Two a penny

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Lakes overflow but power bill relief ruled out

– Thursday, 08 January 2009

Power-price cuts are being ruled out despite generators spilling vast amounts of water from over-full South Island hydro lakes.
The glut of water was highlighted yesterday by the first spill at the Benmore power station on the Waitaki River in nearly five years.
Continuing spills from Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki further up Meridian Energy's Waitaki River hydro scheme have fed downstream into Lake Benmore, lifting it above its maximum operating level and forcing a massive release of water yesterday afternoon.
Household power prices are predicted to almost double this decade and are already two-thirds higher than in 2000.
The state-owned power company last spilled at Benmore, the biggest station on the Waitaki chain, in March 2004.26c a kilowatt hour (kWh) (including GST) in 2000, to 21.
Average residential power prices have risen 66 per cent in the past eight years from 13.97c a kWh last year.
South Island hydro lakes are brimming over after weeks of heavy north-westerly rain, just four months after low lake levels raised fears of spring power shortages.
Politicians were fired up about electricity prices late last year, demanding answers after Contact Energy increased prices by more than 10 percentin some regions.
As a result, wholesale, or spot prices have tumbled to the point where the water is effectively worthless. With more north-west rain on the way and low demand for power as a result of summer holidays, spilling is likely to continue from Benmore, Pukaki and Tekapo.001c a kWh.
Yesterday, spot prices at Benmore bottomed out at 1c a megawatt hour (MWh), or 0. During last winter's power shortage, spot prices peaked five or six times higher than average at almost 50c a kWh, or $500 a MWh. During last winter's power shortage, spot prices peaked five or six times higher than average at almost 50c a kWh, or $500 a MWh.
Meridian and Contact Energy, which is also spilling from Lake Roxburgh and Lake Dunstan, said the increased residential tariffs had already allowed for the possibility spot prices might fall temporarily. However, there is no sign the reverse is true.
"It is like swings and roundabouts.
Meridian spokeswoman Claire Shaw said commercial customers that bought power on the spot market would be "reaping the rewards".
"So the tariff people are paying takes this kind of occurrence into account anyway."
The residential customer tariff had considered the likely behaviour of the spot market.
"Some people are saying they've never seen the lakes so full."
Contact spokesman Jonathan Hill said that the spilling and the low spot prices made for a "pretty unusual situation". This is a pretty rare and unusual set of circumstances.
"The way we set out retail tariffs is to shield customers from the fluctuations in the spot market by setting a price path."
Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee could not be contacted last night."
Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee could not be contacted last night.
Yesterday's spill at Benmore began at 4.30pm. Meridian is now spilling 200 cubic metres a second (cumecs) of water, the equivalent of 4GWh a day of electricity, enough to power about 200,000 homes. .
Shaw said Lake Benmore reached its maximum control level about 4pm, forcing operators to start spilling into the Waitaki River.
"We're getting about 200 cumecs more into Benmore than we can push through the station. We should be spilling for days."
There were no plans yet to spill from Lake Aviemore and Lake Waitaki further downstream but that could happen , she said.

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Fire ban looms for Hawke’s Bay

The Wednesday, 24 December 2008

A total fire ban looms in Hawke's Bay as the region struggles to cope with very dry conditions.
However, a meeting of the former Hawke's Bay drought committee in Hastings yesterday concluded the region is not yet in the grip of another drought.
"Many areas on the Heretaunga Plains and near the coast are verging on extreme fire conditions," he said.
Hastings District Council deputy principal rural fire officer Paul Hawke said soaring temperatures had made the district which covers a large part of Hawke's Bay one of the driest in the country.
Fire permits were now being issued only for barbecues and traditional cooking fires such as hangi. Maraekakaho, Crownthorpe, Waimarama, Ocean Beach and Putorino were the areas worst affected.
Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule, who chaired the drought meeting, said parts of Hawke's Bay were very dry but others were doing well. A total ban would follow if the hot, dry conditions continued, Mr Hawke said.
Farmers were making use of their experience of recent droughts and selling off stock if they were short of feed.
"The worst areas are Mahia and parts of Central Hawke's Bay," he said.
Last year had been financially bad but recent price rises had helped, he said. "If they haven't got green grass then surplus lambs should go," Mr Yule said.
"You have to go back to 1914 to find a drier spring," Mr Wyn-Harris said.
Takapau farmer Steve Wyn-Harris, who keeps comprehensive rain records, said his area had received a total of 78 millimetres of rain over September, October and November. . "But it's patchy there were some thunderstorms in Central Hawke's Bay and some people got the rain, some didn't

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Wetas’ winning ways fascinate student

By – Tuesday, 16 December 2008

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NOT FUSSY: Victor Kang has won an award for his research into the mating habits of Banks Peninsula tree wetas.

For many students and adults, wetas are best left to their own creepy devices. .
The project last summer, supervised by Lincoln University, meant taking wetas out of their cage twice a day.
Victor's research into the mating preferences of endangered Banks Peninsula tree wetas was not for the faint-hearted.
"If you just handle them slowly and carefully and don't rush, they are OK," he said.
Victor admits to some early nerves, but said he soon realised the wetas were far more scared of him.
Victor's findings showed the Banks Peninsula female tree wetas were not fussy about whether they mated with males from their own species or those from the more common Canterbury tree wetas, which inhabit a similar environment.
Lincoln University entomologist and research co-supervisor Mike Bowie said the findings were valuable for scientists trying to determine whether the species was hybridising and whether the offspring were sterile.
"Interbreeding is bad for them they lose their identity and uniqueness," he said.
Victor, who has just finished his final year at Burnside High School, chose the weta research project from a list of topics provided on the application form.
Victor was one of four participants from last week's Realise the Dream science fair in Wellington who won the chance to present their findings to the Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition in March. "Even if I am just walking in the street and I see ants, I stop to look at them and study their behaviour.
His fascination with insects began in a public garden behind his apartment in his native South Korea, where he lived until he was eight."

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Inquest into six trawler deaths abandoned

By DYLAN THORNE – Wednesday, 10 December 2008

A Southland coroner has decided not to resume an inquest into the deaths of six people in the sinking of Bluff trawler Kotuku in 2006. .
In a decision released yesterday, Mr Savage acknowledges the capsize of the Kotuku, with the loss of six lives, was New Zealand's largest maritime disaster since the sinking of the Wahine and deserved public scrutiny.
The coroner adjourned the inquest in May 2006 after learning independent investigations were being carried out.
However, he says that scrutiny had been applied through inquiries and subsequent reports by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) and Maritime New Zealand and it is not in the public interest that it be relitigated at a resumed inquest.
Mr Savage does clarify that one of those on board, Ian "Shorty" Hayward, 52, died from drowning and hypothermia, consistent with cold-water immersion, rather than just cold water immersion as noted in a pathologist's report.
The TAIC report accepted the Kotuku capsized after being hit by two waves and, while the Maritime report had a different emphasis, the two were consistent and the coroner was satisfied matters such as the identity of those who died and and cause of death had been established, the decision says.
The only real question related to whether the circumstances of the deaths had been adequately established in the reports, the decision says.
Tests carried out to assess the boat's stability after it was recovered were inconclusive but TAIC found the general condition of the hull was substandard and it should not have passed a survey inspection.
Two issues highlighted in the inquiries were the stability of the Kotuku and the condition of its hull and fastenings.
Maritime New Zealand merely stated what the evidence of the surveyor and the skipper was and made no finding of its own.
However, it did not make a finding that that contributed to the accident, the decision says.
Both reports referred to actions already taken as a result of the tragedy and made extensive safety recommendations so there was no reason to hold and inquest for the purposes of making recommendations, the decision says.
Despite this, matters could be deemed to be adequately established if proper consideration was given to all evidence, even if that resulted in a conclusion that it was not possible to make definitive findings, the decision says.
Family members of those who died in the sinking could not be contacted for comment yesterday, but Mr Savage's decision notes they did not want the inquest to be held.
Family members of those who died in the sinking could not be contacted for comment yesterday, but Mr Savage's decision notes they did not want the inquest to be held.

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"You would have been asking a generalised body to review the work of a specialist organisation," he said

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Air New Zealand crash: Final victim named

06.10PM By STAFF REPORTERS – Friday, 28 November 2008

AFP
RECOVERY: Rescuers recover the body of the one crew member recovered from the sea.

AFP
Rescuers at work in the recovery of the victims of the Airbus A320 crash off the coast of France.

Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe talks to the media at a press conference held after an Air NZ A320 plane crashed off the coast of France.

THE AVIATION HERALD
AIRLINER DOWN: The approximate position of the crashed Air New Zealand Airbus A320 jet.

Photo 5 of 5

Air NZ crash update

Key offers support

Eerie echo of Erebus

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Eyewitness account

Airbus A320 ‘reliable’

LATEST: Officials have named the fifth Kiwi presumed dead after today's Air New Zealand airbus crash off the coast of France.

HORROR SMASH: An Air New Zealand A320 – seen here in a file pic – has crashed in Southern France.
He is Noel Marsh, a 35-year-old engineer based in Christchurch. They were: Captain Brian Horrell, 52,of Auckland; Murray White,37, engineer, ofAuckland;Michael Gyles,49, engineer,of Christchurch.
The announcementfollows the namingof three Air New Zealand workers also killed in the crash.
Seven people – including two German pilots – were onboard the Air New Zealand Airbus A320 when it crashed into the Mediterranean, just off Perpignan in southeast France, about 4.
Earlier officials namedthe Civil Aviation Authority inspector on the flight as Jeremy Cook. It had beenon a test flight – involving several manoeuvres – ahead of a return to New Zealand.45am (NZ time) today.
French daily Le Monde reported three bodies had been found.
French daily Le Monde reported three bodies had been found.
"The CAA will continue to provide Jeremy's wife, family and friends with support now and in the future.
In a statement released this evening,the acting Director of Civil Aviation, Graeme Harris, said allauthority staff members were shocked and saddened by the accident.
"Jeremy is a popular engineer, respected and liked by all in the aviation industry. The CAA extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends to all those missing in this accident."
Mr Cookjoined the Civil Aviation Authority as an Airworthiness Inspector in April 2005. An aviation enthusiast, he has had a long career dedicated to enhancing aviation safety standards, and this accident has affected all within the CAA and the aviation industry.
Earlier in the day,a choked up Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfetold a press conference this afternoon thathe had spoken to the partners of each of the missing men. A Licensed Maintenance Engineer with an extensive background in aircraft maintenance, his career included time with Air Niugini in Papua New Guinea, Ansett New Zealand, and with the Christchurch Engine Centre. I conveyed to them my deepest sympathies and those of all Air New Zealanders as we await further information on their loved ones.
"This is an unbelievably difficult time for the families of those who are missing."
While Air New Zealand still held out hope for survivors, rescuers had told them they had grave concerns for those on board, he said."
While Air New Zealand still held out hope for survivors, rescuers had told them they had grave concerns for those on board, he said.
"It's very difficult for them as they wait for information on their loved ones. My heart goes out to them. They're dealing with the situation with amazing dignity and strength," Mr Fyfe said.
He said Air New Zealand would spare no expense in supporting the families.
Fyfe, who said today was the toughest of his career,will travel to France later today with the family of at least one of the Kiwi victims. Other families are considering their options.
Air New Zealand deputy chief executive Norm Thompson left for France about midday. England-based Air New Zealand management were also en route.
The deputy chief investigator of the Transport Air Investigation Commission, Ken Mathews, will head to the crash site to support the French investigation. Two officials from the NZ Embassy in Paris are also en route.
The airline has asked the media to respect the families' privacy and a security guard has been placed outside the Gyles' home in the Christchurch hill suburb of Cashmere.
CRASH WITNESS
The plane was seen flying low over the French Mediterranean shortly before the crash. It had taken off from Perpignan Airport and had reportedly carried out a touch-and-go landing beforeheading for Frankfurt, Germany, when it plunged into the sea.
Lydie Benedicte, who works on the information desk at Perpignan Airport, told ABC radio that the plane had dipped down into the sea very quickly.
"The aircraft crashed direct,'' she told the station. "It's not far from the airport. That's why the aircraft was not very high in the sky … that's why a lot of people saw the crash near the coast of Cannes.''
SEARCH
Jean Dunyach, head of Civil Security at the Prefecture in Perpignan, told that the search for survivorswould resume at 5amlocal time (5pm today, NZ time) when specialist divers would be sent in.
“Unfortunately, the conditions are very difficult, it is raining, there are 30kms of wind with big waves and operations have been complicated further because it is now dark,” he said in a telephone interview.
The water temperature in the area was believed to be about 13C.
He did not believe there were any survivors. The bodies already recovered had been transferred to the morgue at Perpignan Hospital, where a member of the French Transport Ministry, Dominique Bussereau, was expected tomorrow.
“It is a difficult night for the rescuers … the remaining bodies may well be in pieces.”
Mr Dunyach said the maximum had been done to locate the missing crew members, with five rescue boats, 17 specialised divers, a helicopter and a search aeroplane scouring the scene. Thirty divers were expected tomorrow when he hoped the black box would be retrieved from the wrecked aircraft, currently 40m underwater.
He said the New Zealand and German embassies had been told of the accident and families were being informed.
"It is too early to speculate about the reasons for the crash, only the black box can tell us."
There was a strong feeling of solidarity amongst the local fishermen from the Le Cannet en Roussillon area, as they had been asked to help in the rescue effort.
Better weather was forecast for Friday (French time), and although some were quite shocked by what had happened they were only too happy to lend assistance, he said.
"There was no explosion, it was flying (at) 300m and suddenly fell down into the sea, but no explosion."
There were many witnesses, and emergency services were quickly at the scene.
Some wreckage was floating on the surface, but the pieces were "very difficult to find as a result of the big waves and the dark".
SOMBRE MOOD
The mood at Air New Zealand and CAA headquarters in Wellington was sombre today, as staff waited for news from France.
The aircraft was owned by Air New Zealand and had been on lease to German charter company XL Airways for the past two years. It was four years old when delivered and had flown for Freedom Air for about a year before being leased.
Fyfe said it was being flown to Frankfurt, where it was due to be handed back for a ferry flight to New Zealand this week.
"Naturally, this is an extremely difficult time for us all and the full resources of the airline are being put into investigating what may have happened and providing support to our people and their families," he said.
Fyfe said Air New Zealand was drawing on the experiences of other airlines that had been in similar situations before.
The Air New Zealand pilot on the flight was a very experienced captain, "which is typically what we want when we are going through one of these acceptance processes. We have our most experienced people ensuring the aircraft is up to Air New Zealand standards". .
The crash comes 29 years to the day that an Air New Zealand DC10 crashed into Mt Erebus, killing all 257 passengers and crew.
Mr Fyfe said that today was already very poignant for Air New Zealand as a result of the Erebus tragedy, and the anniversary added a new dimension to the tragedy.
AIRBUS
The jet had been undergoing servicing at EAS Industries in Perpignan and flying circuits for 90 minutes before it crashed, an emergency services spokesperson said.
Six French aviation accident investigators and two from Germany were being sent to help an inquiry with experts from the French civil aviation authority (DGAC) and Airbus.
Airbus said it delivered the jet in July 2005 and it had carried out 2800 flights with about 7000 hours of use since then. The constructor gave no details of the accident.
There are about 3700 A320 jets in service with almost 3000 more to be delivered. Air New Zealand own two Airbus aircraft, and lease 10.
Their average age is four years, and they seat about 150 passengers.
– with agencies