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Power price to jump again
– Wednesday, 04 February 2009
Meridian Energy customers are being hit with their second power price rise in six months, an increase the Government calls "ludicrous".
From March 15, prices will rise 7 per cent for customers in Canterbury and Dunedin.
The giant state-owned power generator and retailer is lifting prices around the country by an average 6.
There are about 114,000 Meridian customers in Canterbury and 210,000 nationwide.5 per cent. The announcement comes less than a week after Meridian stopped spilling vast amounts of excess water from overfull southern hydro lakes.
Meridian increased its prices by 6 per cent last September, with 3 per cent price rises in September 2006 and 2007.
Meridian spokeswoman Claire Shaw told the energy company had tried to keep the increase as low as possible.
The amount the power deficit cost the state-owned enterprise would be known after its financial report to Government shareholders next month. It was not an attempt to recover costs after last year's winter power deficit but reflected the long-term cost of introducing new generation, she said.
"I can tell you I'm not happy about it," he said.
Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee said last night he had "expressed disappointment" to Meridian when told of the impending price increase. It's ludicrous.
"Meridian needs to explain to customers why, at a time when the lakes are so full that they have to spill water over the top, and the cost of their `fuel' for generation is basically zero, they are having to put their prices up."
There were some fundamental problems with New Zealand's electricity market that were now being studied, he said."
There were some fundamental problems with New Zealand's electricity market that were now being studied, he said. It is way, way more than the rate of inflation.
"I don't think it is justified. Is Meridian's lavish advertising programme necessary for a power company? Is the salary structure for their very top people appropriate? They should look at pruning spending before they expect consumers to pay more. The public would expect a publicly owned company, when people are losing jobs, to look at pruning their costs.
"We are aware that it's not going to be welcome news."
Shaw said Meridian customers should be notified of the rise from today."
Meridian was still the cheapest electricity retailer in Christchurch, she said. Anybody who can't pay their bill, or who is struggling to pay, they can contact us through our call centre and we can help. "We are worried about the impact of power price increases on older people on fixed incomes and also those with less income available from the decrease in interest rates from investments.
Christchurch Age Concern chief executive Stephen Phillips said 7 per cent was a "horrendous" increase.
MERIDIAN FACTS
Meridian Energy pay and profits:
PAY
Meridian chief executive Tim Lusk's salary band lies between $1.
MERIDIAN FACTS
Meridian Energy pay and profits:
PAY
Meridian chief executive Tim Lusk's salary band lies between $1.4 million and $1.41 million.
204 Meridian employees earn $100,000 or more a year and 28 earn above $200,000 annually.
RECENT PROFITS
2007-08: $128.6 million.
2006-07: $199.8 million.
2005-06: $856.8 million (includes gain from sale of Southern Hydro in Australia).
2004-05: $218.2 million.
2003-04: $132.9 million. .
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$50 tax on crime for victim support
All convicted criminals must contribute
and MATT CALMAN Monday, 19 January 2009
Every person convicted in court will have to pay a $50 crime tax toward compensating victims under a proposed law to be introduced by National.
The victim compensation scheme will offer one-off payments to victims of serious crime to cover costs not met by ACC or other state help, such as counselling or travel to court.
Every offender who appears in court, from traffic violators to murderers, will be fined $50 upon conviction estimated to collect about $5 million a year. .
National says the money would be collected the same way as court costs and fines imposed at sentencing adding little extra administrative costs and would not be collected till any direct reparations which had been ordered had been paid to the victim.
"When something like this happens, we're just medium New Zealanders, and when you haven't got a lot and you've got to fork out a lot in a short amount of time, that's where the victim compensation scheme will come out and help people in need," he said.
Kevin McNeill, whose mother, Lois Dear, was murdered in her Tokoroa schoolroom in July 2006, estimated his family had spent about $30,000 after Mrs Dear's death, including the $10,000 funeral and travel costs to attend the killer's court appearances. "I reckon it's brilliant. "It's fantastic to see that we're putting victims straight in the centre of the whole process."
Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar also welcomed the scheme.
Also, any compensation paid to prisoners for human rights breaches in jail will be confiscated and injected into the compensation scheme, as long as it is not claimed by the specific victims of the offender."
Last week Justice Minister Simon Power promised the $90,000 running costs from a disbanded sentencing advisory board would go toward the scheme.
Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia said she supported the idea in principle.
National plans to set up a victims' service centre within the Justice Ministry to manage the compensation scheme.
"It is a crime tax.
"It is a crime tax. "They [minor offenders] are then paying for those at the high end of crime ." But low-level offenders might end up subsidising the fund for serious offenders sentenced to jail who would be unlikely to pay the levy…"
Opposition justice spokeswoman Annette King said the scheme was a "pure piece of political theatre" that would do little for victims. which seems rather unfair.
"The question must be who's going to get it?," she said. "If that's all they're offering, then they're really selling the victims a lemon."
Labour had asked the Law Commission to look at how to set up proper victim compensation schemes and that work was continuing. "It's going to be hugely bureaucratic and I'll be interested to know how many more public servants they're going to need to run it.
Legislation will be tabled next month.
Legislation will be tabled next month.
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Loving Lucy: her family’s fears and faith
By SUSAN PEPPERELL – Sunday, 04 January 2009
When LucyLaws' hair started growing back it came out curly and copper-coloured.
Before she was sick it was blonde and straight, but the curls have delighted her father Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws who was similarly adorned at one stage.
Lucy, however, just wants her curls to grow quicker. One day she was fine, the next she was running a fever so high she had to be flown from Wanganui to Auckland's Starship by Lifeflight, an emergency medical plane.
It is 10 months since four-year-old Lucy first got sick.
Her odds of survival were put at 10%; one doctor told her parents divine intervention was the only thing they could count on.
Then came the devastating diagnosis: not only did Lucy have leukemia, she had also contracted a rare fungal infection in her lungs and had acute pneumonia.
Lucy lived.
"I remember her sitting bolt upright in her hospital bed when she was so sick and saying `I'm not going to die Daddy'. Her dad says there were three things that saved her: prayer, the skill of Starship's clinicians and Lucy herself. It was a remarkable occurrence. Then she lay down again and went straight back to sleep.
He was born three months ago; the latest addition to a busy household which includes Laws, his partner Leonie Brookhammer, Ella, 16, Noah, 11, Lucy and Zoe, two."
Lucy turned four the week before Christmas her dad had promised her a trip to New York to see the musical The Little Mermaid but a baby named Theo put paid to that.
Laws says it was fair to say another child was "not something we joyously contemplated" and that last year the couple decided they would simply "batten down the hatches and get to the end".
Laws says it was fair to say another child was "not something we joyously contemplated" and that last year the couple decided they would simply "batten down the hatches and get to the end".
He and Lucy were the same age and even looked alike with the same big eyes and facial features, says Laws. Oliver, a child Lucy had become friendly with during her initial stay at Starship's oncology ward, died.
It was Oliver's death that brought Laws to tears for the first time since Lucy was first diagnosed. Lucy now talks of him as "being with the angels". That's the thing about these kiddies, there's nothing you can do about it.
"It's just so unfair. You are seeing the person you most love in the world in such pain and it makes you feel so helpless. You are simply there as an observer. "I don't expect to understand how it works but we are lucky."
Laws says the experience has enabled him to rediscover his faith. Her drug regime is substantial. Her drug regime is substantial. Every day she takes three chemotherapy drugs administered orally by syringe. The medication is so potent her parents must use rubber gloves and discard the syringe after use. One of the doses must be given about 1am.
Once a month she goes to Wanganui Hospital for an injection into a small port implanted under her skin at the bottom of her rib cage. The port has already been shifted once when it became infected. This is the most painful procedure for Lucy. On top of that, every six weeks she returns to Starship for a lumbar puncture, carried out under general anaesthetic.
This will continue for two years. It means her immunity is compromised so her temperature must be monitored constantly. Too high and she must go to hospital. That happened on Christmas Eve. And just last week younger sister Zoe was diagnosed with glandular fever so the watchful eye is now that bit more intense.
Ask Brookhammer how she feels about the future and she admits to simply being very tired.
"I was hoping to wake up on January 1 reinvigorated but to be honest I'm just tired.
"I'm hopeful things are going to be OK. Despite everything last year being so bad we did come through, Lucy did get better. It wasn't as bad as I imagined it could be."
She reserves a special thanks for the people who sent cards and gifts for Lucy, most of whom they have never met.
"I'll never forget it. ."
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Battered bling makes the cash tills ring
By KAREN ARNOLD – Sunday, 21 December 2008
Jon Palani, manager of a second-hand store, with pawned jewellery
Pawn brokersare reporting an influx of customers turning their scrap jewellery into cash as the price of gold rises and the Kiwi dollar falls.
They say some have gone home hundreds of dollars richer after trading in their old, broken bits of gold jewellery to line their pockets during tough economic times.
Gary Boote, who owns the Pawn Shop in Christchurch, said that although the number of people seeking money for second-hand goods had not increased significantly in the past few months, there had been a noticeable increase in the number of people buying good-quality items and cashing up "junk" jewellery. .
Last week he was paying up to $30 a gram for unwanted gold."
And while many people had dress jewellery of no value, a lot had pieces at home that were worth something. A lot of people are living day to day.
He said one elderly woman had recently brought in brooches, a chain and a necklace. "She walked out with $900. After testing the pieces, they found the necklace was studded with diamonds. As a result they were seeing more jewellery scrap coming in from second-hand dealers and pawn brokers."
David Morris, managing director of gold merchants Morris and Watson, said gold was worth about $1500 an ounce, up from about $850 in July last year.
But sellers should take their time researching traders before parting with precious pieces.
They refined the gold and turned it into chains or bullion, which more and more people preferred to having cash.
Meanwhile, Cash Converters a nationwide chain which buys and sells second-hand goods and lends money has also noticed a new customer trend.
Meanwhile, Cash Converters a nationwide chain which buys and sells second-hand goods and lends money has also noticed a new customer trend. They have no cash flow any more.
"They know that if they sell it they will have to replace it but they are borrowing more with the cash solutions we offer people are really struggling. Customers are given one month to pay off the loan but if they default on a payment they are charged $25 plus a bank dishonour fee of about $30."
People borrowing cash from Cash Converters do not pay interest, but for a loan of $1000 an administration fee of around $300 is paid.
Tips for selling your un-wanted jewellery
* Deal with a reputable trader.
Budget advisers say anyone considering borrowing from money lenders should find out about hidden costs, and they suggest trying a bank first. Make sure the pieces are tested before deciding to sell. By law, they must photograph the pieces, verify the personal details of the seller and hold the pieces for at least 14 days.
* Types of gold: 9ct contains 37.
* Good traders have gold and diamond testing equipment on site and won't mind you being present when they check the quality of your jewellery.6 percentfine gold.6 percentfine gold.
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Battered bling makes the cash tills ring
By KAREN ARNOLD – Sunday, 21 December 2008
Jon Palani, manager of a second-hand store, with pawned jewellery
Pawn brokersare reporting an influx of customers turning their scrap jewellery into cash as the price of gold rises and the Kiwi dollar falls.
They say some have gone home hundreds of dollars richer after trading in their old, broken bits of gold jewellery to line their pockets during tough economic times.
Gary Boote, who owns the Pawn Shop in Christchurch, said that although the number of people seeking money for second-hand goods had not increased significantly in the past few months, there had been a noticeable increase in the number of people buying good-quality items and cashing up "junk" jewellery. .
Last week he was paying up to $30 a gram for unwanted gold."
And while many people had dress jewellery of no value, a lot had pieces at home that were worth something. A lot of people are living day to day.
He said one elderly woman had recently brought in brooches, a chain and a necklace. "She walked out with $900. After testing the pieces, they found the necklace was studded with diamonds. As a result they were seeing more jewellery scrap coming in from second-hand dealers and pawn brokers."
David Morris, managing director of gold merchants Morris and Watson, said gold was worth about $1500 an ounce, up from about $850 in July last year.
But sellers should take their time researching traders before parting with precious pieces.
They refined the gold and turned it into chains or bullion, which more and more people preferred to having cash.
Meanwhile, Cash Converters a nationwide chain which buys and sells second-hand goods and lends money has also noticed a new customer trend.
Meanwhile, Cash Converters a nationwide chain which buys and sells second-hand goods and lends money has also noticed a new customer trend. They have no cash flow any more.
"They know that if they sell it they will have to replace it but they are borrowing more with the cash solutions we offer people are really struggling. Customers are given one month to pay off the loan but if they default on a payment they are charged $25 plus a bank dishonour fee of about $30."
People borrowing cash from Cash Converters do not pay interest, but for a loan of $1000 an administration fee of around $300 is paid.
Tips for selling your un-wanted jewellery
* Deal with a reputable trader.
Budget advisers say anyone considering borrowing from money lenders should find out about hidden costs, and they suggest trying a bank first. Make sure the pieces are tested before deciding to sell. By law, they must photograph the pieces, verify the personal details of the seller and hold the pieces for at least 14 days.
* Types of gold: 9ct contains 37.
* Good traders have gold and diamond testing equipment on site and won't mind you being present when they check the quality of your jewellery.6 percentfine gold.6 percentfine gold.
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Porno conviction follows four years on the run
– Saturday, 13 December 2008
A four-year flight from justice ended yesterday when a former teacher who left New Zealand before a court hearing on child pornography charges was convicted.
In 2002, Shane David Rahui was tracked by Department of Internal Affairs staff as he downloaded several objectionable photographs of young boys.
Child welfare groups were outraged at the move, with Child Abuse Prevention Services saying the former Dargaville High School teacher and martial arts instructor had made a mockery of the law.
Charges were laid, but, because Internal Affairs staff do not have the power of arrest, Rahui was not on bail and was legitimately able to apply for a passport in 2004 and leave the country.
Rahui is believed to have spent three years in Asia.
In his absence, Rahui was convicted on several charges of possessing objectionable material and fined.
Late last year, Rahui was detained at Los Angeles airport and denied entry to the United States.
During his absence, New Zealand officials notified Interpol of their interest in the man.
Rahui appeared in court in July, before a defended hearing on October 29. With no other port open to him, Rahui was forced to return to New Zealand where he was arrested. .
In the Christchurch District Court yesterday, Judge Jane McMeeken convicted Rahui on 22 charges of making an objectionable publication available to other people for gain.
Rahui did challenge the legality of two search warrants, which contained mistakes, executed by Internal Affairs staff during their investigation.
In her decision, the judge said Rahui knew the material he had downloaded relating to the sexual exploitation of boys was illicit. They did not outweigh the seriousness of the offences Rahui faced, which involved images of young boys. However, the judge ruled evidence obtained through the warrant was admissible as the mistakes were technical.
Rahui trained at the Christchurch College of Education, and had worked in Christchurch as a school holiday programme co-ordinator for the YMCA and an Out of School Care and Recreation supervisor.
"Having viewed the images in question there is no doubt that the classification made by the (Internal Affairs) inspector was correct," she said. "It's a crime that doesn't recognise international boundaries.
Department of Internal Affairs investigator Paul Duke said New Zealand relied on co-operation from law enforcement agencies around the world to stop the online exploitation of children, and played its own part in tracking down offenders."
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Plane considered one of the safest
By ROELAND van den BERGH Saturday, 29 November 2008
/The
TOUGH TIME TO BE BOSS: The Airbus A320 is considered one of the safest aircraft and is the favoured workhorse for airlines around the world. Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe says maintenance records for the the three-year-old Air New Zealand-owned plane that crashed yesterday show just 7000 hours on the clock over 2800 flights.
Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe says maintenance records for the the three-year-old Air New Zealand-owned plane that crashed yesterday show just 7000 hours on the clock over 2800 flights. .
The aircraft had been leased to German charter airline XL Aviation for the last two years and was being prepared for return to Air New Zealand when it crashed into the Mediterranean near the city of Perpignan in France during a routine test flight.
"At this stage we have no detail as to the likely cause of the accident," he told a news conference in Auckland.
A series of onboard computers constantly monitor the way the plane is being flown and will override the pilot's commands if they are unsafe.
The A320 became the first passenger jet to be equipped with a state-of-the-art "fly-by-wire" control system when it entered service in 1988.
Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Bill Sommer said the A320 was "one of the most reliable and safest" aircraft in the world.
This safety feature makes it is almost impossible for the twin-engined aircraft to be flown beyond its limits, while at the same time, allowing the pilot to fly the aircraft to its maximum capability in an emergency.
"If you look at the figures, the broad Oceania area is rated as the safest place for large jet aircraft, and it has for many years. "We have a very good safety record for airline operations here in New Zealand.
During its 20-year history there have been eight fatal Airbus A320 crashes, killing 646 people, including an Air France demonstration flight in Habsheim, France in 1988 that killed the three crew."
A total of 1960 A320s were flying with 155 airlines around the world, typically on short- or medium-distance routes.
Airbus developed the single-aisle A320 in 1984 as a competitor to the hugely successful Boeing 737.
The worst accident was last year when all 186 passengers and crew and 12 people on the ground died when a Tam Airlines jet ran off the runway at Sao Paulo-Congonhas Airport in Brazil. A visibly shaken Mr Fyfe fronted up to three press conferences through the day, as well as talking to the victims' families and dealing with staff and officials in New Zealand and in France.
News of a downed aircraft is the call that every airline chief executive dreads.
But the rest of the airline must continue to run as normal, with no obvious effects on passengers.
A former senior Air New Zealand manager said that in an emergency a crisis centre is activated at the airline's Auckland headquarters, with key management assigned roles for which they have received specialist training.
Air New Zealand uses a fleet of 12 A320s mainly on its trans-Tasman and Pacific Island routes. "Everyone has got to stay absolutely focused on the job," the former manager said.
The crashed plane was number 2500 to roll off the Toulouse production line in France in July 2005. The aircraft seat 152 passengers including eight in business class.
The aircraft had just come out of maintenance and had taken off from Perpignan about 90 minutes earlier on its check flight.
The aircraft had just come out of maintenance and had taken off from Perpignan about 90 minutes earlier on its check flight.
Two XL Aviation pilots were at the controls. An Air New Zealand captain from Auckland, two airline engineers from Christchurch and an engineer from Auckland, and a Civil Aviation Authority inspector were on board as observers.
It had already been repainted in Air New Zealand livery, and was to fly to Frankfurt to pick up additional staff before heading home.
The most noticeable difference between the Airbus cockpit and a more-conventional layout is that the large control column in front of each pilot has been replaced with a side stick, similar to a computer joystick.
This gives an unobstructed view of the video screens that display information.
Airbus also replaced the two large throttle levers with smaller controls which operate almost like the automatic transmission on a car.
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No go for ‘Boobs on bikes’ at Parliament
The Thursday, 06 November 2008
The Speaker has blocked the controversial "Boobs on Bikes" parade from entering Parliament grounds.
But organiser and pornographer Steve Crow says the event due to be held tomorrow is no different to a Destiny Church march and will arrive at the seat of government regardless.
A spokesman from the Speaker's office told Crow all requests to use the grounds for commercial purpose were declined. .
The parade was a "freedom of expression" ride, Crow says. The parade is associated with the Erotica Lifestyles Expo in Wellington at the weekend."
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"It is interesting that Destiny Church was allowed access and there could hardly be a more commercial organisation in the country
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German family of missing Kiwi go to Interpol
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
The German family of a Bay of Plenty man who disappeared in February have asked Interpol to look into police handling of the matter.
Sigfried Newman, 49, disappeared on February 25 after dropping his two sons at school.
At the time, police said it was believed Mr Newman was struggling to cope with the death of his wife late last year.
Tauranga police searched for three days but found no sign of him.
Mr Newman's sisters, Sabine Vorgerd and Brigitte Fulling, came over to New Zealand when their brother disappeared but could not stay to carry on their own investigations because of the cost.
Mr Newman's family told the Bay of Plenty Times they were convinced their brother was dead and that foul play was probably involved.
The family were unhappy the search was called off after only three days and believed police were too quick to blame Mr Newman's disappearance on depression after his wife died, said Mr Vorgerd.
Ms Vorgerd's husband told the paper from his home in Germany, the family had given up hope of finding Mr Newman alive.
Tauranga police Senior Sergeant Rob Glencross said there was nothing to suggest foul play, but it was not something police could eliminate.
The family have asked Interpol to look into the Tauranga police's handling of the matter.
There were two sightings the Tuesday after Mr Newman disappeared but the family do not believe he went into hiding and did not want to be found, police said.
Nothing had been ruled out, he said.
Anyone with information should contact police.
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