Two a penny

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Child Youth and Family staff at a regional office have been told they are Social Development Minister Paula Bennett’s servants who should not trouble their master with concerns about their work.

In an email dated August 13, supplied to by Labour Party deputy leader Annette King, Kaitaia CYF staff were told to show respect to the minister when she visited the next day.

“It is not appropriate for staff to pour their hearts and souls out to the minister,” a manager wrote. It’s a bit like the relationship between a servant and a master, i.

“This is a formal visit and she is not your `friend’. the servant knows their place.e. She should not be presented with the woes of the office, or lack of resources, or anything like that.

A anonymous person copied the email to the government, Labour and other political parties as well as the Children’s Commissioner.”

However the email said it was okay to state there were challenges that could be managed.

“This amounts to workplace bullying, and corruption within a public service department,” they wrote.

The person was “gobsmacked” by the email.

Ms King questioned the point of the minister’s visit in Parliament.

The author said it was shameful that in an area where there were many Maori communities the department was “trying to cover up the realities of our communities”.

“If staff are not allowed to talk to her (Ms Bennett) how can she really know what pressures staff are facing if reports to her have to be sanitised?”

Ms King later said she expected Ms Bennett to ensure staff felt they could speak out about work problems.

“If staff are not allowed to talk to her (Ms Bennett) how can she really know what pressures staff are facing if reports to her have to be sanitised?”

Ms King later said she expected Ms Bennett to ensure staff felt they could speak out about work problems.

“I would hope she would in fact encourage staff to talk to her.”

As a former minister Ms King said she learnt more from talking to staff than through department reports.

“I have visited a large number of offices and I have purposefully targeted visits to Work and Income and Child Youth and Family because I want to talk to staff and hear what is happening there,” she said.”

Ms Bennett said that she wanted staff to speak to her about concerns.”

Ms King said there were wider problems of the Government blocking information and communication and said she was frustrated by poor responses to written questions and Official Information Act requests.

“I very much value them and their opinions and I am disappointed in the manager’s email.

National’s Judith Collins in Parliament today said she had struggled to get access while in opposition and Labour had created a political environment. .

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LATEST:
One of the pilots killed after a small plane clipped a helicopter over New York is reportedly a New Zealander.

One News reported that Jeremy Clark was flying the helicopter that hit the plane, both plunging into the Hudson River killing nine people. According to the New York Times Mr Clark lived in Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey.

TV1 said Mr Clark’s parents were at Auckland airport this evening preparing to fly to New York. Three bodies had been recovered by nightfall and officials held out no hope of finding survivors.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said there were five Italian tourists and a pilot aboard the helicopter and three people on the plane including the pilot and a child. “There’s not going to be a happy ending.

“This has changed from a rescue to a recovery mission,” Bloomberg said. The weather was clear and mild.”

Search and rescue craft rushed in vain to the crash area in the vicinity of West 14th Street in Lower Manhattan immediately after the collision at noon EDT (4am NZT).

The helicopter was operated by Liberty Helicopter, the largest sightseeing helicopter operator in the US Northeast.

Bloomberg said the plane, a Piper Saratoga, appeared to hit the back of the helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350, which immediately broke up and fell into the river.

The NTSB’s 10-member investigation team suspended operations at nightfall and would resume the search on Sunday at 7am (11pm NZT), Hersman said.

Debbie Hersman, the chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said in a briefing the helicopter had been located and marked with buoys and investigators were using side-scanning radar to try to locate the aircraft.

While the NTSB does not expect to find recording equipment in the wreckage because small aircraft are not required to carry them, Hersman said investigators expected to be able to determine the cause of the crash by interviewing air traffic controllers and reviewing air traffic control and radar data. She said the team hoped to be able to remove the debris from the river on Sunday. “He saw a small single-engine aircraft approaching from behind (the helicopter). . . . He stated that he saw the right wing of the aircraft impact the helicopter.. Others reported hearing a loud boom.”

An eyewitness told the NY1 local TV station he saw a wing come off the plane and the helicopter “fell like a stone” into the river.

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LATEST:
An Air Force helicopter loaded with searchers has taken off for the Tararua Ranges as the hunt for missing Te Papa chief executive Seddon Bennington his and female tramping companion Marcella Jackson continues.

Police earlier today released the name of Mrs Jackson, known as Rosie Jackson.

The pair set off from Otaki Forks on Saturday for Kime Hut, about 10 kilometres into the range, but failed to return on Sunday afternoon as planned. Mrs Jackson is also from the Wellington area, and is described as a long standing family friend of Mr Bennington.

The search resumed at first light today – but early efforts to send in extra rescue teams were far been hampered by heavy rain, low fog and mist. .15am carrying five searchers.

Taking advantage of a break in the weather, an Air Force Iroquois helicopter took off from Levin Showgrounds at 10.

Four or five more teams could either be flown in or hike in from Otaki Forks later in the day. The rescuers were heading for Penn Creek, close to Kime Hutt.

She said it was “still very challenging” weatherwise, although there was some suggestion it could clear this afternoon.

Police spokeswoman Kim Perks told Radio New Zealand some searchers had remained in the ranges overnight. They may not be able to get our personnel right to the very top but they’ll certainly be able to look for opportunities to get them in as high as possible.

“It’s not all doom and gloom.

Teams today have to contend with low cloud, strong wind and heavy snow, with an overnight low last night of about -2 degrees Celsius.”

More teams are likely to be deployed this afternoon.

There had not been any contact or sign of the missing pair but police were still hopeful they would be found alive and well. Snow is waist-deep in some areas.

A freezing southerly is due to sweep up the country and hit the area today, however the MetService has cancelled a weather alert for severe gale-force winds about exposed areas of Hawkes Bay and the Tararua District.

Ms Perks added that there had been cases in the past of people being trapped in the area for extended periods and getting out safely.

In all, four search and rescue teams comprising 14 people started searching, but stopped about 6pm when it got dark.

The initial search and rescue operation was launched yesterday morning when teams were carried into the ranges by the Square Trust rescue helicopter.

. Heavy cloud had prevented the use of a helicopter