Two a penny

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The Bridgestone tyre factory in Papanui, Christchurch, is closing with the loss of 275 jobs.

Bridgestone Australia has facilities in both Christchurch and Adelaide, South Australia, with both factories to be closed. . The factory opened in 1947 and produced the first tyre in New Zealand.

The Papanui plant is one of the biggest employers in the Christchurch area.

The company, in a statement, said that, despite continued efforts to improve cost competitiveness at both factories, international competitionhad made tyre manufacturing increasingly difficult, to the point whereoperationswere no longer viable. The Adelaide facility has been operating since 1965.

“The decision has been explained to all employees and unions at both plants this afternoon,” the company said.

“Regrettably, the closures will affect around 275 employees in Christchurch and 600 in Adelaide .

The closures would take effect at the New Zealand manufacturing plant by the end of the year,and at the Australian facility no later than April 30, 2010… “Affected employees will receive their full entitlements.,” it said.”

Bridgestone’s distribution, customer service and retail networks, which employed more than 1500 people, would continue unaffected.”

Bridgestone’s distribution, customer service and retail networks, which employed more than 1500 people, would continue unaffected. can no longer commercially justify the continued operation of these facilities. However, the unfortunate reality is that Bridgestone Australia Ltd.

Christchurch Central Labour MP Brendon Burns said he was “gutted” for the workers.”

Bridgestone will work with local government in Adelaide and Christchurch to gift some land currently owned by the company to recognise the contributions of the communities. Our hearts have to go out to the 275 employees who, as of Christmas, have been told they will not have a job. “It’s a huge source of employment and revenue for the city.

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He said the factory had been restructured in recent years and had invested in new technology but had not been able to survive the recession and trend to manufacturing offshore

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Capping legal aid spending and reducing administration costs are being floated as ideas by a review. .

Dame Margaret Bazley, who is heading the review, said demand for legal aid increased 23 per cent between 2003 and 2008, with grants for criminal cases rising 51 per cent between 2003 and 2009.

In 2008/2009 this had risen to 95,303 applications with 85,158 granted.

In 2007/2008, there had been 83,767 applications for legal aid with 73,905 granted.6 million to $123.

Over the same period of time the cost of claims rose from $105.9 million.3 million of the cost and two per cent of cases eating up a quarter of all spending.

A growth in high cost cases was driving up the expenses with 100 cases (49 criminal, 45 treaty and 6 civil) making up $21.

“This is not a sustainable business model,” the review said.

The increasing number of claims had also not been matched with any economies of scale and the average cost to administer each claim had risen from less than $100 in 2000 to more than $250 in 2008.

“Long-standing inefficiencies” in pre-trial criminal procedure, which led to delays in the courts, were also putting a strain on the legal aid system, the paper said.

The discussion paper also identified problems attracting and retaining experienced lawyers in the legal aid scheme, including pay rates and the administrative burden associated with it.

The review makes 73 suggestions or areas for discussion ranging from capping all or some of the budget, more use of a public defender service, more careful management of high cost cases and attracting better quality lawyers.

The review makes 73 suggestions or areas for discussion ranging from capping all or some of the budget, more use of a public defender service, more careful management of high cost cases and attracting better quality lawyers.

The society was considering extending the six months experience needed to practise as a barrister sole out to three years.

The report noted that it was harder to attract good lawyers to the legal aid system for a variety of reasons pay rates and red tape.

Justice Minister Simon Power said the review was aimed at finding a system that was structured “so it delivers effective services to those who need them most in a way that it cost-effective and sustainable”.

This, along with training and better remuneration, would improve the quality of legal aid, Mr Marshall said.”

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“This review has the potential to improve the lives of the people who come into contact with the justice system, and give taxpayers real confidence that they’re getting good value for money from legal aid expenditure

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Former immigration minister Tuariki Delamere
is offering false hope by claiming thousands removed from the country
as overstayers can now appeal, Immigration New Zealand says.

A Supreme Court decision the previous month involving Chinese overstayers highlighted legal flaws in the way immigration officials dealt with overstayers who had children or spouses who were New Zealand citizens.

Mr Delamere, now an immigration consultant, will travel to Samoa tomorrow to advise former overstayers there they may be able to appeal their removal from New Zealand.

Immigration must consider the humanitarian circumstances of New Zealand citizens affected by the removal of overstayers, Mr Delamere told Radio New Zealand.

Appeals under the Immigration Act must be made within three months, he said.

Immigration New Zealand head of legal services Graeme Buchanan said he would be “very surprised” if the Court’s decision offered any hope for overstayers already in Samoa.”

Mr Delamere will offer to take anyone who wishes to appeal on as a client.

“Mr Delamere has a business I suppose and he’s running it.

“I’ve talked to wives here and they were never interviewed, they were never asked what would happen to their children as far as them becoming orphans and the fact the families are split up.

For most of those he will visit in Samoa the circumstances of citizen children or spouses were not considered, he said.”

Mr Delamere said he had discussed the issue with lawyers who said “there seems to be issues that could well open the door for people”.

“In New Zealand children have the right to live with their parents.”

The decision raised “interesting questions” about a small part of the immigration process, Mr Buchanan said.

“It’s based on individual circumstances.

“What they (the court) said was at the end of that process we applied the wrong legal test (for removal from New Zealand).

Mr Delamere’s view that individual circumstances were never considered was “patently wrong”.

The families involved in the Supreme Court case were “at the top” of immigration’s list for review, he said.”

The correct test would involve considering “exceptional circumstances”, Mr Buchanan said.

“Although the door has been opened.

Lawyer Satiu Simativa Perese was more cautious than Mr Delamere. . . .and greater transparency comes through this decision, you don’t know whether you will get the same result

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A “cowardly attack” on three Chinese tourists in the Far North has been condemned by Labour tourism spokesperson Kelvin Davis.

He has called on the Far North community to dob in the two men who left the tourists “shocked and stunned” after they were robbed at knifepoint yesterday.

Detective Sergeant Trevor Beatson, from Kaitaia, said the tourists had been hailed by two Maori men in a maroon coloured station wagon, who claimed they were lost.

The attack happened on a stretch of gravel road which runs through Te Paki Reserves and farm land leading to Te Paki Stream and 90 Mile Beach, from State Highway 1F. Mr Beatson said. .

He said the incident was another in a string of attacks on tourists in the Far North over the past few years.

Mr Davis said the Far North community must send a strong message that it would not tolerate such attacks.

“These idiots just don’t seem to realise that our culture tells us to care for our manuhiri (guests) not bash them, or that they are stuffing things up for family and friends involved in Northland’s tourism industry.

“Their (the tourists) faith in New Zealand has been shattered,” Mr Davis said.

“Someone will know who these guys are or would have seen their red or maroon station wagon with fishing rods sticking out the windows.”

Mr Davis called on the public to help police catch the offenders.

Police were this morning combing the area and the victims’ car for forensic evidence.

“Someone up North will know them, and for the sake of maintaining New Zealand’s reputation in the eyes of both these and other tourists, the police need to be informed of their whereabouts,” Mr Davis said.

Anyone with information should call 027 223 2628.

The two men were believed to be in their 20s, and were described as tall with strong physical builds.

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A love letter Clayton Weatherston sent Sophie Elliott has been read to the jury at the High Court in Christchurch.

Defence counsel Judith Ablett Kerr QC has revealed the letter was entered as evidence at Weatherston’s trial the day before it began in a late alteration to the exhibit list.

It has also been revealed that a police record of the scene contained discrepancies.

Detective Constable Joanne McLaughlan said the original copy of a letter Weatherston sent to Elliott was taken from a draw in Elliott’s bedroom.

The officer in charge of the scene where Sophie Elliott was stabbed

216 times is being cross-examined by Ablett Kerr QC. It has been prompted by the fact that the very real prospect of losing you has brought clarity .

It said: “Dear Soph, I hope you don’t mind this rather archaic form of communication..”

Weatherston wrote that he “regret[ted] the silly little things,” and told Elliott that he loved her “energy, cuteness, intelligence, resilience.. . … The person who stimulates me mentally (and physically) is you. The person who stimulates me mentally (and physically) is you. There are so many things that I want to experience with you Soph.”

“I hope to have a chance to be more demonstrative in my appreciation of and respect for you.. Lazy Sundays, doing whatever . being intimate, you watching me drown in Moana Pool.. You make me feel sexy, attractive and good about myself.

“I love being close to you.

“We are both dynamic positive people who should live in the present . I want to do the same for you… let’s have fun.”

A photocopy of the letter was produced which included the date August 2007. This was not written on the original.

Ablett-Kerr asked McLaughlan when police had decided to enter the letter as an exhibit in the trial.

McLaughlan agreed it was within the last ten days, after the defence had been given an exhibit list for the trial.

“Yes, the brief of evidence was changed – added to,” McLaughlan said.

Ablett-Kerr asked McLaughlan about a discrepancy between her scene notes and a document produced from her notes.

McLaughlan said she did not note a radio being on in the kitchen at the Elliott’s house, however, the job sheet from her scene examination said the radio was going.

“I believe it’s an error in the job sheet,” McLaughlan said.

“I can only assume that’s a typing error.”

The radio is important to the defence case because they have suggested Sophie Elliott shouted “f— you Clayton” the moment before he stabbed her to death.

Elliott’s mother, Lesley Elliott, last week gave evidence that she was in the kitchen with the radio off and she did not hear her daughter shout that.

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The weather over the coming Easter weekend promises to be a mixed bag, with showers, snow and sun all expected across the country. .
From Saturday to Monday, the daytime high temperatures are likely to be around 15 C for Invercargill, Dunedin and Queenstown, 17 to 18 C for Christchurch, Nelson and Wellington, and around 19 to 20 C for Tauranga, Hamilton and Auckland, he said.”
People hitting the roads over Easter should be wary of slippery conditions around the country, he said.
“At this stage, the frontal showers are forecast to affect the west and south of the South Island later on Saturday or Sunday and the southwest of the North Island for a brief time on Sunday.”
Snow and sleet showers on the Desert Road were expected to clear by 5pm this evening, Mr McDavitt said.
“We have snowfall warnings in place for Arthur’s Pass, Lewis Pass, Porters Pass, Lindis Pass and the Desert Road.
“Everyone should make sure to observe safe following distances and take care on the roads this weekend.
– By CLIO FRANCIS,

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Good weather could be expected across the country for the first week of the school holidays, Mr McDavitt said

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Cultural differences mean some Chinese students are unwittingly cheating at university, the head of the Christchurch International College says.

has obtained figures on academic misconduct at Canterbury, Otago, Victoria and Auckland universities. .

However, a request for data on ethnicity was declined. Another was fined for photocopying a previous year’s assignment and submitting it under their own name.

One Canterbury student was fined $200 for submitting an essay lifted off the internet.

An Official Information Act request for data on the ethnicity of academic misconduct cases was declined by all four universities.

Last year, one student was excluded from the university for plagiarism.

In a preliminary ruling, the Ombudsman agreed the data should not be released because it “would be likely to endanger the safety” of people.

has continued to appeal to the Ombudsman for access to the declined requests dating to March 2007.

However, Waikato University reported 143 of a total 222 cases of proven academic misconduct there in 2006 were by Chinese students.

“The phrase `endanger the safety’ of any person has generally been accepted as meaning there must be a substantial risk that a person’s life is likely to be put in peril or there is danger that their physical safety will be jeopardised,” the preliminary decision said.

Christchurch International College principal Mei Ding Dawson said there was “some culture difference because of the way Chinese education is tied to memory”.

Pakeha students were responsible for 28 cases and Maori 10 of the 222 cases.

“We think if something is good, you just memorise that and then you copy that.

“It’s changing but the [Chinese] education system is still not that like New Zealand in that way,” said Dawson, who is Chinese.

“They probably don’t understand, I would say,” Dawson said.”

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Student orientation for international students arriving in New Zealand was not favourably explaining differences to Chinese students. I don’t think they should get anything special, but maybe they should get orientation or educate the Chinese, especially the new ones just coming from China. “When you’re in Rome, you must do what the Romans do.”

New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations co-president Jordan King said the rules about cheating were clear and most students followed them. They need to be educated or need to be told that you are not accepting the Western cultures.

“I think that could potentially come in to it in some of those cases but, obviously, I haven’t seen the breakdown of the background of those particular students who have infringed.

“I guess there is always the question of English as a second language and international students and perhaps perceptions of the rules and misinterpretation of the rules around plagiarism and proper operating in the New Zealand university context,” King said.

“There could be some cultural differences at play when it comes to that sort of thing and, obviously, new students, international students participating in the tertiary sector, probably have a reasonably difficult time adjusting after that first instance,” King said.

“There could be some cultural differences at play when it comes to that sort of thing and, obviously, new students, international students participating in the tertiary sector, probably have a reasonably difficult time adjusting after that first instance,” King said.

Tertiary Education Union national secretary Sharn Riggs said there was “a swathe of issues around international students” getting support.

“I think the institutions do their best, but it’s not just a case of language difficulties, there are different cultural approaches to learning,” Riggs said.

A Canterbury University spokesman said academic staff were encouraged to help students understand the concept of academic integrity, and how to do proper referencing.

“UC works with academic staff to help them recognise situations where there is risk of cheating and helps them develop forms of assessment which minimise opportunity for plagiarism,” the spokesman said.

Auckland University said it was dealing with more cellphones being taken into examination rooms.

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More Kiwis being stung by scams

Tuesday, 03 March 2009

Kiwis are swindled out of an average $2500 a year after falling for elaborate frauds and efficient scams, the Consumer Affairs Ministry says.
At yesterday's launch of the fourth annual Fraud Awareness Week, Consumer Affairs Minister Heather Roy said about $487 million was lost from the New Zealand economy each year thanks to scams.
The Consumer Affairs Ministry had about 1200 inquiries each year from people wanting to report scams, seek advice or inquire about the legitimacy of "offers" they have received, she said.
"While individual consumers may suffer a $25, $50 or even $100 loss and simply consider it a poor choice or bad 'investment', the annual loss to the economy is likely to be in the millions," she said.
She was surrounded by $2500 of groceries in shopping trolleys, which represented the financial "loss" to Kiwis from scammers posing as legitimate people through letters, fax, phone, email or the internet.
"While there's never a good time to lose money, the current global financial situation means that now, more than ever, consumers can ill afford to lose money to scammers, and must be vigilant," Mrs Roy said at the launch, held at Trade Me's headquarters. .
Detective Sergeant David Kennedy, from Police National Headquarters, said Fraud Awareness Week was a "timely reminder" for New Zealanders to be vigilant about protecting themselves.
"Some customers paid between $5000 and $20,000 for the work, some of which was so substandard they had to pay someone legitimate to redo it," he said.
Mr Kennedy said Wellington residents had been targeted by a group of men, recent arrivals from England, offering cheap asphalting jobs and demanding cash up front. These people produced fake invoices from a fictional overseas company to make their activities look legitimate.
"In the past few months, there has been a group of Irish itinerants selling defective generators out of the back of a van.
"Fraud Awareness Week is an opportunity to remind people to be vigilant against offers that sound too good to be true they almost always are," Mr Kennedy said.

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Pre-teens try booze, cannabis

– Tuesday, 03 March 2009

Kiwi children as young as four are trying alcohol and nine-year-olds are using cannabis, a new study reveals.
The study of 12,000 young people, led by Canterbury researchers, found the onset of drinking "goes up very steeply from age 12", while many were smoking cannabis by 15.
She suggested pre-adolescents get education about drugs and alcohol in schools as well as the community to try to halt the disturbing drop in the age when experimentation began.
The study's Christchurch-based lead author, Dr Elisabeth Wells, of Otago University, said it was obvious New Zealand's youth were getting caught up in an overall culture of binge drinking.
Wells said people in their 40s and older reported starting drinking about 16 and using marijuana at 21.
Justice Minister Simon Power has asked the Law Commission to fast-track its review of liquor laws and report a year earlier than planned. The youngest drinkers were aged four while some teenagers reported using cannabis at age 9. By comparison, those aged under 24 said they started drinking about 14 and tried marijuana about 17.
No data was gathered on the use of methamphetamine or party pills when people were interviewed for the study in 2003, Wells said.
The study, published in the international Drug and Alcohol Review journal, found one in 10 New Zealanders has tried LSD or glue and two out of five have tried cannabis.
He asked the Law Commission to deliver its review of liquor laws far sooner than planned to ensure changes happened quickly.
Power said tackling the country's alcohol problem was a priority for Government, particularly to reduce crime.
The commission was examining:
The proliferation of liquor outlets and the effect on consumption.
Power said he would look closely at the report's recommendations.
Parents' responsibilities to minors.
The minimum age at which liquor can be bought.
The relationship between drinking and crime.
Liquor outlet trading hours and advertising.
Alcohol Advisory Council spokesperson Tuari Potiki said it had known the age at which people first drank or took drugs had been steadily decreasing. ."
This was due to the lowered purchasing age and a society that preached that to drink was to have fun, Potiki said.
"A lot of 14-year-olds report to us that they are regularly drinking.
The profusion of convenience stores selling alcohol is credited with some of the rise in teen drinking.
Education of pre-adolescents was a contentious issue but one which could work as long as the message being conveyed at schools was the same impression young people got in the community, he said.
Sergeant Al Lawn, of the Alcohol Strategy and Enforcement team, said controlled-purchase operations were conducted in nine stores, seven convenience stores and two supermarkets.
Sergeant Al Lawn, of the Alcohol Strategy and Enforcement team, said controlled-purchase operations were conducted in nine stores, seven convenience stores and two supermarkets.
One of the supermarkets and five of the convenience stores sold alcohol to a 16-year-old volunteer.
Four of those convenience stores sold alcohol to a 14-year-old volunteer.
Public consultation in Christchurch closes on Monday over a proposal to extend a ban on alcohol in parts of the city, including Hagley Park, around Northlands and the New Brighton mall and Jellie Park.

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Calm before the weekend storms

By Saturday, 28 February 2009

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LAST CHANCE: Maraka Bay resident Matilda Hegarty enjoys a late summer swim. Today is the last of summer, with bleak forecasts for the North Island marking an end to the warm weather.
Wild weather is forecast to bring gales, torrential rain and surface flooding to much of the North Island.

It isthe last day of summer and the sendoff could not be much worse as the North Island braces for a drenching.
This weekend's wet outlook, which will bring much-needed rain to eastern North Island areas, is a blip on the radar, acccording to National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. But don't store away the togs and sunblock just yet the nasty weather will be shortlived, climate scientists say.
Niwa's latest seasonal climate outlook over the next three months predicted a drawn-out summer leading into mild, calm autumn as La Nina weather conditions bring normal to above-normal temperatures to most regions until May. It is predicting milder weather to return and stay around for most of autumn.
"We're not expecting dramatically different conditions for rainfall or temperature, or it to be exceptionally dry," Dr Renwick said.
The result will be a milder and less windy, almost benign, autumn, Niwa principal scientist James Renwick said.
"It may be wetter in Northland and drier in the southwest of the South Island.
"Overall it should be less windy and more settled over most of the country.
"It has remained stubbornly dry in Gisborne and Hawke's Bay, while Wairarapa has had quite a bit of rain," he said."
That will be good news for drought-affected farmers in Hawkes Bay and Gisborne, who can expect relief from heavy rain forecast for as early as this weekend to help increase soil moisture levels. .
Niwa is predicting an 80 per cent chance of average to above-average temperatures in the North Island, and average temperatures in the South Island.
Niwa said climate predictions were not weather forecasts but the result of expert judgment by climate scientists.
Sea surface temperatures are expected to remain above normal for those who enjoy a morning dip in the ocean.

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The predictions are based on the probability for above-average, average and below-average conditions occurring for rainfall, temperature, soil moisture and stream flows