The Press back issues from March 2008:
Woman run over by long-time friend; FATAL CRASH
Mar 01, 2008; ... An elderly woman was killed yesterday outside her Christchurchhome after being run over by a long-time friend. Senior Sergeant Trevor Pullen said the woman, in her seventies,was knocked down on the roadside outside her home on MiddleparkRoad, Upper Riccarton, at 3.40pm. She ...
Charity breakdown rejected; DANCING WITH THE STARS
Mar 01, 2008; ... A former Dancing with the Stars contestant says the televisionshow should be upfront about what proportion of viewers' money isgoing to charity. The call from former Labour MP Georgina Beyer prompted an angryresponse from Television New Zealand executive Andrew Shaw, who ...
MPs come to support of retirees; RETIREMENT VILLAGE SALE
Mar 01, 2008; ... Elderly residents threatened with eviction from their retirementunits have ended the week with some hope. The Registrar of Retirement Villages, Neville Harris, saidyesterday he was investigating and both Senior Citizens MinisterRuth Dyson and MP Jim Anderton have taken up the ...
Home ownership hits 50-year low; Home ownership plunges to 50-year low - report
Mar 01, 2008 ... Home ownership is down to its lowest level in 50 years, accordingto a new report. Twenty years ago almost 74 per cent of Kiwi households ownedtheir own home, but that slumped to 67% by 2006, according to areport by the Centre for Housing Research, an agency set up by theHousing ...
Police 'appalled' at concert poster; Club operating illegally - council; NIGHTCLUB WARNING
Mar 01, 2008; ... Police concerned at an offensive concert poster and under-agedrinking say they will block the concert at an all-ages club incentral Christchurch. Inspector Gary Knowles, the central city area commander, saidpolice would move to shut the Underground club in Bath Street forany ...
Owner sues over stag's semen
Mar 01, 2008; ... The battle over trophy stag Brusnik's testicles is heading forcourt, with the beast's owners suing for nearly $200,000 after adeal turned sour. Brusnik was the champion red stag sold by Rangiora farmer HarryWaghorn to Christchurch-based Kiwi Safaris New Zealand and shot byan ...
Media exclusion 'may be illegal'; DAVID BAIN HEARING
Mar 01, 2008; ... A judge's decision to exclude news media from a pre-trial hearingfor David Bain may be illegal, according to a Wellington lawyer. Justice Graham Panckhurst excluded the media from a pre- trialhearing in the High Court in Christchurch on Thursday, backtrackingon an earlier decision ...
Nuns' mortgages irk abuse claimants; SISTERS OF NAZARETH CLAIMS
Mar 01, 2008; ... Financial loans a Catholic order of nuns has granted to abusecomplainants, secured over their homes, have been questioned as"unethical" and "inappropriate" by a victims' advocate group. The Sisters of Nazareth have paid for cars, overseas trips, newkitchens, home appliances and ...
Hospital record
Mar 01, 2008 ... TIMARU -- Attendances at Timaru Hospital's emergency departmentwere at a record high in ...
MRI `unviable'
Mar 01, 2008 ... TIMARU -- An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner for TimaruHospital is not viable in the short term, the South CanterburyDistrict Health Board's ...
Trees affected
Mar 01, 2008 ... RAKAIA -- More than 11ha of young trees were affected by a firewhich spread from Department of Conservation land at Rakaia lastSunday into council land ....
Second thump for bridge
Mar 01, 2008; ... A concrete company has apologised to commuters for traffic snarl-ups after one its trucks slammed into the Waimakariri River motorwaybridge early yesterday. One southbound lane was closed about 6.45am after the truckdriver left the deck extended and it hit the bridge, causing ...
More cities, groups join Earth Hour
Mar 01, 2008 ... Earth Hour registrations are building as individuals, businessesand community groups in Christchurch and around the country jump onboard. Individual registrations topped 500 last night, and around 40organisations had also signed on. Earth Hour is organised by the Worldwide ...
Strategy rethinking for tourism
Mar 01, 2008 ... Falling visitor markets and changes in tourist behaviour hadbrought Destination Queenstown to a crossroads, the organisation'schief executive and chairman say. The two men spoke at a meeting of the Queenstown Lakes DistrictCouncil yesterday. DQ chief executive David Kennedy ...
Surgery fundings in danger; SOUTH CANTERBURY
Mar 01, 2008; ... The South Canterbury District Health Board risks having some ofits elective surgery funding suspended unless it meets Ministry ofHealth targets. Acting operations manager Carol Murphy told the board's advisorycommittee yesterday that 28 patients had been waiting more than ...
Ambulance crash
Mar 01, 2008 ... CHRISTCHURCH -- A St John Ambulance crew was left shaken butunhurt last night after a collision at a Christchurch intersection.St John Ambulance spokesman Ian Henderson said a car collided withthe ambulance as it went ...
Appeal studied
Mar 01, 2008 ... BLENHEIM -- Talley's is considering an appeal against its$110,000 fine for the the carbon monoxide poisoning of 11 workersfrom LPG forklift fumes at its Blenheim plant in 2006. Talley'sFrozen Foods was convicted in the Blenheim District Court this ...
Tourist found
Mar 01, 2008 ... TE ANAU -- A 23-year-old Swedish woman was found wet, cold andhungry yesterday morning after an unplanned night out at NorthMavora Lake. Constable James Ure, of Te Anau police, said foursearchers found the ...
Chase at speed
Mar 01, 2008 ... BLENHEIM -- A speeding driver pursued by police crashed inRenwick early yesterday. Police allege the vehicle reached 160km/hduring the 11km pursuit which ended when it crashed ...
Arts festival
Mar 01, 2008 ... MOUNT SOMERS -- A big crowd is expected for the Minerals to Artfestival at Mount Somers in Mid-Canterbury today and tomorrow. Thefestival includes demonstrations ...
Trees affected
Mar 01, 2008 ... RAKAIA -- More than 11ha of young trees were affected by a firewhich spread from Department of Conservation land at Rakaia lastSunday into ...
Festival light shines on patriarch
Mar 01, 2008; ... Percy Chew Lee has never shied away from a challenge. The 96-year-old arrived with his family from China to anunfriendly welcome in New Zealand 88 years ago. All Chinese arriving in the country then were subject to a heftypoll tax. The 100 tax (the equivalent of ...
Contagious canine flu forces dog show to cancel
Mar 01, 2008; ... A highly contagious dog flu is sweeping through the SouthIsland's canine community. Kennel cough has been reported around the South Island and hasforced the cancellation of a Southland dog show this weekend atwhich Christchurch dogs were to compete. Organisers of next ...
Fashion launch; NGAI TAHU
Mar 01, 2008; ... Ngai Tahu is expanding its business empire into a new clothingrange, using a hi-tech combination of possum fur and merino wool. The South Island tribe will launch its new clothing brand Aho inWellington tonight with a range of shawls. Ngai Tahu iwi business development ...
Glenmoor's after-school includes fresh veges
Mar 01, 2008; ... Children at a Christchurch after-school group soon will be ableto work up an appetite on a fitness circuit and take home freshvegetables. The after-school programme at Glenmoor School in Mairehau hasbeen selected to take part in a pilot scheme called ExtendedServices. The ...
Marriage that will never grow old; LEAP YEAR WEDDING
Mar 01, 2008; ... Bride Karen McDonald wore white, her groom, Mark Duncan-Caley,donned a suit and two bridesmaids and two groomsmen attended. Butthat was where tradition ended for the Christchurch couple. The couple had a groom- dog, a bride-dog, a flower-dog and page-dog in attendance and chose ...
Safety reasons behind no to solid roadside mailboxes
Mar 01, 2008 ... Solid mailboxes too close to the road in the Waimakariri Districtare being given the thumbs down in the interest of road safety. Council roading staff say mailboxes are popping up like mushroomsalong rural roads, due to the growth in the district and the lure ofthe land ....
Enterprise shifts tasks to Auckland
Mar 01, 2008 ... A Kaiapoi manufacturer of cutting tools is moving some of itsdistribution to Auckland, affecting about 10 jobs. Rick Smith, the factory manager of Patience and Nicholson, saidit was hoped some of the distribution staff could be absorbed intothe manufacturing side of the business ...
Bid for demolition of railway station; HISTORIC BUILDING
Mar 01, 2008; ... Ashburton's historic railway station is facing demolition. Owner Peter Hanson, of Redson Corporation, has applied to theAshburton District Council for a resource consent to demolish thewooden building. It has a Category A listing in the council's district plan andCategory 2 ...
No time to hesitate, Cunliffe amputates
Mar 01, 2008; ... Health Minister David Cunliffe has cut a swathe through thesector in just three months in the job and now faces legal actionafter sacking the Hawkes Bay District Health Board. Press politicaleditor COLIN ESPINER profiles the ambitious MP. David Cunliffe drew himself up to his full ...
New rehab unit has room for girls; ODYSSEY HOUSE
Mar 01, 2008; ... Young Christchurch female drug and alcohol addicts no longer haveto travel to Auckland for residential treatment with the opening ofOdyssey House's new youth rehabilitation facility. The 12-bed Burnside residence, officially opened by AssociateHealth Minister Jim Anderton ...
Two young kiwi found near Arthurs Pass village; ENDANGERED BIRDS
Mar 01, 2008 ... Kiwi predator controls around Arthurs Pass are beginning to payoff with two juvenile birds found near the village this week. Department of Conservation (DOC) ranger Wayne Costello said achick was found with its parents on Tuesday, while another wasdiscovered yesterday. The ...
Massive increase in online fraud; INTERNET SECURITY
Mar 01, 2008; ... Internet phishing -- the practice of stealing passwords and bankdetails by online deception -- grew by 533 per cent in the retailsector during 2007, a new survey shows. A New Zealand expert says the practice is being fuelled byillicit software which creates easy-to-use phishing ...
Burning price tag on the world's hottest rod
Mar 01, 2008 ... An American beauty worth over $US1.2 million ($1.5m) has justrolled into town. Hot rod enthusiasts Kevin and Karen Alstott havebrought their award-winning vehicle to the South Island. Built fromscratch by hand, it is based on a 1935 Ford Roadster and sports aleather interior and bucket ...
Man jailed for two indecent assaults
Mar 01, 2008; ... A man who randomly indecently assaulted two women in centralChristchurch has been jailed for a year. Nathan Allan Wiremu Finch, 27, was sentenced in the ChristchurchDistrict Court yesterdayon two charges of indecent assault and oneof unlawfully taking a motor vehicle. He ...
Costly schemes to speed to Milford miss the point
Mar 01, 2008; ... Waking, panicked, at 6am I hustled down the stairs and jumped onthe internet. When someone told me it would take only 2 1/2 hours to drive toMilford Sound there was a nagging voice at the back of my mind whichsaid that did not seem quite right. Within a minute or two it was ...
VERBATIM
Mar 01, 2008 ... The fact that Obama is exceptionally easy in his skin has madeHillary almost jump out of hers. She can't turn on her charm and witbecause she can't get beyond what she sees as the injustice of Obamanot waiting his turn. Her sunshine-colored jackets hardly disguisethe fact that she's ...
Heavy hand on boy racers
Mar 01, 2008; ... Boy-racing hoons must be wondering what hit them this week as athree-pronged attack on them was launched by the Government, thepolice and the Christchurch City Council. First the Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven announcedthat the crackdown on noisy modified exhausts which ...
Travelling to learn his craft
Mar 01, 2008; ... German stonemason Rene Breuer, 23, has been on the road for threeyears in the tradition of European artisans honing their craft asthey travel. The latest section of his trip has seen Breuer repairstonework at the Christchurch Arts Centre. So, what exactly are you doing? To ...
DIARY; Caption competition
Mar 01, 2008 ... `Who am I?' Jesse Ryder's night in Christchurch Hospital's emergencydepartment proves once and for all that nurses are not to be messedwith. According to an ED insider, one of the city's finest needlewielders had the perfect answer to his repeated: "Don't you know whoI am?" ...
PHOTO OF THE WEEK; [Slot car racing]
Mar 01, 2008 ... Eye on the prize: Dillon Forsythe, five, tracks his red car as hegives slot car racing a go at ...
New rubbish system will be an expensive failure
Mar 01, 2008 ... The proposal for three large wheelie bins is ill thought out,totally impractical and probably very expensive (Feb 25). There areno advantages in this proposed system over the current system. The proposed system relies on residents following the rules, butthere is a large part of ...
Still rates
Mar 01, 2008 ... As the council debates the wheelie bin rubbish collection, let'sbe clear about one thing. Opting for a $100 annual charge for thebins will not "reduce the impact on rates", because the $100 is alsorates (Feb 25). What this debate will do is decide which sectors of the city ...
Trial the scheme
Mar 01, 2008 ... Wouldn't it be advisable for the proposed three-bin rubbishsystem to be tested in a limited area before the CCC commits to whatmight be an unworkable system? I live in one house in a group of 10, all sharing a single narrowentrance road. What will that road look like on rubbish ...
De we get it?
Mar 01, 2008 ... The Remuneration Authority is setting the standard for the restof us when it comes to our pay rises this year. I look forward to my7 per cent ...
Opened a door
Mar 01, 2008 ... I am very grateful that I am privileged to live in a time where Ican enjoy beautiful voices like Hayley Westenra's from the comfortof my own home, a time where enjoying a musical performance is nolonger the privilege of a chosen few who can afford tickets to theopera. I used to ...
Cherry picking
Mar 01, 2008 ... Joe Fone's letter (Feb 28) is yet another case of cherry pickingby the global warming deniers. The only valid science process is where theories are deniable --the originator of a theory has searched and failed to find factsthat counter it. The deniers are always searching for the ...
Arrogance the problem
Mar 01, 2008 ... Jim Fielding (Feb 27) says the dangers of mass-migration andmulticulturalism are now evident in Europe, with race riots andterrorism. Race and ethnicity are straw men in reference to the harmony ofour society. Maori have constituted a significant portion of ourpopulation since ...
Won't help
Mar 01, 2008 ... With bemusement I read your daily eulogies about Earth Hour. I amnot surprised that even the sustainable Prime Minister,administrator of the clean, green lie, gives her support. Sure it is good to save energy, any waste is bad -- but I amafraid many people think they will have ...
Crackdown on hoons commendable but council must be cautious
Mar 01, 2008 ... The Christchurch City Council has shown a welcome determinationto crack down on car hoons. This week it used a bylaw to ban non-essential light vehicles from travelling at night on nine roads,mostly in rural or semi-rural parts of the city. The ban followedMayor Bob Parker's action late ...
IN A FEW WORDS
Mar 01, 2008 ... Osama bin Perigo (Feb 27) displays the type of superciliousarrogance towards all non-classical styles of music that in areligious parallel would have believers of every faith, creed orsect different from his own screaming in the fires of hell in theafter life, and therefore deserving of ...
POSTSCRIPT
Mar 01, 2008; ... The battle of the divas is what the spat over Kiri and Hayleyshould be called, but that characterisation would be tediouslyprovocative. It would reignite the row, with people writing insaying Hayley is not a diva. This week probably saw the debate exhaust itself ...
QUOTE UNQUOTE
Mar 01, 2008 ... "I don't like the way the red carpet has turned into productplacement." -- actress Julie Christie. "If you make people laugh, it releases serotonin in your brain.People get addicted to that. Comedians become dealers. Audiencesbecome junkies. It's like salivating before a treat." ...
Art or eyesore?
Mar 01, 2008; ... Self-expression or crime: graffiti is a matter of perspective,but now officialdom is getting in on the act, writes ROSA SHIELS. Kilroy was here, but he's been and gone. The line drawings ofthat little big-nosed man, peering over a fence and captioned"Kilroy was here" emerged ...
Cultivating artistic talent
Mar 01, 2008; ... Eric Orr is committed to helping taggers turn graffiti into acareer, writes ROSA SHIELS. Senior, respected graffiti artists from New Zealand and overseas,who are enlisted as art tutors and mentors, have proved beneficialleaders in the work of redirecting young taggers into art ...
Land grab in the suburbs
Mar 01, 2008; ... The impact of developers on inner-Christchurch suburbs is alarming some St Albans residentswho are feeling powerless. PHILIP MATTHEWS reports. Bill Demeter has an ambition and it's a modest one. Call it aquiet protest: he wants his recently renovated 1908 villa to be ...
Politics and public service; THE WORDS OF MARK PREBBLE
Mar 01, 2008; ... State Services Commissioner Mark Prebble retires in a few months,after a tumultuous 32 years in the public service. NICK VENTER spoketo him about dealing with truculent ministers, the state of thepublic service and his big project to transform it. The country's most senior public ...
Arriving by sea; A fortnight of visitors to Lyttelton
Mar 01, 2008; ... Cruise-ship tourism is booming in New Zealand, but are we reallymaking the most of it? JOHN McCRONE reports. Christchurch has yet to get to grips with the trans-Tasman swing.No, not some new dance craze, but a change in the migratory patternof the world's cruise-ship fleet as it ...
Turnaround in Fairlie
Mar 01, 2008; ... A year ago, Fairlie farmer Paul Williams could hardly sleep forworrying. It was not drought that left him tossing and turning. Itwas the state of the Mackenzie Rugby Club. The Fairlie-based club, of which he is president, was strugglingto find enough players to put one team on ...
Negotiating the hazards of life
Mar 01, 2008; ... JOHN HENZELL ponders the risks of the New Zealand back countryand what fear can do. You should do something every day, the saying goes, that scaresthe hell out of you. "Yep," I thought as I sat in my kayak on the bank of the TasmanRiver just below the terminal lake of the ...
In defence of Jesse
Mar 01, 2008; ... A ll the wowsers, teetotallers, shandy drinkers and goody too-shoes have come out attacking my mate Jesse Ryder who has been in abit of strife lately. Now come on. Let's give this guy a fair go. Every man and his doghas had a go at poor old Jesse because he was out to 1am before ...
Finalists named
Mar 01, 2008; ... The 2008 New Zealand Post Book Awards finalists include twofamiliar Canterbury names. Gavin Bishop is listed in two categories -- Rats! (written andillustrated by Bishop) in the best picture book section and hisillustrations for Joy Cowley's Snake and Lizard for best ...
SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES: EX-PATS HAVE THEIR SAY by Jan Morgan
Mar 01, 2008; ... SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES: EX-PATS HAVE THEIR SAY by Jan Morgan.Cape Catley, 220pp, $29.95. These are our wandering ones -- New Zealanders who have movedaway to expand their career, their art or, in some cases,themselves. Suspicious though I am of the words "famous ...
YOU SAID WHAT? LIES AND PROPAGANDA THROUGHOUT HISTORY edited by Bill Fawcett
Mar 01, 2008; ... YOU SAID WHAT? LIES AND PROPAGANDA THROUGHOUT HISTORY edited byBill Fawcett. Harper, 317pp, $24.99 We are both victims and perpetrators of propaganda. As thissnappy potted history establishes, there's nothing new inmanipulating and massaging public opinion through a judicious ...
THE YOUNG CHE: MEMORIES OF CHE GUEVARA by Ernesto Guevara Lynch
Mar 01, 2008; ... THE YOUNG CHE: MEMORIES OF CHE GUEVARA by Ernesto Guevara Lynch.Vintage Books, 318pp, illustrated, $29.99 There's something infinitely poignant in Lynch's account of hisson's early life. Assembled from two separate books -- My Son Cheand A Soldier Of The Americas, the ...