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Searchers recover sixth body from Air NZ wreckage
Sunday, 21 December 2008
Divershave now recovered the bodies of six of the seven people who died in the previous month's Air New Zealand plane crash off the southern coast of France.
The most recent body was recovered last week from wreckage, situated in 40m of water, 7km off the coast of the resort town Canet-en-Roussillon. Identification has been proving difficult due to the impact of the crash.
French authorities say they hope to identify the remains, which have been taken to the Institute of Forensic Research at Montpellier, by mid-January. The dead New Zealanders were senior pilot Captain Brian Horrell, 52, engineers Murray White, 37, Michael Gyles, 49, Noel Marsh, 35, and Civil Aviation Authority inspector Jeremy Cook, 58. .
A team of 12 divers will continue searching the wreckage for the remaining body this week, assisted by an observation robot being brought from Marseille. The two German pilots, who have not been named, worked for XL Airways, a German company which had leased the aircraft for two years.
German media have speculated the plane's de-icing gear might have failed resulting in it to nosedive into the sea, but the official investigation has yet to establish why the four-year-old aircraft crashed on what should have been a routine "acceptance" flight. Authorities plan to lift parts of the cockpit out of the water. The plane's black boxes have been sent to their US manufacturer for analysis, but it's unknown whether the flight data can be retrieved.
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Searchers recover sixth body from Air NZ wreckage
Sunday, 21 December 2008
Divershave now recovered the bodies of six of the seven people who died in the previous month's Air New Zealand plane crash off the southern coast of France.
The most recent body was recovered last week from wreckage, situated in 40m of water, 7km off the coast of the resort town Canet-en-Roussillon. Identification has been proving difficult due to the impact of the crash.
French authorities say they hope to identify the remains, which have been taken to the Institute of Forensic Research at Montpellier, by mid-January. The dead New Zealanders were senior pilot Captain Brian Horrell, 52, engineers Murray White, 37, Michael Gyles, 49, Noel Marsh, 35, and Civil Aviation Authority inspector Jeremy Cook, 58. .
A team of 12 divers will continue searching the wreckage for the remaining body this week, assisted by an observation robot being brought from Marseille. The two German pilots, who have not been named, worked for XL Airways, a German company which had leased the aircraft for two years.
German media have speculated the plane's de-icing gear might have failed resulting in it to nosedive into the sea, but the official investigation has yet to establish why the four-year-old aircraft crashed on what should have been a routine "acceptance" flight. Authorities plan to lift parts of the cockpit out of the water. The plane's black boxes have been sent to their US manufacturer for analysis, but it's unknown whether the flight data can be retrieved.
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Shakespeare gets school reprieve
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Amajor education review that some principals fear will spell an end to Shakespeare in schools is being held back a year by the new education minister.
Anne Tolley said yesterday that a review of NCEA standards papers used to assess pupils against the curriculum would be pushed back by 12 months to ensure greater consultation with worried principals and teachers.
"The timeline was so short at a very busy time of year," Mrs Tolley said.
It means changes due to be implemented from 2010 affecting thousands of high school pupils would not come into force till 2011."
Her decision follows a meeting on Friday with the Auckland Secondary Schools Principals Association, which represents a quarter of the country's high schools. "I think it was too ambitious. .
Some members had called for a moratorium on the proposed changes, saying they would "dumb down" the education system. She had instructed officials that wider consultation was required with principals and teachers, who were responsible for implementing changes in schools.
Mrs Tolley said she would meet Education Ministry chief executive Karen Sewell today.
"They're already struggling with what they've got, so the thought of putting more assessment on them is a real concern.
Proposed increases to internal assessment had huge potential effects on teachers' workloads, Mrs Tolley said."
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Vaccination did not save youth
The Timaru Herald Thursday, 20 November 2008
Canterbury University student Bowen Holgate, 19, of Timaru, woke up with a severe headache on Sunday. Two days later meningococcal disease claimed his life.
Ross Holgate drove to Christchurch on Saturday to pick up his son, who had just finished his second year.
A Timaru family are grieving the loss of a son and brother who died from a disease that he was immunised against a few years ago. When he woke he vomited from a severe headache.
Bowen Holgate went straight to bed because he was to start his summer job on Sunday. He got worse a few hours later and was transferred to the intensive care unit where he died on Tuesday.
His parents took him to Timaru Hospital Emergency Department where he was diagnosed with meningococcal disease.
Ross Holgate is unsure how Bowen picked up the disease.
He was immunised during the nationwide school-based campaign.
South Canterbury Medical Officer of Health, Dr Daniel Williams, said it was unknown from which strain of the disease Bowen died. .
Treatment with antibiotics is often successful.
Williams said people should seek urgent medical attention if they suspect they or someone in their household have meningococcal disease.
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Tourist’s keenness to take photos dampened
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
He may not have the pictures to prove it, but an American tourist will remember his visit to Napier after stepping backward off a wharf while taking a photo.
Entranced by a line-up of vintage cars yesterday, the 75-year-old cruise-ship passenger stepped backward on the wharf in the Port of Napier to fit them all into his viewfinder.
Police said the man struggled in the water, but was quickly rescued by crew member Paul Haggerty, who dived into the narrow gap.
He dropped five metres into the sea, falling between the wharf and the Dutch cruise ship Volendam. .
The passenger appeared to be in good shape when returned to land but was taken by ambulance to Hawke's Bay Hospital in Hastings to check for suspected water inhalation.
The vintage cars had been lined up on the wharf to add to Napier's art deco ambience for the passengers on the ship, which has a capacity of 1400. The camera was thought to have ended up in a watery grave.
"I would also like to express my thanks to the hospital and all the staff who have looked after me so well," he said.
Speaking from the hospital, the man – who lives in California – declined to give his name but thanked Mr Haggerty for jumping into the water to save him.
The Volendam sailed for Tauranga later in the afternoon, and the ship's agents were arranging for the rescued man to fly there to rejoin his cruise.