The Nelson Mail back issues from December 2008:
Quick action saves toddler
Dec 01, 2008; ... The actions of a quick-thinking Nelson five- year-old girl helpedto save a toddler's life. Ciarna Epiha, who attends Stoke School, was playing outside at afriend's house on Saturday when she found 18-month-old Degan Brokerin an old bathtub used as a tadpole pond in the garden ....
Times may be hard but there's always Santa
Dec 01, 2008; ... The woes of an economic recession were forgotten for an hour ortwo at least on Saturday when an estimated 10,000 people lined QueenSt to watch the annual Pak'nSave Richmond Santa Parade. Colourful floats, jugglers, stilt walkers, marchers, traditionalpipe bands and Santa's helpers ...
Murder trial set to start in High Court
Dec 01, 2008 ... The trial of a 22-year-old Nelson man accused of killing NicholasWinter outside his Abraham Heights home last year was to begin inthe High Court at Nelson this morning. Damien Harley MacDonald, 22, has denied a charge of murdering MrWinter, who was found dead on the front lawn of ...
Mapua cleanup report delayed until April
Dec 01, 2008; ... A study to determine whether the $12 million cleanup of Mapua'stoxic site has affected the health of Mapua residents will not bereleased until April, two years after work on the report started. However, a resident says that while it is "a crazily long time"to wait for the report, ...
Change for law society
Dec 01, 2008 ... The Nelson District Law Society will cease to exist at the end ofnext month. It will then become the Nelson branch of the New ZealandLaw Society. Last year all district law societies agreed inprinciple to unite as one law society. However, the AucklandDistrict Law Society has since ...
Cream spill on highway
Dec 01, 2008 ... A tanker spilled cream on the Takaka Hill road yesterday morning.Chief Fire Officer Mike Riddell of the Motueka Volunteer FireBrigade said the spill, which happened about 7.30am, went fromHorseshoe Bend on the Golden Bay side of the hill to the top. As itwould have been slippery for ...
Heavy lift ship visiting
Dec 01, 2008 ... The semi-submersible ship Heavylift Falcon is due to call intoPort Nelson late tonight to make preparations for lifting an oil rigfrom Admiralty Bay. It is similar to but slightly smaller than ...
Mapua joins network
Dec 01, 2008 ... Mapua is the latest community in the Nelson region to officiallybecome part of the Transition Town network. Abut 80 people were atthe Transition Town Mapua launch. A group of residents set up thegroup due to a common concern about the environment and an awarenessof how a small connected ...
Toy run next weekend
Dec 01, 2008 ... Hundreds of motorcyclists are expected to join the annual UlyssesClub Toy Run in Nelson next Saturday. Club coordinator LorraineLindsay said the aim of the ride was to give gifts to the needy, andthe Salvation Army would follow the convoy of bikes to collect ...
New heritage website
Dec 01, 2008 ... A new website that aims to digitally preserve the heritage of theNelson- Marlborough region will be launched on February 15 atFounders Fun, Nelson's 150th anniversary celebrations at FoundersHeritage Park. The top of the south website The Prow: nga korero ote tau ihu is a project by ...
Vegetation fire a fizzer
Dec 01, 2008 ... A combination of no wind and damp ground meant a vegetation firein Aniseed Valley on Saturday was contained to within about 100square metres, Brightwater ...
Police roundup
Dec 01, 2008 ... A 17-year-old Nelson youth was charged with assault with a weaponyesterday afternoon after he allegedly hit his brother with a bamboostick at their Tahunanui home. Power tools were stolen from the back of a locked utility parkedin Britannia Heights, Nelson over the weekend ....
Young tenor fourth big name for opera
Dec 01, 2008 ... Tenor Ben Makisi has been announced as the fourth big name toperform at Nelson's Opera in the Park next month. Opera stars Simon O'Neill and Helen Medlyn, as well as risingstar soprano Anna Leese, were last month announced in the lineup,alongside Marc Taddei, who will conduct the ...
US company in search of young rugby talent
Dec 01, 2008; ... A large United States corporation is offering to sponsor anexceptional high school student and rugby player into a prestigiousuniversity through its connection with a Nelson informationtechnology company. FuseIT chief executive Richard Clarke said the offer had comefrom Stuart ...
Making a splash at school gala
Dec 01, 2008 ... Pupils at Nelson Central School had the chance to take revenge ontheir teachers by soaking them with wet sponges, not that they wouldhave minded considering the hot weather. That was one of the activities keeping the hundreds who turned upat the school's annual gala yesterday ...
Tahunanui agency closes
Dec 01, 2008; ... A Nelson real estate agency that said it wasn't participating ina recession has decided to close the doors of its Tahunanui office. Harcourts managing director Paul Hedwig told The Nelson Mail thatthe closure was effective from tomorrow, with most of the six staffmoving to ...
Bazaar could be annual event
Dec 01, 2008 ... A "Bizarre Bazaar" was the theme of a Victory Square communitypre- Christmas event yesterday afternoon, which was successfulenough to be considered as an annual occasion, Victory CommunityAssociation coordinator Andrea Barker said today. The association arranged the event, which ...
Research advised before choosing solar installer
Dec 01, 2008 ... Sir, Once again we have a Green Party supporter not performingthe necessary research before stating fiction as fact. BorisLeegwater's claim (Mailbox, November 25) that Nelson City Councildoes not require a building consent for solar is incorrect. TheBuilding Act 2004 deems solar ...
Credit crisis
Dec 01, 2008 ... Sir, I've waited since the credit crisis to see some support forfree markets, but there's only been a litany of criticism. PaulBieleski (Mailbox, October 25) adds his voice. He says: "Theeconomic theories of free market, privatisation, growth andderegulation have had their true test and ...
Credit crisis
Dec 01, 2008 ... Sir, In Mailbox of November 26, R E Webber asserts that thiscountry's economy is in a sad state, because of nine years of Laboureconomic neglect. That is in contradiction to the claims that theeconomy is in a sound state, and is not in the precarious positionthat faces the US, Europe, ...
Cars and cannabis
Dec 01, 2008 ... Sir, Justin Morrison (Mailbox, November 26), in wondering why theauthorities are reluctant to take action about dumped cars, mightlike to consider the effects of cannabis prohibition on policeresources. The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party states that cannabisprohibition is responsible ...
Labour 'toxicity'
Dec 01, 2008 ... Sir, For the last couple of weeks, moaning letters of Laboursupporters have displayed all the stinginess of personal character,toxicity of attitude and paucity of practical intellect so inherentto that political inclination. They've taken Labour's defeat deeply and personally - ...
Where laughter's a virtue
Dec 01, 2008 ... Sir, Well, well. I had a label pinned on me and I am now a "RedHatter'', oops, a mad hatter and proud! Seriously, I was soimpressed, as I was a guest, I wanted to write about theseparticular different ladies. The afternoon was a hoot, and I'm sure I laughed at all the ...
War on many fronts
Dec 01, 2008 ... George W Bush's "coalition of the willing" might have been ill-conceived, founded on lies and misconceptions and its majoroperation in Iraq fatally flawed from day one. However, the latestterrorist outrage, in India this time, demonstrates yet again thesort of foe the world faces - one ...
Fine music and a rising star enjoyed
Dec 01, 2008; ... An Evening in Paris: Nelson Symphony Orchestra conducted by MarkCarter. At the Nelson School of Music, Saturday night. Reviewed byMichael Monti. -------------------- The French theme of the eveningwas evident from the start: Offenbach's well known overture Orpheusin the Underworld. A few ...
Phoenix resurgence puts it into uncharted territory
Dec 01, 2008; ... If you'd said two months ago the Phoenix were top-four materialin football's A-League, the men in the white coats would have comeknocking. After Friday's win over league leaders Melbourne, theextremely improbable has become distinctly possible. The Phoenix had a dreadful start to ...
Richmond welcomes Santa in annual parade
Dec 01, 2008 ... Christmas came early for thousands of people who lined Queen Ston Saturday to watch the annual Pak'n'Save Richmond Santa Parade.Nelson Mail photographer Evan Barnes was there to capture the floatsand festivities ....
Nelson squeaks victory in shield
Dec 01, 2008; ... Marlborough did everything they could on Saturday to win back theHester Shield that Nelson took from them 21 years ago. They had the athletics meet changed from a two-days to one,insisted on holding it on their turf, brought in some talented newathletes, and flooded the events ...
Sun shines on classy Wanderers; Paki Paki, Hay benefit with bat
Dec 01, 2008; ... Wanderers enjoyed their best day of the summer while securingfirst-innings points against WTTU in round one of the Houston MotorsNelson two-day cricket competition on Saturday. Wicketkeeper-batsman Kyle Paki Paki led the charge with anunbeaten 74-run innings as Wanderers passed ...
Nelson lifts Winstanley Shield from Marlborough
Dec 01, 2008 ... Nelson ended Marlborough's six- year Winstanley Shield tenurewith victory in their representative tennis fixture at the weekend. Nelson hosted Marlborough and West Coast over two days at theTasman Tennis Centre. On Saturday morning, Nelson were up against Marlborough, ...
Heaphy race field enjoys perfect day
Dec 01, 2008 ... The Heaphy Track has long been a popular multi-day tramping tripfor New Zealanders and visitors alike. The 82km track welcomed a slightly different user on Saturday inthe shape of ultra runners. In the running world, 50-mile events and more are officiallyultra marathons, ...
Kim family arrive for scene visit, sentencing
Dec 02, 2008 ... The family of murdered South Korean backpacker Jae Hyeon Kim havearrived in Nelson and were scheduled to travel to Westport today tovisit the scene where police recovered his body. Tasman police district crime manager John Winter said Mr Kim'smother and brother arrived in Nelson ...
Migrant's new life goes swimmingly
Dec 02, 2008; ... Eric King-Turner had a good day fly- fishing in the MotuekaRiver, catching a lovely four-pound (1.8kg) brown trout - not badfor a 103-year-old fisherman. Mr King-Turner became a media celebrity at the start of the yearby becoming Britain's oldest emigrant, moving to New Zealand ...
Responses favour public transport
Dec 02, 2008; ... Development of affordable public transport should be givenpriority in solving Nelson and Tasman's traffic challenges, say mostof those who forwarded views to the draft regional land transportstrategy. A two-day Nelson Regional Transport Committee hearing was tostart today, ...
Victim bashed to death: Crown; Body found next day
Dec 02, 2008 ... The family of an unemployed Nelson roofer killed last March wipedaway tears yesterday as his partner cried and told a court offinding him cold and bloodied on the couple's front lawn. Nicholas William Winter, 26, died as a result of head injuries onMarch 18 last year ....
Police roundup
Dec 02, 2008 ... An earth excavator parked in Wensley Rd, Richmond which wasbroken into and driven around was damaged in the process, SeniorConstable Phil Wylie of Nelson police said. It was reported topolice at 8am yesterday, but it was unclear when the vehicle hadbeen broken into. "How no one knew it ...
Job watch
Dec 02, 2008 ... New manager at NCC An Auckland man with extensive public and private-sectormanagement experience has been appointed to take on a key managementrole at the Nelson City Council. Chief executive Keith Marshall saidTranspacific national contracts manager Hugh Kettlewell would ...
Stranger's generosity amazes solo mum
Dec 02, 2008 ... Nelson solo mother Ellen Fitzwater can literally breathe easy,thanks to the kindness of a stranger. Ms Fitzwater, who is on the domestic purposes benefit and has twoyoung children, was overheard telling a Nelson Hospital emergencydepartment nurse last Wednesday that she could not ...
Costs put poor off health care
Dec 02, 2008; ... Nelson beneficiaries are forgoing medical care in order to putfood on the table in the tougher economic climate. Work and Income statistics, released under the OfficialInformation Act, show that in the space of two years, the amount offinancial assistance handed out for medical ...
Region first for economic summit
Dec 02, 2008; ... Nelson will hold an economic summit next week, the first regionin the country to take the initiative to help businesses battle therecession. The three-hour economic meeting will be open to all businessowners. The summit will have high-calibre speakers - Reserve ...
Police building burns
Dec 02, 2008 ... A fire has caused hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to apolice station under construction in Sydenham, Christchurch ....
Tuatara trust aims to take conservation issues to the world
Dec 02, 2008; ... Making an international name for a local treasure is the ultimategoal of a trust dedicated to raising awareness of the humbletuatara. Members of the Spinyback Tuatara Education and Conservation Trustcelebrated its fourth anniversary at Natureland yesterday andreceived a helpful ...
How will Key close wage gap?
Dec 02, 2008 ... Sir, John Key made much of the wage gap between Australia andhere, and said a number of times that he wanted to raise the wagesof New Zealanders. Statistics prove that wages in Australia rose 50per cent higher than New Zealand in the 1990s, thanks to theEmployment Contracts Act. In the ...
Boosting the economy
Dec 02, 2008 ... Sir, As the economy slows down, the Government wants to boost itby spending large on infrastructure. Nick Smith reckons betterroading would help the environment. I cannot understand his vision,or lack of it. In the short term, more roads lead to more trafficand more pollution. In the ...
Economic foresight
Dec 02, 2008 ... Sir, Art Dol (Mailbox, November 28) advises your readers "to getout of debt fast''. In many ways, I feel this to be excellent adviceand consistent with my own policy. But apparently, his foresighttells him that 2009 will be "the year of complete economiccollapse''. If I had accurate ...
Key needs to perform
Dec 02, 2008 ... Sir, I will give K Smith a 10 out of 10 for persistence andloyalty to Labour (Mailbox, November 26). Fair enough - we live in ademocracy and we are all entitled to our opinions. Yes, I am aNational supporter and mainly always have been, and I voted forchange simply because I couldn't see ...
Superannuation
Dec 02, 2008 ... Sir, Patrick McGrath (Mailbox, November 8) states that NewZealand Superannuation is generous. Perhaps not for approximately50,000 Kiwis (government figures) that have their overseas work-based pensions confiscated before receiving NZ Super. For fouryears, cabinet ministers went to ...
'Delighted' with rest home
Dec 02, 2008 ... Sir, We are disturbed at some of the disparaging commentspublished concerning the Green Gables retirement village. We concurwith others who have written in praise of the staff and the gardens.We have been residents here for eight months and have been delightedwith our choice. The ...
Making an effort to sell Kiwi-made products
Dec 02, 2008 ... Sir, With reference to Tim Bayley's letter "Think before youbuy'' (Mailbox, November 28), I would like to point out to Mr Bayleythat, as a local retailer, we certainly do. We strenuously support New Zealand-made manufacturers and proudlyoffer furniture that has been made in ...
Treaty settlements
Dec 02, 2008 ... Sir, For all the emotionally manipulative claims that the gravytrain of Treaty settlements "is all about mana, not money'' (NelsonMail, November 22), the word "mana'' now apparently closely equatesto activist Maori organisations' word for money. Moreover, "mana'' -approximating to ...
Mixed upbringings
Dec 02, 2008 ... Sir, Statements by the Waitangi Tribunal (Nelson Mail, November22) that colonisation brought grinding poverty, social dislocationand cultural loss are incompatible with Nelson's contemporary scene.Tribal spokesmen, Messrs Mitchell and Whakaruru, are shiningexamples of the fruits of ...
Circus elephant
Dec 02, 2008 ... Sir, Your correspondent Jim Cable (Mailbox, November 28) missesthe point. The facts are that Jumbo's life- long handler and ownerof Whirling Brothers Circus, Tony Ratcliffe, stated publicly thatJumbo would be retired to a sanctuary or zoo once the circus closeddown. Instead, Jumbo was ...
NCEA
Dec 02, 2008 ... Sir, As one of the early promoters of NCEA, which I hoped wouldbe an improvement on the abysmal examination system we had then, Iam aware that many parents would like an appraisal of the newsystem. We have very little information, and I know that manyparents find it very confusing ....
A dreadful blow to a proud airline
Dec 02, 2008 ... It is a sight that has gladdened many a homesick New Zealandtraveller: the glimpse of the Air New Zealand koru on the tail of anaircraft berthed at some foreign airport, ready to spirit the wearyKiwi home. For all its difficulties down the years, Air New Zealandhas come to occupy a place ...
`Heroic' police praised
Dec 02, 2008 ... Sir, The self-sacrificing heroism of the Mumbai police force andspecial forces appears to have given them a great victory overterrorism by restricting the carnage to about 4 per cent of what wasintended, the final death toll of the three-day battle coming in atless than the death ...
Nelson lags behind Blenheim in sunshine race
Dec 02, 2008 ... Don't let the sunny weekend weather fool you - November was a wetmonth for Nelson. So wet, in fact, it let Blenheim sneak ahead of us in the racefor the sunniest place in the top of the south. November weather statistics show that rainfall was 176 per centof the monthly ...
New stopbank comes at a cost
Dec 02, 2008; ... Tasman Mayor Richard Kempthorne says the council will reconsiderbuilding a stopbank to protect Takaka from floods - if the people ofthe township want it. However, Takaka residents would likely have to pay for asubstantial proportion of the multimillion dollar project ...
Cancer experience inspires art exhibition
Dec 02, 2008; ... Almost two years to the day after Suzanne Bateup was diagnosedwith a malignant tumour in her neck, the artistic expression of thatexperience has been unveiled to the Nelson public. Ms Bateup's work is part of the Suter Gallery's exhibition TheRest is Noise, which displays projects ...
It's bait, but not as we know it
Dec 02, 2008 ... Whitebait may be bound up in mystique and mythology, but thatdoesn't mean you can't be adventurous with it. -------------------- Whitebait has to be a Kiwi icon. The mere mention of the wordconjures up joy for many. Even though whitebait in some form orother is enjoyed in many ...
Delicious input from NMIT school
Dec 02, 2008 ... The Nelson Mail today launches a new, regular feature in ourFresh section, from the school of tourism, hospitality and wellbeingat the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. Fresh at NMIT will be produced every fortnight by the school,offering articles and recipes based ...
Day of indulgence for a good cause
Dec 02, 2008 ... It's not every day that a woman can get a chance to indulgeherself and do some good for a worthy cause, but Saturday wasdifferent. Kina woman Liz George turned her home over to "Indulgence Day" asa fundraiser for Riwaka School, a ticket-only event for up to 100women to enjoy ...
Waimea Estates a star performer
Dec 02, 2008; ... Wine shows are an important part of the New Zealand wine calendarand they tend to be clustered around a three or four-month period,referred to in the industry as the "show season". This year's star performer from the Nelson region was WaimeaEstates. Waimea has been the quiet but ...
Learn to make cheese
Dec 02, 2008 ... Cheesemaker Katherine Mowbray, who learnt how to make cheese inthe traditional way using cow's and sheep's milk in the AshdownForest in England, is holding cheesemaking workshops in Nelson thisweekend. Mowbray says it is surprisingly simple to make cheese with just asmall amount ...
Nutrimetics on offer
Dec 02, 2008 ... Cosmetic company Nutrimetics is turning 40 and to celebrate itsanniversary has released the limited edition Ruby Collection, whichfeatures an eyeshadow and cheek palette, a lip gloss and theNutrimetics signature fragrance, Marie-France Eau de Parfum, encasedin a red purse pack ....
Jandals for lifesavers
Dec 02, 2008 ... Surf Life Saving is taking the concept of casual Fridays a stepfurther by holding National Jandal Day on Friday to raise funds forsurf lifeguards posted on beaches around the country. People are asked to wear their jandals and pledge their supportby donating to street collectors ...