Two a penny

.

Market vendors and a pet food abattoir in Auckland are under investigation by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority after a television news investigation alleged horse meat was being sold illegally for human consumption.

The abattoir was approved to process horse meat as pet food only, but TVNZ’s Close Up found its products were being sold by some Otahuhu and Mangere market vendors, who were apparently telling people it was okay to eat. One product on sale was loi hoosi, a Tongan dish which features horse meat.

However, the footage from TVNZ revealed the market vendors had been telling customers that the horse meat was actually fit to be eaten by humans – which Mr Allen said was misrepresentation, and breaking the law.

The markets had come under investigation two months ago and it was found the horse meat was correctly labelled as being unfit for human consumption, NZFSA director of compliance and investigation Geoff Allen said. .

“What we couldn’t really do was listen in on the conversations, what the people that were selling this stuff were saying to the customers.”

Mr Allen said the meat sold by the abattoir was acceptable to be used for pet food, but humans consuming it would be same as putting 95 octane petrol into an aeroplane.”

The NZFSA expected to receive the footage from TVNZ today before the beginning the investigation.

“They’re both petrol, but the aviation gas is produced to a much greater, more exacting set of standards.

“Because we hold the view that there are food safety issues here and people could be hurt or damaged or made sick by this, we would classify this as one of our priorities.

Mr Allen said while it was not yet known how long the investigation would take, it would be a matter of some urgency.”

-

.

Aucklanders may see the return of trams trundling along the Waitemata waterfront if the ARC gets its way.

The Auckland Regional Council is “examining into the feasibility” of a light rail or tram system along the Waitemata Harbour waterfront.

The Government’s decision to buy and redevelop Queens Wharf, with public spaces and a cruise ship terminal, added impetus to examining at public transport options, said ARC Transport and Urban Development Committee chairwoman Christine Rose.

Planners estimate when people stroll the so called Wynyard Quarter at the waterfront seven out of 10 trips will be taken on public transport, walking or cycling.

“Light rail or heritage trams should be considered in any public transport options for Wynyard Quarter and Quay St as part of the area’s redevelopment,” she said.

She said planning had not previously looked at the use of light rail, but the regional council wanted to put that up as an option.”

The feasibility study into light rail for the waterfront will provide information on the potential demand for light rail and how it was used in comparable waterfront cities.

“We are striving to add to existing heritage and character, and to enhance Auckland’s waterfront viability and experience for workers, tourists and Aucklanders at large.

A report to the ARC transport committee today said modern light rail trips were being used for peak hour commuting as part of transport networks throughout the world..

In Auckland, a loop linking Wynard Quarter, Quay St and Britomart could be part of a wider transport solution for the city.

Or they were used in short loops often aimed at tourists.

*What do you think of the proposal? below. Progress on the feasibility study will be reported back to the Transport and Urban Development Committee in November.

.

The Labour Party intends to lay a complaint with the privacy commissioner against Social Development Minister Paula Bennett for releasing income details of two beneficiaries.

Ms Bennett released the income details of solo mothers Jennifer Johnston and Natasha Fuller after they publicly criticised the Government’s decision to scrap the training incentive allowance (TIA).Justifying the unusual action – government ministers seldom comment on individual cases – Ms Bennett said she did it to round up a one-sided story. Ms Fuller received $715 net a week and Ms Johnston $554, Ms Bennett’s office said.”I think most New Zealanders will see that actually they’ve been given a real fair go. She felt the women were misleading the public by releasing “selective information”.

”I think it was a very rude thing for her to do,” Ms Johnston said.”

But one of the woman, Jennifer Johnston, said Ms Bennett was trying to intimidate her by releasing details of the welfare she receives.”

Ms Johnston said she was very grateful for the $553.

”She’s targeted me in this way and insinuated in her statements to the press that I have misled and withheld information for my own ends.

”I think the whole point of this was to intimidate us out of exercising our democratic right to protest the Government’s decision,” she said on Radio New Zealand.95 a week she received but it was not enough to live on and fund a tertiary education as well. By all means make it recoverable, make it a loan, let us pay it back or increase the amount that we can apply to StudyLink for.

”I’m not asking for a hand out.

She was also upset by the minister’s actions.”

Natasha Fuller said she had been ”doing really well” and had intended becoming a teacher before her training allowance was cut. I thought we had privacy laws in New Zealand,” she said on One News.

”I couldn’t believe someone could actually do that.Ms Bennett based her decision on guidelines on the Privacy Commission website but in Parliament she revealed she not sought legal or officials’ advice.

Ms Bennett said while she had not sought the women’s permission she felt they had taken the matter public by talking to the news media and writing on the internet.Labour Party MP Charles Chauvel said he would lay a complaint.Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff, in response to media queries, said ministers and departments needed to consider the Privacy Act when they released personal information.”When an issue is raised publicly, it will often require the minister to make a careful judgment about how far he or she can go in response,” Ms Shroff said.Ms Shroff did not say whether she believed a breach had occurred, but would consider any complaint made. .Another consideration was whether disclosing the information directly related to the purposes for which the information was obtained.Prime Minister John Key told reporters he was “comfortable” with the women’s information being released and accepted Ms Bennett’s justification.Labour has accused Ms Bennett of using bullying Muldoon-style tactics to silence welfare policy critics.Labour deputy leader Annette King said beneficiaries had the same rights as others and the women’s concerns about training were unrelated to benefits to help them raise their kids.Facing questioning from Mr Chauvel in Parliament, Ms Bennett said she had not sought any advice other than checking the website.Mr Chauvel said it was disturbing Ms Bennett had not done that before releasing personal information which he said was invasive and unnecessary.”The minister’s decision was clearly not taken in good faith and I believe it breaches several of the Information Privacy Principles contained in the Privacy Act.”Even the most basic taking of advice from officials or a lawyer would have made this clear to the minister.”Mr Chauvel said Ms Bennett’s actions were “an attempt to intimidate and silence people who are disappointed the minister has allowed access to the Training Incentive Allowance for sole parents – which she herself used – to be severely curtailed”.He questioned her judgement.Mr Chauvel, in Parliament, also suggested Ms Bennett may have got her facts wrong about what benefits the women got, asking her if she checked information provided about payments under the Child Support Act was right.Ms Bennett said she had relied on her ministry.”I can’t present information that I do not have.”Ms Bennett confirmed she had received the TIA when a beneficiary.”I have never made a secret of the fact I have been on and off the benefit and that I did receive the TIA.”What I can tell those people who are looking at tertiary study is that it’s not going to be easy but if they back themselves, and this Government is backing them as well, then they can get off the benefit. They may even end up a cabinet minister.” -

.

Michael Phelps won a leading five ESPY Awards, including male athlete of the year, ending the five-year reign of Tiger Woods, who earned his record 22nd trophy.

The 14-time Olympic gold medalist also collected trophies for record-breaking performance, championship performance, and male Olympian while sharing the best moment award as part of the victorious 400-meter freestyle swimming relay at the Beijing Games.

Phelps won a record eight gold medals in Beijing, breaking Mark Spitz’s 36-year-old record of seven golds in a single games.

The show honoring the previous year’s top athletes, events and teams airs Sunday on ESPN. Olympic all-around gymnastics champion Nastia Liukin won female athlete of the year.

He wasn’t the only swimmer honoured.

Phelps’ only other ESPY came in 2005, when he was chosen male Olympian following his haul of six gold medals at the 2004 Athens Games. Dara Torres, who at 41 won three silver medals in her fifth Olympics, received the comeback award. Liukin defeated Wimbledon winner Serena Williams, Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Parker, Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin and Connecticut basketball player Maya Moore for female athlete.

She asked for a chair to sit on backstage to rest her ailing left knee that will require surgery later this summer. He is in Scotland playing the British Open.

Woods won male golfer honors for the fifth consecutive year, giving him a career total of 22 ESPYs.

Bryant still took home some hardware, sharing the team award with his NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers team. . Phil Jackson, who earned his record 10th NBA title, won the coaching award. Phil Jackson, who earned his record 10th NBA title, won the coaching award. Jackson returned for the fourth time as host of the show taped at the Nokia Theatre.

Samuel L.

They also won for best play, when Ben Roethlisberger connected with Santonio Holmes for the game-winning touchdown in the closing seconds. The Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers were honored in the best game category for their title win over the Arizona Cardinals. His daughter Zindzi Mandela and grandson Zondwa Mandela accepted from presenters Serena and Venus Williams.

Former South African president Nelson Mandela received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Winners in all but the Jimmy V, Arthur Ashe and comeback categories were determined by online and mobile phone fan voting.

The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance went to Northern State men’s basketball coach Don Meyer, who battled cancer after surviving a close to-fatal car accident.

-

.

A bruised teenage girl clung to the wreckage of a Yemeni plane for more than 13 hours before rescuers found her floating in the Indian Ocean, a French official said on Wednesday.

There was no word on any other survivors, but French officials said one of the plane’s black boxes had been found.An Associated Press reporter saw 14-year-old Bahia Bakari in a Comoros hospital Wednesday as she was visited by government officials.The Yemenia Airbus 310 jet carrying 153 people to island nation of Comoros crashed into the sea early Tuesday as it attempted to land in the dark amid howling winds.”It is a true miracle. She was conscious with bruises on her face and a gauze bandage on her elbow. “She held onto a piece of the plane from 1:30 a. She is a courageous young girl,” Alain Joyandet, France’s minister for international cooperation, said at the hospital.m.m to 3:00 p. Her father arrives tomorrow. She has lost her mother.Kassim Bakari said he spoke with his oldest daughter by phone after Tuesday’s crash.”The girl’s father told French radio that his daughter was “fragile” and could “barely swim” but managed to hang on.He said she was ejected and found herself beside the plane. Bahia had left Paris on Monday night with her mother to see family in the Comoros. She heard people speaking around her but she couldn’t see anyone in the darkness,” Bakari said on France’s RTL radio.”She couldn’t feel anything, and found herself in the water.”Said Mohammed, a nurse at El Mararouf hospital in the Comoros capital of Moroni, said the girl was doing well and doctors would release more on her condition later Wednesday. “She’s a very timid girl, I never thought she would escape like that. Said Abdilai told Europe 1 radio that Bahia was too weak to grasp the life ring rescuers threw to her, so he jumped into the sea to get her.Sgt.The crash a few kilometers off this island nation came two years after aviation officials reported equipment faults with the plane, an aging Airbus 310 flying the last leg of a Yemenia airlines flight from Paris and Marseille to the Comoros, with a stop in Yemen to change planes. He said rescuers gave the trembling girl warm water with sugar. Sixty-six on board were French nationals. Sixty-six on board were French nationals.Turbulence was believed to be a factor in the crash, Yemen’s embassy in Washington said.Gen. Bruno de Bourdoncle de Saint-Salvy, the senior commander for French forces in the southern Indian Ocean, said the Airbus 310 crashed in deep waters about 14.4 kilometers north of the Comoran coast and 34 kilometers from the Moroni airport.A French military cargo plane flew Wednesday over a zone 80 kilometers north of Grand Comoros Island, while two inflatable dinghies sent by French forces on La Reunion island combed waters closer to the coast.”The search is continuing,” Joyandet said. “No other survivors have been found for the moment.”Col. .A French tug arrived from the French island of Mayotte to recover survivors, corpses and debris, while a French frigate diverted from anti-piracy operations, the Nivose, and another French military ship headed to the scene.Both France and Airbus sent experts to the Comoros to aid in the investigation.The tragedy – and dwindling hopes that anyone else made it out alive – prompted an outcry in Comoros, where residents have long complained of a lack of seat belts on Yemenia flights and planes so overcrowded that passengers had to stand in the aisles.The Comoros, home to some 700,000 people, is an archipelago of three main islands situated 2,900 kilometers south of Yemen, between Africa’s southeastern coast and the island of Madagascar.French aviation inspectors found a “number of faults” in the plane’s equipment during a 2007 inspection, French Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau said.European Union Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani said the airline had previously met EU safety checks but would now face a full investigation amid questions why passengers were put on another jet in the Yemeni capital of San’a.The vice president of Comoros criticized French officials for not telling his nation about any suspected problems.”We wish the French could have informed us of any irregularity or any problems with that plane,” Idi Nadhoim said Wednesday on France-24 television.”Most if not all of the planes of Yemenia are Airbus,” he said. “They are supposed to be serviced by Airbus.”"We trust the civil aviation authorities of the countries we are working with,” he added, suggesting that French authorities discriminated against “those French who are left by themselves to fly this type of plane” – French citizens from former French colonies.Airbus said the plane that crashed went into service 19 years ago, in 1990, and had accumulated 51,900 flight hours. It has been operated by Yemenia since 1999.

.

Race organisers have lost contact with four New Zealand men who are rowing across the Indian Ocean to raise money for a prostate cancer charity, but the wife of one man says the team is well-prepared and she’s not worried.

Competing in the Indian Ocean Rowing Race, the Rowing for Prostate team of Tom Wigram, Peter Staples, Billy Gammon and Matt Hampel had been reporting daily for 71 days until Saturday.

Their last confirmed position was received on Saturday, when they were 553 nautical miles from Mauritius.

Mr Wigram’s wife Rebecca told she was “really, really not worried” about the team, who had trained hard for two years, including in incredibly bad weather, ahead of the race, and who were prepared for anything.

Organisers said the boat’s GPS system has been faulty and the crew’s satellite phone stopped working at the weekend.

A spokesperson for the race organisers, Alan Gwyer, said there was nothing to suggest the boat was suffering anything more than communication problems.

The men had an emergency beacon and personal locator beacon and would have set those off if they ran into any trouble, she said.

A race support boat was being sent out to the boat’s last position, over two days’ travel, Mr Gwyer said.

The inaugural charity race from Geraldton, West Australia, to Mauritius, off the coast of Africa, has already been won by a British crew. .

–

NZP 30/06/09 1913NZ

.

Nick and Phil McCorry, 25 and 24, Matt Hellier, 20, and Ian Allen, 25, last Thursday won the 3132 nautical mile race, finishing in 68 days, 19 hours and 40 minutes

.

The Auckland housing market has emerged from its hibernation as sellers are forced to accept lower prices, the city’s leading real estate firm says.

Barfoot and Thompson – which sells around one in three houses in the Auckland market – says it sold 924 homes in March, the most number of houses sold by the firm in 20 months.

Sales are up 65.2 percent from the same period last year. . When this year’s sales are compared to March 2007, sales are down 36 percent.

However, March 2008 was something of an aberration, seeing the fewest sales for that month in more than a decade.

Meanwhile, sellers have had to accept lower prices, with the average sales price in March down 4. Compared to March 2008, prices were down 5.1 percent from February to $491,780.

Barfoot and Thompson managing director Peter Thompson said March’s surge in sales was the combined result of a spike in sales traditionally seen in March, falls in the Official Cash Rate, bank mortgage rates falling to new lows and tax cuts.8 percent, where the average sale price was $522,336.

He said the firm sold close toly 300 more homes in March than in any month in the whole of 2008.

“Buyers may be sensing that market prices are close to the bottom of the cycle and have made the decision to act,” said Thompson.

“At the same time sellers are accepting that a price that is on average only 6 percent below values being achieved 12 months ago is realistic in the current market, and are ready to accept.

“At the same time sellers are accepting that a price that is on average only 6 percent below values being achieved 12 months ago is realistic in the current market, and are ready to accept.

He said while it was too early to call a bottom, and sales levels were still historically low, this month’s data from Barfoot shows the first encouraging signs of traction from lower interest rates.2 percent year-on-year surge in sales in March is the highest since November 2007. Still, falling average prices suggests softer prices and lower interest rates are combining forces to bring buyers and sellers together,” said Eaqub.

“This is a positive sign that lower interest rates are beginning to work, enticing buyers back into the market.

Thompson noted the increased level of interest in auctions, with 65 to 70 percent of all sales in March attributed to auctions.

However, he warned there remained considerable uncertainty around the durability of a property market uplift, as job losses had yet to hit the economy and local and global economic conditions remained challenging.

Ad Feedback –>
loadAd(’300×250′,’STORYBODY’,300,250);

.

March’s surge in sales, along with a 1398 new listings, have trimmed the company’s existing stock of unsold houses down to 6416 listings, the lowest number in 13 months

.

Home loan customers probably missed the “bargain of a lifetime” on long-term mortgage rates, after a multibillion-dollar borrowing frenzy in the past few weeks, some economists say.

But floating mortgage rates are likely to fall further and stay down, possibly till the end of next year.
Other economists say lending rates may go lower, given a weak world economy, and there is no need to lock in rates now.
In the past week or so, five-year fixed lending rates jumped from about 6.
In a highly unusual move, Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard said yesterday that long-term interest rates were too high.5 per cent as people suddenly switched to longer-term loans, to lock in much-lower-than-average rates.5 per cent to 7. The frenzied demand pushed rates up. .
But the rise in the past fortnight was “unwarranted” and, if rates stayed up, it could put unnecessary pressure on companies and home owners borrowing from banks, Dr Bollard said.
BNZ advised a fortnight ago to “fix now”.
Bank of New Zealand chief economist Tony Alexander says the Reserve Bank is just showing its impotence to haul down longer-term fixed rates, even though wholesale interest rates dipped almost a third of 1 per cent on Dr Bollard’s announcement.
Westpac economist Donna Purdue said the Reserve Bank was expected to cut official interest rates 50 points at the end of the month, which would bring floating rates down sharply. People had now missed that “wonderful opportunity” to lock in cheap rates, Mr Alexander said, although three-year rates remained much lower.

Ad Feedback –>
loadAd(’300×250′,’STORYBODY’,300,250);

.

Executives at Air New Zealand are to act as cabin crew for the airline’s subsidiary, Zeal 320 Ltd, during next week’s planned strike action on trans-Tasman and Pacific routes.

Talks between the airline and the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) are continuing.
But the EPMU said it did not believe the airline had staff available to replace striking cabin crew.
Air New Zealand told Radio New Zealand it had 100 fully qualified staff, including top executives who have volunteered to keep planes flying over the Easter period.
Air New Zealand’s group general manager of short-haul airlines, Bruce Parton, said senior staff, including Glen Sowry, who is heading the negotiations, will act as crew on the Zeal 320 flights. .
–

Ad Feedback –>
loadAd(’300×250′,’STORYBODY’,300,250);

.
Mr Parton said the airline may consider sacking and replacing the 250 Zeal cabin crew if the industrial action is drawn out

.
Tourist’s wedding trip ends with bashing

Saturday, 28 February 2009

Scotsman Stuart Martin came to New Zealand to celebrate a mate's marriage today instead he's lying in a coma in Hawke's Bay Hospital.
Mr Martin, 31, was attacked in central Taradale after attending the stag night of his friend Rory McBrearty, who is to marry his fiancee, Meghan, in Napier today.
The pair have been mates for more than six years and Mr Martin had flown from Australia to attend the wedding.
Speaking to The yesterday, the shaken Mr McBreatrty, also 31, had just been at the bedside of his comatose friend.
"I'm pretty upset about it all.
"I'm on the verge of a breakdown, to tell the truth," Mr McBrearty said.
"They're [hospital staff] not saying much about his condition, but it's pretty serious. It's overwhelming.
"They came to the Bay from all over the place."
He said he and about 20 friends had spent much of Thursday being driven on a pub crawl around back-country pubs before winding up at a friend's house in Taradale.
"It was just your normal stag do. That's why the stag do was so close to the wedding. We finished up at a friend's place in Taradale. It was good.
"We went around town [Taradale] and Stuart went through town," Mr McBrearty said. A group of us was walking from there to another place. We were just walking home.
"We hadn't been drinking in Taradale.
During a scuffle he was knocked to the ground and two of the attackers stomped on his head and face. .
He was taken to Hawke's Bay Hospital after a passer-by alerted emergency services. His attackers' shoes left an imprint on his face and head.
Mr McBrearty described his friend as a "small, friendly guy who makes friends with everyone".
No-one in the stag party noticed Mr Martin was missing until one of the group walked back past the town centre and saw the police cordon. Everyone who knows Stu loves Stu. Everyone who knows Stu loves Stu. He's just one of those guys. He's a little white boy there's nothing to him."
Yesterday, police charged three 17-year-olds with assault. Darrin Wright, Hamish Bowman and Joshua McConville, all from Taradale, appeared before a JP and were remanded in custody till Wednesday.