The Press back issues from February 2005:
Merged schools celebrate their future
Feb 01, 2005; ... Yesterday held historic significance for South Canterbury'smerging schools, which marked the first day of the school year withcelebration rather than academic pursuits. It may seem a very simple gesture, but sometimes that is all ittakes, according to Barton Rural School principal ...
Weekend of celebration for Rotary's 100
Feb 01, 2005 ... South Canterbury rotarians will officially mark the 100thanniversary of Rotary at a special weekend. Rotary district 9980 assistant governor Karen Keith said Rotarianswill gather at Raincliff Youth Camp and Conference Centre on February12 and 13 where district governor Martin ...
Keilly needs bike for charity ride
Feb 01, 2005 ... Timaru's Keilly Smith yesterday registered for the Central SouthIsland Charity Bike Ride but is missing one thing. "All I need now is to borrow a bike," the 24-year-old said. Miss Smith said the decision to take part was last minute aftershe discovered more participants were ...
'Luck' saves climber from 1500m fall
Feb 01, 2005; ... Fall asleep and you're dead. Those words played over in GuyMcKinnon's mind as he huddled on a tiny mountain ledge, facing a1500m plunge to certain death. The 29-year-old Christchurch climber spent Saturday night 60mbelow the summit of New Zealand's highest mountain, trapped on ...
Fewer dole cheats caught
Feb 01, 2005; ... The Government's success in nabbing benefit cheats has plummeteddespite millions more being spent on random investigations. Last year just over 1700 beneficiaries were prosecuted forcheating the system -- about the same number they caught in 2000 whenspending on investigations was ...
Hewitt wins love match off the court
Feb 01, 2005 ... Lleyton Hewitt proposed to soap star girlfriend Bec Cartwrightafter losing the Australian Open men's tennis final on Sunday nightagainst Russian Marat Safin. The couple got engaged soon after the match ended at MelbournePark, the Seven network reported yesterday. "The big ...
DIARY
Feb 01, 2005; ... On the level KEITH TOOK his Waikato mum and dad to Christchurch's CentralLibrary. They parked on level five of the Farmers building. Returningto the building, they got in the lift and Keith pushed the button forlevel five. His mother was adamant they had parked on level 10 ...
3kg axe used in murder of woman
Feb 01, 2005 ... A log-spitting axe was used to batter a woman to death after adomestic argument turned violent. In the High Court in Christchurch yesterday, Stephen James King,36, admitted murdering his partner, Ordette Lloyd-Rangiuia, inChristchurch on January 31 last year. He was ...
New call centre ready for move
Feb 01, 2005; ... Christchurch City Council staff are ready to move into a new$345,000 call centre more than a month after council inspectorsstopped the first shift. In mid-December the council started moving 45 staff into theleased premises in Lichfield Street, but it is understood ...
Benmore work begins
Feb 01, 2005 ... After more than 20 years in the planning, physical work startedyesterday on the new $4 million Benmore irrigation scheme in theMackenzie ...
Workers living in containers
Feb 01, 2005; ... Foreign workers are living in shipping containers at the dry dockat Lyttelton, sparking concerns they are taking jobs from localworkers. The Press has been told six Lithuanian fitters and boilermakersarrived in Lyttelton from Germany on Saturday to do repairs on aGerman-owned ...
Proposal aims to improve road safety, tourism traffic
Feb 01, 2005; ... A multimillion-dollar plan targeting road safety and growingtourism in the South Island has been released by Transit New Zealand. Transit's draft 10-year State Highway Plan sets out for publicconsultation a proposed list of activities to be carried out on SouthIsland highways ....
Manderson in Phuket
Feb 01, 2005 ... Canterbury police district commander Sandra Manderson will leadthe second New Zealand police contingent to work in Phuket, Thailand,identifying victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami ....
Roads reopen
Feb 01, 2005 ... Roads closed to traffic after the big Cashel Chambers fire incentral ...
Workers living in containers
Feb 01, 2005; ... Foreign workers are living in shipping containers at the dry dockat Lyttelton, sparking concerns they are taking jobs from localworkers. The Press has been told six Lithuanian fitters and boilermakersarrived in Lyttelton from Germany on Saturday to do repairs on aGerman-owned ...
Public asked for input on multimillion-dollar proposal
Feb 01, 2005; ... A multimillion-dollar plan to ease traffic congestion and improvesafety on Canterbury roads has been released by Transit New Zealand. Transit's draft 10-year State Highway Plan sets out for publicconsultation a $342 million list of proposed activities to be carriedout on ...
Doors open to new era
Feb 01, 2005; ... A new era of education in South Canterbury and the West Coast hasbegun, with some schools closed and new ones open. At the end of the last school year, 13 schools closed or merged aspart of a review of schools in South Canterbury. On the West Coast, which has six fewer ...
Arsenic tests continue
Feb 01, 2005; ... The Marlborough District Council is continuing to test residentialwells at Rarangi for arsenic. Groundwater resources officer Peter Davidson said the council haddone a lot of work since initial surveys in 2003 that showed 18 percent of 225 Rarangi wells had arsenic levels ...
Dead man named
Feb 01, 2005 ... CHRISTCHURCH -- An Asian man whose body was found at the base of acentral Auckland hotel last week was a Christchurch fisherman, policesaid yesterday. He was Che Nan Tung, 22, whose body was spotted inbush by a cleaner at the Metropolis Hotel in High Street lastThursday. Detective Senior ...
Remains identified
Feb 01, 2005 ... NELSON -- Nelson police yesterday confirmed skeletal remains foundnear Mount Arthur in Kahurangi National Park are those of missingMotueka man Karl Erza Sorenson. A caver found Sorenson's remains onFriday on the Pearce Valley side of Mount Arthur. A ...
Case adjourned
Feb 01, 2005 ... ASHBURTON -- Immigration authorities are holding the passport of a30-year-old Israeli man accused of contaminating milk on the Mid-Canterbury dairy farm where he worked. The man was to have appearedin the Ashburton District Court yesterday but the case was adjourneduntil February 14. New ...
Irrigation work starts
Feb 01, 2005 ... TWIZEL -- After more than 20 years in the planning, physical workstarted yesterday on the new $4 million Benmore irrigation scheme inthe Mackenzie Country, South Canterbury. The scheme will irrigateabout 8000ha on six farms on each side of ...
Hearing postponed
Feb 01, 2005 ... HOKITIKA -- The Department of Conservation (DOC) has postponeduntil April the hearing for a contentious tree-top walkway proposalin the Hokitika Gorge Scenic Reserve. Christchurch- based Air WalksNZ Ltd wants to spend $6 million building a 600m-long, elevated steelwalkway and visitor ...
Biggest programme
Feb 01, 2005 ... GREYMOUTH -- The biggest public health programme seen on the WestCoast will start in Hokitika on June 7 with plans to vaccinate 8500children and teenagers against meningococcal B disease. It is part ofa national ...
Aquatic centre backed
Feb 01, 2005 ... QUEENSTOWN -- Queenstown residents support a proposed $13 millionaquatic centre at Frankton. By yesterday the council had received 468submissions in favour of the ...
23 vie for trust posts
Feb 01, 2005 ... GREYMOUTH -- Twenty-three people are competing for the six electedpositions on the West Coast Development Trust. Three candidates arecurrent trustees. The trust was formed in 2001 with $92 million fromthe Government's native ...
Big project starts
Feb 01, 2005 ... QUEENSTOWN -- A $1.3 million streetscaping project in centralQueenstown will start today. In the Transit New ...
Students head back to school; Pay drops for school support staff
Feb 01, 2005; ... As hundreds of thousands of children headed back to schoolyesterday, Andrew Miller took his lessons in a classroom atChristchurch Hospital. The 11-year-old from Nelson, is one of 76 school-age children inthe South Island who are enrolled at the Southern Regional HealthSchool ...
Barbecues partly to blame for poisoning
Feb 01, 2005; ... Barbecues and bad hygiene are behind a jump in reports ofcampylobacter food poisoning, medical experts say. Campylobacter notifications have risen sharply from 24 in thefirst week of January, to 55 reports in the week ending January 28. The increase was a seasonal rise, ...
Contractor fined $8000 for bitumen tank blast
Feb 01, 2005; ... Roading contractor Fulton Hogan has been fined over an explosionat its Lyttelton bitumen plant two years ago that threatened toengulf Christchurch's main fuel-storage facility. Fulton Hogan was sentenced in the Christchurch District Courtyesterday after a Department of Labour ...
Reprieve in sight for at-risk midwives
Feb 01, 2005; ... Rangiora's threatened community midwives may be given a reprieve -- but only at the expense of a challenging increase in workload. In December the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) proposedaxing the 16 community midwives attached to Rangiora, Burwood andChristchurch Women's ...
No clues to whereabouts of lost man
Feb 01, 2005 ... Three years ago yesterday, Northlander Lee Sheppard disappearedwithout trace in Britain. No positive leads have come forward and his parents say they areconvinced London police have shelved the investigation. Sheppard, 26, from Pahi, about 38km northwest of ...
Thieves damage player's chances
Feb 01, 2005; ... A Christchurch athlete's hope of representing her country is injeopardy after thieves stole crucial equipment from her car. Lyndal Heineman is competing for a goalie position in the nationalwomen's ice hockey team to take part in world championship poolmatches in Dunedin in ...
Troops descend on Waimate in annual exercise
Feb 01, 2005 ... Private Ahokovi Tukia, from Dunedin, stops traffic on Waimate'sMain Street at a checkpoint. One hundred and fifty soldiers,including 115 territorials, are taking part in a military exercisewhich simulates conditions in Iraq. Soldiers of the 2nd ...
Defendant denies alleged indecent acts at hotel job
Feb 01, 2005; ... A houseperson at Christchurch's Grand Chancellor Hotel allegedlyindecently assaulted a supervisor and exposed himself to her, a courthas been told. Ahmed Sharab, 35, denies two charges of indecent assault and oneof doing an indecent act to offend. Opening the case yesterday ...
Hunt off to London; ACT rekindles ONZ row
Feb 01, 2005; ... Parliament's open secret has been confirmed, with Speaker JonathanHunt officially confirmed as the next High Commissioner to London andAmbassador to Ireland. Foreign Minister Phil Goff said Hunt had been a member ofParliament for 38 years and was a minister from 1984 to 1990. He ...
Ship makes history
Feb 01, 2005; ... A ship operated by a Christchurch company has made history byventuring further south than any other vessel. Polar research ship Spirit of Enderby, operated by Christchurch-based Heritage Expeditions, broke the record by three nautical mileswhen it reached a latitude of 78deg 40min ...
Good on Brash for raising taboo subject
Feb 01, 2005 ... I'm proud of being a New Zealander. We value tolerance of othersand are keen to give a bloke a fair go. Kiwis understand that, attimes, everyone runs the risk of hitting a rocky patch in life andmay need help. We believe in the welfare state and in paying ourtaxes to support every New ...
Appeal to prejudice
Feb 01, 2005 ... Those open to being persuaded to vote for the National Party inthis year's election have been let down once again by the latestBrash offering at Orewa. Just like last year, it was an appeal to the so-called battlers,salary and wager earners, to feel grumpy, envious that ...
Where's the justice?
Feb 01, 2005 ... I believe Dr Brash should be publicly addressing the issue of whypeople aren't paying their maintenance and what plans does he have tosolve this very important issue. I was in what I considered an abusive marriage and left my husbandand went on the DPB with three children. It ...
Reverse bashing
Feb 01, 2005 ... If refusing to pay someone for doing nothing is bashing them, whatis it called ...
It is work
Feb 01, 2005 ... After reading some of the appalling comments (Jan 27) by peopleregarding single parents going to work, I want to know when hasraising a child not been work? Society will pay ...
Payment unjustified
Feb 01, 2005 ... I was surprised to read Don Whelan's comments in the article onthe Catholic Cathedral (Jan 15). I cannot believe he would expect musicians to be paid toparticipate in the liturgical celebrations in our cathedral. There is a vast difference between performing in the Town ...
Not routine
Feb 01, 2005 ... On December 29 (CORRECTION: January 29) your newspaper published aletter from Dr Lesley McTurk, the Christchurch City Council chiefexecutive, in part defending the process of granting a resourceconsent for a proposed 14-storey building in Ferrymead, without theapplication being publicly ...
Not isolated incident
Feb 01, 2005 ... In regard to the article of January 22 reporting the incident inwhich an IHC caregiver was not told of her client's violent past andsubsequently attacked, I should like to point out that, to myknowledge, this is not an isolated incident. I am aware of many caregivers who have also ...
Bunkum
Feb 01, 2005 ... David McPhail (Jan 22) reports New Zealand historians are callingthe Wairau Massacre an affray. It has been handed down to usNelsonians that 22 pioneers were treacherously murdered. One so-called historian says Captain Wakefield tried to arrest TeRauparaha, who wasn't even there ....
New goal for Mehrts
Feb 01, 2005 ... The challenge confronting champion inside back Andrew Mehrtens isevery bit as difficult as any he has faced on the rugby field. As theface of Christchurch and Canterbury Marketing's new campaign, hisgoal will be to persuade sceptical North Islanders that the region isthe happening place ...
In a few words
Feb 01, 2005 ... Congratulations to your newspaper for managing to devote anothertwo pages to a mixture of regurgitated "fact" and innuendo regardingblue magic, this sorry, if over-exposed topic (Jan 29). I feel sureJohn Seaton's seriously ill wife relishes having it dragged out againfor no reason other ...
BITS & BYTES; Sited
Feb 01, 2005; ... With most school-aged children behind their desks again, now is agood time to set some performance goals for the year. BuzzLightyear's cry of "to infinity and beyond" lights up my lamp, but asgoals should be aspirational and achievable, perhaps "up, up andaway" is more fitting for the ...
Return of Everquest
Feb 01, 2005; ... Everquest II From: Sony Online Entertainment For: PC Rating: 68% This is the long-awaited sequel to Everquest and on the surface ithas lived up to expectations. The developers listened to their fan base, checked out the goodand bad points of the ...
It's Spongebob the game
Feb 01, 2005; ... Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie For: Xbox From: THQ Rating: 69% "He lives in a pineapple under the sea ... Spongebob Squarepants ...", blah, blah, blah, you know the rest if you've got a child agedunder 10. So, you know the SpongeBob Squarepants ...
Coffee company brews up success
Feb 01, 2005 ... Hummingbird Coffee's managing director George Cowper spills thebeans at the Christchurch company's roastery as a national obsessionwith quality coffee and cafe life have proved a healthy brew for thefirm. The company's business grew 35 per cent last year and it ...
Managed funds lose investors
Feb 01, 2005; ... Investors have withdrawn $630 million out of managed investmentfunds over the last year despite generally good returns, creating a"puzzle" about why. In the December quarter alone, FundSource statistics releasedyesterday revealed that New Zealand investors withdrew $222.8 ...
Stake in Pure NZ to liquidator
Feb 01, 2005; ... A 20 per cent stake in Pure New Zealand is in the hands of aliquidator, after court proceedings in Australia. Shares in the self-tagged merchant banker have been suspendedsince early October, after the company failed to produce an annualreport. The only communication with ...
Westpac predicts weaker economy
Feb 01, 2005; ... Economic growth will slow considerably this year but the weakerpicture will not be clear until at least mid-year, according toWestpac Bank economists. The economy grew last year at an estimated 5 per cent and most keyindicators were still rosy, but tougher times were still ahead, ...
Sales up at year end
Feb 01, 2005; ... Canterbury manufacturers enjoyed a good December, bolstered byChristmas cheer and a four working week month. The Canterbury Manufacturers' Association (CMA) Survey forDecember showed total sales were more than 8 per cent up on the samemonth a year earlier. However, that ...
Watchdog to be referee
Feb 01, 2005; ... The Commerce Commission has agreed to act as referee over thenumber portability solution presented to it by the telecommunicationsindustry. Number portability is the ability to switch home or mobile phoneproviders and keep the same phone number. The industry has been ...
Union patches anger Toll Rail
Feb 01, 2005; ... The Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) and Toll NZ are atloggerheads about the sewing of union patches on new uniformsprovided to workers. Union boss Wayne Butson said a war had erupted after he extolledworkers to sew union patches on new uniforms in a union newsletter ....
Better dairy exports help trade deficit
Feb 01, 2005; ... A recovery in dairy exports may be behind a rebound in overallexports in December, leading to a better-than- expected trade deficitof $493 million for the month. Economist expected the deficit to be about $60m worse for themonth, but the figures still pointed to a current account ...
Ebos increases stake, announces purchase
Feb 01, 2005; ... Health and science company Ebos Group continues to expand,increasing its stake in a key Kiwi business and announcing anothernew acquisition across the Tasman. The listed Christchurch company said yesterday it had lifted itsshareholding in Global Science and Technology from the ...
Ebos Group continues its expansion
Feb 01, 2005; ... Ebos Group continues to expand, raising its stake in a New Zealandbusiness and announcing another new purchase across the Tasman. The listed Christchurch health and science company said yesterdayit had raised its shareholding in Auckland's Global Science andTechnology to 67%, from ...
Don't take lifestyle land lightly
Feb 01, 2005; ... Lifestyle blocks are booming, with a recent Zespri annual reportindicating that in 2002 there were more than 800 kiwifruit orchardsof less than two hectares, and 2000 orchards of from 2ha to 10ha.MARGARET INGE looks at the phenomenon. . Kaye McAuley shrugs off the title ...
75% expect State help in retirement
Feb 01, 2005; ... More than 75 per cent of New Zealanders believe that theGovernment should subsidise their retirement, an international surveyby fund manager AXA shows. However, 81% of workers and 82% of retirees also felt that peopleshould take responsibility for their own retirement income, ...
SEA, AIR, RAIL
Feb 01, 2005 ... (PORT OF LYTTELTON) VESSELS IN PORT Anita, Oil Berth. Forum Rarotonga, Dry Dock. Milburn Carrier 2, Cashin Quay, No. 2. Spirit of Resolution, No 7 East. Zlatno More, No. 4 West. ARRIVED PONL Marita, (2.06am), 26,833, Tauranga, (Adsteam) ....
Organic orchard business
Feb 01, 2005 ... An organic orchard property and business in Golden Bay is on themarket at $1.15 million plus GST. The business, Bay Subtropicals, is one of the largest propertiesspecialising in subtropical fruit species in the South Island. It occupies 7ha on Tangmere Road, 4km from Takaka ...