Both men have had international postings during their careers. Mr Corry will also be accredited as New Zealand's ambassador to Cambodia, Laos and Burma, while Mr Hill's appointment takes in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
NZPA

ACT moves on smacking law

ACT is on a mission to change the anti-smacking law. MP John Boscawen claims the repeal of section 59 of the Crimes Act needs amending. He has drafted a private members' bill which aims to allow parents to use reasonable force to correct their children. Mr Boscawen claims there is support for the move, citing a recent poll commissioned by Family First where over 80 percent of people surveyed felt the law should be changed.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

First tuatara (lizard) to hatch in wild in two centuries found

The first tuatara to hatch in the wild on mainland New Zealand in two centuries has been found in Wellington. The hatchling, now about a month old and eight centimetres long, was found during routine maintenance work in the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. Sanctuary staff suspect the new arrival was probably one of a clutch of eggs laid 16 months ago. Conservation manager Raewyn Empson was "absolutely thrilled" by the discovery tuatara were breeding in the wild on the mainland. "This is an extremely significant discovery," she said. "It means we have successfully re-established a breeding population back on the mainland, which is a massive breakthrough for New Zealand conservation."
NZPA

Increase in immigrant helpers projected for elderly care

NZPA/Wayne Drought
New Zealand's ageing population will drive an increase in immigrant domestic helpers, a study predicts. Researchers from Victoria University's Institute of Policy Studies say a quarter of the population expected to be 85 or older by 2051. Many of those will spend their final years at home, outside formal care -- where they will need help their families may not be willing or able to provide, the report said. One of the report's authors, Jessie Williams, said the increase in the number of elderly and the current ageing of those looking after them meant there wouldn't be enough full-time staff. As the working population of New Zealand became more highly skilled and educated, those looking for domestic staff would have to recruit overseas. "We expect New Zealand will look to Asian and Pacific workers to fill this void," she said.

US company to buy three NZ wineries

American-based Saint James Company is to buy three New Zealand wineries - Lawson Dry Hills, Waimea Estates and Gravitas Wines - for an undisclosed amount. Company president Wayne Gronquist says the wineries produce world class wines and Saint James expects to generate substantial revenues once the wines are imported into the United States and British markets.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Geothermal power production up

Production of electricity from geothermal power plants is rising fast. The Ministry of Economic Development's energy quarterly says electricity from this source rose to 11% of total generation in the three months to December. The opening of a new station at Kawerau was a major contributor, but other geothermal projects are being developed. Geothermal electricity is expected to ultimately exceed 20% of all electricity.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Are you older than your years?

If you are feeling older than your age, you are not alone. The latest survey by Southern Cross Healthcare suggests 71 percent of New Zealand workers have a state of health worse than their actual age. Chief Executive Peter Tynan says the results are concerning because a healthy workforce is a more productive workforce. The survey reveals that nearly a fifth of the workforce has a health status equivalent to someone 10 or more years older than the date on their birth certificate while 53 percent have a health status of one to nine years greater than their age. Only 22 percent were rated as having a state of health one to nine years below their age and a mere two percent at 10 years plus. Mr Tynan says people who generally have worse lifestyle habits, tend to look older and function at an older age.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Baby delivered on plane

A woman gave birth while flying to Auckland from Apia, Samoa this morning then got off the plane, leaving her baby behind. An Auckland Airport spokeswoman said it was not known if other passengers and crew on the Pacific Blue flight noticed she was in labour and "the baby was found on the aircraft" after landing. Police were called when the plane landed shortly before 7am and took both mother and child to hospital. They were reported to be in good health.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

$71,000 motorbike purchase made on an impulse

A man who paid $71,000 for a motorbike once owned by Burt Munro says it was an impulse buy. Webb's auctioneers marketed the 1936 Duncan Meikle Velocette as a piece of history and predicted it would fetch around $35,000. Businessman Kevin Harvey of Auckland says intended to go only as high as $60,000, but he didn't bank on an additional buyer's premium of 15%. Still, he wanted to ensure the bike stays in New Zealand. Munro is listed in the AMA's Motorcycle Hall of Fame. He set a world record in the category of "streamlined motorcycles under 1,000cc. The AMA says he made a one-way run of 190.07mph in 1967, the fastest ever officially recorded on an Indian Scout motorcycle.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

South African rugby won't be bullied over Super 14 expansion

South Africa has warned the New Zealand and Australian Rugby Unions not to bully them in talks over an expanded Super 14 competition. The SARU also still wants a sixth franchise. Australia wants an extra team which would mean the three SANZAR nations would have five teams each. But South Africa want its Eastern Cape franchise, which will be launched in June, to be a 15th team. The area has a strong tradition of black rugby. There's also disagreement within SANZAR about when the season should start and how long it should run.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Cyclist killed in NZ near end of round-world trip

A German tourist died when he was hit by a truck in New Zealand a week before flying home after a three-year cycling trip around the world, according to news reports Wednesday. Police said that Stephan Stoermer, 38, had a ticket to fly back home in Frankfurt Friday after travelling through 26 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia since early 2006. He died on the way to hospital after his bicycle was hit by a logging truck near Te Puke, in the Bay of Plenty, March 12. He was not wearing a cycle helmet, which is compulsory in New Zealand, at the time he was hit, the Bay of Plenty Times reported. It was hanging on his handlebars.
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NZ doctors to carry out stem cell operations

Surgeons are preparing to insert stem cells into a dozen disabled New Zealanders in a bid to help them walk again. Operations will start later this year on the first 12 New Zealanders with chest/stomach-level spinal injuries, as a clinical trial. The Spinal Cord Society - a charity which has been funding research into stem cells - has won conditional approval to start the trials on paraplegic volunteers. At least a dozen New Zealand labs were researching non-embryonic adult stem cells for conditions such as brain injury and arthritis. New Zealand has not yet approved embryonic stem cell research, though a paper on the issue is reported to be before Health Minister Tony Ryall.
NZPA

Cricket-India on top despite New Zealand fight back

Daniel Vettori and Jesse Ryder both struck centuries to lead a New Zealand fight back in the first test against India at Hamilton on Wednesday. Vettori completed his third test hundred with a superb captain's knock of 118 while Ryder registered his maiden test ton with 102 to rescue New Zealand from a disastrous start and post 279 on the opening day at Seddon Park. India, in reply, were 29 without loss in their first innings at stumps at the end of an absorbing day with Virender Sehwag unbeaten on 22 and Gautam Gambhir not out on six. India have not won a test series in New Zealand for more than 40 years but thrashed the Black Caps in the one-dayers and could hardly have made a better start to the first of three tests.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Phones, internet out in Wellington

A major fault has cut phones across a wide swathe of Wellington. The Telecom problem is also affecting internet connections. Clients have been told the problem is serious and there is no indication yet when services might be restored.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Community tested after student contracts TB

Classmates, teachers and family members of a Rotorua high school student who has contracted tuberculosis are being screened. Around 45 people who have been in contact with the Western Heights High School student are to undergo tests. Toi Te Ora Public Health does not believe anyone else has TB. Spokesperson Neil De Wet says TB is not very contagious, but people who have come in close contact with the carrier may be infected.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

NZ skiers rescued after night in snow cave

New Zealanders were among six international skiers and snowboarders found safe and well today after being forced to spend the night in a snow cave in northern Japan. Powderlife website reported the six became separated from a group of 11 they were hiking with at Mt Kurodake, in the centre of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, on Tuesday. Five of the group made it to the base of the mountain while the others were not able to make it back before dark. A helicopter rescued the stranded group which included the New Zealanders, Dutch, Britons and Americans this morning.
AAP

Employers warned not to abuse a 90-day job law

The Government has warned small employers not to abuse a law which allows them to employ new employees on a 90-day trial. Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson told the Human Resources Institute on Wednesday the Government will monitor how employers use the new law. The 90-day trial law came into effect at the beginning of this month. It allows companies with fewer than 20 employees to employ people on probation for 90-days - if both parties agree. Under the arrangement, employees can be dismissed within that period with no legal redress, except if discrimination is involved. Ms Wilkinson said the Government won't condone unscrupulous and unfair behaviour by employers.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

First tickets to 2011 Rugby World Cup final given away

The first tickets to the 2011 Rugby World Cup final were given away in Wellington on Wednesday. Brendan Bartlett's name was drawn from those of about 500 fans at Westpac stadium at an event marking a new sponsorship deal by Heineken with the Rugby World Cup. Mr Bartlett made a late decision to attend the giveaway and says he never expected to actually get the tickets. He says he can now make plans to attend the final at Eden Park. Tournament tickets won't go on sale to the public for another 10 months.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Hillary's house sells for $1.9m

Sir Edmund Hillary's house has sold for $1.9 million after some fierce bidding between two parties in Auckland. About 80 people attended the auction at Bayleys auction house. After a slow start and two breaks to consult with the owners, the auctioneer made it clear the property would be selling on Wednesday and the price was finally settled. The three-bedroom house on Remuera Road and has a capital valuation of $1,930,000. It is set on 1773 square metres.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Seasonal employer scheme flourishing

The Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme is working well in the Hawke's Bay region this year, according to a Horticulture New Zealand director. The scheme, introduced in 2008, allows the horticulture sector to bring in workers from selected Pacific countries to help cover the seasonal labour shortage. Ru Collin, who has more than 50 people working on his apple orchard near Hastings, says growers have learned much from the scheme. Mr Collin says it is estimated that just over 3000 people from the Pacific Islands will work at Hawke's Bay orchards this year.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Coldplay in town

British band Coldplay will play the first of two concerts at Auckland's Vector Arena tonight. The Grammy award-winning band is in New Zealand as part of their Viva La Vida world tour, in support of their new album of the same name. Their first two singles, Violet Hill and Viva La Vida were in the top three airplay chart. In 2006 thousands of New Zealand fans lobbied a national music station to get New Zealand included in their last world tour, but missed out.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Extra funding aimed at attracting Aussies

A $2.5 million Government funding injection is being given to Tourism New Zealand so it can try to entice more Australians to visit. It represents a 25 percent increase in the budget for Australian marketing, and will be used to draw tourists across the Tasman during the winter season. Prime Minister and Tourism Minister John Key says Australians make up over 40 percent of New Zealand's visitors, so even small gains in demand will make a big difference.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Cruising still popular with NZers

Tough economic tides may have washed in, but more New Zealanders are sailing the high seas for their holidays. The latest cruise passenger data shows that almost 39,000 kiwis went cruising last year, a rise of 29 percent on the previous year. Brett Jardine from the International Cruise Council says people are finding cruises good value because they are all inclusive. He says two thirds of passengers cruise close to home in the Pacific but our own back yard is pretty stunning too. "As we're seeing more and more cruise ships coming down into Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, the biggest attractions is cruising around the South Island of New Zealand, because it's just so picturesque."
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Country of origin labels may reduce beef export demand

Country of origin labelling laws that came into effect in the United States this week could reduce demand for some of New Zealand's beef exports. The new regulation requires retailers to display the country of origin for a range of food products, including beef cuts, ground beef, lamb and other meats, fish, fruit and vegetables. The United States is New Zealand's biggest export beef market. Up to 90% of the beef sent to the US is manufacturing beef which is blended with American product for the hamburger and ground beef trade.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Churches to play greater role in health promotion in Tonga

A senior medical officer in Tonga’s Ministry of Health hopes the church will be better able to channel the healthy living message to parishioners. Its part of a new health initiative between the Ministry of Health and Tonga’s churches that aims to reduce non-communicable diseases such as diabetes where an estimated 40-percent of the population either have diabetes or are at risk of developing it. The aim is to convince people to exercise more, eat healthily and not eat too much to avoid obesity.
Copyright © 2009 RNZI.

Public sector asked to identify possible 10% savings

The figure is included in Treasury guidelines prepared for chief executives as part of the 2009 Budget process. The guidelines, attached to a letter to chief executives from Finance Minister Bill English, state that chief executives should use their detailed knowledge of their department and sector to "identify spending that delivers the lowest value for money - say the bottom 5% and 10%." The Government has always resisted setting a target for the expenditure review, and the guidelines do not say savings of that size will necessarily follow.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Minister to 'monitor' migrant numbers

The Immigration Minister says he is monitoring the influx of migrants, following Australia's decision to cut its skilled migrant intake. The Australian government has announced it is reducing its skilled migrant programme by 14%, or 18,500 jobs, over the next three years, to protect local jobs. Dr Jonathan Coleman says New Zealand accepts about 45,000 migrants a year, 60% of them skilled labour. He says while this country has kept immigration levels constant, Australia has increased its skilled permanent migrants by 35% over two years. Dr Coleman says the Government's focus is on finding jobs for New Zealanders.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Higher death rate among Maori babies

A report on infant deaths during babies' first month of life has found the rate among Maori is double that of the general population. The Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review committee found that while the stillbirth rate among Maori was not much higher than the European rate, the death rate during the first month was more than double. Health Ministry chief youth health advisor Pat Tuohy told Waatea News this is partly due to Maori smoking during pregnancy. He says a great deal of help is available for mothers who want to stop smoking, and it can be very effective if whanau give up smoking at the same time, to support the mother.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Man served court papers on Facebook

A New Zealand man has been served court papers via Facebook. Craig Axe is accused of taking more than $240,000 out of his father Don Axe's firm Axe Market Garden. Justice David Gendall approved a secondary service order through Facebook and email at the High Court in Wellington today. Don Axe's lawyer Daniel Vincent says Craig Axe has moved house in England and he exhausted all other avenues to serve the papers. He says Mr Axe has now been sent the documents by email and a notification on Facebook. "This is a very good way of bringing something to somebody's attention. Especially a young person, or reasonably young person . . . Facebook is something that they will see on a reasonably regular basis."
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

TVNZ to cut 90 staff

Television New Zealand plans to make about 90 staff redundant, in a bid to shave $25 million from its budget. The chief executive, Rick Ellis, says the proposed job losses would make up about a quarter of the savings, with the rest coming from cuts to programming and departments' operating budgets. He says the redundancies will affect areas across the business, including technology, sports, marketing, news and current affairs. There will also be a salary freeze for the chief executive, executive team and senior managers.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand

Contingent heading to Solomons

A fresh contingent of New Zealand troops is heading to the Solomon Islands. The 44 person team is mainly made up of members of the Territorial Force. It departs on Wednesday for what is expected to be a four month tour. Major Richard Palmer says the troops will carry out patrols, talk with locals and assist police and prison staff. There are currently 718 New Zealand Defence Force personal deployed on 14 operations, UN missions and defence exercises around the world.
Copyright 2002 - 2009, TelstraClear Ltd

Flu vaccinations encouraged for asthma sufferers

NZPA/Wayne Drought
Free influenza vaccinations are available now for people with respiratory illnesses. Asthma and Respiratory Foundation executive director Jane Patterson said influenza could kill people, especially those with respiratory illnesses. "It doesn't matter how fit you are or whether you had a vaccine last year. The viruses continue to mutate," she said. The vaccine is free until June 30 for people with long-term illnesses and a large proportion of people with asthma who use a preventer or with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema or chronic bronchitis) will qualify.

Bid to ban import of cat and dog fur

A campaign to ban cat and dog fur imports was launched today and Green Party MP Sue Kedgley has drafted a bill to amend the Customs Act. The campaign was launched in Auckland by animal welfare groups. Ms Kedgley said the European Union, Australia and the United States had all moved to prohibit imports of cat and dog fur. "We need to do the same," she said. "Otherwise we will become a dumping ground for this unethical trade as markets are closed in other countries." Ms Kedgley said a Humane Society investigation had uncovered a substantial unregulated international trade in cat and dog fur, based in Asia. "Each year, more than two million cats and dogs are raised in appalling conditions and brutally slaughtered for their pelts," she said.
NZPA

Australia cuts immigration to preserve jobs

The Australian government is to reduce its intake of skilled migrants in an effort to preserve jobs during the global financial crisis. The federal government will slash the skilled migration programme by 14%, or 18,500 jobs, over the next three years. The cuts will be coupled with deletions to the critical skills list, which specifies which jobs are open to migrants. All building and manufacturing trades will be removed, forcing companies to find bricklayers, plumbers, welders and carpenters domestically.
Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand